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-15193

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 2 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to establish a full population estimate of the number of adults living in Scotland with a learning disability, in light of the Fraser of Allander Institute report, Invisible no more, which stated that current data is not fit for purpose.

Evidence about the number of people with learning disabilities in Scotland is collected through the Learning Disability Statistics Scotland publication. The most recent publication, published in 2019, found there were 23,584 adults with learning disabilities known to local authorities across Scotland.

Officials are in discussions with Public Health Scotland and the Scottish Commission for Learning Disabilities about how Learning Disability Statistics Scotland will be improved to provide the most precise picture of people with learning disabilities across Scotland.

Scottish Government understands the important of reliable evidence about people with learning disabilities and has committed to improving the evidence base through its autism and learning/intellectual disability transformation plan 'Towards Transformation'.

Question reference: S6W-15153

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 17 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 2 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what action it (a) can take and (b) is taking to encourage private firms in Scotland to divest from fossil fuels, either from direct investment in fossil fuel projects or indirect investment through share ownership in corporations that oversee fossil fuel projects, in light of reports that the Edinburgh-headquartered investment firm, Abrdn, owns £50 million worth of shares in the Indian conglomerate, Adani Group, which is reportedly a major global source of coal production, and the owner of several coal-fired power plants across India.

The Scottish Government can encourage investment in areas aligned with our climate priorities but the decision on which sectors or projects to invest in is for each individual private company to make.

However, in line with our commitments in the National Strategy for Economic Transformation (NSET), the Scottish Government is working to attract and deploy significant domestic and international private investment in Scotland, including net zero sectors. The recently established Investor Panel chaired by the First Minister will bring investor intelligence into policy and regulatory development early in the process and will primarily focus on how we attract capital investment in the physical infrastructure to support our transition to net zero.

Question reference: S6W-15107

Asked by: Michael Marra, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 2 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how the personal data of people in Scotland involved in the Homes for Ukraine scheme was accessed and used to send fraudulent letters.

Question reference: S6W-15144

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 2 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Royal Bank of Scotland’s latest PMI report, published on 13 February 2023, in light of reports that Scotland experienced the sharpest pace of contraction in incoming new business of the 12 monitored UK regions in January 2023.

Economic conditions across the UK are extremely challenging but the Scottish economy remains resilient and is outperforming the UK on employment, unemployment, and economic activity. Latest GDP data show that the Scottish economy grew 5% in 2022 and the UK economy grew 4% over the same period. Looking ahead, the International Monetary Fund is forecasting that the UK economy will be the only major international economy to contract in 2023 – a devastating indictment of the UK Government’s economic mismanagement. In the face of this, the Scottish Government is doing everything it can with the powers it has to deliver sustainable, greener, and fairer economic growth in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-14978

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 13 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 2 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when the (a) Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero, Energy and Transport and (b) Minister for Just Transition, Employment Employment and Work last visited Aberdeen, and what engagements were undertaken.

On 11 January 2023 I visited Aberdeen to attend the opening of the National Subsea centre and for a media round table to discuss the launch of the draft Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan.

On 9 February 2023 the Minister for Just Transition, Employability and Skills visited Opportunity North East and Net Zero Technology Centre to hear updates on projects funded via the Just Transition Fund. The Minister also met with Aberdeen City Council Co-Leaders and Chief Executive to discuss Just Transition in the region.

Question reference: S6W-14446

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 February 2023
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 2 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has any plans to (a) reverse or (b) review the 6% additional dwelling supplement, in light of the reported pressures faced by the private rented sector following the introduction of the Cost of Living (Tenant Protection) (Scotland) Act 2022.

Increasing the ADS to 6% provides much-needed revenue to support our national priorities, while also protecting opportunities for first-time buyers and home movers by allowing them to more fully compete with buy-to-let investors or those buying second homes.

The Scottish Government recognises the role that the private rented sector plays in meeting Scotland’s housing need. However, tax is just one of a wide range of financial, regulatory and other considerations that landlords will need to consider when making their investment decisions.

There are currently no plans to reverse or review the current rate of the ADS, however, the Scottish Government continuously monitors and considers all available data regarding the impact of LBTT and the ADS on the housing market.

Question reference: S6W-15063

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Angus Robertson on 2 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when the Ministerial Population Taskforce will next meet.

Question reference: S6W-14975

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 10 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 2 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether SEPA has conducted any monitoring and investigations at, or in the area near to, (a) Arecleoch Windfarm and (b) Glenn App Windfarm within the last 12 months, and, if so, whether any environmental concerns were noted.

Question reference: S6W-14931

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 10 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 2 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what the expected timeline is for applications to the 2024-25 round of the Vacant and Derelict Land Investment Programme (VDLIP).

Question reference: S6W-15106

Asked by: Michael Marra, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 2 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government (a) how and (b) when it became aware that the personal data of people in Scotland involved in the Homes for Ukraine scheme had been used to send fraudulent letters.

The Scottish Government was alerted by the UK Government on 6 February about a fraudulent letter claiming to be from Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities to sponsors of the Homes for Ukraine Scheme, asking for data for the Ukraine Embassy.

The alert from the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) did not refer to the accessing of personal data. In a public statement released by DLUHC on twitter shortly afterwards DLUHC stated that, “we are aware of fraudulent letters to homes for Ukraine hosts circulating on social media ”. The statement made no reference to the accessing of personal data of hosts taking part in the Scheme and DLUHC has not reported any subsequent issues regarding any breaches of data security.

Scottish Government issued the following message on social media platforms on 7 February: “We are aware of fraudulent letters being sent to Homes for Ukraine hosts. These are not from @dluhc or Scottish Government.”

The Scottish Government has implemented high security standards for personal data for volunteer hosts and has had no reported issues with data security.