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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: S6O-03383

Asked by: Pam Gosal, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 April 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 2 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to help local authorities tackle damp and mould in social housing.

Question reference: S6W-26735

Asked by: Pam Gosal, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 08 April 2024
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 22 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting local authorities to ensure that there is sufficient staff to invest in a significant scaling up of the prevention of homelessness activity.

The Scottish Government wants to see a renewed focus on the prevention of homelessness and this is underlined by the inclusion of the homelessness prevention provisions in the Housing (Scotland) Bill, introduced to the Scottish Parliament on 26 March 2024.

Alongside this, we published a Financial Memorandum which set out estimated costs for the provisions included within the Bill. This was informed by a survey of local authorities on the potential resource implications of the changes.

We will work with local authorities to develop the supporting guidance and training necessary to make the duties successful and to discuss the most appropriate timing of implementation against the background of a challenging environment.

Question reference: S6W-26278

Asked by: Pam Gosal, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 17 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on staff employed by (a) MSPs and (b) political parties being part of its expert advisory groups.

Question reference: S6W-26367

Asked by: Pam Gosal, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 16 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on whether it plans to introduce a new reporting system to record incidents of physical and verbal abuse in schools.

Our national guidance on recording and monitoring incidents of bullying in schools makes clear that all schools and local authorities are expected to record all incidents of abusive or violent behaviour.

In 2019, we introduced a consistent approach to recording and monitoring incidents in schools. The SEEMiS system was identified as the most appropriate tool for schools and local authorities to record incidents. The Scottish Government does not have any plans to introduce a new system.

We are currently considering the guidance as part of the review into the national anti-bullying guidance, ‘Respect for All’. The updated guidance will be published in late 2024.

In the meantime, I made clear in my statement to Parliament on 29 November and also reiterated in the strongest possible terms in the opposition debate on 6 March, my position on the need for more accurate recording of all incidents of inappropriate, abusive or violent behaviour in our schools. I continue to encourage all schools to do that, recognising that recording of physical or verbal incidents is a matter for individual local authorities.

Question reference: S6W-26103

Asked by: Pam Gosal, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 20 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what (a) discussions it has had regarding and (b) assessment it has made of using the PAS 9980 code of practice as the basis for the single building assessment in Scotland.

We are committed to engaging with stakeholders to help inform the specification of the Single Building Assessment (SBA).

As part of this we established a Technical sub group, the SBA Task and Finish Group, which has met over the period November 2023 – March 2024 and has included developers, technical experts, building standards officials and fire engineers.

Additionally, we have contracted with external consultant fire engineers, The Joule Group, who have been reviewing from an independent perspective the use of PAS 9980 as the basis for the SBA within the Scottish Context.

Question reference: S6W-26104

Asked by: Pam Gosal, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 20 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on what alterations would need to be made to the PAS 9980 code of practice in order for it to work within the context of the Building (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2022.

Question reference: S6W-25479

Asked by: Pam Gosal, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 12 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 9 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how it is future-proofing the tertiary education sector against any geopolitical shocks.

In Scotland, colleges and universities are autonomous institutions with responsibility for business planning. This includes ensuring they meet the needs of students and the local economy and can respond to external factors, such as geopolitical shocks.

The Scottish Government published Purpose and Principles in June 2023. In doing so it created a framework and outcomes for the post-school education system to ensure it is sustainable, resilient and capable of responding to future challenges.

Question reference: S6W-25484

Asked by: Pam Gosal, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 6 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with local authorities regarding any pressures on housing and homelessness services as a result of its decision to remove local connection requirements for accessing homelessness services.

There are a number of avenues for local authorities to engage with Scottish Government on this issue including via the Housing Options Hubs, through the Local Connection Solutions Group and via the regular meetings between local authority and Scottish Government officials. Local authorities are also encouraged to contact Scottish Government officials on an ad hoc basis regarding any queries they have or issues they want to raise. In addition, local connection has been an agenda item at meetings the Minister for Housing has had with Housing Convenors.

Scottish Government officials also meet specifically with the island local authorities on a regular basis as per the Island Community Impact Assessment, which was completed in advance of the legislation.

Question reference: S6W-25482

Asked by: Pam Gosal, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 6 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what support it is providing to any local authorities that are experiencing growing pressures on housing and homelessness services as a result of its decision to remove local connection requirements for accessing homelessness services.

There is growing pressure on homelessness services and for some local authorities, including Glasgow and Edinburgh, the pressure is most keenly felt from the impact of the Home Office’s streamlined asylum process which is increasing demand for homelessness support.

The latest homelessness statistics released on 27 February 2024 do not indicate that there is growing pressure on local authority homelessness services due to the changes to local connection legislation. Between April and September 2023, 3% of households that were assessed as homeless had no local connection to the local authority to which the application was made, but had a local connection to another Scottish local authority. This is similar to the proportion of households in previous years:

2021-22, 5% of households (1,535)
2022-23, 2% of households (705)

[Note: The statistics above are over a 12 month period, whereas the statistics from February 2024 cover a six month period. The April to September 2023 statistics is the first bi-annual collection to include local connection data following the legislative change to local connection in November 2022.]

A Local Connection Solutions Group comprising Scottish Government and local authority officials was established last year to co-produce guidance to support local authorities with the legislative changes and to address emerging issues.

To date, there is no evidence of a disproportionate impact on any local authority; rather, we are seeing a pattern of people moving across the country, exercising choice about where they want to live, as the legislation intended. We will continue to monitor the flow of people both into and leaving local authorities to inform our understanding of the impact of the legislative change.

Question reference: S6W-25483

Asked by: Pam Gosal, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 6 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will conduct a review of the impact of its decision to remove local connection requirements for accessing homelessness services.

It would be premature to review the impact until at least a year of official data is available to allow for a proper assessment of the impact of the legislative change. This data will be provided as part of the Scottish Government homelessness annual statistical publication in summer 2024. The data will inform a report on a formal review of the legislation, which will be shared with the Social Justice and Social Security Committee as per the commitment of Shona Robison, then Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, at her appearance before the Committee in November 2022.

There is also ongoing monitoring through a monitoring and evaluation framework which was co-produced with local authorities, third sector organisations and people with lived experience of homelessness. This captures the qualitative impact of the legislative change on homelessness services and is used by Scottish Government officials to monitor impact and address any emerging issues.