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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-28281

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 April 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 1 June 2020

To ask the Scottish Government when NHS Lothian will receive confirmation that its COVID-19 plans will be funded.

Question reference: S5O-04357

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 May 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 May 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting local authorities to maintain any increased services resulting from the COVID-19 outbreak.

Question reference: S5W-28114

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 March 2020
Current Status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 23 April 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how many registered short-term lets are (a) operating in each local authority and (b) registered to pay non-domestic rates; how many short-term lets' owners derive a benefit from the Small Business Bonus Scheme, and whether owners of short-term lets will derive a benefit from the grants that were set out in the letter from the Cabinet Secretary for Finance to MSPs of 24 March 2020.

There is no official register for short-term lets operating in Scotland. However, the Minister for Local Government, Housing and Planning announced on 8 January that local authorities will be given the ability to implement licensing schemes for short-term lets from spring 2021, which will enable councils to know and understand what is happening in their area, improve safety and assist with the effective handing of complaints.

Local authorities will also be empowered to implement short-term let control areas, if they wish to do so, in order to address pressures created by secondary short-term letting. Section 17 of The Planning (Scotland) Act 2019 allows a planning authority to designate all or part of its area as a short-term let control area. In a short-term let control area, the use of a dwellinghouse for the purpose of providing short-term lets is deemed always to involve a material change of use. Section 17 of The Planning (Scotland) Act 2019 will be commenced on 18 May 2020 (The Planning (Scotland) Act 2019 (Commencement No. 4 and Transitional Provision) Regulations 2020).

The following table sets out the number of self-catering properties that are entered on the Valuation Roll and therefore liable for non-domestic rates, and the number of self-catering properties receiving Small Business Bonus Scheme relief, broken down by local authority.

Owners of self-catering properties will be eligible for the Grant Funding Schemes if receipts represent a primary source (for example, one third or more) of earnings for the ratepayer, and the property has been let out for 140 days or more in financial year 2019-20. Local Authorities may specify any additional evidence they require (for example, records of bookings, a copy of public liability insurance cover or a website) in order to confirm eligibility, as stated in https://www.gov.scot/publications/local-government-finance-circular-5-2020-covid-19-grant-funding-schemes/ .

Local Authority	Self-catering properties on the Valuation Roll	Self-catering properties receiving SBBS
Aberdeen City	30	30
Aberdeenshire	620	520
Angus	230	180
Argyll & Bute	2,040	1,610
Clackmannanshire	40	20
Dumfries & Galloway	1,320	1,160
Dundee City	70	40
East Ayrshire	30	20
East Dunbartonshire	10	10
East Lothian	230	200
East Renfrewshire	10	10
City of Edinburgh	1,700	1,180
Na h-Eileanan Siar	680	570
Falkirk	70	50
Fife	620	510
Glasgow City	200	180
Highland	4,550	3,850
Inverclyde	20	20
Midlothian	50	40
Moray	440	380
North Ayrshire	480	410
North Lanarkshire	30	30
Orkney Islands	440	400
Perth & Kinross	1,050	870
Renfrewshire	30	10
Scottish Borders	720	640
Shetland Islands	270	220
South Ayrshire	270	200
South Lanarkshire	90	70
Stirling	480	410
West Dunbartonshire	70	60
West Lothian	50	40
Scotland	16,890	13,940

Source: Scottish Assessors' Valuation Roll, Local Authority Billing Information.

Question reference: S5W-28026

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 20 March 2020
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 31 March 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the school closures, what measures it has put in place to provide (a) access to meals, (b) internet access, (c) an appropriate space to (i) study and (ii) self-isolate, if required, and (d) other additional support for children in temporary homeless accommodation during the COVID-19 outbreak.

The Scottish Government is very grateful for the work that local authorities have already done in quickly putting measures in place to provide continuing support for vulnerable children and young people.

Local authorities will be able to use funds from the £70 million Welfare Food fund to continue to support all children and young people who receive free school meals. This fund is part of a wider £350 million package being made available by the Scottish Government to support vulnerable families.

We have also issued guidance to local authorities to support them with the ongoing provision of support to vulnerable pupils, including free school meals for all children and young people who are entitled to them. We are working with our local authority partners to ensure that this provision is continued to be delivered in a way that meets local needs and circumstances, as well as the latest health protection advice.

Teaching, learning and support will continue in different ways for different groups of children and young people and, for the majority, this will be through distance learning and online learning. Where appropriate, local authorities will ensure continued care and support for vulnerable pupils during the period of school closure. This might be through attendance at childcare and learning ‘hubs’ or through other direct contact.

As part of the £50 million Community Wellbeing Fund announced by the Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Local Government, we will provide support to people experiencing homelessness to help them to self-isolate. Work is currently underway to prioritise the movement of families with children away from shared accommodation and into self-contained accommodation.

Furthermore, our emergency legislation will ensure that there can be no evictions from the private rented sector or social rented sector for six months. This is particularly important at a time where housing, health and other public services are under acute and ongoing pressure.

Question reference: S5O-04288

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 March 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 19 March 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it takes to ensure that its labour market strategy protects the rights and pay of people in sectors perceived as undervalued or insecure.

Question reference: S5W-27561

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 21 February 2020
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 3 March 2020

To ask the Scottish Government when the guidance regarding the short-term lets licensing scheme will be published.

Question reference: S5W-27427

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 February 2020
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 2 March 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of figures showing that the City of Edinburgh Council has not provided accommodation for homeless applicants on 1,405 occasions since January 2017, what its position is on the council’s Assurance Statement on Housing Services, which acknowledges existing failures on the use of unsuitable B&B accommodation but not its inability to meet its legal duty to provide temporary accommodation.

The City of Edinburgh Council recently experienced a technical problem, which meant it was unable to provide data on the number of instances where temporary accommodation was not provided. This problem had not been identified when the council submitted its Assurance Statement on Housing Services on 31 October 2019.

I met with the Housing Convenor and Chief Executive of Edinburgh Council on 21 January and made it clear that I expect local authorities to meet their statutory responsibilities to provide homeless people with appropriate accommodation and services. I also asked them to undertake an investigation into why this data error happened and requested the findings of the investigation be submitted to Ministers along with reassurance that this will not happen again.

Question reference: S5W-27489

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 February 2020
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 2 March 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what actions it is taking to support Scottish Canals to ensure that all canal bridges are operable and safe.

The Scottish Government announced in its draft budget that it will be providing £20.7m in grant-in-aid funding to Scottish Canals in 2020-21. The equivalent 2019-20 figure was £15m. This funding is provided to enable Scottish Canals to undertake all of their responsibilities including their statutory duties which are set out in the Transport Act 1968. The Scottish Government has regular discussions with Scottish Canals about the opportunities and challenges involved in maintaining the canal network. The Scottish Government provided additional funding of £1.625m in 2018-19 to enable repairs to the bridges at Twechar and Bonnybridge on the Lowland Canals.

Question reference: S5W-27491

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 February 2020
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 2 March 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what it considers the primary purpose of the Scottish canal network is, and whether this includes it being navigable.

The Scottish Government set out its priorities for Scotland's canals in the policy document "Making the Most of Scotland's Canals". The document makes clear that we expect statutory and regulatory obligations to be met as a fundamental responsibility of Scottish Canals. This includes that proper resources are applied to ensure the safe navigation of the canals.

The shared vision is for Scotland’s canals to be a world-class waterway network with a thriving natural environment built upon 250 years of history that benefits people and communities who live and work near canals and people who visit the canals.

Question reference: S5W-27490

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 February 2020
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 2 March 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether dredging operations on canals are adequate to ensure that the whole canal network is navigable.