Chamber and committees

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: S5W-33885

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 07 December 2020
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 23 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on work to develop a new benchmark standard for new public buildings to ensure that heating systems are renewable or zero carbon, and from which date this benchmark will be set.

We are committed to introducing a Net Zero Carbon Public Sector Buildings Standard in 2021, as set out in the recently published Climate Change Plan update. The Scottish Government has been working with a wide range of public sector bodies to develop the Standard, which will be progressively rolled out across the public sector from next year.

Scottish Ministers have approved the Standard's overarching principles. These include that the building must have a zero direct emissions heating system. We are currently working with agencies and public sector bodies to develop a suite of detailed guidance documents that will support implementation of the Standard to new build and major refurbishment projects. In parallel, we are supporting pathfinder projects to provide case study lessons for practical deployment of the Standard. The guidance and pathfinder lessons will be available in 2021.

Question reference: S5W-33888

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 07 December 2020
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 23 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, under which schemes it provides interest-free loans to improve the energy efficiency of public sector buildings, and how many of these loans have been (a) approved and (b) rejected for projects in (i) schools and (ii) nurseries in the financial year (A) 2019-20 and (B) 2020-21.

The Scottish Government provides financial support to the public sector for energy efficiency improvements through the Scottish Energy Efficiency Loan Scheme (SEELS), with over £50 million invested in over 770 projects since 2008 on a revolving basis. These projects have resulted in financial savings of over £150 million and 500,000 tCO2e lifetime savings since 2008.

Loans approved for schools and nurseries in financial years 2019-20 and 2020- 2021 are detailed in the following table. No loan applications were rejected.

Year	No. of projects	Value
2019 - 2020	24	£899,658
2020 - 2021	7	£455,696

Question reference: S5W-33862

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 07 December 2020
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 21 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-32307 by Richard Lochhead on 19 October 2020, whether it can now confirm whether this information will be shared with the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe).

Question reference: S5W-33863

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 07 December 2020
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 21 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-32308 by Richard Lochhead on 20 October 2020, whether it will confirm when the 2019-20 data will be published.

The vast majority of universities and colleges have now provided full year audited returns data to Student Awards Agency Scotland on their 2019-20 Higher Education Discretionary Funds spending.

SAAS officials are collating the data. This would normally be published as part of the annual 'SAAS Higher Education Student Support Statistics' in August next year. However, officials are now planning to publish this information on the SAAS website (www.saas.gov.uk ) in the early part of 2021.

Question reference: S5W-33887

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 07 December 2020
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 16 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, of the projects delivered through Scotland’s Schools for the Future programme, how many are (a) energy efficient and (b) net-zero.

The Scotland’s Schools for the Future (SSF) Programme set building performance targets to ensure that each project was designed and constructed sustainably. This was both in terms of energy efficiency and also wider more holistic sustainability measures. The programme targets over and above normal statutory compliance were to achieve:

Energy Performance Certificate rating B+ (before considering the contribution of renewable energy sources).
Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method rating of Excellent.

By following these targets, the projects in the SSF Programme help to improve energy efficiency and contribute to the achievement of a net-zero Scotland. Looking forward, the new Learning Estate Investment Programme has reviewed programme targets and set ambitious goals which will further encourage the reduction in energy consumption and associated emissions.

Question reference: S5W-33886

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 07 December 2020
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 16 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how many local authority school buildings meet the target for schools replaced or upgraded through the Learning Estate Investment Programme.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information. Under the Education (Scotland) Act 1980, it is the statutory responsibility of local authorities to manage and maintain their school estate.

A guiding principle of the £1 billion Learning Estate Investment Programme is that schools should be should be greener and more sustainable.

Our energy efficiency target for schools that will be replaced/upgraded through the Programme is highly ambitious at 67 kWh, per square meter, per year, for core hours. This target is not just ambitious on paper, we will be following up with local authorities to ensure that the targets are achieved in practice, once the schools are in use.

The projects to benefit from Phase 1 of the Programme were announced in September 2019. In addition, the projects to benefit from Phase 2 of the Programme will be announced this month.

Question reference: S5W-33536

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 10 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-32993 by John Swinney on 19 November 2020, which local authorities have still to submit returns and what the reason is for this, and whether it will place a copy of the responses that it has received from all local authorities in SPICe.

Question reference: S5W-33535

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 10 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government on what date it will be able to confirm whether its commitment for all schools to have access to counselling services by the end of October 2020 was met.

Question reference: S5W-33227

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 9 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-26338 by Paul Wheelhouse on 27 November 2019, whether it will provide an update on progress to provide funding to replace the ferry, Good Shepherd IV, and associated infrastructure upgrades, which connects Fair Isle to mainland Shetland.

We remain committed to supporting the sustainability of our island communities, which depend on a range of factors alongside transport connectivity. I am acutely aware of the impacts that Covid-19 and the tragic loss of the Bird Observatory in March 2019 have had on the Fair Isle community. Scottish Government officials have been engaging with the ambitious plans of rebuilding the Bird Observatory, which plays a key role in the island’s sustainability.

Further to answer S5W-26338, I was also pleased to be able to secure further additional revenue funding of over £5.2m in the 2020-21 budget for Shetland Islands Council (SIC) to support the Council's internal ferries, including the Fair Isle service. This brings the total additional support provided to SIC, on top of funds for ferry services subsumed within the annual local government settlement, to over £15.4m over the last three years, in a very challenging financial climate.

Internal ferries are a matter for local authorities to consider and allocate appropriate capital funding towards to ensure they can be delivered. However we are aware of the requests for additional financial assistance from SIC, and other local authorities, and Scottish Ministers are open to continue engagement through the 2021-22 budget process.

Question reference: S5O-04846

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 December 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 10 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how it has supported Shetland's internal ferry services.