Questions and answers

Question reference: S6W-04936

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 December 2021
Current Status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 22 December 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, with regards to the roll-out of the Child Disability Payment (CDP), what proportion of existing claimants it expects to be in receipt of (a) a greater, (b) the same and (c) a lesser amount of financial assistance under CDP compared with what they receive from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) currently.

When existing Disability Living Allowance for Children (DLA Child) clients have their awards transferred to Child Disability Payment (CDP) they will receive the same payment rate for CDP as they received for DLA Child at the point of transfer. They will continue to receive this amount until their CDP needs to be reviewed. The value of each component of CDP is the same as DLA Child so that we do not create a two-tier system with varying rules whilst Scottish disability benefit clients are transferred to Social Security Scotland.

The Scottish Fiscal Commission is responsible for forecasting spending on DLA Child and CDP. The Commission has not reported a breakdown of the proportion of the CDP clients in receipt of greater, the same, or lesser amount of financial assistance under CDP compared with what they receive from the Department for Work and Pensions.

In forecasting CDP, the Scottish Fiscal Commission assumed that when award reviews occur the proportion of clients that would have had their award increased, maintained, and decreased under DLA Child will be the same as under CDP. While they recognise that the less frequent award reviews for CDP may increase the proportion of awards staying at their existing level for longer, the Commission’s judgement is that the effect on the overall outcome of award reviews on award levels may be cancelled out by an increase in the average initial award length and light-touch award reviews.

Question reference: S6W-04825

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 03 December 2021
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 22 December 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how much it has paid for its (a) active and (b) inactive website domain names in each year since 2016.

Scottish Government makes DNS changes to domains on a daily basis. Given the number of change requests that have been processed each day since renewals in 2016 and the way in which domains are managed it is not possible for us to provide an accurate breakdown of the “active” or “inactive” domains for any date or year other than the latest data we have for the current portfolio as it stands today. We can however provide a breakdown of annual costs for the renewal, management and enterprise DNS provision for the Scottish Government domains portfolio each year since 2016.

Date Total domains Total Ex Vat

2021-06-30 1039 £13,267.50

2020-06-30 1021 £12,530.00

2019-06-30 837 £10,455.00

2018-06-30 705 £8,493.00

2017-06-30 640 £7,612.00

2016-06-30 630 £7,186.00

We have defined “active” as a domain that has DNS configuration applied to it. Any domain that is currently parked with our Registrar Com Laude or has no DNS configuration has been defined as “inactive”.

Question reference: S6W-04803

Asked by: Paul McLennan, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 03 December 2021
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 22 December 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the (a) direct and (b) wider impact on the (i) retail and (ii) tourism sector in (A) the Lothians and (B) Scotland of the UK Government's decision to withdraw tax-free shopping from the start of 2021, and what representations it has made to UK ministers on the matter.

We have heard directly from retail businesses advising that the impact of these changes are already being felt, and that the new rules put Scottish and UK-wide businesses at a disadvantage when compared to other European destinations who continue to operate VAT refund schemes.

Following the announcement of the changes to tax-free shopping on 11 September 2020, the then Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Fair Work and Culture, Fiona Hyslop, and I wrote a joint letter to the UK Chancellor opposing the proposed changes; especially at such a challenging time for businesses. No action was forthcoming from the UK Government, so on 20 December 2021 I sent a follow-up letter to the Chancellor of the Exchequer to reiterate the Scottish Government’s concerns on the matter, and request any data and analysis on the impact of these changes.

Question reference: S6W-04819

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 03 December 2021
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 22 December 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how many new masts have been installed as part of the Scottish 4G Infill Programme in (a) Argyll and Bute, (b) the Western Isles, (c) the Highlands, (d) Orkney, (e) Shetland and (f) Moray.

The Scottish 4G Infill Programme is investing £28.75M to build up to 55 mobile masts designed to bring 4G connectivity to rural and island communities around Scotland. Updates are published on a regular basis at Scottish 4G infill programme: progress update - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

In the areas specified, the current breakdown for new activated masts is:

(a) Argyll and Bute (2) – Bunessan, Glenbarr

(b) Western Isles (2) – Lemreway, Ranish

(c) Highland (8) – Applecross, Blairmore, Glenborrodale,, Killilan, Littlemill, Polbain, Strathconon, Tarskavaig

(d) Orkney (2) – Burray, Deerness

(e) Shetland (1) – Reawick

(f) Moray (1) – Chapeltown

Question reference: S6W-04790

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 03 December 2021
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 22 December 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will review the eligibility criteria for the Self-isolation Support Grant and consider including people who have had COVID-19 vaccines, in light of the First Minister’s announcement that all close contacts of suspected cases of the Omicron variant will be advised to self-isolate for 10 days, regardless of their vaccination status.

Question reference: S6W-04824

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 03 December 2021
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 22 December 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how many website domain names that it owns and pays for are currently (a) active and (b) inactive.

Scottish Government currently owns 1081 registered domains. 629 of them are currently “active” and 452 are currently “inactive”.

This total includes domain name variants which are commonly registered to protect a domain from malicious use, as well as domains for expired websites which are retained in order to redirect users to suitable alternatives.

We have defined “active” as a domain that has DNS configuration applied to it. Any domain that is currently parked with our Registrar Com Laude or has no DNS configuration has been defined as “inactive”.

Question reference: S6W-04976

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 December 2021
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 22 December 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding has been awarded through the Better Places Green Recovery Fund in 2021-22; who received funding, and how much each received.

A list of the NatureScot Better Places Fund recipients can be found on its website using the link below. It includes both recipients of the first round of the Better Places Fund in 2020-21, a NatureScot initiative, and a second round of funding in 2021-22.

Better Places Green Recovery Fund - Closed for applications | NatureScot

This second round of funding was provided by the Scottish Government specifically to support communities, local authorities and public bodies as they prepared for the 2021 season.

In total the £3.2m fund has supported 125 projects including 75 ranger posts, 54 visitor operatives and infrastructure such as advisory signage, recycling litter bins, temporary toilets, over-flow parking areas, car park upgrades and other developments.

Projects have covered a variety of locations across the majority of the country.

Question reference: S6W-04913

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 December 2021
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 22 December 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether the First Minister has visited any care homes during the COVID-19 pandemic to listen to the views of residents, and, if so, (a) where and (b) when these visits took place.

Question reference: S6W-04916

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 December 2021
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 22 December 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has sought advice from the Australian government on delivering an apology for historic forced adoption, and, if so, whether it will provide dates of any meetings, telephone calls and correspondence.

Question reference: S6W-04890

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 December 2021
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 22 December 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how much it will spend in the current financial year (a) on welfare, (b) on telecoms and (c) in total in order to mitigate any impact of decisions taken by the UK Government.

Estimated spend on the specified areas is detailed in the following table (this doesn't include the circa £3.5 billion of Social Security benefits which while devolved supports and supplements UK welfare benefits):-

Portfolio	Level 4	2021-22 Budget Amount (£m)	Associated Reserve Power	Assumption for inclusion
Safer Communities	Scottish Veterans Fund and the administration of the fund by Veterans Scotland, Capacity Building Grant for Veterans Scotland and supports Ministerial input to Commemorations.	0.5	Defence	Provides support for those in armed forces which links to defence
CEAC	International Development Fund	10.0	Foreign policy	Supports development programmes delivered by a range of organisations in Scotland. In line with Schedule 5 of the Scotland Act 1998, and underpinning agreement from the UK Government giving Scottish Ministers the necessary powers to undertake International Development work.
CEAC	Humanitarian Aid	1.0	Foreign policy	Budget for Humanitarian Emergency Fund. In line with Schedule 5 of the Scotland Act 1998.
F&E	Capital costs relating to improving digital connectivity infrastructure across Scotland.	98.2	Telecomms	Telecoms is a reserved policy area.
F&E	Resource costs relating to improving digital connectivity infrastructure across Scotland.	4.1	Telecomms	Telecoms is a reserved policy area.
Justice	Support for the armed forces and veterans community in Scotland.	1.5	Defence	Provides support for those in armed forces which links to defence
F&E	Employability - Fair Start Scotland	34.1	Employment	Funds employment support services for those most in need of support. Job search and support is reserved (except education, vocational and careers services)
F&E	Employability & workforce skills	22.0	Employment	Funds a range of employability services included for disadvantaged, disabled, care-experienced. Job search and support is reserved.
SJH&LG	Equalities	30.5	Equal opportunities	Promoting Equality and Human Rights which links to Equal opportunities
F&E	Consumer Scotland Policy and Advice	4.6	Consumer Protection	The consumer policy and advice budget is to allow the delivery of advice to citizens across Scotland by the Citizens Advice Network on consumer matters and to ensure consumer interests are represented to government, regulators and decision-makers. It will also support the establishment of a new public body Consumer Scotland to represent consumer interests.
F&E	Accountant in Bankruptcy	2.5	Insolvency	Linked to insolvency which is reserved. The budget continues to allow Accountant in Bankruptcy to ensure access to fair and just processes of debt relief and debt management for the people of Scotland, which takes account of the rights and interests of those involved.
F&E	Business Economic Network Support	2.0	Business Associations	This could be linked to business associations spend which is reserved. This budget covers the costs (principally in relation to accommodation, catering, travel and subsistence) involved in the biannual meetings of the Convention of the Highlands and Islands, a range of minor costs associated with sponsorship of SE and HIE.
F&E	Innovation and Industries (Aerospace Research & Development)	1.0	Outer Space	New capital funding to support Aerospace Research & Development, therefore could be linked to outer space which is reserved.
F&E	International Trade and Investment	18.0	International Relations	Link to international relations which is reserved. The Budget reflects Scottish Government’s increased ambition for internationalisation of the economy and will support delivery of the actions outlined in our three international economy plans for Inward Investment, Trade and Capital - all underpinned by our soon to be published values led Trade Vision.
F&E	Enterprise Zones	39.0	Industrial Development	NMIS and AMCF support manufacturing section which could be linked to industrial development. ‎ Support for the manufacturing sector and continued business engagement, it includes funding to progress the new National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS) with the aim to develop and enhance skills, accelerate innovation and improve productivity.
F&E	Low Carbon Economy (Green Jobs Fund)	4.9	Employment ‎ Industrial Development ‎ Energy	Links to 3 reserved areas. This budget line has a focus on supporting our low carbon economy ambitions. Includes Green Jobs Fund (Supply Chain Development) ), Low Carbon Manufacturing Fund (£26m over 5 years) and Clyde Mission Low Carbon Heating (£25m over 5 years). Link to employment, Industrial development and energy.
NZ,E&T	Sustainable Action Fund (Climate Justice Fund)	1.7	International Relations	Climate Justice Fund purpose is to help fight global climate change therefore is linked to international relations which is reserved (note there is a separate FOI request about this fund specifically, following FM's announcement to treble the funding - 202100252499)
NZ,E&T	Sustainable Action Fund (Climate Challenge Programme Malawi)	0.8	International Relations	Link to international relations which is reserved
NZ,E&T	Climate Change Policy (International)	1.5	International Relations	Link to international relations which is reserved
NZ,E&T	Energy Efficiency and Industries	108.5	Energy	Energy is reserved. ‎ This budget supports the promotion of energy efficiency, the continual development of Energy Efficient Scotland and supporting heat decarbonisation. It includes funding to support major capital funding programmes to decarbonise the buildings in the non-domestic and public sectors; projects supporting the transition phase of Energy Efficient Scotland; development of district heating regulations and legislation; provision of programmes of advice and support to encourage the continued uptake of home renewables and non-domestic energy efficiency measures.
NZ,E&T	Renewable and Community Energy	38.8	Energy	Energy is reserved. ‎ In recognition of the potential of wind, hydro, wave and tidal energy to curb global emissions, this budget supports renewable energy projects, including support for the Scottish Government's Community and Renewable Energy Scheme (CARES). It also helps increase community ownership of renewable energy developments and supports renewables workforce development.
NZ,E&T	Low Carbon Economy	50.9	Energy	Energy is reserved. ‎ The low carbon economy budget is aimed at supporting the development of low carbon infrastructure projects including heat networks and the development of innovative financial mechanisms to encourage investment in low carbon infrastructure.
NZ,E&T	Energy Consents, Strategy and Operations	2.4	Energy	Energy is reserved. ‎ Energy Consents Unit processes applications for onshore wind farms, battery storage and other energy related projects. The bulk of spend is on staffing and related costs.
SJ,H&LG	Discretionary Housing Payments	83.1	Social Security (non-devolved social security schemes)	Funding for Discretionary Housing Payments to fully mitigate losses as a result of the "bedroom tax". Of the total, £71m is anticipated to be spent on bedroom tax mitigation. Also allows Local Authorities to provide support to qualifying individuals in housing crisis, including support for those affected by Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates and benefit cap. These benefits are reserved.
SJ,H&LG	Promoting Equality and Human Rights	32.3	Equal Opportunities	Equal opportunities is reserved. This budget supports the equality and human rights infrastructure across Scotland. Investing in the capacity of equality organisations; Strategic Interventions to support key equality outcomes; and specific funds to support frontline activity to address violence against women and to support activities to promote equality and human rights.
	TOTAL	593.9

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