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-19490

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 25 July 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what incident led to the reported possession of a firearm in a prison being documented in its recorded crime statistics 2022-23.

There were no incidents of someone being found in possession of a firearm within a prison in 2022-23. When the Recorded Crime in Scotland Statistics 2022-23 were originally published on the 20th June they showed one such case. However, Police Scotland identified an administrative error, whereby this crime should have instead been classified as bringing drugs into a prison. The above statistics were revised to reflect this and re-published on the 1st July 2023.

Question reference: S6W-19776

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 July 2023
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 25 July 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding it will make available to universities and colleges that find reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete present in their buildings, in order to (a) manage and (b) remove it.

The Scottish Government recognises the importance of establishing mechanisms at a Scottish, as well as UK, level to support awareness and action on this issue across many sectors within the built environment.

Discovery of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) and mitigation including on funding will be reported to relevant Ministers, directly where necessary, and through the Building and Fire Safety Ministerial Working Group.

Officials continue to work closely with relevant partners including the Scottish Funding Council, other public sector bodies and the wider structural engineering community in relation to this matter, including funding.

Question reference: S6W-19659

Asked by: Edward Mountain, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 03 July 2023
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 25 July 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its plans are for the HMP Inverness site once HMP Highland is constructed and operational.

Question reference: S6W-19517

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 25 July 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on whether all employees of Community Justice Scotland have been directed to receive training on trauma-informed justice, and how many employees have received this training to date.

Question reference: S6W-20182

Asked by: Emma Harper, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 24 July 2023
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Jenni Minto on 25 July 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will update the Parliament on the Best Start recommendation to design a new model of neonatal service to accommodate the current levels of demand, with a smaller number of intensive care neonatal units, supported by local neonatal and special care units.

The Scottish Government has remained committed to implementing the new model of neonatal intensive care as set out in The Best Start. That will see the most preterm and sickest babies receive specialist complex care in fewer centres. Evidence tells us long term health outcomes will improve for those babies if cared for in higher volume units.

We have been working with expert clinicians to plan for this service change and have identified that the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow, Edinburgh Royal Infirmary and Aberdeen Maternity Unit should be the Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU) for babies and women requiring the most specialised care.

No neonatal units in Scotland will close. This is about ensuring the smallest and sickest babies are born where the they can readily access the very specialist care and services they may need.

Further information on the appraisal approach and framework can be found at

Information for parents can be found at Discharge Planning - Scottish Perinatal Network

Question reference: S6W-19545

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 29 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 25 July 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how much a prisoner on the prison estate is currently charged for 100 minutes of telephone usage for (a) landline and (b) mobile calls, and whether it will provide a breakdown of any change to those charges in each of the last four years.

Question reference: S6W-19611

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 30 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 25 July 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many applications have been made to the (a) Home Energy Scotland Grant and Loan and (b) Private Rented Sector Landlord Loan scheme for a heat pump or high heat retention storage heaters, since the scheme was created, and how many applications have been successful.

The requested application figures for heat pumps and high heat retention storage heaters for the Home Energy Scotland Grant and Loan Scheme and Private Rented Sector Landlord Loan Scheme are set out in the following tables:

Home Energy Scotland Grant and Loan Scheme
Applications Received	1657
Applications Successful	1326
Applications Rejected	21
Applications Being Processed	310
Figures are from scheme launch in December 2022 to 03 July 2023.

Private Rented Sector Landlord Loan Scheme
Applications Received	69
Applications Successful	47
Applications Rejected	21
Applications Being Processed	1
Figures are from scheme launch in April 2020 to 03 July 2023.

Note - the figures for “Applications Being Processed” includes applications which are awaiting applicants to supply additional information required to progress to the next stage of the process.

Question reference: S6W-19416

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 26 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 24 July 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to legislation controlling the use of flammable cladding following the Grenfell tragedy, in what ways does the legislation in Scotland differ from that which applies to the rest of the UK.

Building Regulations in the UK are the responsibility of the UK Government in England, the Welsh Assembly in Wales, the Northern Ireland Executive in Northern Ireland and the Scottish Government in Scotland. Whilst all regulations are similar throughout the UK the key differences in relation to flammable cladding are:

the ban of flammable cladding in Scotland applies at a lower height of 11m compared with 18m in the rest of the UK; and
the legislation in England was amended to extend the ban of flammable cladding to hotels, hostels and boarding houses from 1 December 2022.

The next review of fire safety regulations in Scotland is due to commence later this year where we will consider these matters and other relevant developments further.

Question reference: S6W-19456

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 26 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 24 July 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how it is ensuring that college students from rural communities have access to affordable on-site accommodation.

The Scottish Government has no direct role in the provision of student accommodation, whether managed by universities, colleges or private sector organisations.

Colleges operate independently of government and there is therefore very little scope for the Scottish Government to intervene in the operational businesses of colleges.

The Scottish Government has commissioned a review of purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) sector to consider how supply, affordability and standards can be improved. The review which is being led by a cross-sectoral expert group and informed by independent research, has now concluded and we will receive the recommendations of the Review Steering Group shortly.

Question reference: S6W-18558

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 26 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 24 July 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its planned consultation on the Scottish Ministers' proposed target for the amount of heat to be supplied by heat networks by 2035, which it is required to set by October 2023 under the Heat Networks (Scotland) Act 2021, and when it expects to report on any such consultation.

The consultation responses have been analysed and the Scottish Government published a consultation analysis and government response to the consultation prior to the draft SSI being laid before parliament, which will occur by 1 October 2023.

The consultation analysis can be found at: https://www.gov.scot/isbn/9781835210758

The government response can be found at: https://www.gov.scot/isbn/9781835210925