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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: S6W-07719

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 31 March 2022
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 25 April 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-06064 by Michael Matheson on 22 February 2022, whether it expects Crown Estate Scotland to have acted, specifically, in accordance with the Scottish Government publication, Guidance on due diligence: human rights, to conduct checks on the organisations in question.

As outlined in my response on 22 February 2022, Crown Estate Scotland is responsible for the ScotWind leasing and selection process.

We expect Crown Estate Scotland to undertake appropriate due diligence on companies, including their human rights record, in line with the Guidance on due diligence: human rights. As the guidance states, “The detail of what is checked is ultimately a matter of judgement by whomever has initiated the relationship and/or responded to a proposition from a third party and will depend on the circumstances of each case.” The due diligence carried out by Crown Estate Scotland was outlined in my answer to question S6W-06064.

Question reference: S6W-07592

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 25 March 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 20 April 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is responsible for issuing any licences or registrations required by P&O Ferries to operate to or from Scottish ports.

Question reference: S6W-07593

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 25 March 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 20 April 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what funding, if any, it provides to P&O Ferries to operate services to or from Scottish ports.

Question reference: S6O-00988

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 April 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 21 April 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting the agricultural and fishing industries with rising fuel costs.

Question reference: S6W-07604

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 25 March 2022
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 11 April 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what support it is providing to ensure that rental properties in rural and island communities meet energy performance certificate (EPC) rating standards.

The Private Sector Landlord specialist advice service, run by Home Energy Scotland, provides bespoke advice to private landlords throughout Scotland, this can include property visits and modelling as well as tailored advice for older properties.

Home Energy Scotland is also the route to Scottish Government funded loans and further support, in particular the Private Rented Sector Landlord Loan ( Private Rented Sector Landlord Loan: overview - Home Energy Scotland ) and our national fuel poverty scheme, Warmer Homes Scotland. This scheme is designed to make homes warmer for those living in or in risk of fuel poverty. Private rented sector tenants are generally not eligible for heating measures, however those who meet the criteria may receive energy efficiency measures, such as insulation, provided the landlord consents. Home Energy Scotland can be contacted on Freephone 0808 808 2282 or through their website https://energysavingtrust.org.uk/scotland/home-energy-Scotland .

There is also a range of guidance also available from Historic Environment Scotland to help with energy efficiency measures and climate change adaptations in listed buildings, traditional homes and buildings in conservation areas. This advice can be accessed through the Historic Environment Scotland website at: www.historicenvironment.scot .

Question reference: S6W-07603

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 25 March 2022
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 11 April 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many properties, broken down by local authority area, it anticipates will not meet an EPC rating of at least band E by 1 April 2022, as required under the Energy Efficiency (Domestic Private Rented Property) (Scotland) Regulations 2020.

As set out in the Scottish Government’s Heat in Buildings Strategy, the draft regulations cited (to set minimum energy efficiency standards of EPC E, rising to EPC D) were withdrawn as a direct result of the impact Covid-19 has had on the private rented sector (PRS). Instead, as the Strategy confirms, the Scottish Government is now working with the sector to introduce regulations in 2025 which will require all PRS properties to reach a minimum standard equivalent to EPC C, where technically feasible and cost effective, at change of tenancy, with a backstop of 2028 for all remaining existing properties, in line with the direction provided by the Climate Change Committee.

Data giving an anticipated breakdown of properties not reaching EPC E is not available, however analysis carried out by the Energy Savings Trust in 2021 (using Home Analytics V3.7, which used a combination of modelled and reported data) gives a breakdown of PRS homes by local authority area which are assumed to be in bands E and F-G.

Local Authority	Dwellings	PRS Dwellings	PRS as % of Dwellings	PRS SAP E Dwellings	PRS SAP F-G Dwellings
Aberdeen City	122,915	22,215	18.07%	2,725	1,154
Aberdeenshire	123,048	13,440	10.92%	3,179	2,717
Angus	59,720	7,952	13.32%	1,878	1,096
Argyll and Bute	51,725	7,223	13.96%	1,711	1,341
City of Edinburgh	260,624	57,276	21.98%	5,329	2,006
Clackmannanshire	25,371	2,369	9.34%	344	117
Dumfries and Galloway	76,595	11,892	15.53%	3,616	2,377
Dundee City	76,767	15,085	19.65%	1,814	947
East Ayrshire	59,888	5,782	9.65%	772	289
East Dunbartonshire	48,304	3,415	7.07%	446	97
East Lothian	52,781	5,388	10.21%	950	574
East Renfrewshire	40,614	2,605	6.41%	368	72
Falkirk	76,947	6,482	8.42%	858	290
Fife	183,583	23,481	12.79%	3,437	1,434
Glasgow City	327,460	55,768	17.03%	4,670	1,426
Highland	126,897	16,788	13.23%	4,125	2,873
Inverclyde	40,176	4,398	10.95%	617	333
Midlothian	40,764	4,190	10.28%	491	270
Moray	47,335	6,302	13.31%	1,439	1,036
Na h-Eileanan Siar	15,802	1,366	8.64%	492	391
North Ayrshire	73,023	8,519	11.67%	1,314	700
North Lanarkshire	160,567	11,948	7.44%	1,548	468
Orkney Islands	12,164	1,660	13.65%	529	185
Perth and Kinross	76,123	12,540	16.47%	2,969	1,822
Renfrewshire	90,522	10,315	11.40%	1,032	358
Scottish Borders	60,632	10,023	16.53%	2,729	1,997
Shetland Islands	10,937	1,133	10.36%	397	119
South Ayrshire	57,071	6,833	11.97%	1,188	578
South Lanarkshire	159,196	14,410	9.05%	2,142	841
Stirling	42,562	5,391	12.67%	917	507
West Dunbartonshire	45,941	3,322	7.23%	420	106
West Lothian	84,727	9,231	10.89%	893	210
Total	2,730,781	368,742	13.50%	55,339	28,731

Question reference: S6W-07407

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 March 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ash Regan on 31 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to address the reported shortfall of legal aid providers in family law.

Scottish Government officials have been in contact with the Scottish Legal Aid Board (SLAB) who have a statutory duty to give the Scottish Ministers such information as they may require relating to the availability and accessibility of legal services in Scotland. I am aware of correspondence from individuals who are having difficulty securing representation in civil matters. SLAB are thoroughly investigating the issues that have been reported, are continually monitoring the situation and are preparing to report back to Scottish Government officials in due course. The Law Society of Scotland have also been made aware of the situation and we will continue to engage with them on these matters.

Question reference: S6W-07406

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 March 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ash Regan on 31 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on progress in establishing a pilot of mandatory meetings on alternatives to court, in line with its statutory duty as set out in the Children (Scotland) Act 2020.

In line with the duty set out in section 24(4) of the Children (Scotland) Act 2020, the Scottish Ministers have laid two six-monthly progress reports before the Scottish Parliament on establishing a pilot of mandatory meetings on alternatives to court.

The first such report was laid in April 2021 and covered the period from 1 October 2020 to 1 April 2021 - Children (Scotland) Act 2020 - alternatives to court and funding of alternative dispute resolution pilots: report - gov.scot (www.gov.scot).

The second such report was laid in November 2021 and covered the period from 1 April to 30 September 2021 - Pilot of mandatory meetings on alternatives to court - Children (Scotland) Act 2020 - section 23(1) and section 24(1): second report on the Scottish Ministers’ duties - gov.scot (www.gov.scot).

The next progress report on the pilot scheme is due to cover the period from 1 October 2021 to 31 March 2022 and will be laid before the Parliament in due course.

Question reference: S6W-07408

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 March 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ash Regan on 31 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is taking action to reduce pressures on family courts by supporting other forms of dispute resolution.

The Scottish Government believes that where appropriate family cases should be resolved outwith court. A number of forms of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) are available in family cases, including mediation, arbitration, collaborative law and family group decision making.

The Scottish Government provides funding to Relationships Scotland who provide a number of services, including family mediation.

The cost of family mediation may be funded through the Scottish Legal Aid Fund, where a person who is in receipt of legal aid is referred by a court.

Section 23(1) of the Children (Scotland) Act 2020 requires the Scottish Ministers to set up a scheme to make assistance available so that individuals can meet the costs of alternative dispute resolution procedures in certain cases such as those dealing with contact and residence for children.

Work has progressed in this area, but the provision will take time to implement. Two reports on the Scottish Ministers’ progress between 1 October 2020 and 31 October 2021 on implementing provisions in the 2020 Act on ADR have been published:

Question reference: S6W-07460

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 18 March 2022
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 29 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the aim in its 2021 Fuel Poverty Strategy to ensure that “all homes across Scotland will have achieved the equivalent of an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) C” by 2033, how it plans to make the estimated investment of up to £6 billion that is required to deliver EPC C ratings to all fuel poor households in Scotland.

The 2021 Fuel Poverty Strategy, states that the required level of capital expenditure to bring fuel poor households up to EPC C, including the replacement of existing fossil fuel heating systems, will be in the region of £6 billion. The Scottish Government have committed to investing at least £1.8 billion this parliamentary term to help kick-start growth in the market and support those least able to pay. Alongside public investment, we need innovative mechanisms to increase individual and private-sector investment into energy efficiency and zero emissions heating. The Scottish Government has established a Green Heat Finance Taskforce to recommend ways that the Scottish Government and private sector can collaborate to scale up investment. It will provide an interim report by March 2023 and final recommendations by September that year.