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-21050

Asked by: Gail Ross, MSP for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 January 2019
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 17 January 2019

To ask the Scottish Government when the invitation to tender for the Northern Isles Ferry Services will be issued.

Question reference: S5W-20385

Asked by: Gail Ross, MSP for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 December 2018
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 21 December 2018

To ask the Scottish Government (a) how many and (b) what proportion of homes in each local authority area are not connected to the mains gas network.

The following table provides the number of estimated homes, and the percentage in each local authority, which are not connected to the mains gas network.

Off Gas Grid (OGG) Domestic properties - 2016	Estimated number OGG	Estimated % OGG	Total homes in each LA
Aberdeen City	12,922	12%	106,749
Aberdeenshire	47,201	43%	110,296
Angus	14,600	27%	53,333
Argyll & Bute	23,674	58%	41,040
Clackmannanshire	1,580	7%	23,401
Dumfries & Galloway	27,034	39%	69,202
Dundee City	12,561	18%	69,634
East Ayrshire	3,380	6%	54,748
East Dunbartonshire	2,745	6%	45,350
East Lothian	6,716	15%	44,749
East Renfrewshire	3,820	10%	38,581
Edinburgh, City of	25,668	11%	232,885
Eilean Siar (Western Isles)	11,286	87%	12,951
Falkirk	7,904	11%	71,072
Fife	12,432	7%	165,833
Glasgow City	51,221	17%	293,595
Highland	68,236	63%	107,573
Inverclyde	5,007	13%	37,586
Midlothian	2,706	7%	37,766
Moray	12,172	29%	41,961
North Ayrshire	9,099	14%	63,440
North Lanarkshire	13,243	9%	150,364
Orkney Islands	10,256	100%	10,256
Perth & Kinross	22,811	34%	67,102
Renfrewshire	7,700	9%	84,025
Scottish Borders	18,884	35%	53,787
Shetland Islands	10,283	100%	10,283
South Ayrshire	7,854	15%	51,923
South Lanarkshire	24,661	17%	144,148
Stirling	8,442	22%	38,951
West Dunbartonshire	3,627	9%	42,657
West Lothian	5,440	7%	76,630

Scotland

495,165

20%

2,451,871

Source: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/sub-national-estimates-of-households-not-connected-to-the-gas-network

Question reference: S5W-20386

Asked by: Gail Ross, MSP for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 December 2018
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 13 December 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to alleviate fuel poverty in rural areas, and how the level of rural fuel poverty compares with urban areas.

We already provide extensive support to remote, rural and island communities and are committed to working with stakeholders to develop more innovation and flexibilities across all local area on delivery of our programmes. We are committed to continuing to spend more per head on energy efficiency in remote rural areas, where we know that installation and labour costs are higher. Since 2013-14 our remote and rural areas have received almost £64 million in investment through our Home Energy Efficiency Programmes (HEEPS). This funding is distributed based on an assessment of need, which means remote areas receive more money per head of population to tackle fuel poverty. For example, the maximum grant available to households in remote rural areas through the HEEPS Area Based scheme has risen since 2013 to £9,000. This is compared with a maximum grant of £7,500 elsewhere in Scotland.

We have also reviewed Warmer Homes Scotland, our national fuel poverty scheme, to see how it can better support those in rural communities. Following this review, we are making available additional new measures that are particularly beneficial to rural and remote communities. This includes asbestos removal and the installation of fuel storage tanks and low energy lighting. It also includes ground source heat pumps, micro-wind and micro hydro systems that will particularly benefit remote rural areas not served by the gas grid.

The latest Scottish House Condition survey statistics indicate that, during 2017, the rate of fuel poverty in urban areas was 21%, compared to 43% in rural areas. That is why we will continue to work closely with all local authorities, to ensure local needs are reflected in delivery, making for more effective measures and improved lives.

Question reference: S5W-20384

Asked by: Gail Ross, MSP for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 December 2018
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 12 December 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what additional support it offers to households facing fuel poverty, and how this is publicised.

By the end of 2021, we will have allocated over £1 billion since 2009 through energy efficiency programmes to make homes warmer and cheaper to heat. Since 2013, over 120,000 homes throughout Scotland have benefited from energy efficiency measures through our Home Energy Efficiency Programmes. Our national programme, Warmer Homes Scotland, has helped more than 13,500 household who have benefitted from an average of more than £360 per year in savings off their fuel bills since its launch in September 2015.

For those on the lowest incomes, we continue to offer grant support and or those who can self-fund, we offer interest free loans.

We also fund Home Energy Scotland (HES) to provide free and impartial energy advice to all callers via a Freephone number and can offer face to face support where this is the best option for the householder. It can make referrals for free benefits check to ensure householders are receiving all the help and support they are entitled to and provide energy supplier switching advice and advice on how to use the home more efficiently. It has developed an online referral portal to enable seamless referrals from external stakeholders to HES.

The Scottish Government liaises closely with the Energy Saving Trust – which manages the HES advice network on our behalf – to ensure programme delivery and any associated awareness raising campaigns focused on energy advice provision are monitored and evaluated appropriately. Currently HES publicise through social media and has recently featured on Money Saving Expert. They also work closely with Citizens Advice Scotland who signpost any householders experiencing fuel poverty to the HES service.

Question reference: S5O-02671

Asked by: Gail Ross, MSP for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 December 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 12 December 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to improve addiction support services in the Highlands.

Question reference: S5O-02644

Asked by: Gail Ross, MSP for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 November 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 5 December 2018

To ask the Scottish Government when the last review of how probationer teachers are allocated was undertaken.

Question reference: S5W-20143

Asked by: Gail Ross, MSP for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 November 2018
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Jeane Freeman on 23 November 2018

To ask the Scottish Government who will lead the external independent review into the allegations of a culture of bullying and harassment at NHS Highland, and what the scope of the review will be.

I have asked John Sturrock QC to lead this independent review to explore the underlying issues and concerns that have led to allegations of bullying and harassment within NHS Highland. The review will include conversations with affected individuals, including current and former staff, their representatives, Board members and Health Board Management.

The scope of the review will be to:

Create a safe space for individual and/or collective concerns to be raised and discussed confidentially with an independent and impartial third party.
To understand what, if any cultural issues have led to any bullying, or harassment, and a culture where such allegations apparently cannot be raised and responded to locally.
To identify proposals and recommendations for ways forward which help to ensure the culture within NHS Highland in the future is open and transparent and perceived by all concerned in this way.

The review will commence with initial meetings taking place before Christmas. A review report with proposals and recommendations for ways forward will be provided to the Scottish Government in early 2019.

Separate to this independent review, the Chief Executive of NHS Scotland Paul Gray has today written to NHS Highland to offer an increased level of support to help them recover their financial position and strengthen internal governance.

This will raise Highland to Stage 4 in the Board Escalation Framework. Additional support will take the form of a support team, led by a transformation director, who will assist the Board in planning and delivering the improvement initiatives necessary to restore the Board to financial balance

Question reference: S5W-19933

Asked by: Gail Ross, MSP for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 November 2018
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 22 November 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what progress is being made with the Far North Line Review Group to reduce journey times between Inverness and Caithness.

The Far North Line Review Team has made significant progress in achieving their objective of improving performance and journey time on the line.

The work of the Team began in 2017, and has brought about improvements on the route through the removal of the temporary speed restriction at Chapelton Farm which has allowed the linespeed to be restored to 75mph, and by upgrading level crossings at Brora, Lairg, Rovie and Delny, allowing further increases in linespeed.

The Team has also identified a range of further potential improvements including a revised timetable for the route, identification of possible infrastructure enhancement options, plans to trial improvements to the request stop process, development work for enhancing token operated points and token transfers, and level crossing upgrades with the proposed closure of Delny level-crossing. Benefits from these combined enhancements and interventions include improved passenger experience and safety, timetable resilience and journey time reductions.

Question reference: S5O-02613

Asked by: Gail Ross, MSP for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 November 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 November 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what help and support it offers to archaeological projects.

Question reference: S5W-19967

Asked by: Gail Ross, MSP for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 November 2018
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Jeane Freeman on 16 November 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what support it will provide to NHS Highland to help understand and address the recent allegations regarding a systematic culture of bullying in the board.

The scale and scope of the allegations of bullying and the timespan of these in NHS Highland is such that I need to understand the issues that appear to have led to a culture where these concerns cannot be raised with or resolved satisfactorily by the Board. To ensure all the issues can be raised and heard by those involved I have commissioned an externally led independent review. This review will consider all the circumstances that have led to the allegations and make recommendations. My officials continue to hold discussions with NHS Highland staff and their representatives and we will finalise the scope of the investigation during the week beginning 19 November 2018 and look to announce who will lead the independent investigation as soon as possible thereafter.