- Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 April 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Paul McLennan on 14 April 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what system of monitoring it uses to ensure that hotels used to house those in emergency accommodation remain suitable.
Answer
The Unsuitable Accommodation Order was extended to all households in May 2020 to ensure all homeless households are provided with the highest quality accommodation to support them out of homelessness.
This means that the maximum number of days that local authorities can use unsuitable accommodation for any homeless person is seven days and has the effect of ending stays in unsuitable accommodation, such as hotels, apart from in emergency situations.
Any household placed in unsuitable accommodation for longer than seven days should be recorded as a breach.
The Scottish Housing Regulator is obliged to monitor and assess local authority compliance with the Unsuitable Accommodation Order (UAO) and, if any UAO breaches are reported, will intervene as appropriate.
- Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 March 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Kevin Stewart on 12 April 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-15289 by Jenny Gilruth on 16 March 2023, whether it will list the 56 railway stations equipped with defibrillators, and what plans it has to increase the number of defibrillators in public spaces.
Answer
Stations fitted with defibrillators to date are:
• Aberdeen | | • Croy | | • Insch | | • Morar |
• Airdrie | | • Dalmarnock | | • Inverkeithing | | • Motherwell |
• Alexandria | | • Dalry | | • Inverness | | • Mount Florida |
• Alloa | | • Dingwall | | • Kilwinning | | • Newton |
• Arbroath | | • Drumry | | • Kings Park | | • Newton grange |
• Ardlui | | • Dundee | | • Kintore | | • North Queensferry |
• Ardrossan South Beach | • Edinburgh Waverley | • Kirkcaldy | | • Oban |
• Argyle Street | | • Exhibition Centre | | • Kyle of Lochalsh | • Paisley Gilmour Street |
• Aviemore | | • Falkirk Grahamston | | • Larbert | | • Perth |
• Ayr | | • Fort William | | • Largs | | • Port Glasgow |
• Bathgate | | • Glasgow Central (HL) | • Leuchars | | • Queen Street |
• Bishopbriggs | | • Gleneagles | | • Linlithgow | | • Rutherglen |
• Charing Cross | | • Haymarket | | • Livingston South | • Stirling |
• Corrour | | • Helensburgh Central | • Mallaig | | • Yoker |
Plans for the further installation of devices across the network are currently being developed.
- Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 27 March 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 11 April 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-15763 by Maree Todd on 22 March 2023, in light of the reported increase in vaping-related illnesses and disorders among young people, whether it will consider recording and holding the data that was requested.
Answer
Parliamentary question S6W-15763 asked “how many patients under 18 have been admitted to an NHS facility for vaping-related illnesses or disorders in each year since 2019”. At that time (March 2023) Public Health Scotland (PHS) responded that these data were not currently held. However, PHS are now carrying out work to identify the number of individuals with vaping related illness in Scotland and will publish figures in July 2023.
- Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 27 March 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 11 April 2023
To ask the Scottish Government when the Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Veterans (a) last visited a police station, and where that police station was, and (b) next plans to visit (i) a police station and (ii) Police Scotland's headquarters.
Answer
I’m very much looking forward to meeting with police officers and staff across Scotland as the Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs.
My predecessor met with police officers at Wester Hailes Police Station on 14 December 2023 and was pleased to attend the Chief Constable’s Bravery and Excellence Awards at Tulliallan Police College on 10 February.
- Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 27 March 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 11 April 2023
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the cost of the Sheku Bayoh Inquiry in each financial year since the Inquiry was established.
Answer
The Sheku Bayoh Public Inquiry publishes its expenditure on a quarterly basis on its website: http://www.shekubayohinquiry.scot/inquiry-costs
The latest published figures show that the Inquiry has spent £10.4m since its setting-up date on 30 November 2020 until 31 December 2022:
Financial Year | Expenditure |
30 November 2020 – 31 March 2021 | £0.8M |
1 April 2021 – 31 March 2022 | £5.1M |
1 April 2022 - 31 December 2022 | £4.5M |
Total | £10.4M |
It is for the independent Chair to direct how the Inquiry operates whilst fulfilling his duty to avoid any unnecessary costs.
- Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 27 March 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 11 April 2023
To ask the Scottish Government when it last met with the UK Government regarding the implementation of the Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme.
Answer
The Scottish Government’s Senior Responsible Owner (SRO) for the Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme (ESMCP) attended the Home Office ESMCP Programme Board on 22 March 2023.
- Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 27 March 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi McAllan on 11 April 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on (a) what the average wait time was for customers calling Scottish Water’s customer helpline and (b) how many calls were handled, in each year since 2016.
Answer
The Scottish Government is not required to hold this information. As this is an operational matter for Scottish Water, I have asked Douglas Millican, Chief Executive, to respond. His response is as follows:
The average wait time for customers calling Scottish Water’s customer helpline between 1st April 2022 and 1st April 2023 was 19 seconds. The chart below provides information about how many calls were handled by Scottish Water in each year since 2016.
2016-17 | 2017-18 | 2018-19 | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 |
291,453 | 302,925 | 307,146 | 300,825 | 176,176 | 324,939 | 320,906 |
- Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 31 March 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 11 April 2023
To ask the Scottish Government how many properties inspected by the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland (Housing and Property Chamber) were found not to have met the repairing standard, broken down by local authority area, in each of the last five years.
Answer
This question relates to operational matters that are the responsibility of the Scottish Court and Tribunals Service (SCTS) corporate body. The question has been passed to the Chief Executive of the SCTS who reply in writing within 20 days.
- Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 March 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 11 April 2023
To ask the Scottish Government how many trees, that have been planted by its agencies or through publicly-funded tree-planting initiatives, it estimates have died before reaching maturity, in each year for which data is available.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not produce estimates or collect data on the number of trees that have died and the age when this occurs.
All forests once established will experience some mortality and natural thinning through competition between individual trees. This will vary according to the planting density, management regimes, effects of pests and diseases, woodland type and location, and is an understood and accepted part of sustainable forest management.
However, any woodland creation that is publicly funded through the Forestry Grant Scheme is required to attain a specified stocking density when established, normally by year five, as set out in published guidance on the Rural Payments website at https://www.ruralpayments.org/topics/all-schemes/forestry-grant-scheme/woodland-creation/
Forest Research publishes data on forest yields and management information on the patterns of tree growth that can be expected in forests of different tree species, with varying growth rates, and when managed in different ways. This can be found at https://www.forestresearch.gov.uk/publications/forest-yield/ . These data, which factor in mortality rates, provide forecasts for the number of live tree over time and are used for example to estimate timber yields, forest biomass and carbon stocks, and the modelling of forest greenhouse gas balances.
- Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 27 March 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 11 April 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it is considering to reduce teenage vaping, in light of the Health and Wellbeing Census Scotland 2021-22 finding that one in 10 school pupils in S4 regularly vape.
Answer
The results of the Health and Wellbeing Census Scotland 2021-22, and reports from schools and parents about young people vaping, are of great concern to the Scottish Government.
Vapes are an age restricted product and should not be sold to anyone under the age of 18. In October 2022 we wrote to all registered retailers of these products to remind them of their duty of sale and we regularly meet with Trading Standards on enforcement.
Our recent consultation proposed restrictions on vaping products and we are aiming to bring forward new regulations in 2023. Any action we seek to take will build on the regulations already in place to restrict the marketing, promotion and sale of vaping products to under 18s.
We will publish our refreshed Tobacco Action Plan this year, which will include actions to reduce vaping among young people.
We are reviewing vaping education for young people in schools and have also funded ASH Scotland to work with a range of youth organisations on the risks associated with vaping.