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: S6W-30576

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 13 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding it has provided to the Net Zero Technology Centre since its foundation in 2017.

The Scottish Government has provided the following funding to the Net Zero Technology Centre from its foundation to the end of the second quarter of financial year 2024-25:

£148,696,581 through the Aberdeen City Region Deal and paid through Aberdeenshire Council as the Deal's Accountable Body (including funding provided on behalf of the UK Government whereby both governments have committed up to £90 million each over 10 years to financial year 2026-27)
£4,521,000 through the Decommissioning Challenge Fund, payments concluding in financial year 2018-19
£15,151,601 through the Energy Transition Fund
£709,126 through the Just Transition Fund.

Question reference: S6W-30577

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 13 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the Net Zero Technology Centre about future funding after the Aberdeen City Region Deal funding stream concludes.

Question reference: S6W-30744

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 13 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-29275 by Kate Forbes on 13 September 2024, when the outcome of the governance review will be completed.

Question reference: S6W-31177

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 November 2024
Current Status: Answer expected on 26 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, based on the most recent data available, what the total cost is of providing support to rural bus services.

Question reference: S6W-31176

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 November 2024
Current Status: Answer expected on 26 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide the latest data on the number of supported rural bus services in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-31029

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 04 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 12 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will request that Scottish Water allocates funds from its public top-up taps programme specifically to restore disused historic drinking fountains in public places by fitting top-up taps to them in collaboration with conservation-accredited engineers.

The Scottish Government have no plans to request this.

Scottish Water has a programme of installing blue top up taps in communities across Scotland, with over 120 installed and providing fresh drinking water for bottle refills. However they are not in a position to support the refurbishing/reuse of existing architecture and historic fountains and wells. These older pieces of equipment present a number of issues around health and safety risks, use of historic materials, location, the bespoke nature of every site and ultimately the inability to guarantee water quality. The taps provided by Scottish Water are Water Regulation Approval Scheme (WRAS) approved, which provides an enhanced level of water quality protection. This level of assurance would be very difficult and costly to achieve via pre-existing historic structures – and in some cases it may not be possible.

Question reference: S6W-31062

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 12 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to publish its Fisheries Climate Change Action Plan, as set out in its National Islands Plan: Implementation Route Map 2024.

We do not yet have a timescale for publishing the Fisheries Climate Change Action Plan. Further work is required, in partnership with stakeholders, to develop a clear plan of actions which will support fisheries in the drive to net zero.

Many of the actions that are required will need to be developed and initiated by the fishing industry and others in the private sector (for example vessel designers). Regulators and policy makers will also need to identify and remove barriers where this is possible.

Question reference: S6W-31026

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 01 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 12 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the prevalence of (a) non-payment of taxi and private hire fares and (b) abusive and violence conduct towards taxi and private hire drivers by members of the public.

Taxis and private hire cars (PHCs) are a vital part of transport networks for citizens, businesses and visitors across Scotland, and all taxi and PHC drivers should be able to go about their work without the threat of any violence and abuse from their customers.

Taxis and PHCs are licensed under the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 (“the 1982 Act”). While the Scottish Government has responsibility for the overarching legislation, the day to day administration of the licensing regime, as set out in the 1982 Act, is devolved to independent licensing authorities – in effect the 32 Scottish local authorities.

Within this context, any reports of non-payment of fares, and/ or abuse of drivers would be directed to the local licensing authority and the local police. The Scottish Government does not hold data in relation to the non-payment of taxi and PHC fares or abusive conduct towards taxi and PHC drivers.

The Scottish Government recommends that licensing authorities should actively promote and facilitate good links between the taxi and PHC trades and the local police force, including active participation in any crime reduction initiatives.

Owners and drivers of vehicles will often want to install security measures to protect the driver. Licensing authorities may consider that this is a matter best left to the judgement of the owners and drivers themselves. However, it is recommended practice for licensing authorities to consider, as part of their licensing policy under the legislative framework of the 1982 Act, sympathetically, or indeed actively encourage, their installation.

Further information about security measures in vehicles is available in the taxi and PHC licensing best practice guidance document published by the Scottish Government, in conjunction with Transport Scotland, last year: https://www.gov.scot/publications/taxi-private-hire-car-licensing-best-practice-licensing-authorities-taxi-private-hire-car-operators-3rd-edition/pages/7/.

Question reference: S6W-31014

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 31 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 12 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the maximum punishment available to the courts on (a) summary conviction and (b) indictment under section 40 of the Regulatory Reform (Scotland) Act, and whether it plans to review this.

Section 40 of the Regulatory Reform (Scotland) Act 2014 introduces an offence of significant environmental harm and sets maximum penalties for convictions for this offence. As set out in the Scottish Government’s draft Annual Report on the Scottish Government's commitment to align with the European Union where appropriate that was laid on 31 October 2024, we are considering Directive (EU) 2024/1203 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 April 2024 on the protection of the environment through criminal law. As a part of our consideration of this Directive, we are assessing the provisions for qualified offences for conduct that causes widespread and substantial environmental damage to particular features of the environment, and comparing this with existing provisions in Scots law to protect the environment.

Question reference: S6W-30985

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 31 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 12 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason there was reportedly no external evaluation of the Community and Renewable Energy Scheme (CARES) prior to its retendering, and what substantive changes were made to the tender as a result of the call for feedback on CARES.

The Scottish Government continually reviews the support available to communities through the CARES scheme and uses this information to inform future support. An evaluation of the current contract, which is due to end on 31 March 2025, will be completed prior to the beginning of a new contract. Stakeholders will have an opportunity to input into this evaluation.

The Scottish Government has published an Invitation to Tender for the new CARES contract with a submission deadline on 26 November 2024. Ahead of publication, the Scottish Government gathered information from stakeholders via an in-person supplier engagement event and Request for Information. The feedback gathered from these engagements were taken into consideration when developing the new CARES Statement of Requirement.