Chamber and committees

Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S6W-29359

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 August 2024
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 12 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has identified any practical limitations caused by the current IT system for distributing farming and crofting payments that will impact on the approach taken to agricultural support framework Tiers 2, 3 and 4.

The current paying agency is performing well, making payments more quickly and stably than before. The existing system was built to deliver against the CAP and while we work to reform the support system we must also prioritise existing payment delivery to ensure no cliff edges. Regular maintenance of the system is required to protect the integrity and stability of existing payments and the Scottish Government must allocate sufficient budget to ensure continuation of that stability. However, these systems, whilst vital for maintain ongoing payments, are not designed to deliver the four tier support framework required for the Agricultural reform programme. Therefore, we are currently working on what capabilities and requirements will be needed in the future.

Question reference: S6W-29368

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 August 2024
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 12 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) UK and (b) EU registered vessels received boarded inspections by Marine Scotland in each year since 2021.

Question reference: S6W-29501

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 12 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many full-time equivalent civil servants there were in 2023-24.

To answer this question both sets of data refer to the full time equivalents (FTE) at March 24 as the end point of FY2023-24.

Data is provided from both the Scottish Government core workforce information and the devolved Scottish Civil Service employment information.

This information is published quarterly as part of the Scottish Government statistics on workforce information and the Public Sector Employment in Scotland Statistics.

The links are attached and FTE refers to March 24 published statistics.

Scottish Government workforce information - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Public sector employment in Scotland: web tables - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

In relation to 2023-24, at end March 2024, the Scottish Government core employed 8,843 FTE directly employed staff including permanent and fixed term staff.

In relation to 2023-24, at end March 2024, the Scottish Government devolved civil service employed 26,800 FTE.

Question reference: S6W-29450

Asked by: Pam Gosal, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 12 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will carry out a review of the support required by local authorities to ensure that there is robust enforcement of the legislation that covers the private rented sector.

The Housing (Scotland) Bill includes a package of reforms to the private rented sector which are in the interests of both tenants and responsible landlords. Should Parliament pass the legislation, it is intended that a full review will be undertaken of the support required by local authorities to ensure robust enforcement in the PRS. This will include an assessment of the enforcement provisions and the resource required to adequately support this.

Question reference: S6W-29300

Asked by: Stephanie Callaghan, MSP for Uddingston and Bellshill, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 August 2024
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 12 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-28925 by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 14 August 2024, what steps it has taken to urge pensioners to check their eligibility for pension credit and thereby be eligible for Winter Fuel Payment in the Uddingston and Bellshill constituency, in light of Independent Age's report that an estimated £3,436,244 in pension credit goes unclaimed annually.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that everyone receives the benefits to which they are entitled. In 2024-25 we have invested over £12 million in free income maximisation, welfare and debt advice services – including £4.6 million for Citizens Advice Scotland’s Money Talk Team service, which last year supported over 9,000 older people, securing financial gains of over £7 million.

As Pension Credit is a reserved benefit the Scottish Government has written to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions urging that more is done to promote this benefit. We have also offered to work with the Department of Work and Pensions to improve take-up rates. This will include working with stakeholders across Scotland to increase awareness of Pension Credit and the link to eligibility for Pension Age Winter Heating Payment.

Question reference: S6W-29351

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 August 2024
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 12 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what measures are being implemented to apply the waste hierarchy to waste wood.

The Scottish Government is committed to supporting the application of the waste hierarchy to reduce waste and maximise the value of any waste that is generated in order to encourage the sustainable use of our limited resources and help reduce emissions.

There are currently a number of measures already underway that apply the waste hierarchy to waste wood. The ‘Wood cascading in Scotland’ report, published in 2023 by Built Environment – Smarter Transformation (BE-ST) for Scottish Forestry and Zero Waste Scotland, provides an overview of existing measures and future opportunities to efficiently utilise wood to prolong its life cycle and ensure effective end of life management for energy recovery. The report is available at https://be-st.build/media/fospozdi/be-st_wood-cascading-in-scotland_2023.pdf.

Examples of existing measures include:

?Scotland’s forest industries continue to work in close collaboration with a range of internal and external partners to maximise best practice in waste management in accordance with the waste hierarchy at all stages of supply chains. There are already well-established pre-existing markets for the buying and selling of pre-used wood products according to the type of wood and grade of waste. At present, from UK production of 9.8 million tonnes annually, the sector disposes of 306,000 tonnes (3.1%) to landfill.

?Four Recycling Improvement Fund projects include wood as a material stream in order to increase the amount of wood that is recycled.

?Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs) prioritise wood recycling and most HWRCs will have a container for wood to be recycled and this would be encouraged at site to divert from residual to recycling. A small number of sites may have some reuse options available, such as for community groups.

Going forward, the powers in the Circular Economy Act and the proposals in the Circular Economy and Waste Route Map will further promote the use of surplus and reuse in the construction sector, aiming to move all construction waste and surplus up the waste hierarchy, including wood products. In addition, the Scottish Government’s draft Bioenergy Policy Statement sets out that the bioenergy sector should prioritise the use of available waste feedstocks, including waste wood, and that the use of biomass must comply with the principles of a circular economy.

Question reference: S6W-29370

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 August 2024
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 12 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what measures Marine Scotland takes to ensure that EU registered vessels are properly monitored when landing in ports.

The Scottish Government ensures all non-UK vessels landing into Scotland are authorised to do so by meeting detailed regulations which includes vessel tracking and daily electronic catch reporting, and the requirement to complete Port State Control and export documentation. Officers from the Marine Directorate verify documentation by undertaking risk-based remote and physical inspections at ports. The Scottish Government also inspect non-UK vessels at sea using Marine Protection Vessels and surveillance aircraft. Additionally, the Scottish Government is further developing a program of detailed analysis of vessels fishing Scottish waters but landing in another state. This involves working closely with the EU and other third countries to improve data sharing, including sales and inspection data.

Question reference: S6O-03744

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 September 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 19 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to publish its review of the Water Industry Commission for Scotland, following the Auditor General for Scotland’s decision to issue a Section 22 report in relation to the audit of the organisation’s accounts.

Question reference: S6O-03745

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 September 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 19 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the reported comments by Glasgow Disability Alliance that the Disability Equality Plan lacks the ambition, meaningful actions or commitments needed to improve disabled people's lives.

Question reference: S6O-03747

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 September 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 19 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to a recent report from the Scottish Health Equity Research Unit, which highlights that "core outcomes related to inequalities and health are not improving significantly and some are getting worse".