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-27853

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 4 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the creation of a Scottish Veterinary Service.

Yes. Colleagues from across a range of sectors assisted us to scope out the case for the creation of a Scottish Veterinary Service. This identified that a new Scottish Veterinary Service (SVS) would deliver quality improvements and would be financially sustainable. However, the current financial climate and significant budget constraints mean that we are unable to progress with plans for the SVS, given the significant costs to create the new service.

Question reference: S6W-27671

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 17 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 4 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the commitment in the Fair Fares Review to develop policy to consider the best way to provide free bus travel to people seeking asylum, including delivery of the one-year £2 million funding commitment for 2024-25 that was announced in October 2023.

A national pilot scheme is being developed for people seeking asylum not already eligible for free bus travel through the existing National Concessionary Travel Schemes.

This scheme will build on learning from local and regional pilots that have delivered free bus travel to people seeking asylum over recent years and will provide evidence on nationwide delivery, costs and demand.

A Working Group has been established with representatives from Transport Scotland, Third Sector organisations and those with lived experience of the asylum system. Work is progressing to establish what is affordable and practical for delivery during 2024-25 within the £2 million budget allocated.

Question reference: S6W-27431

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 17 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 4 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the recently published Police Scotland interim guidance on the recording of non-crime hate incidents (NCHIs), whether any process, such as arbitration, exists that would allow a person to appeal a decision that an incident has met the threshold for being recorded as a NCHI, or whether a person’s only recourse would be to pursue a civil action in order to seek to have the NCHI expunged from the record.

Question reference: S6W-27424

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 17 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 4 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what measures it has put in place to monitor the implementation of the new repairing standards in relation to fire and electrical safety, and, if it is the case that this is the responsibility of local authorities, what requirements exist for local authorities to report their findings to the Scottish Government.

Private residential landlords in Scotland are required to register with their local authority under Part 8 of the Antisocial Behaviour etc. (Scotland Act) 2004 and pass the fit and proper person test. One of the considerations in the fit and proper person test is whether the applicant has contravened any provision of housing law. Landlords have a duty to ensure that property they let meets the Repairing Standard and Tolerable Standard at the start and at all times during a tenancy.

Responsibility for enforcement of the Repairing Standard lies with the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland (Housing and Property Chamber). Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service staff carry out the administration of that tribunal.

The First Tier Tribunal will notify the relevant local authority when an application for a determination on the repairing standard is received. It is the responsibility of the local authority to investigate and take any necessary action where standards are not being met.

Enforcement arrangements for all elements of the Repairing Standard are set out in the Housing (Scotland) Act 2006.

There are no new requirements for fire safety in the Repairing Standard.

There are currently no requirements for local authorities to report to Scottish Government on the Repairing Standard.

Question reference: S6W-27430

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 17 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 4 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the recording of non-crime hate incidents under the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act 2021 could have a material effect on an individual's employment or otherwise personal circumstances.

Question reference: S6W-27659

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 17 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 4 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what reporting requirements Police Scotland has to the Scottish Government or other publicly funded bodies regarding the rate and nature of non-crime hate incidents.

Question reference: S6W-27804

Asked by: Michael Marra, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 4 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to publish the (a) minutes, (b) future meeting schedule and (c) work programme of the Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) Cross Sector Working Group, and, if so, when.

All documents, including minutes, relating to the RAAC Cross Sector Working Group can be viewed on the Scottish Government website at: Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC): Cross Sector Working Group - gov.scot (www.gov.scot). Minutes are published once agreed by the Group.

The Group meets on a regular basis, as agreed by the membership. Currently, this is every 2 months. The Group, as set out in its purpose, is to enable the members to share information about RAAC, to build an understanding of RAAC in buildings across Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-27777

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 4 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when the Scottish Industrial Energy Transformation Fund will reopen for applications, and what its budget allocation is for 2024.

Question reference: S6W-27755

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 4 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government at what time, or during what time periods, road traffic accidents, including all reported adverse incidents, have been recorded as having occurred at the Toll of Birness in the last 10 years.

Personal injury accidents occurred at the following time periods at A90 Toll of Birness between 1 January 2014 and 4 May 2024. Transport Scotland only holds accident information which is provided to us by Police Scotland. Transport Scotland does not hold information relating accidents or incidents not involving an injury.

Day	Date	Time
Monday	10-02-2014	16:04
Saturday	12-04-2014	08:10
Friday	04-07-2014	07:00
Monday	26-09-2016	12:39
Wednesday	05-04-2017	18:00
Thursday	04-01-2018	08:45
Wednesday	11-07-2018	15:45
Thursday	05-12-2019	18:00
Tuesday	18-02-2020	14:51
Thursday	03-06-2021	07:20
Sunday	15-01-2023	03:32

* data available until 5 March 2024

Source: Transport Scotland Accident Manager Database

Notes:

Statistics for Police Scotland

Date Period: 01-01-2014 - 05-03-2024

Date Extracted - 21-05-2024

Please note that the personal injury accident information provided above is based on the current figures available. The following are potential reasons for an accident not appearing on our system:

Transport Scotland only holds accident information which is provided to us by Police Scotland. Transport Scotland does not hold information relating to damage only accidents (i.e. not involving an injury).

Transport Scotland only holds accident information for the trunk road network.

The accident information Transport Scotland holds is subject to change. E.g. we receive late returns from Police Scotland, who are responsible for recording details of injury accidents.

Annual Scottish accident figures are published by Transport Scotland on a yearly basis and can be found by entering Reported Road Casualties Scotland into your search engine.

From summer 2019, Police Scotland introduced a new system for recording traffic collisions. Due to improved recording and categorisation processes, it is expected that there will be an increase in the number of casualties and accidents on Scottish roads that are classified as serious.

Question reference: S6W-27765

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 4 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it expects to incur any costs as a result of ending its previous arrangement with the National Parent Forum of Scotland.