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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-13302

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 16 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 13 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many times the Minister for Public Finance, Planning and Community Wealth has met with (a) the Mineral Products Association (Scotland) and (b) representatives from the Scottish aggregates sector in 2022.

Question reference: S6W-13271

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 13 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reported comments by the National Farmers Union Scotland that "deteriorating and unreliable" lifeline services to and from island communities are "increasingly impacting on the farmers and crofters who depend on them", and what assessment it has made of the economic impact of cancelled and delayed ferry services on the crofting industry.

I have not received any correspondence from the National Farmers Union for Scotland on this matter.

The Scottish Government has undertaken reports on the economic condition of crofting, and the measures to support crofting in Scotland. The latest of these was published on Tuesday 20 December 2022, https://www.gov.scot/publications/economic-condition-crofting-2019-2022/ .

The importance of farming and crofting to our rural and island areas is fully appreciated by the Scottish Government.

I am aware that the NFU have raised an issue in relation to agricultural vehicles and CalMac’s systems. I am more than happy to meet with the NFU to discuss their concerns and to ensure systems are improved to support agricultural traffic when using the CalMac fleet, however I note I am yet to receive any formal representation from the NFU on this matter.

Question reference: S6W-13225

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 13 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has any plans to close any ScotRail ticket offices.

During 2022 and in line with Schedule 17 of the Ticketing and Settlement Agreement, ScotRail undertook a review and consultation of ticket office opening hours. The aim of the review was to establish whether adaptions/changes should be made to reflect changes in travel patterns and ticket purchasing preferences and to reduce ticketless travel.

This work was put on hold until key industrial disputes at ScotRail were resolved. As this has now happened, the Scottish Government is considering the results of the consultation exercise, including any impacts on passenger safety and the needs of passengers with mobility or accessibility needs. The results of this consideration will be announced in due course however it has already been confirmed that there are no proposals for ticket office closures.

Question reference: S6W-13298

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 16 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 13 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what expert opinion it has sought on the potential for disruption to cross-border sales across the UK should a Scottish replacement for the UK Aggregates Levy result in different rates and rules.

The recent public consultation and discussions with stakeholders sought views on a range of issues, including the tax treatment of cross-border movements of aggregate, imports and exports, rates, reliefs and exemptions.

The Scottish Government is carefully considering the consultation responses, and what further evidence and input may be required on all issues relating to the Levy. This will include further stakeholder engagement, including with industry representative bodies and producers.

The Scottish Government will take the current arrangements for the UK Aggregates Levy, and the recent review of these, fully into account when making decisions on the proposed arrangements for a future devolved tax. We will also consider the research we commissioned to review, model and analyse illustrative options for a Scottish levy, including potential cross-border effects. The final report from the research, which was conducted by Eunomia, was published in August 2020.

Question reference: S6W-13300

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 16 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 13 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what the response has been from the aggregates and construction sector to the length of time allotted to the consultation on developing a Scottish tax to replace the UK Aggregates Levy.

The public consultation on developing a Scottish tax to replace the UK Aggregates Levy opened on 26 September 2022 and closed on 5 December 2022. Over this 10 week period a total of 25 responses were received which are now being analysed, and a formal consultation analysis will be published in due course. Further stakeholder engagement, including with industry representative bodies and producers will also take place.

Industry representative organisations proposed that the consultation period be significantly extended and a working group established. Officials have met with representatives of these organisations in order to discuss their concerns, and I am carefully considering the position.

Question reference: S6W-13232

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 13 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Cold Weather Payment, which was previously administered by the UK Government and under which households in Scotland were eligible for payments of £25 per week when temperatures drop below freezing for seven days between November and March, whether it is the case that the Winter Heating Payment is capped at a maximum of £50, and, if it is the case, what the reasons are for this.

Regardless of weather conditions, Winter Heating Payment will provide a stable, reliable payment of £50 to around 415,000 eligible people on low-incomes and provide a valuable contribution towards their heating expenses during the winter months. Recognising the difficulties being faced by many due to the increased cost of living, we have made the decision to increase the payment value for 2023-24 by 10.1% to £55.05.

Separately, in response to the energy crisis we have doubled the Fuel Insecurity Fund to £20 million to ensure additional support continues to be available to people affected by the rising energy costs and struggling with their bills this winter. A further £20 million has been committed for the Fuel Insecurity Fund in 2023-24. We have also delivered Child Winter Heating Assistance, a benefit only available in Scotland, which is intended to help mitigate the additional heating costs that the households of the most severely disabled children and young people face in the winter months. For 2022-23, we have increased Child Winter Heating Assistance by 6%, to £214.10, and will further increase the payment for 2023-24 by 10.1%, to £235.70.

Question reference: S6W-13282

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 13 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many of its staff receive a salary of over £100,000 per annum, broken down by directorate, and what the total cost of those staff salaries is.

Pay for staff in the Senior Civil Service is reserved and operates within the UK Cabinet Office pay and performance management framework.

As at 30 November 2022, a total of 41 staff earning over £100,000 per annum were employed in Core Scottish Government at a total salary cost of £4,552,993. This represents 0.45% of the total number of staff employed in Core Scottish Government. The following table provides a breakdown by Directorate General area.

Directorate General	Number of Staff
Strategy & External Affairs (1)	12
Communities	3
Corporate	7
Economy	4
Education & Justice	3
Health & Social Care	5
Net Zero	2
Scottish Exchequer	4
Permanent Secretary	1

(1) The increase for Strategy and External Affairs (in comparison to information provided in February 2022) reflects the outcome of a pay restructuring exercise carried out in relation to specialist parliamentary counsel staff so as to bring pay arrangements for those staff more into line with the pay arrangements for parliamentary counsel staff in other Government jurisdictions (e.g. UK Government, Welsh Government) in order to support the recruitment and retention of staff with those specialist skills and expertise. Of the 12 staff reported above: 8 are employed in the Parliamentary Counsel Office; 1 is employed in the Director General office; 1 is employed in the External Affairs Directorate; 1 is employed in the Constitution and Cabinet Directorate; and 1 is employed in the Strategy Directorate.

Question reference: S6W-13227

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 13 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has taken a decision regarding the future of ScotRail ticket office opening hours, following the schedule 17 consultation that was conducted by Abellio ScotRail in January 2022.

Question reference: S6W-13297

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 16 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 13 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether every household and business in Scotland was physically capable of accessing broadband speeds of at least 30 Mbps as of 31 December 2021.

As of 31 December 2021, all homes and business in Scotland had the ability to access a superfast broadband connection either through the R100 contracts, the demand-led R100 Scottish Broadband Voucher Scheme (SBVS) or commercial coverage. Our interim voucher meant that anyone whose property was in an R100 contract build plan beyond the end of 2021 had the ability to access a temporary superfast solution. We extended the availability of the interim voucher until 31 March 2022 to ensure that anyone who wanted to, could access a superfast connection through this scheme.

As of 1 December 2022, the R100 contracts had built connections to over 15,000 properties across Scotland with a further 3,800 connected as a result of contractual overspill. Over 2,700 connections had also been delivered through the R100 SBVS. This is, of course, in addition to those premises which are already connected commercially or via our legacy programme, DSSB.

Question reference: S6W-13806

Current Status: Withdrawn