Chamber and committees

The bus system was re-regulated by the UK Government in the 1980s and is primarily operated by private bus operators. The Scottish Government continues to support the bus industry through the Network Support Grant. The purpose of the financial support provided is to help to keep services more extensive and fares more affordable than would otherwise be the case.

This is a matter for the independent Scottish Housing Regulator to determine. The SHR has published information about the application process for statutory managers ( Statutory Manager List - Application pack | Scottish Housing Regulator ).

The provision of condoms in all prisons (male and female) in Scotland has been a long standing health intervention dating back before the publication of ‘Respect and Responsibility: A Strategy and Action Plan for Improving Sexual Health’ in 2005.

All individuals in the care of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) are provided with basic hygiene items and products. This includes clothing such as underwear and socks as well as sanitary products, body wash, shampoo, etc. This is to support the health, wellbeing and dignity of the individual.

The Scottish Government has no plans for any changes to the current regulatory system for social landlords. All Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) are subject to the same regulatory requirements. The Scottish Housing Regulator has one statutory objective to safeguard and promote the interests of tenants and others who use local authority and RSL housing services. It is right that the focus of its statutory role should be on protecting tenants interests.

The Scottish Government does not hold this data. NHS Boards have been responsible for implementing the National Code of Practice for GP premises since it came into effect in 2018 when the new GP contract was agreed.

Section 4 of the Civil Partnership (Scotland) Act 2020 (legislation.gov.uk) provides the Scottish Ministers with a regulation-making power to enable marriages to become civil partnerships, if the parties so wish. The Scottish Ministers have not yet made regulations under section 4 as the Scottish Government wishes to ensure that couples who change their marriage to civil partnership have full rights and responsibilities, including in relation to reserved and cross-UK border matters. There are potential points arising on aspects of pensions (which are generally reserved) and on the recognition in England and Wales and Northern Ireland of marriages changed to civil partnerships in Scotland.

In line with usual practice, we have, therefore, been in discussions with the Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland (OSSS) on making an Order under section 104 of the Scotland Act 1998 (legislation.gov.uk) on UK consequential legislation following the 2020 Act.

On 17 November 2022, officials in the OSSS advised Scottish Government officials that “the UK Government is not yet in a position to make a decision on the recognition of converted Scottish civil partnerships in England and Wales.” Following this, Scottish Government officials sent the OSSS on 21 December 2022 a revised policy proposal for a section 104 Order relating to changing marriages to civil partnerships covering the reserved law of Scotland only. There has been no substantive progress on this proposal in 2023.

I have written to the Secretary of State for Scotland to ask about progress in taking forward the proposal we sent to them on 21 December 2022. I also said in my letter to the Secretary of State that if the UK Government does not consider the December 2022 proposal is an appropriate way forward, it would be useful if he could outline what would be appropriate.

It is the responsibility of the organisation that fitted the EV charging point(s) to ensure that they are fitted to the correct standard, meeting any regulations and restrictions associated with such devices. This should also be informed by a risk assessment carried out by a competent risk assessor. It is the responsibility of Local Authority Building Control to verify construction projects against the relevant requirements.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service proactively assess the risks of lithium-ion batteries in buildings through incident analysis and provides information and training to operational crews. Where appropriate, businesses and communities are provided with further safety information and guidance.

In addition, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service continue to engage with the Scottish Government and other partners to consider emerging technologies and research relating to electric vehicle fires.

The statutory manager is not an employee of the Scottish Housing Regulator or of the landlord. The appointment is to carry out a statutory function. It is for the SHR to determine the information it publishes on those appointed to the statutory managers list to ensure the process is open and transparent.

The Scottish Government is committed to undertaking a public consultation on Employment Injury Assistance (EIA) shortly. As set out in the response to S6W-24459 on 23 January 2023 we continue to engage with UK Government on their response to IIAC’s report. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers .

The Industrial Injuries Scheme (IIS) is delivered by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) on behalf of the Scottish Government though an agency agreement and we are working with the DWP to assess the implications of the report.