- Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 24 February 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Kevin Stewart on 4 March 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what monitoring it conducts of how many (a) public toilets, (b) accessible public toilets and (c) Changing Places toilets there are across Scotland.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not currently monitor the number of public toilets, accessible public toilets or Changing Places toilets.
Some local authorities advertise their toilet provision on their website. There are a number of companies and charities that provide tools for members of the public such as https://www.toiletmap.org.uk/ . The UK-wide website https://changingplaces.uktoiletmap.org/ details the location of all Scottish Changing Places Toilets.
- Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 24 February 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by George Adam on 4 March 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what ministerial visits have been carried out in (a) Ayr, (b) Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley, (c) Clydesdale, (d) Dumfriesshire, (e) East Lothian, (f) Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, (g) Galloway and West Dumfries, (h) Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley and (i) Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale, since May 2017.
Answer
Information on Ministerial engagements is routinely published on the Scottish Government website and can be found at: www.gov.scot/collections/ministerial-engagements-travel-and-gifts/ .
- Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 24 February 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Kevin Stewart on 4 March 2022
To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) public toilets, (b) accessible public toilets and (c) Changing Places toilets are accessible 24 hours a day, broken down by local authority area.
Answer
This is a matter for each local authority, or the organisation hosting the facility. The information requested is not held centrally.
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 24 February 2022
Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Current Status:
Answered by Patrick Harvie on 4 March 2022
To ask the Scottish Government how it regulates the build-to-rent sector.
Answer
The Build to Rent Sector is subject to the same regulatory requirements as other private rented sector accommodation. For example, complying with Landlord Registration and Houses in Multiple Occupation licensing. From 1 December 2017, new tenancy agreements for most Build to Rent properties would be Private Residential Tenancies and tenants will also therefore be afforded the rights and protections flowing from that regulatory framework (as set out in Private Housing (Tenancies) (Scotland) Act 2016).
Our New Deal for Tenants consultation, which runs until the 15 April, makes clear that all tenants should live in properties where quality and standards are high, and people have clear rights. It also seeks views on our vision for the future regulation of the rental sector - setting out that regulation should seek tenure neutral outcomes for tenants in all sectors, empowers tenants through routes to redress failures and support good standards across the rented sector.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 24 February 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Keith Brown on 4 March 2022
To ask the Scottish Government how many reports have been made to Police Scotland of third sector or charity organisations experiencing a cyber-attack in each year since 1999.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not hold information on the number of reports made to Police Scotland of third sector or charity organisations experiencing a cyber-attack. Information is held on crimes recorded under Sections 1 to 3 of the Computer Misuse Act 1990. Sections 1 and 2 relate to unauthorised access to computers, with the intent to commit or facilitate the commissioning of further offences. Section 3 relates to unauthorised acts which impair the operation of computers, including preventing or hindering access to programs, data etc. This is shown in the following table, from 1999-00 to 2020-21. No specific information is held regarding the characteristics of victims, including whether they are private households, businesses, charity organisations etc.
As highlighted in the 2020-21 recorded crime National Statistics, a procedural change was made to the recording of international crime in 2020-21, whereby cases carried out by a perpetrator who was likely to be outside the UK are now included. This may have led to some additional crimes being recorded in the latest year, though more broadly the increase may in part be due to the significant impact of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, including behavioural changes with more people undertaking activities online.
Table: Number of crimes recorded by police in Scotland under Sections 1 to 3 of Computer Misuse Act 1990, 1999-00 to 2020-21.
Year | Sections 1 and 2 | Section 3 |
1999-00 | 1 | 0 |
2000-01 | 4 | 2 |
2001-02 | 9 | 1 |
2002-03 | 7 | 5 |
2003-04 | 4 | 2 |
2004-05 | 4 | 12 |
2005-06 | 3 | 13 |
2006-07 | 3 | 10 |
2007-08 | 14 | 5 |
2008-09 | 8 | 6 |
2009-10 | 10 | 18 |
2010-11 | 17 | 8 |
2011-12 | 22 | 9 |
2012-13 | 17 | 9 |
2013-14 | 6 | 9 |
2014-15 | 17 | 18 |
2015-16 | 14 | 31 |
2016-17 | 17 | 30 |
2017-18 | 33 | 22 |
2018-19 | 35 | 18 |
2019-20 | 36 | 21 |
2020-21 | 331 | 72 |
Source: Recorded Crime in Scotland
- Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 24 February 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 4 March 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether its Energy Consents Unit has accepted an application from ScottishPower Renewables for the Carrick Windfarm without consulting the community, and, if so, for what reason.
Answer
An application from ScottishPower Renewables was submitted to the Scottish Ministers on 23 December 2021 for the proposed Carrick Windfarm development. Adverts were placed in the local newspapers Ayrshire Post, Ayr Advertiser, Carrick Herald, and national newspapers The Scotsman and Edinburgh Gazette between 25 January and 8 February 2022 to provide notice that the application has been submitted. A consultation was issued to Barr Community Council, Crosshill, Straiton and Kirkmichael Community Council and Dailly Community Council dated 25 January 2022, requesting comments be provided to the Scottish Ministers by 28 February 2022, unless an extension to this date has been agreed. The consultation is currently ongoing and the public can make representations to Scottish Ministers.
- Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 21 February 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 4 March 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the £1 million funding for the Community Bus Fund in 2022-23 will be sufficient to significantly increase bus passenger numbers across the 32 local authority areas.
Answer
The Scottish Budget allocated £1 million to develop the Community Bus Fund in 2022-23 to support Local Transport Authorities to improve public transport in their areas, and to explore the full range of options in the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019. We are currently working on the design and scope of the fund and this involves discussions with CoSLA and ATCO on how the £1 million may be best spent in 2022-23.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Monday, 21 February 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Ash Regan on 4 March 2022
To ask the Scottish Government when regulations will be laid to bring into force Part 1 of the Defamation and Malicious Publication (Scotland) Act 2021.
Answer
The Scottish Government expects to lay commencement regulations in early May 2022 that will bring into force the Defamation and Malicious Publication (Scotland) Act 2021 this summer.
- Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 February 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 4 March 2022
To ask the Scottish Government how many children in the (a) North Ayrshire, (b) Inverclyde, (c) Renfrewshire, (d) East Renfrewshire, (e) West Dunbartonshire and (f) East Dunbartonshire local authority area are eligible to receive a free laptop or tablet, and, of those, how many (i) have received and (ii) are yet to receive a free laptop or tablet.
Answer
The following table shows how many school-aged children are in each local authority (as at September 2020) and how many devices have been distributed by councils using the £25m digital inclusion funding made available by Scottish Government in 2020-21.
Local authorities across Scotland have a range of approaches to provision of technology in schools, including some councils who have undertaken to provide cohorts of their school population with devices using their own budgets. We do not hold information centrally on those approaches, therefore, the following table only shows devices distributed through the funding made available by Scottish Government in 2020-21.
The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that all school-aged children and young people in Scotland have access to a digital device by the end of this parliament.
Local Authority | Pupils (as at September 2020) | Devices Distributed |
North Ayrshire | 18,061 | 1,734 |
Inverclyde | 9,811 | 1,107 |
Renfrewshire | 23,845 | 1,800 |
East Renfrewshire | 17,392 | 623 |
West Dunbartonshire | 12,522 | 2,084 |
East Dunbartonshire | 17,304 | 1,015 |
- Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 21 February 2022
Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 4 March 2022
To ask the Scottish Government which policies in the Ferries Plan 2013-22 will be replaced by policies in the Islands Connectivity Plan.
Answer
The Islands Connectivity Plan (ICP) will replace the Ferries Plan and will consider island connectivity more broadly, including having regard to connecting and onward travel. The ICP will develop objectives based on supporting delivery of the National Transport Strategy 2 and the National Islands Plan, and develop proposals to meet those objectives which represent public value.
The ICP will also include a long-term investment programme for new ferries and development at ports, that will aim to improve resilience, reliability, capacity and accessibility, while increasing standardisation, cutting emissions and meeting the needs of island communities whilst providing value for money.
In addition, the ICP will explore pathways to zero/low emission ferry transport and undertake a ferry fares policy review.