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-16891

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 May 2018
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 11 June 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether products with a Euroclass rating B or below are considered combustible under the guidance in place in Scotland.

Question reference: S5W-16889

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 May 2018
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 11 June 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-16076 by Kevin Stewart on 1 May 2018, when the Ministerial Working Group on Building and Fire Safety will report its final recommendations, and when this will go out for consultation.

Question reference: S5W-16890

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 May 2018
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 11 June 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the contribution that combustible insulation makes to (a) fire spread and (b) the production of toxic smoke.

The building regulations recognise that combustible construction products, including insulation, can contribute to the spread of fire in buildings. This is why the use of combustible materials is limited depending on various factors, such as the type of building, its height and the location of the combustible material.

As it is usually the furniture and fittings that are the initial source of fuel for a fire in a building, the smoke produced by these has most influence on dangerous conditions for occupants being reached. Experience shows that external or encapsulated building materials, such as wall insulation, do not usually significantly add to the production of toxic smoke within the building itself.

Question reference: S5W-16893

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 May 2018
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 11 June 2018

To ask the Scottish Government whether its current advice is that the safest way to clad and insulate buildings is to use only Euroclass A1 and A2 materials.

Question reference: S5W-16756

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 May 2018
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 31 May 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5O-02100 by Kevin Stewart on 16 May 2018 (Official Report, c. 15), which property factor companies have been struck off, including the (a) reasons and (b) date it happened in each case.

The following property factor was removed from the register of property factors (the register) under section 8(1) of the Property Factors (Scotland) Act 2011. It was considered that the property factor was no longer a fit and proper person to be a property factor (and was no longer a legal entity) and failed to demonstrate compliance with a property factor enforcement order as notified to Scottish Ministers by a Homeowner Housing Committee (now known as the First-tier Tribunal).

Registered Number	Company Name	Date removed from register
PF000341	Annan Associates	05-01-2015

The following property factor was removed from the register under section 8(1) of the Act. It was considered that the property factor failed to demonstrate compliance with the property factor code of conduct and failed to demonstrate compliance with property factor enforcement orders as notified to Scottish Ministers by a Homeowner Housing Committee (now known as the First-tier Tribunal).

Registered Number	Business	Date removed from register
PF000207	Select Property Management Services (Aberdeen) Ltd	05-01-2016

The following property factors were removed from the register under section 8(1) of the Act as they had ceased operating or were no longer a legal entity. It was therefore considered that the respective property factors were no longer fit and proper to be a property factor.

Registered Number	Business/Organisation	Date removed from register
PF000567	4C Scotland Limited	24-05-2017
PF000116	Cumbernauld Housing Partnership Ltd	24-05-2017
PF000127	Tenants First Housing Co-operative Ltd	24-05-2017
PF000372	Dunedin Canmore Enterprise Limited	18-10-2017
PF000138	Cassea Limited	26-02-2018

A property factor must apply to re-enter the register every three years otherwise the entry on the register under the respective registered number is automatically removed. The following entries on the register were automatically removed under section 4(7) of the Act.

Registered Number	Business/Organisation	Date removed from register
PF000182	Albyn Housing Society Limited	02-11-2015
PF000325	Anderson Banks	02-11-2015
PF000141	B & B Estate Agents	02-11-2015
PF000244	Boomerang Factoring	03-11-2015
PF000324	G1 Property Management Ltd	02-11-2015
PF000353	Orchard Brae Flats (Edinburgh) Ltd	13-11-2015
PF000147	A & K Property Management Services	16-11-2015
PF000218	BA Professional Advisory Services Limited	02-12-2015
PF000254	Aspect Residential Property Management Ltd	08-12-2015
PF000403	Colvil Property Factors Ltd	08-12-2015
PF000326	Currie Property Management Ltd	08-12-2015
PF000352	Fair-A-Far Management Ltd	08-12-2015
PF000315	Fenwick Property	08-12-2015
PF000300	Grant and Wilson Property Management Limited	08-12-2015
PF000190	New Start Highland Enterprises Ltd	08-12-2015
PF000180	Speirs Wharf Management Services Limited	08-12-2015
PF000104	Watt & Co Property Management	08-12-2015
PF000336	D&R Lorne Brown t/a Allied Surveyors Scotland plc	14-12-2015
PF000369	Glenham Property Management	14-12-2015
PF000309	Factor4You	11-01-2016
PF000185	Cd Environmental Design	14-01-2016
PF000107	ME Property Group Ltd	14-01-2016
PF000224	Meadfleet Ltd	14-01-2016
PF000137	Wilton Factoring	14-01-2016
PF000429	Collinswell Land Management Ltd	07-03-2016
PF000419	Smart Move Property Factors Limited	07-03-2016
PF000442	Marshall MacCallum	08-03-2016
PF000428	Miller Stewart	08-03-2016
PF000447	YI Properties	08-03-2016
PF000390	Sheltered Housing Management Limited	14-03-2016
PF000267	Vista Properties and Development Ltd	14-03-2016
PF000440	SMF Property Management	22-03-2016
PF000456	Brooke & Brown	29-03-2016
PF000455	Clackmannanshire Services Ltd	29-03-2016
PF000453	Hughes Turner Ltd	29-03-2016
PF000443	McDonald Property Management	29-03-2016
PF000450	Property One (Scotland) Ltd	29-03-2016
PF000328	Glasgow West Housing Association	07-04-2016
PF000460	CRUZ Property Management	25-04-2016
PF000451	Thomson Homes Ltd	25-04-2016
PF000439	Belvoir Lettings Inverness	04-05-2016
PF000394	Queens Cross Housing Association	04-05-2016
PF000434	Winning Quadrant Owners and Residents Association	11-05-2016
PF000400	G & A Lettings Limited	31-05-2016
PF000425	IME Property Group	31-05-2016
PF000134	Allsop Residential Investment Management Ltd.	23-06-2016
PF000454	Knight Property Services Scotland Ltd	01-08-2016
PF000115	Matthew Cohen & Associates Ltd	01-08-2016
PF000438	Houston Construction Services	09-08-2016
PF000478	Countrywide Residential Lettings	26-09-2016
PF000485	Netkast Ltd	26-09-2016
PF000490	Douglas J Duncan Building Consultant	24-10-2016
PF000311	Be Factored Ltd	10-11-2016
PF000312	Be Maintained	10-11-2016
PF000504	City Factoring Limited	12-12-2016
PF000503	Premier Developments Lochaber Ltd	12-12-2016
PF000507	Jan Smienk Plumbing and Heating	16-01-2017
PF000509	E D Construction Ltd	17-01-2017
PF000148	Raeburn Hope	17-01-2017
PF000516	Actual Property	23-01-2017
PF000472	Grieg McKinnin Baxter	03-02-2017
PF000514	David Morrison	13-02-2017
PF000413	West One Properties (UK) Ltd	13-02-2017
PF000412	O'Neill Property	21-02-2017
PF000520	KPM Residential Limited	06-03-2017
PF000495	Capita Property & Infrastructure Limited	29-03-2017
PF000532	New Leaf Estate Management Ltd	10-04-2017
PF000542	Finlayson Facilities Management Ltd	24-07-2017
PF000553	Smart & Co (Scotland) Ltd	29-08-2017
PF000560	St Bride's Church ( Dumfries) Limited	03-10-2017
PF000556	Shanley lettings Limited	16-10-2017
PF000571	Edinburgh Property Rental Limited	22-01-2018
PF000514	David Morris trading as 12BC Property Management	24-01-2018
PF000576	Clune Park Estates Ltd	05-02-2018
PF000578	Florance Kennedy T/A Edinburgh Stair Management	05-02-2018
PF000575	Inspired Design & Development Ltd	05-03-2018
PF000586	UGIE Construction and Property Services	05-03-2018
PF000549	A+ Property Management	27-04-2018

Question reference: S5W-16757

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 May 2018
Current Status: Answered by Annabelle Ewing on 23 May 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-15891 by Annabelle Ewing on 18 April 2018 and the subsequent response from the Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service, what target has been set for waiting times between an application being submitted and a hearing date for evictions and civil proceedings, and what the target waiting time was when the function was previously undertaken by sheriff courts.

Question reference: S5W-16603

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 11 May 2018
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 22 May 2018

To ask the Scottish Government whether it still plans to introduce a Warm Homes Bill.

Yes. In line with our commitment, we will introduce the Fuel Poverty (Target, Definition and Strategy) (Scotland) Bill, which many will know as the Warm Homes Bill, by the end of this parliamentary term. As I indicated to the Local Government and Communities Committee on 16 May, the change in name ensures accuracy and neutrality of the Bill in line with Parliamentary rules.

The Bill is to be about all the fuel costs of a household, not just their heating costs – it is not considered to be acceptable for a family to have to make a choice between having the heating on and cooking their dinner, and the definition of fuel poverty in the Bill reflects this. This is therefore why the short title will be “Fuel Poverty” rather than “Warm Homes”.

This Bill will achieve three key things – it will set a new target for fuel poverty; introduce a new definition, recommended by experts, that will focus our support on those who need it most, no matter where in Scotland they live; and mandate the production of a new long-term fuel poverty strategy. These are all proposals that our expert advisers and relevant stakeholder groups have said are required.

On 2nd May the First Minister launched Energy Efficient Scotland, the Scottish Government’s long-term energy efficiency programme to remove poor energy efficiency as a driver of fuel poverty. The Energy Efficient Scotland Route Map sets out our vision for all buildings in Scotland – that by 2040 all our buildings are warmer, greener and more efficient – and how we will deliver on the National Infrastructure Priority for Energy Efficiency. We are seeking views on our proposals through the Energy Efficient Scotland consultation, including views on what legislation may be needed to support delivery of our energy efficiency programme and have committed to develop, if appropriate, a further Bill to support that later in this Parliament.

Question reference: S5W-16419

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 04 May 2018
Current Status: Answered by Annabelle Ewing on 16 May 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis of the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland (Housing and Property Chamber) it has undertaken in relation to performance including (a) quality of decisions, (b) efficiency of the department and (c) timeliness of hearings after the application made date.

Question reference: S5W-16417

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 04 May 2018
Current Status: Answered by Annabelle Ewing on 10 May 2018

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide details of the turnaround time for each application to the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland (Housing and Property Chamber) for Evictions and Civil Proceedings from application to hearing date.

Question reference: S5O-02100

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 May 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 16 May 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how it monitors the performance of property factors.