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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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

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Question reference: S6W-17667

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 17 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to its commitment, announced on 23 April 2023, to support affordable housing for key workers in rural areas, whether it plans to make funds available for community-led housing projects in rural areas that aim to provide affordable housing to key workers.

Development Trusts and others taking forward community led housing already have access to the demand-led £30 million Rural and Islands Housing Fund. This fund already supports community organisations to bring forward new housing projects, or to renovate empty homes or to convert commercial or non-domestic premises into residential accommodation to meet local housing needs including through the attraction or retention of economically active households.

Question reference: S6W-17670

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 17 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding in total is still available to applicants through the (a) Rural Housing and (b) Islands Housing Fund.

Question reference: S6W-17668

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 17 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to its commitment, announced on 23 April 2023, to support affordable housing for key workers in rural areas, for what reason community development trusts have reportedly been excluded from this initiative.

Question reference: S6W-17755

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 05 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 16 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it is giving, as part of the proposed expansion of free school meals, to prioritising sustainably-produced Scottish food in procurement for these programmes, including from farms practising organic or regenerative agriculture, in order to support Scotland’s just transition targets.

We remain committed to the expansion of free school meals in primary and special schools as described in our programme for government. All food and drink, including free school meals, served in local authority and grant aided schools must meet the standards set out in the Nutritional Standards for Food and Drink in Schools (Scotland) Regulations 2020. What produce is used and where it is sourced from is a matter for individual local authorities taking into account local needs, priorities and circumstances as well as their duty to consider sustainable development as they procure food and drink for school menus.

However, the member raises an important matter. I have asked to meet with the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs to discuss the points raised by this question in more detail.

Question reference: S6W-17757

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 05 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 16 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of food procured for free school meals currently comes from farms practising organic or regenerative agriculture in Scotland.

All food and drink served in local authority and grant aided schools must meet the standards set out within The Nutritional Requirements for Food and Drink in Schools (Scotland) Regulations 2020. These Regulations are supported by statutory guidance on ‘Healthy Eating in Schools’, which is available on the Scottish Government’s website through the following link: Healthy eating in schools: guidance 2020 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) .

Whilst local authorities and schools are required to meet the standards set out within the school food and drink Regulations, any decisions about the type produce used, and where it is sourced from, are for individual local authorities, who should take into account local needs, priorities and circumstances as well as their duty to consider sustainable development as they procure food and drink for their school menus.

Since these Regulations were first introduced, we have expanded the availability of universal free school lunches during school term-time to include all children in primaries 1 to 5 at publicly-funded schools. We remain committed to the expansion of free school meals in primary and special schools as described in our programme for government.

Question reference: S6W-17461

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 9 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to publish (a) the final version of and (b) the first delivery plan for the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy to 2045: Tackling the Nature Emergency in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-17221

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 4 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how many businesses (a) have closed and (b) are considering closing as a result of short-term let licensing.

Question reference: S6W-17222

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 4 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the April 2023 SkyeConnect survey, which reportedly found that 10% of self-catering or bed and breakfast businesses will close due to short-term let licensing, and that a further 20% are considering leaving the sector, and what impact it anticipates this could have on the availability of tourism accommodation in island communities.

Short-term let licensing and powers to designate control areas allow local authorities to strike a balance between the economic benefits of short-term lets and the needs and concerns of communities in their areas. It is for local authorities to use the powers available to them to achieve the right balance in their areas recognising the need for a thriving tourist economy, as well as having sufficient homes for people to live in.

The short-term let licensing scheme will ensure that all short-term lets in Scotland comply with basic safety standards. Many hosts will already be following these standards as a matter of compliance with existing law or best practice. We do not consider them to be onerous. Whether someone is sharing their own home or letting a portfolio of properties, in rural Skye or in central Edinburgh, safety matters.

Question reference: S6W-16888

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 4 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to enhance the financial support available to (a) individual developers and (b) community groups for Rural and Islands Housing Fund projects, in the event that the introduction of a Scottish equivalent to the Passivhaus standard adds additional costs to construction in rural and island areas.

Question reference: S6T-01340

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 May 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 2 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking in light of the grounding of MV Pentalina and any impact on ferry services to and from Orkney.