Questions and answers

Question reference: S6W-09660

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 July 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 4 August 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what support is being provided to clinically vulnerable households for their ongoing PPE needs, including air filters, FFP3 masks, and hand sanitiser.

As a result of the pandemic, local PPE Hubs were set up all over Scotland to provide free PPE to people providing social care support including to people at highest risk, who need it. The Scottish Government continues to offer free PPE to unpaid carers and provision has been extended to September 2022. Unpaid or family carers who think they require PPE due to their caring role should contact their local carer’s centre and they will advise on how to access supplies locally. If their local carers’ centre is unavailable, they can call the Social Care PPE Support Centre on 0300 303 3020.

With regards to the point on air filters and ventilation I have attached a link to HSE guidance here Overview - Ventilation in the workplace (hse.gov.uk) . You can also find further guidance from Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) CIBSE - Emerging from Lockdown (CIBSE.org) .

Hand-washing and wearing face coverings in indoor public places and on public transport are two of the key things we’re still asking people to do as part of our Covid Sense (gov.scot) campaign.

Question reference: S6W-09859

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 July 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 4 August 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to ensure a secure future for shipbuilding and fabrication in Scotland.

Building on a rich shipbuilding heritage, the future for Scottish shipbuilding, marine engineering and fabrication is very strong. The latest official statistics show Scottish shipbuilding generated £408 million of gross value added in 2019 – a 45% increase from 2018 – and Scotland contributed 19% of the total UK shipbuilding output. The sector supports direct employment of approximately 7,500 highly skilled people in Scotland with many thousands more supported through the supply chain.

The major shipbuilding yards in Rosyth and on the Clyde continue to deliver substantial programmes of work for defence and ferries programmes, whilst a host of smaller facilities throughout Scotland service the ship repair, fabrication, fishing and aquaculture sectors. And, through our ownership of Ferguson Marine, Scottish Ministers are working to ensure the Port Glasgow yard has a secure and sustainable future.

The broader Scottish marine engineering sector continues to service offshore oil and gas markets both in the North Sea and across the globe, while the sector gears up for the truly transformational opportunities that will come through ScotWind – the world’s largest commercial round for floating offshore wind – putting Scotland at the forefront of offshore wind development globally.

Lease agreements with all 17 successful ScotWind applicants have now been signed and we welcome the commitment of developers to invest an average projection of £1.5 billion in Scotland per project, equating to more than £25 billion across all projects. Through these initial awards, ScotWind will not only deliver c.£700 million in revenues to the public purse, but also wider economic supply chain benefits to help power Scotland’s green recovery in communities across Scotland.

The Scottish Government has also committed to invest £580 million over 5 years in vessels and ports, as part of our Infrastructure Investment Plan. This substantial funding will improve Scotland’s ferry services by delivering greater resilience to the network and will allow a wider range of vessels to be used. The Islands Connectivity Plan (ICP) will replace the current Ferries Plan from January 2023 and, as part of the ICP, we will produce and maintain a long-term plan and investment programme for new ferries and development at ports.

Question reference: S6W-09620

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 July 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 4 August 2022

To ask the Scottish Government (a) how many times and (b) on what dates it has met with stakeholders that are concerned with cladding remediation, including (i) insurers, (ii) mortgage lenders, (iii) the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and (iv) homeowners, regarding the cladding remediation programme, since the Single Building Assessment pilot began.

Since the start of the pilot in June 2021 Scottish Government has met individually with:

Association of British Insurers 5 times

on 13 August 2021, 19 August 2021, 6 October 2021, 11 November 2021,
‎ 3 March 2022,

UK Finance 6 times

on 13 July 2021, 18 August 2021, 19 August 2021, 22 February 2022, 6 April 2022, 21 April 2022

‎ SFRS 2 times

on 9 July 2021, 15 September 2021

High Rise Scotland Action Group

15 times on 30 July 2021, 13 August 2021, 16 August 2021, 19 August 2021, 2 December 2021, 10 December 2021, 17 January 2022, 11 February 2022, 18 February 2022, 4 March 2022, 25 April 2022, 26 April 2022, 9 May 2022, 11 May 2022, 6 July 2022.

‎ Pilot building homeowners association representatives

23 June 2022

The Scottish Government has met with all stakeholders collectively at meetings of the Cladding Stakeholder Group. It has met on these dates:

‎2021

30 June, 19 August, 15 September, 20 October, 17 November, 15 December.
‎

2022

19 January, 16 February, 16 March, 20 April, 18 May.

Officials have also met with the SFRS regularly, at times daily, and likewise for homeowners affected by the cladding crisis. It is impossible to attach a figure to these meetings.

Question reference: S6W-09907

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 July 2022
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 4 August 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the development of a forensic laboratory to be run by the Scottish Police Authority Forensic Services, as announced on 9 July 2021.

A new forensic laboratory based at Junction 24 Business Park in Glasgow is being prepared for the handover of the Post Mortem Toxicology Service from the University of Glasgow to Scottish Police Authority (SPA) Forensic Services.

In July 2022, I visited the laboratory which is now fully-fitted out and being set up for the transfer of the service which is due to take place on 1 December 2022.

SPA Forensic Services are also working closely with the University of Glasgow and the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service to ensure continuity of the Post Mortem Toxicology Service throughout this transfer period.

Question reference: S6W-09905

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 July 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 4 August 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has commissioned a review to address gender-based violence and sexual abuse in educational settings.

We are committed to publishing a national framework for schools on addressing gender based violence. This work is being delivered by the Gender Based Violence in Schools Working Group who will also review existing resources and develop new resources where needed. We have also established the Gender Equality Taskforce in Education and Learning to identify ways in which systemic gender inequality in education can be eradicated. In accordance with the Bute House Agreement, in September 2021 the Gender Based Violence in Schools Working Group and the Harmful Sexual Behaviour Delivery Group met to consider existing work on addressing gender based violence in education settings and identify any gaps in the current approach. The minutes of this meeting can be found here . The Scottish Government have committed to commissioning an independent review following the completion of the work of both groups, which will consider the impact of the work, establish positive practice, and any further areas for improvement. In addition, we are taking forward a range of actions in schools such as teaching our children and young people about safe and healthy relationships through relationships, sexual health and parenthood education; and funding programmes, such as Mentors in Violence Prevention, aimed at reducing and preventing sexual harassment and violence in schools. Further and Higher Institutions are expected to adopt and adapt the Equally Safe in Higher Education Toolkit, assessing their own policies and practices against the Toolkit.

Question reference: S6W-09852

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 July 2022
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 3 August 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made towards implementing all of the recommendations of the Report of the Barclay Review of Non-domestic Rates.

The following table shows the progress towards the accepted recommendations of the Barclay Review.

No	Recommendation Description	Current Status
1	Business growth accelerator relief (BGA)	The Barclay Review recommended 12 months relief for new builds and no rates increases for 12 months on property improvements. This was delivered by secondary legislation from 1 April 2018 with iterative changes to the regulations following feedback over the years, including an extension of the relief for property improvements where there has been a change of use of the property from 1 April 2021 (which will encourage the repurposing of existing buildings) and extending eligibility to the rateable value increase associated with the installation of solar panels from 1 April 2022.
2	Three yearly revaluations and a one-year tone date	Three yearly revaluations are provided for in the Non-Domestic Rates (Scotland) Act 2020 and will take effect from the 2023 revaluation onwards. A one-year tone date will take effect from the 2023 revaluation onwards (which will have a tone date of 1 April 2022).
3	Reduction in large business supplement	The Barclay Review Implementation plan published in December 2017 committed to considering this recommendation in the context of future budgets, subject to affordability The Scottish Budget 2020-21 increased the threshold for the Higher Property Rate (previously Large Business Supplement) to £95,000 from £51,000 and introduced an Intermediate Property Rate (IPR) for properties with a rateable value from £51,001 to £95,000.
4	New relief for day nurseries	Delivered through secondary legislation from 1 April 18 and extended until at least June 2023 in The Non-Domestic Rates (Levying and Miscellaneous Amendments) (Scotland) Regulations 2021.
5 a	Expanding fresh start relief to benefit town centres	Fresh Start relief was introduced in 2016 and offered up to 12 months relief on re-occupied properties in prescribed sectors with a rateable value over £65,000. From 1 April 18 the Scottish Government expanded Fresh Start to all sectors, and the Scottish Budget 2021-22 further delivered an extension to the upper rateable value threshold from £65,000 to £95,000.
5 b	Pilot schemes to increase rates out of town	It was confirmed at the Scottish Budget 2019-20 that this would not be progressed following concerns raised by the business sector in the Consultation on the Implementation of the Barclay Review.
6	Review of plant and machinery valuation	The Scottish Government commissioned the Tretton Review of small-scale hydro plant and machinery which concluded in January 2020. Responding to the review findings, the Scottish Budget 2021-22 committed to guaranteeing the existing 60% hydro relief until 31 March 2032.
7	Review of Small Business Bonus Scheme (SBBS)	The Scottish Government commissioned the Fraser of Allander Institute (FAI) to undertake this review and the final report was published in March 2022. The Scottish Government has convened a short-term working group to inform considerations of the data-related recommendations of the FAI’s report.
8	‘Road map’ for future rates changes	A Road map is now available on the SG website: https://www.gov.scot/publications/non-domestic-business-rates-roadmap/
9	Provision of better information on rates	The Scottish Government has made significant improvements to its website including providing more information in a more accessible language. The Scottish Assessors’ Association have developed a ‘geo-spatial’ map on their website which displays valuation information for the majority of non-domestic properties. The Non-Domestic Rates (Valuation Notices) (Scotland) Regulations 2022 expand the level of information Assessors that must provide to ratepayers alongside valuation notices, as recommended by the Barclay Implementation Advisory Appeals sub-group. This will apply to valuations from 1 April 2023
10	Relief recipients to be published	A working group of councils was convened to create clear and consistent guidance on the publication of relief recipients which was published on 24 December 2020. Councils now routinelypublish relief recipient information in accordance with data protection legislation.
11	Employ rateable value finder product	The Resource Spending review published in May 2022 committed to explore further with COSLA, Digital Office and Revenue Scotland how best to transform the digital administration of the Non-Domestic Rates system The Scottish Assessors’ Association launched a geospatial platform for the valuation roll in summer 2020.
12	More transparency & consistency from Assessors	The SAA action plan sets out the steps taken to date regarding this recommendation.
13	Greater information-gathering powers for Assessors and a new civil penalty for failure to provide information to replace the criminal penalty	The Non-Domestic Rates (Scotland) Act 2020 provides for a civil penalty for failure to comply with assessor information notices to deter the withholding of information and incentivise full disclosure of information. This has been in place since 12 March 2020. A criminal penalty is retained for those who knowingly provide “false or misleading information” when completing an assessor information notice. The Act provides that, as well as “the proprietor, tenant and occupier”, the assessor will also be able to seek information from any other person who can reasonably provide information necessary for an accurate valuation to a non-domestic property.
14	Standardised rates bills across Scotland	All councils have adopted standardised billing.
15	Incentivise online billing	Local authorities continue to provide a range of billing options for ratepayers, including online billing.
16	Penalty for non-provision of information to councils	From 1 April 2021, the Non-Domestic Rates (Scotland) Act 2020 allows a council to issue of a civil penalty notice of £95, increasing by £370 for continued failure to comply with information notices. The Act will provide that a person will have committed a criminal offence if they knowingly provide false or misleading information when complying with a council information notice or when notifying a council of a relevant change in their circumstances.
17	Councils to make refund payments faster	Scottish Government wrote to Councils in August 2018 to encourage faster refunds. We are not aware of any ongoing concerns.
18	Enable quicker debt recovery from ratepayers	The Non-Domestic Rates (Scotland) Act 2020 brings the enforcement position for non-domestic rates into line with council tax. From 1 April 2021 councils have the option to commence recovery action against a non-domestic ratepayer once the first planned instalment is missed.
19	Reform of the appeals system	In late 2021, the Scottish Government consulted on subordinate legislation providing for complex and technical reforms to the non-domestic rates system, including a new two-stage appeals system to take effect from 1 January 2023. The remaining regulations from the suite consulted on will be laid in the Scottish Parliament in October 2022.
20	General Anti-Avoidance Rule (GAAR)	The Non-Domestic Rates (Scotland) Act 2020 allows Scottish Ministers to make regulations to counter the tax advantages that can arise from tax avoidance arrangements that are legal but are not in keeping with the spirit or the intention behind the legislation. A Working Group made up of local authorities was convened in 2020 in order to advise on potential measures that could effectively tackle anti-avoidance.
21	Close empty property relief loophole	The 42-day reset period was increased to 6 months for empty property relief from 1 April 2020 as recommended by the Barclay Review.
22	Close SBBS second homes loophole	The requirement that self-catering properties be actually let for 70 days and available for let for 140 days in a year in order to be considered as non-domestic and entered on the Valuation Roll was set out in The Council Tax (Dwellings and Part Residential Subjects) (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2021. The regulations allow councils to determine when a second home is not a dwelling – this will apply where unforeseen circumstances prevent a self-catering property from being able to let for 70 days.
23	All relief awards to be checked for errors	Relief recipient lists are routinely published by councils, increasing the transparency of awards. The Scottish Government publishes since 2019 an annual guidance on non-domestic rates relief for councils. A pilot project was undertaken in Spring 2019 across 7 local authorities to identify inappropriate SBBS relief awards in conjunction with Audit Scotland. The project identified around £412,000 of potentially incorrect awards. This project was expanded to all local authorities in 2021-22 and identified £2.15 million in incorrect awards. As of 31 March 2022, recovery was in progress for 119 cases with a value of around £745,000.
24	Reform charity relief	The Non-Domestic Rates (Scotland) Act 2020 removed the eligibility for charity relief schools from mainstream independent schools from 1 April 2022 (delayed from 1 April 2020, and then again from September 2020 due to Covid-19). Independent special schools and specialist independent music schools will continue to be eligible for charity rates relief.
25	Relief restricted to properties in active occupation	From 1 April 2020, the Small Business Bonus Scheme is restricted to properties in active occupation only. From 1 April 2021, the Non-Domestic Rates (Scotland) Act 2020 allows councils to serve a notice on a ratepayer who is in receipt of a relief (except empty property relief), to prove that their property is not being unused or underused. If the ratepayer fails to comply, the council may take further action; which could result in the council awarding empty property relief instead of another relief.
26	Reform empty property relief	Empty Property Relief will be devolved to councils as set out in section 19 of the Non-Domestic Rates (Scotland) Act 2020. This will take effect at the next revaluation on 1 April 2023.
27	Sports relief for affordable community facilities	The Non-Domestic Rates (Scotland) Act 2020 enables the Scottish Ministers to issue statutory guidance to councils about the exercise of their discretion to grant relief under s4(5)(c) of the Local Government (Financial Provisions etc.) (Scotland) Act 1962 (sports club relief). Councils require to have regard to said guidance. Statutory guidance was developed in consultation with representatives from councils, the sports club sector and the Charity Regulator. This came into force on 1 April 2021.
30	Commercial activity on parks etc.	The Non-Domestic Rates (Scotland) Act 2020 will bring non-domestic properties on parks and lands onto the valuation roll on 1 April 2023 (at the next revaluation). Commercial activity on parks will therefore be liable for rates from 2023.

Question reference: S6W-09813

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 July 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 3 August 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it collects data on the literacy programmes used by schools.

The Scottish education system is set up in such a way that decision making is devolved to the most appropriate level, enabling local authorities to make choices that meet their local circumstances and needs. Within this empowered system, head teachers are responsible for ensuring that the literacy programmes used in their school are evidence-based and fit for purpose. As a result, Education Scotland, the Scottish Government agency charged with supporting quality and improvement in Scottish education, do not collect data on the literacy programmes that are selected by head teachers for use in schools.

The Achievement of Curriculum for Excellence Levels statistical publication provides information on national performance of school pupils in literacy organisers (reading, writing and listening and talking) and numeracy. The latest data is available at the following link:

Achievement of Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) Levels 2020-21 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Question reference: S6W-09695

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 July 2022
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 3 August 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether it plans to retain 1,000 more police officers on Scotland’s streets compared to Q1 2007, when the number was reportedly 16,234.

The recruitment and deployment of Police Officers is a matter for the Chief Constable, who along with the Scottish Police Authority, will continue to ensure the capability and capacity of Police Scotland to improve the safety and wellbeing of people, places and communities in Scotland.

We currently have 31 officers per 10,000 population in Scotland compared to around 24 in England and Wales and despite constraints on Scotland’s public services through a decade of UK austerity, policing services have been maintained and improved.

On 2 August the HMICS published its Assurance Review of Police Scotland’s Strategic Workforce Plan and I look forward to discussing the recommendations with both Police Scotland and the Scottish Police Authority.

Question reference: S6W-09773

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 15 July 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 3 August 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it issues guidance to local authorities on how to make it easier for the public to report local road defects.

Question reference: S6W-09418

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 3 August 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance it is providing to local authorities regarding gender-neutral toilets for children within (a) primary and (b) secondary schools.

It is the statutory responsibility of local authorities to manage their school estate. Therefore, it is for them to determine what facilities are appropriate, while complying with the School Premises Regulations and in full consultation with the school community.

In August 2021, the Scottish Government published Supporting transgender young people in schools: guidance for Scottish schools. This guidance sets out the position on support for and provision of single-sex spaces within Scottish schools.

Our Learning Estate Strategy, which sets out the strategic approach for managing Scotland’s school estate, makes clear that good consultation about learning environments, direct engagement with learners and communities about their needs and experiences, and an involvement in decision making processes should lead to better outcomes for all.

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