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: S6O-03718

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 September 2024
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has had any discussions with organisations in the arts and culture sector since the publication of the Programme for Government 2024-25.

Question reference: S6W-28979

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 August 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 4 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what support it has provided to public transport operators to provide transport for disabled people.

The Scottish Government through its subsidy, has funded publicly owned ScotRail Trains Ltd., Caledonian Sleeper Ltd and ferry operators, namely CalMac and Serco, in Scotland. This includes meeting their obligations to provide accessible transport as set out in various, relevant legislation.

The National Concessionary Bus Travel Scheme for Older and Disabled People provides free travel on local and long distance scheduled bus journeys throughout Scotland for eligible disabled people living in Scotland.

In 2014 the Ferries Accessibility Fund worth a total of £500,000, was launched by the Scottish Government to improve accessibility on Scotland’s ferry network as part of the Ferries Review and Plan 2013-2022; which has successfully delivered a number of projects that improve accessibility across the ferry network.

Although its focus is on supporting bus operators in meeting our Net Zero targets, the second phase of the Scottish Zero Emission Bus Challenge Fund (ScotZEB 2) funded 252 buses and coaches of various sizes. The majority of these vehicles must comply with the Public Service Vehicles Accessibility Regulations 2000 (PSVAR 2000). ScotZEB 2 also offered funding towards the installation of wheelchair space in vehicles which did not need to comply with PSVAR 2000 regulations.

Question reference: S6W-28978

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 August 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 22 August 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what requirement there is for private car hire firms to provide transport for disabled people.

Accessibility obligations for taxi and private hire car drivers and Local Licencing Authorities are reserved to the UK Government under the Equality Act 2010.

However, the taxi licensing system is devolved under the Civic Government Act 1982 and is implemented by (local authority) licensing authorities. Therefore, the day-to-day administration of the licensing regime for taxis and private hire cars rests with independent local licensing authorities, who are best placed to take local circumstances into account in the decision making process to ensure that they provide safe and appropriate services for members of the public.

Question reference: S6W-28977

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 August 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 22 August 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what support it has provided to private transport operators to provide transport for disabled people.

Question reference: S6W-28809

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 July 2024
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 19 August 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many of the 1,000 inquiries received by the Scottish Land Matching service have been matched.

Of the 1,050 enquiries now received by the Scottish Land Matching Service (SLMS) since 2019, a total of 35 have been formally matched by the service.

In addition to these matches, the service has supported, and continues to actively support, the exploration and facilitation of a further 263 potential joint venture agreements. This engagement includes the provision of impartial advice by Land Matching Service advisers to encourage successful future matches and provides quality, impartial, future-proof advice on next steps for customers to take.

A further 537, which are largely seeking land, are on the service’s database and are routinely reviewed when opportunities arise. 215 have engaged with the service, registered interest, but ultimately decided not to pursue their enquiry with the service.

	Matched	Facilitated	Active/	Archived/ ‎ Inactive
	Matched	Facilitated	Unmatched	Archived/ ‎ Inactive
Farming	33	255	289	104
Crofting	2	8	248	111
Total	35	263	537	215

Question reference: S6W-28912

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 05 August 2024
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 19 August 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many applicants that had previously been approved by local authorities for the Place Based Investment Programme will now no longer receive funding, and what options are now available to them.

Given the nature of Place Based Investment Programme (PBIP) funding, it is the responsibility of local authorities to administer and manage their respective PBIP allocations. As such, the Scottish Government does not hold that level of information on local authorities’ provisional plans for use of their PBIP funding.

We hope to be able to provide further clarity on the full PBIP allocation for 2024-25 in the autumn.

Question reference: S6W-28913

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 05 August 2024
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 19 August 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the Place Based Investment Programme.

As set out in the Scottish Budget, the financial position for 2024-25 is extremely challenging and we continue to operate in a volatile period, with difficult decisions being made and robust spending controls in place. In light of the potential financial risks and uncertainties, we are unable to confirm the 2024-25 Place Based Investment Programme (PBIP) funding position for local authorities at this current time.

Ministers have, however, authorised an initial release of PBIP funding to support projects that are well underway and at risk of stalling, to protect significant investment made to date, and to reduce the risk of losing match funding. Scottish Government officials have been working closely with councils to identify these priority projects.

We hope to be able to provide further clarity on the full PBIP allocation for 2024-25 in the autumn.

Question reference: S6W-28748

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 July 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 15 August 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the accessibility of streets across Scotland, and what plans it has to develop consistent and enforceable national standards.

The Scottish Government does not undertake assessment of the accessibility of streets nationally.

National Performance Framework (NPF) 4 policy 14, highlights the six qualities of successful places which development proposals should demonstrate. The qualities of safety, attractiveness, connectedness and adaptability can improve the accessibility of a place to all users. NPF4 is part of the development plan, which means that planning decisions should be made in line with NPF4 policy unless material considerations indicate otherwise.

Designing Streets is a policy statement that promotes the consideration of street design towards placemaking and away from the system focus upon the dominance of motor vehicles. It emphasises the need to consider accessibility and inclusive design for people over vehicular movements. It is not a standards based guidance but promotes a balanced decision making on designing for place and movement, and relates to both planning and transport policies.

NPF4 policy 13 is clear that development proposals will be supported where they have taken into account, at the earliest stages of design, the transport needs of diverse groups including users with protected characteristics to ensure the safety, ease and needs of all users.

Question reference: S6W-28714

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 July 2024
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 13 August 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what action it has taken to improve Wide Area Network coverage for smart meters across Aberdeenshire.

Energy policy, including smart meter policy, is mostly reserved to the UK Government and telecommunications is wholly reserved.

Despite the limitations imposed by these reservations, the Scottish Government has taken the lead in addressing poor coverage by allocating its own resources to ensure Scotland's homes and businesses are not left behind.

The Scottish Government has invested over £600 million in the Reaching 100% (R100) programme – including the three R100 contracts and our R100 Scottish Broadband Voucher Scheme – which will improve access to broadband services in Aberdeen and across Scotland. This will enable Scottish energy consumers to benefit from the advantages of smart meters, helping to improve energy efficiency and reduce costs.

Scottish Government officials and Ministers continue to engage frequently with their UK counterparts and all relevant stakeholders to ensure that the connectivity needs of the people of Scotland are being met.

Question reference: S6W-28747

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 July 2024
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 13 August 2024

To ask the Scottish Government who is responsible for ensuring that hydrogen production sites are decommissioned at the end of their lease.

The regulatory regime for hydrogen in Scotland is a mixture of reserved and devolved powers and we continue to routinely engage with UK Government on a range of hydrogen policy matters including the regulation of and responsibility for the decommissioning of hydrogen production sites.

To achieve our hydrogen production ambitions, we must ensure that the regulatory framework for renewable hydrogen developments supports the scale-up of hydrogen at pace, whist protecting the environment and communities.

This is why the Scottish Government is working with the Scottish Regulatory Steering Group, comprised of key regulators, to assess the regulatory requirements for the development of the hydrogen sector in Scotland. This work with UK and Scottish regulators is designed to ensure that action is taken to address any identified issues and create a clear regulatory framework for the full life cycle of hydrogen projects, including the decommissioning of assets.