Questions and answers

Question reference: S6O-03825

Asked by: Sue Webber, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 October 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what arrangements it has in place to ensure that victims of rape and sexual assault can always access the support that they need to deal with trauma.

Question reference: S6O-03803

Asked by: Sue Webber, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 September 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 3 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to continue delivering social security provisions, in light of reports that total spending on devolved social security in 2024-25 is expected to be around £1.1 billion higher than the funding received from the UK Government through the block grant adjustment.

Question reference: S6O-03771

Asked by: Sue Webber, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 September 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what financial impact its proposed Heat in Buildings Bill will have on homeowners.

Question reference: S6T-02095

Asked by: Sue Webber, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 16 September 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 17 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the recent independent inquiry, carried out by Vicky Ling, into the Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre and the subsequent resignation of its chief executive, Mridul Wadhwa.

Question reference: S6O-03730

Asked by: Sue Webber, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 September 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide further details of what it is doing to ensure that Police Scotland has enough officers to deal with antisocial behaviour resulting from the illegal use of e-bikes and e-scooters.

Question reference: S6O-03694

Asked by: Sue Webber, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 September 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to Dr Stephen Smith’s evaluation of the Alcohol Related Brain Damage (ARBD) Residential Rehabilitation Service in Edinburgh.

Question reference: S6O-03659

Asked by: Sue Webber, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 August 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 4 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it decided that survivors of abuse at Fornethy House should not be eligible to access Scotland's Redress Scheme.

Question reference: S6W-28243

Asked by: Sue Webber, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 June 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 10 July 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will conduct a comprehensive impact assessment of the potential legalisation of e-scooters, specifically focusing on the implications for disabled people and those with sight loss.

The legal use of electric scooters and decisions around their introduction is broadly a reserved matter for the UK Government. The UK Government has stated its intention to bring forward a new regulatory framework for vehicles such as electric scooters, however the timescales for this are unclear and it may take a number of years for such a new framework to be in effect.

Enabling the use of electric scooters through such a regulatory framework would also require amendments to devolved legislation, therefore the Scottish Government are monitoring developments in this area and will continue to engage with the Department for Transport on this matter.

As is recognised by Scotland’s Accessible Travel Framework, it is crucial that disabled people are involved in the design, development and improvement of transport policies, services and infrastructure. Therefore, before any changes are made to devolved legislation the Scottish Government would engage with all stakeholders and ensure all necessary impact assessments are carried out.

Question reference: S6W-28241

Asked by: Sue Webber, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 June 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 10 July 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what specific measures it plans to implement to ensure the safety of people with sight loss, in light of the anticipated legalisation and potential public hire trials of e-scooters.

The legal use of electric scooters and decisions around their introduction is broadly a reserved matter for the UK Government. The UK Government has stated its intention to bring forward a new regulatory framework for vehicles such as electric scooters.

Enabling the use of electric scooters through such a regulatory framework would also require amendments to devolved legislation, therefore the Scottish Government are monitoring developments in this area and will continue to engage with the Department for Transport on this matter. The timescales for this regulatory framework are unclear and it may take a number of years for such a new framework to be in effect, as such the Scottish Government has not yet given detailed consideration to measures to be implemented that ensure safety of people with sight loss.

No e-scooter trials are taking place in Scotland, and recent extensions to the trials do not enable onboarding of new areas. We do not anticipate that this is likely to change therefore no preparations for a Scottish trial are taking place.

Question reference: S6W-28242

Asked by: Sue Webber, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 June 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 10 July 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to involve and consult with disability advocacy groups, including those representing people with sight loss, in the development and implementation of any e-scooter legislation and trials.

The legal use of electric scooters and decisions around their introduction is broadly a reserved matter for the UK Government. The UK Government has stated its intention to bring forward a new regulatory framework for vehicles such as electric scooters, however the timescales for this are unclear and it may take a number of years for such a new framework to be in effect.

Enabling the use of electric scooters through such a regulatory framework would also require amendments to devolved legislation, therefore the Scottish Government are monitoring developments in this area and will continue to engage with the Department for Transport on this matter.

No e-scooter trials are taking place in Scotland, and recent extensions to the trials do not enable onboarding of new areas. We do not anticipate that this is likely to change therefore no preparations for a Scottish trial are taking place.

As is recognised by Scotland’s Accessible Travel Framework, it is crucial that disabled people are involved in the design, development and improvement of transport policies, services and infrastructure. Therefore, before any changes are made to devolved legislation the Scottish Government would engage with all stakeholders and ensure all necessary impact assessments are carried out.

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