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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: S5W-33967

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 December 2020
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 18 January 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will guarantee that the costs of moving to low-carbon heat will be fully met for households that are living in fuel poverty.

The Scottish Government does not have direct responsibility for the regulation of energy markets and, through them, regulation of the prices that consumers pay, which remain a ‘reserved’ responsibility of UK Ministers under the provisions of the Scotland Act 1998, as amended, and the UK regulator, Ofgem. Scottish Ministers are consulted on matters affecting electricity and gas consumers in Scotland, and respond to those consultations diligently, but cannot direct UK Government policy decisions or Ofgem market determinations on those matters. It would therefore inappropriate for Scottish Government to provide a guarantee over a matter that is not within our gift, albeit we strive to support those faced with fuel poverty and have adopted statutory fuel poverty targets to drive our own policy interventions.

Fuel poverty is recognised as being damaging to the wellbeing of those it affects and the Scottish Government has therefore has intervened to support households living in fuel poverty, with the costs of retrofitting energy efficiency and low carbon heat measures being fully or partially met through our energy efficiency and heat decarbonisation programmes.

Our Warmer Homes Scotland programme, which utilises significant funding from Scottish Government, has helped more than 20,000 households living in or at risk of fuel poverty across Scotland since it commenced in September 2015. We will continue to embed support for zero emission heating in our Warmer Homes Scotland programme, including increasing the support available to enable a ‘zero carbon first’ approach to offer a greater number of households zero emission heating systems, such as air source heat pumps.

Question reference: S5W-33993

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 December 2020
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 23 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the comment in the recently-published Scottish House Condition Survey that (a) before taking account the impact of COVID-19, one in four households live in fuel poverty, (b) progress in tackling fuel poverty is too slow and (c) there has been an increase in fuel poverty in remote rural areas.

The Scottish Government remains committed to ending fuel poverty entirely and fully implementing our ambitious Fuel Poverty Act.

The Scottish House Condition Survey results show that fuel poverty rates have remained similar overall, but increases to energy prices - specifically electricity and sold mineral fuel - have resulted in an increase in fuel poverty in remote rural areas. Indeed, these statistics have highlighted that the cost of electricity per unit, as a driver of fuel poverty, remains a significant issue in terms of tackling fuel poverty. We are determined to address fuel poverty in Scotland but we also need to see action by the UK Government on energy prices as energy markets remain reserved.

Whilst COVID-19 did cause us to pause the development of our Fuel Poverty Strategy this work will resume as soon as possible to meet our commitment to publish in 2021.

In the meantime, our efforts are focused on the immediate support needs of those in fuel poverty through both the £350 million Supporting Communities funding package and the availability of up to £7 million in new funding to support households who are struggling with their fuel bills; part of the £100 million Winter Support fund package announced by the First Minister on 30 November.

Question reference: S5O-04892

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 December 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 23 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made on giving financial recognition to people working in local government during the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, as agreed at the recent COSLA Leaders meeting.

Question reference: S5O-04837

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 December 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 16 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its importance to the tourist industry, what additional support it plans to provide to the hospitality sector.

Question reference: S5O-04813

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 November 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 2 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what measures it will put in place to allow older people to be visited by their family during the winter period.

Question reference: S5W-33120

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 09 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 23 November 2020

To ask the Scottish Government when the Cabinet Secretary for Finance last met (a) the STUC, (b) Unite the Union, (c) UNISON and (d) the GMB and what was discussed, and what future meetings are planned, also broken down by the expected agenda items.

Details are as follows:

Union	Last Meeting Date	Topics Discussed	Next Meeting Date	Agenda Items
STUC	4 November 2020	Approach to Tax in 2021-22 Budget; Support for Business Recovery; Local Government Funding and Non-Domestic Rates.	1 December 2020	UK Spending Review; Scottish Budget Process; Public Sector Pay.
Unite	n/a		1 December 2020	UK Spending Review; Scottish Budget Process; Public Sector Pay.
UNISON	6 August 2020	Fiscal Flexibility; Public Sector Pay; Fair Work Conditionality; Local Government Funding.	1 December 2020	UK Spending Review; Scottish Budget Process; Public Sector Pay.
GMB	n/a		1 December 2020	UK Spending Review; Scottish Budget Process; Public Sector Pay.

Notes:

1. Diary records for the Cabinet Secretary for Finance are from 17 February 2020 onwards.

2. The STUC also attended the meeting on 6 August.

Question reference: S5W-32907

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 30 October 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 20 November 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-32867 by Jeane Freeman on 29 October 2020, whether it will publish (a) the full set of papers produced by the COVID-19 Advisory Group and (b) any papers produced by members of the Group that have been considered at its meetings.

Meeting papers produced by the Scottish Government Covid-19 Advisory Group or by individual Group members for the purpose of the Group’s meetings will continue to be published on the Scottish Government website at: https://www.gov.scot/groups/scottish-government-covid-19-advisory-group/ .

The majority of Group members are independent academics. Publication is therefore subject to permission being given by the author(s) of the documents and consideration, with due regard to the public interest, is given before we publish papers to or from the Group to avoid inhibiting its capacity to provide free and frank advice to Ministers.

Question reference: S5O-04760

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 November 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 November 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to encourage an increase in the use of bus services following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Question reference: S5W-32578

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 October 2020
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 5 November 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of the funding allocated to third sector organisations through the Families and Communities Fund.

Question reference: S5W-32575

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 October 2020
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 5 November 2020

To ask the Scottish Government when applicants to the Families and Communities Fund will be informed of whether they will receive funding.

The applicants to the Families and Communities Fund were informed on 2 October 2020 that, in light of the uncertainties associated with the continuing pandemic and the need for stability, Ministers had decided not to run the new Fund in the financial year 2021-22.

Instead, and to provide continuity at this time, Ministers have decided to extend for a further year, the Children, Young People and Families Early Intervention & Adult Learning and Empowering Communities (CYPFEI & ALEC) to provide funding for those organisations currently in receipt of funding. This approach will provide a further£14 million in 2021/22 to the Third Sector to continue to support children, young people, families, adult learners and communities.

A list of CYPFEI & ALEC recipients and the funding they received in 2020-21 can be found at https://www.corra.scot/grants/communities-fund/ . It is expected that awards made for 2021-22 will follow this model.

Arrangements for funding from April 2022 will be outlined in due course.