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-26819

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 12 April 2024
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 29 April 2024

To ask to the Scottish Government for what reason social landlords reportedly have access to grants and additional time to support Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) compliance, in light of reports that many private landlords, who are struggling with rising mortgage costs and subject to rent control measures, limiting the ability to recoup any associated costs, do not have access to the same level of support.

Private rented homes have a poorer standard of energy efficiency and the tenants who live there are usually unable to make improvements. That’s why our consultation on proposals for a Heat in Buildings Bill asked for views on private rented homes reaching a good standard of energy efficiency before the end of 2028.

Our Private Rented Sector (PRS) Landlord Loan Scheme – launched in April 2020 – offers landlords interest free or low interest loan funding to support the installation of energy efficiency, clean heating and renewable systems. The scheme offers funding of up to £38,500 per property, including £15,000 for energy efficiency measures, £17,500 for the installation of clean heating and renewable systems, and up to £6,000 for the installation of energy storage systems.

The main aim of our Energy Efficiency Standard for Social Housing (EESSH) when introduced ten years ago was to remove poor energy efficiency as a driver for fuel poverty. The sector also has a role in achieving our climate change targets which require net zero heat in buildings by 2045. This is why we have recently consulted on proposals to establish a new Social Housing Net Zero Standard.

We are making £200 million available up to 2026 to support the installation of zero direct emissions heating systems and energy efficiency measures across the social housing stock.

Question reference: S6W-26734

Asked by: Pam Gosal, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 08 April 2024
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 29 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to revising planning policies and/or regulations to facilitate faster decision making on certain types of applications, such as the delivery of affordable homes.

Recent reforms to Scotland’s planning system are focused on facilitating delivery of high quality development, where and when it is needed. New legislation being implemented through the Planning (Scotland) Act 2019 and National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) is ensuring decisions can be taken about future developments with greater certainty and efficiency. Policy 16 in NPF4 is a distinct, new approach to planning for homes that emphasises delivery and the plan-led approach. We are now taking forward a range of further measures to continue to progress this programme of planning reform.

Our current consultation on ‘Investing in Planning’ includes a range of proposals to support improvement and capacity in planning services, particularly in planning authorities. Our proposals aim to benefit users of the planning system by improving capacity to help reduce decision timescales and improve service quality.

We are also currently consulting on draft regulations relating to the designation of Masterplan Consent Areas, which will be a new upfront consenting mechanism for development proposals, and can include housing, removing the need for planning and other consent applications once a scheme for the area as a whole has been agreed. Once in place, Masterplan Consent Areas have significant potential to give much earlier, and greater, certainty to prospective developers.

Question reference: S6W-26172

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 08 April 2024
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 29 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many applications for the Self-Build Loan Fund have been (a) received and (b) successful in obtaining funding since the Fund was established, and how much money it has allocated from the £6 million available.

A total of 101 applications have been made to date, including 2 for the same project, 1 of which was subsequently withdrawn. From those applications 49 loan offers have been made and accepted, with a total value of £7,389,567. This sum is higher than the value of the Fund due to its recyclable nature, whereby repaid loans can be re-used to fund more self-build projects during the life of the Fund.

Question reference: S6W-26170

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 08 April 2024
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 29 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has any plans to increase the £6 million that is currently available through the Self-Build Loan Fund.

Question reference: S6W-26653

Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 April 2024
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 29 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the work of the Mental Health and Capacity Reform Programme, including whether, as part of this programme, any decisions have been taken in relation to changes to the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003.

We will shortly be publishing an initial delivery plan for work being taken forward under the Mental Health and Capacity Reform Programme. The plan will set out a range of actions that are either underway or planned in the period up to April 2025, against the priorities identified under the Programme. One of the priorities, as noted in our initial response to the Scottish Mental Health Law Review, is to consider Mental Health Law reform.

Question reference: S6W-26924

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 19 April 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 29 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when it last met with allied health professional organisations, and what was discussed.

Carolyn McDonald, in her capacity as Chief Allied Health Professions Officer (CAHPO) met most recently with the Allied Health Professions Federation Scotland (AHPFS) on 3 April, 2024. Discussion included the National Care Service, Education, Government Consultations and Representation. The CAPHO and the Scottish Government will continue to engage with relevant Allied Health Professional Bodies and Organisations on a regular basis.

Question reference: S6W-26937

Asked by: Fulton MacGregor, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 19 April 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 29 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the outcome of the consultation on the licensing of activities involving animals, and what next steps it will take.

Question reference: S6W-26921

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 19 April 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 29 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many patients have asked to access their medical records in (a) the last 12 months and (b) each of the previous 10 years.

The information requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government. Requests for access to medical records is a function conferred in law to the data controllers. NHS Scotland is made up of a federated group of independent organisations including health boards, GP Practices, Dentists, Opticians and other health services providers, each of whom may be individual data controllers depending on the specific information.

Question reference: S6W-26878

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 April 2024
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 29 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to use the Medium Term Financial Strategy to ensure greater certainty and security for the voluntary sector in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-26761

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 April 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 29 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many people are currently waiting for an initial assessment of hearing loss in each NHS board area, also broken down by what the (a) average and (b) longest waiting time for such an assessment is in each NHS board.

Public Health Scotland (PHS) does not hold the information requested.

PHS uses the national waiting times datamart to collect electronic patient records covering the waits that patients experience waiting for a new outpatient appointment at a consultant led clinic. If a patient has been referred to a hearing loss clinic led by an audiologist, then those waits are not captured in the national dataset. On occasions where patients are referred directly to be assessed by an ear, nose & throat (ENT) consultant then those waits are included in the official statistics reported for ENT in the following link.

However, the data captured nationally does not allow for the identification of specific clinics and services within any specialty. https://publichealthscotland.scot/media/25286/newop_feb24.xlsx

Parliament dissolved ahead of election

Chamber and committees

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