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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: S5O-02822

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 January 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 January 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions ministers have had with civil servants regarding the EU Withdrawal (Legal Continuity) (Scotland) Bill since the Supreme Court’s judgement on it.

Question reference: S5O-02764

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 January 2019
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 16 January 2019

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the status of the communities that are due to be listed as potentially vulnerable areas.

Members should be aware this question is about flood management . Scottish Ministers approved the revised set of Potentially Vulnerable Areas submitted by SEPA in September 2018 and these were published on SEPA's website on 22 December 2018.

Working closely with partners, SEPA will draft Flood Risk Management Strategies for the period 2022-2027. These strategies will identify objectives and actions to help protect communities in potentially vulnerable areas, and they will be published following a full public consultation.

Question reference: S5W-20559

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 December 2018
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 15 January 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what contribution it anticipates to emissions reduction and renewable heat targets for domestic and non-domestic buildings envisaged in its Energy Strategy and Climate Change plan will be derived from (a) electric heat pumps, (b) biomass heating systems and (c) district heating.

Scotland’s Climate Change Plan sets out an ambitious trajectory for decarbonising heat, where, by 2032, low carbon heat would supply 35% of domestic buildings’ heat and 70% of non-domestic buildings’ heat. Our Energy Strategy further commits us to ensuring that by 2030, the equivalent of 50% of the total energy for Scotland’s heat, transport and electricity consumption would be supplied from renewable sources. As of 2017, between 5.9% and 6.1% of Scotland’s non-electrical heat demand was already being met by renewable sources.

As we acknowledged in the Scottish Energy Strategy, the structure of Scotland’s energy system will look significantly different in 2050 with the mix of technologies deployed depending on how we collectively respond to challenges and opportunities along the way. We anticipate our energy system will be more diverse and well-balanced than at present, so as to better support the supply of clean and affordable heat. As such, at this stage we have not sought to produce estimates for specific technologies. However, our proposed Local Heat and Energy Efficiency Strategies (LHEES) will soon allow our partners in local government to take an evidence-based approach to identifying the most appropriate energy efficiency and heat decarbonisation solutions.

In response to the statutory advice from the Committee on Climate Change, we are focusing on prioritising those ‘low regrets’ heat decarbonisation options that fall within our powers. These are measures that will continue to make sense regardless of what types of decisions the UK Government will take on the future of the gas grid, which as you know is a reserved matter. Among other actions, we are:

promoting energy efficiency to cut the heat demand in buildings through Energy Efficient Scotland and associated measures such as the development of Local Heat and Energy Efficiency Strategies (LHEES) ;
supporting district heating, through our District Heating Loan Fund and by taking leading steps to regulate networks ahead of the rest of the UK; and
planning how we can best support the installation of low carbon heat in off-gas grid areas, a process starting with a call for evidence in January 2019.

Question reference: S5W-20529

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 December 2018
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 21 December 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the inspection and regulation process in the rest of the UK covering all dental practices equally, for what reason a reported 30-35 non-NHS dental practices in Scotland are identified for inspection and regulation, while over 1,000 NHS dental practices are inspected to a more basic level.

Until April 2016 wholly private dental practices were not subject to any scrutiny or inspection. They are now subject to the same level of scrutiny and inspection as their NHS counterparts. Non-NHS dental practices, which provide only private services, meet the definition of an independent clinic and are therefore regulated (which includes inspection) by Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS). HIS will use the Combined Practice Inspection process which has been in use for all NHS general dental practices in Scotland since 1 January 2014.

Question reference: S5W-20528

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 December 2018
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 21 December 2018

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the Health Improvement Scotland fee structure is reportedly more expensive in Scotland compared with inspecting authorities in other UK regions for the same level of regulation and inspection.

The Scottish Government’s policy is that the regulation of independent healthcare in Scotland should be entirely funded through the fees paid by those providers who are being regulated. The rate of the fees, which is based on a cost recovery basis, was subject to public consultation and the adopted fee rates were the preferred option of the majority of respondents from the 500 service providers contacted. The fees are calculated in relation to the type of work being carried out in the service.

Question reference: S5W-20530

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 December 2018
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 21 December 2018

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason over 1,000 NHS dental practices are reported to be exempt from the higher standard of Health Improvement Scotland inspection and enforcement.

NHS dental practices and practices with a combination of NHS and private work are regulated by the local health board. using the Combined Practice Inspection (CPI) checklist for regulation and inspection which has been in place since 1 January 2014. The CPI Checklist combines Health Board and Vocational Training inspection items and includes items from the National Standards for Dental Services. Healthcare Improvement Scotland now regulate wholly private dental practices and will use the CPI process. If HIS did not undertake inspections for wholly private dental practices, there would be no inspection regime in place for these providers because they are not affiliated to a health board.

Question reference: S5W-20486

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 10 December 2018
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 20 December 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-16471 by Aileen Campbell on 22 May 2018, what measures are being taken to direct people to the online leaflet on Lyme Disease found on the Health Protection Scotland website; whether it will provide further details on the work carried out by the Lyme Borreliosis Group, and whether this information can be found in the public domain, and what routes were discussed to raise awareness of Lyme Disease across Scotland at the symposium on Lyme disease on Benbecula.

The Scottish Government, together with the Lyme Borreliosis Group are actively engaged in raising awareness of the materials produced to educate people on Lyme disease. This includes a social media video campaign which ran throughout Summer 2018 encouraging young people to check for and remove ticks safely, an article on the Visit Scotland website and an outdoor health workshop held in Stirling in October 2018. All of which signpost to the ‘avoiding bugs and germs outdoors’ web pages on NHS Inform ( www.nhsinform.scot/bugs-and-germs ).

The Scottish Government and the Lyme Borreliosis group are currently working on promotional activity for 2019 which will include the distribution of branded tick removers which signpost to the ‘avoiding bugs and germs outdoors’ web pages on NHS Inform.

Routes to raise awareness of Lyme disease discussed at the symposium in Benbecula included social media, community pharmacies and production of educational materials.

Question reference: S5W-20271

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 29 November 2018
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 13 December 2018

To ask the Scottish Government by what date the NHS Tayside Mental Health Services Inquiry will publish its report.

The independent inquiry into mental health services in Tayside launched its public call for evidence in September 2018. Its remit is to inquire into the accessibility, safety, quality and standards of care provided by all mental health services in Tayside. Given the scope and nature of its remit, it is important that the Inquiry takes the time necessary to complete its valuable work. The inquiry is chaired by David Strang and is ongoing. No date has been set for the publication its report.

Question reference: S5W-20277

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 29 November 2018
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 12 December 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-19965 by Mairi Gougeon on 27 November 2018, whether the farmer will be given additional compensation, in light of the reported impact on his tourism business because his details were made public.

Question reference: S5W-20288

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 29 November 2018
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 11 December 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it is making with its commitment in the Programme for Government to create around 350 counsellors in to ensure that every secondary school has counselling services; by what date this target will be met, and how much funding is being allocated toward this.

The creation of school counsellors in school education across Scotland is part of a package of measures to ensure that children and young people get the support that they need. We know that early experiences have lasting impacts for childhood and beyond so early intervention is crucial.

We have developed a suite of aims and principles for the delivery of this commitment and are taking forward discussions with key partners. To ensure that the commitment is met in full by September 2020 we are providing a package of around £27 million in the first two years of implementation. This will support the delivery and employment of counsellors across Scotland.