- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 May 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 14 May 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the potential implications of zonal electricity pricing for fuel poverty levels in Scotland, including any projected distributional impacts by income decile.
Answer
Decisions on the Review of Electricity Market Arrangements (REMA) are reserved to the UK Government. The UK Government has published impact assessments and is updating its analysis ahead of a final decision this summer. We are awaiting sight of this updated modelling.
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 May 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 14 May 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what its position is on any proposal to introduce zonal electricity pricing, and what evidence underpins that position.
Answer
Decisions on the Review of Electricity Market Arrangements (REMA) are reserved to the UK Government. The UK Government has published impact assessments and is updating its analysis ahead of a final decision this summer. We are awaiting sight of this updated modelling.
- Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 May 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Kate Forbes on 14 May 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how it measures progress against its economic objectives.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-37351 on 14 May 2025. 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.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 01 May 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Graeme Dey on 14 May 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has issued any guidance or expectations to university governing bodies regarding executive pay restraint during periods of public funding pressure, in the last five years.
Answer
The Minister addressed the issue of executive pay and the need for restraint when he attended the Meeting of the Committee of Scottish University Chairs on 27 March 2025.
Universities are autonomous institutions with responsibility for their own pay and remuneration decisions.
However, the Scottish Government expects universities to exercise restraint in setting senior pay, and senior pay packages should be in step with the salary, terms and conditions offered to other university staff.
Universities are also required to comply with the terms of the Scottish Funding Council’s Financial Memorandum as a condition of grant funding. This includes compliance with the principles of The Scottish Code of Good HE Governance, such as the expectation that universities’ remuneration committees seek the views of student and staff representatives in relation to the remuneration packages of Principals and senior executive teams, represent the public interest and avoid any inappropriate use of funds.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 01 May 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 14 May 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Scottish National Party 2021 manifesto commitment to abolish non-residential care charges, for what reason the number of local authorities introducing or raising such fees has reportedly increased since 2022.
Answer
Under Section 87(1A) of the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968, a local authority may charge for the adult non-residential, non-personal care it provides such as day care, lunch clubs, meals-on-wheels, community alarm and help with shopping and housework.
Local authorities have the powers to develop their own charging policies for non-residential social care and support. These charging policies are designed with the primary objective of offsetting the costs of providing services at a local level.
COSLA produces annual guidance to help promote consistency in policies, however variation often exists due to local accountability and conditions. COSLA and the Scottish Government recognises that local authorities require autonomy and flexibility to adapt to their local circumstances.
COSLA guidance recommends that charges should be reasonable and must be no higher than the cost to the local authority of providing the service. In reality most charges are much lower than the cost of providing the service.
The Scottish Government recognises that the cost of care can be high for people particularly in the current financial climate. We are committed to working with COSLA to review non-residential charges.
- Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 17 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 14 May 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what the timescale is for eligible NHS patients to receive the shingles vaccine.
Answer
The Shingles vaccination programme was first introduced in Scotland in 2013. In 2023, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) recommended the use of a new two-course vaccine and the expansion of the age cohorts to protect individuals at an earlier age. They recommended a phased implementation over ten years. Currently, individuals who are age 65 and 70, over age 50 with a severely weakened immune system and people with certain health conditions are eligible for two doses of shingles vaccine. The second dose is usually offered between 2 and 12 months after the first. Eligible individuals will be contacted by their local NHS Immunisation team. Most Immunisation teams begin inviting patients forward from January onwards.
In due course, those who reach age 60 or 65 years during the period 1 September 2028 to 31 August 2033 will become eligible from 1 September in the relevant year.
- Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 17 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 14 May 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of recent research suggesting that the shingles vaccine might reduce the risk of dementia by up to 20%, whether it plans to (a) expand or (b) accelerate the rollout of the vaccine.
Answer
Recent research suggests vaccination for shingles with the live attenuated herpes zoster vaccine (Zostavax®) could be linked to a reduction in the risk of developing dementia.
In the UK, Zostavax®, a live vaccine, was routinely offered to those eligible for the NHS shingles programme and not contraindicated to the vaccine.
In February 2019, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation recommended that Shingrix® a non-live vaccine, should replace Zostavax® in the routine programme and since 1 September 2023, all newly eligible individuals have been offered the non-live shingles vaccine Shingrix®.
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 May 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 14 May 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what the total staff (a) time commitment, expressed in full-time equivalent days and (b) cost has been for work relating to zonal electricity pricing under the Review of Electricity Market Arrangements since 1 June 2021.
Answer
All members of staff working on the Review of Electricity Market Arrangements are also responsible for wider energy strategy and policy development. In line with usual practice, detailed breakdown of individual tasks carried out by civil servants in relation to each separate policy, including the number of hours spent on them, is not routinely recorded.
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 May 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 14 May 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has carried out of any distributional impacts of zonal electricity pricing in Scotland across (a) geographic regions, (b) income deciles and (c) protected characteristic groups, and what the findings were of any such work.
Answer
Decisions on the Review of Electricity Market Arrangements (REMA) are reserved to the UK Government. The UK Government has published impact assessments and is updating its analysis ahead of a final decision this summer. We are awaiting sight of this updated modelling.
- Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 May 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Kate Forbes on 14 May 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what quantitative economic targets it has.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-37351 on 14 May 2025. 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.
