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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-05485

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 28 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what specific consultation was carried out with local authorities prior to its announcement that, from 27 December 2021, nightclubs would be closed for three weeks, and on what date any consultation was first carried out.

Following engagement with sector bodies it was clear that many nightclubs would not be viable with distancing and table service restrictions in place. A decision was therefore taken by Ministers, using a four harms approach, that closure of nightclubs with appropriate support was the most effective option for controlling the virus and for the sector. This decision allowed nightclubs the flexibility to adjust operations and remain operating with relevant restrictions or close and receive extra financial support. Due to the pace of decision-making, it was not possible to engage with Local Authorities prior to the announcement however officials engaged with relevant teams after the announcement.

Question reference: S6W-05269

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 20 December 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 28 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how many inspections of COVID-19 passports have taken place in each local authority area since they were introduced.

Since the scheme was introduced the total number of scans carried out by the verifier app in Scotland has been 309,168. The large majority of inspections consist of manual or visual checks, which are not included in this figure. It is not possible to break this down by local authority or venue as the Covid Check App does not retain any data. The scheme allows venues to carry out visual or checks using a verifier app. Venues with attendances of 1000 or more people are not required to carry out 100% checks. Our guidance was updated on 17 January to require those settings to check 50% or 1000 attendees whichever is higher.

Question reference: S6W-05406

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 14 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 27 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government to what extent it has explored prototypes for an online registration system, similar to the system paid for and presented to it by former members of its working group on short-term lets.

Question reference: S6O-00712

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 January 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 3 February 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what support it will provide to help increase the numbers of allotments and community garden spaces available in Edinburgh.

Question reference: S6W-05410

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 14 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 25 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what the estimated costs are of its proposed legislative process for regulating short-term lets, and how this compares with the previously proposed process that it did not pursue.

The costs associated with The Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 (Licensing of Short-term Lets) Order 2021, which we withdrew in February 2021, are set out in the draft Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment published in December 2020.

The costs associated with The Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 (Licensing of Short-term Lets) Order 2022 are set out in our updated Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment which we published in November 2021.

Question reference: S6W-05270

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 20 December 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 25 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what financial support it has provided to local authorities to cover the costs associated with the COVID-19 passport scheme.

The Scottish Government has not provided additional financial support to local authorities specifically relating to the Covid certification scheme.

We are working closely with Local Authorities, the Health and Safety Executive and Police Scotland to ensure that we are taking a joint approach on the enforcement of regulations and wider workplace health measures. We have committed to £2.9m in funding to support Covid related work carried out by Local Authority Environmental Health and Trading Standards Officers to year end 2021-22. We continue to engage with the Local Authorities to understand how this funding is being used to ensure they have the capacity to support businesses to comply with the regulations and guidance, including the Covid status certification requirements. Local authorities are responsible for prioritising enforcement work within their area, and they are doing so using a risk based and 4 Es approach (Engage, Explain, Encourage and Enforce).

We continue to engage with Local Authorities over this funding, and any potential extensions that may be required.

Question reference: S6W-05418

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 14 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 25 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on two reported independent economic impact assessments, which stated that, in Scotland, economic activity connected to short-term let and self-catering properties generated over £670 million in annual GVA prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, and what data it has to support its position.

Question reference: S6W-05417

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 24 December 2021
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 24 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with local authorities regarding their power to designate all or part of their area a short-term let control area.

Question reference: S6W-05405

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 24 December 2021
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 24 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will commit to investing in a digital-first system to support local authorities to meet their duty to register, inspect and monitor short-term let properties in their area.

Question reference: S6W-05420

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 24 December 2021
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 24 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with VisitScotland regarding the tourist organisation's role in the production and implementation of short-term let regulations.

VisitScotland is a member of the Scottish Government’s stakeholder working group, which has met four times since February 2021. Details of these meetings can be found here: https://www.gov.scot/groups/short-term-lets-stakeholder-working-group/ . VisitScotland also provided input through the virtual workshops held as part of the 2020 consultation.

Each of Scotland’s 32 local authorities will be responsible for establishing and running the licensing scheme for short-term lets in their areas. VisitScotland has no role in the operation of the licensing scheme.