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: S3W-21480

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 27 February 2009
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 21 April 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what policies it has in place to promote the use of electric vehicles.

Question reference: S3W-21476

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 27 February 2009
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 21 April 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what policies it has in place to promote the development of electric vehicles.

In recent months, the First Minister, the Cabinet Secretary, the Minister for Enterprise, Energy and Tourism and I have visited key Scottish manufacturers of low emission vehicles, electric vehicle batteries and other alternative fuels.

We welcome the recent announcement by the Technology Strategy Board of the success of Allied Mobility and its consortium partners in securing £1.8 million to trial electric vehicles in Glasgow, and congratulate all involved. We believe that Scotland has great potential to take advantage of the commercial opportunities for job and wealth creation within the global market for low carbon vehicles, and we will continue to do all that we can to support this industry.

Our detailed policy is being developed and will informed by evidence gathered from a number of sources. We will launch our consultation at a key stakeholder conference taking place on 29 June at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall.

Targeted media and marketing campaigns are also promoting the benefits of more sustainable and active transport - for example, eco-driving, cycling and walking - while the Smarter Choices, Smarter Places transport demonstration projects underway across Scotland will provide best practice evidence of sustainable travel planning in towns and communities.

Question reference: S3W-21481

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 27 February 2009
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 21 April 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what policies it has in place to promote the use of low-carbon vehicles.

Question reference: S3W-22310

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 March 2009
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 15 April 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what it regards as the maximum desirable occupation standards for rented accommodation.

The statutory definition of overcrowding is contained in Part VII of the Housing (Scotland) Act 1987. Local authorities have various powers and duties in relation to overcrowded houses and their occupants, including carrying out inspections to identify overcrowded houses and taking levels of overcrowding into account in the preparation of local housing strategies.

The Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 (Licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation) Order 2000 was introduced to protect tenants whose principal or only residence is a multiply-occupied house. Local authorities are responsible for identifying unlicensed HMOs and ensuring that conditions of licences are complied with, including the number of occupants allowed.

The Scottish Government is aware of concerns that some landlords may be evading HMO licensing requirements by claiming that properties are being let on a short term basis, and that tenants have principal residences elsewhere. In doing so, some landlords may be putting tenants at risk of overcrowding.

We will be considering the options for implementing new HMO provisions in the Housing (Scotland) Act 2006 later this year. The issue of short term lets, and what types of accommodation require to be licensed under those provisions, will be part of our discussions with stakeholders.

Question reference: S3W-22298

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 March 2009
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 3 April 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has considered amending houses in multiple occupation legislation to include short-term holiday lets.

Question reference: S3W-22296

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 March 2009
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 1 April 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive whether holiday lets are liable for council tax and business rates.

Question reference: S3W-22061

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 March 2009
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 30 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive how much paper for recycling is being stockpiled, broken down by local authority.

Question reference: S3W-22063

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 March 2009
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 30 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive how much packaging for recycling is being stockpiled, broken down by local authority.

Question reference: S3W-22062

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 March 2009
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 30 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive how much glass for recycling is being stockpiled, broken down by local authority.

Question reference: S3W-22031

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 March 2009
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 27 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive how many new buildings were procured in Scotland by (a) executive agencies and (b) non-departmental public bodies in each of the last five years and how many were (i) rented, (ii) leased, (iii) purchased and (iv) acquired under some other finance mechanism.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-22033 on 27 March 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

We do not hold information on whether buildings acquired are in fact newly built or new to the Scottish Executive, its Agencies and non-departmental public bodies. Over the past five years only one newly built office building was purchased by a non departmental public body.