Questions and answers

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 ��˿�� 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: S5O-01771

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 January 2018
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 7 February 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how many business organisations have written to the First Minister and finance secretary in favour of income tax rises.

In developing our new income tax policy the Scottish Government has engaged with a number of business groups. We have delivered a balanced set of tax and spend proposals. For the majority of taxpayers there will not be an income tax rise - Scotland will be the lowest and fairest income taxed part of the UK, something that recent polling by the Times confirms the majority of people living in Scotland support.

Question reference: S5O-01728

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 January 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 1 February 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that major road projects promote active travel.

Question reference: S5W-13456

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 December 2017
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 9 January 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-13028 by Kevin Stewart on 13 December 2017, when the review of skills and positions will be completed; for what reason this was not done before the More Homes Scotland approach was published in 2016, and whether the review will contain a figure for how many new skilled workers will be required to meet the house-building target.

The work of the short-life working group on skills in the house-building industry is expected to conclude in Summer 2018. It is being developed and delivered with our partners Homes for Scotland and Skills Development Scotland.

This work is considering the medium-long term skills picture across whole of the house-building industry, rather than the 50,000 affordable homes target. Delivery of homes is supported by the Scottish Government but direct delivery responsibility, including procuring delivery lies with individual local authorities and Housing Associations.

Question reference: S5W-13294

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 11 December 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 8 January 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-12720 by Shona Robison on 29 November 2017, what action is it taking in light of the findings of the analysis.

An increase in mortality is not unusual in the winter months especially in the age and disease groups highlighted in the answer to the previous question (S5W-12720). This increase reflects the frailty of some people with long term respiratory and cardiac diseases that results in a lack of resilience to the cold and general winter illnesses. In addition, those with long term illnesses are also frail and more susceptible.

The Scottish Patient Safety Programme has undertaken work in recognising deterioration of patients and the management of frailty, early in the patient journey and has targeted work on dementia awareness and management. This work is making a difference to the lives on many people across the country as has the work of the Children and Young People Improvement Collaborative and Living Well in Communities work as these are preventative and work across both health and social care.

Question reference: S5W-13260

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 08 December 2017
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 21 December 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to repair potholes that have appeared on the newly-opened section of the M73, and how much this will cost.

Question reference: S5W-13289

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 11 December 2017
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 21 December 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-11112 by Kevin Stewart on 21 September 2017, whether the refreshed strategy has been launched and, if not, by what date it will be.

Question reference: S5W-13293

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 11 December 2017
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 21 December 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-09061 by Kevin Stewart on 9 May 2017, whether the 2017 data has now been published and, if not, by what date it will be.

Question S5W-09061 asked the Scottish Government how many homeless people have used temporary accommodation in each year since 2012. The answer stated that data on the number of people using temporary accommodation in each year is currently unavailable, however a link was provided to published figures from the HL2 collection, which provides snapshot information on the number of households living in temporary accommodation at the end of each quarter.

The Scottish Government are working with local authorities to develop and quality assure the HL3 data return, a new placement level homelessness data collection on temporary accommodation, which will enable analysis of the total number of people living in this type of accommodation throughout a given period of time. Some authorities are still to provide a fully accurate and usable set of data. Once these data issues have been fully investigated and resolved, the HL3 data will be used to monitor and publish more in-depth information on the use of temporary accommodation.

The Scottish Government will take stock of the status and quality of HL3 data provided by Local Authorities at the Annual Homelessness Statistics User Group meeting on 20th February 2018 and discuss any outstanding actions required before plans can be developed to publish analysis and statistics from this data source.

Question reference: S5W-13290

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 11 December 2017
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 21 December 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-09054 by Kevin Stewart on 29 September 2017, in light of its aim to eradicate rough sleeping, for what reason it does not collect this data, and whether it will consider doing so to assist in determining where the strains are for each local authority.

Question S5W-09054 asked the Scottish Government how many homeless people have been housed by a local authority in accommodation outside of its area in each of the last three years, and the answer stated that Scottish Government do not collect data on the geographical location of where homeless people have been housed by a local authority.

Section 9.79 of the Code of Guidance on Homelessness 2005 states that as a general rule a local authority should always rehouse a homeless household within its own area, particularly where temporary accommodation is being provided. However that in rare cases, such as those involving domestic abuse, external violence or where there is for example local hostility to an ex-prisoner, the local authority may need to consider placing homeless people in another area, although this should only be done with the household’s consent, and the local authority should retain responsibility for such outplacements. In some cases such an outplacement may be nearer to the applicant's home area than a placement elsewhere in the local authority's area, and may provide suitable accommodation or access to healthcare which is not currently available in the placing local authority's area.

Given the different potential reasons for housing households outwith local authority areas, for example cases that may involve domestic violence issues or local hostility, it is unlikely that a count of the number of cases housed outwith authority areas would be suitable to be used on its own as a direct indicator of strains on local authority service provision.

The Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Action Group has been set up to lead on change and to identify the actions, services and any legislative changes required to end rough sleeping and to transform the use of temporary accommodation. As part of this work the group will be considering the evidence and sets of data that will be required to be able to assess particular issues and to measure progress and impact going forward. We expect the group to conclude their work by late Spring 2018.

Question reference: S5W-13078

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 21 December 2017

To ask the Scottish Government by what date the outstanding works on the A8/M8/M74 will be completed.

The new motorway opened to traffic on 1 June 2017. Finishing works are currently underway and the contractor has confirmed his intention to complete these works by April 2018. This is a standard approach for projects of this nature. As this project was procured under the NPD contract form, the contractor will not receive the full payment for the project until all outstanding works are complete.

Question reference: S5W-13292

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 11 December 2017
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 20 December 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-09060 by Kevin Stewart on 9 May 2017, which local authorities have set up a housing options hub, and where each hub is located.

Housing Options Hubs bring together neighbouring councils in Scotland to promote, develop and share information and best practice on the prevention of homelessness. There are 5 Housing Options Hubs which all 32 local authorities in Scotland participate in. The hubs meet regularly at different locations across Scotland.

The Housing Options Hubs and associated local authorities are:

Ayrshire & South: North Ayrshire, Dumfries & Galloway, East Ayrshire, Inverclyde and South Ayrshire
Edinburgh, Lothians & Borders: City of Edinburgh, East Lothian, Falkirk, Midlothian, Scottish Borders and West Lothian
North & Islands: Highland, Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, Eilean Siar, Moray, Orkney Islands and Shetland Islands
Tayside, Fife & Central: Perth & Kinross, Angus, Argyll & Bute, Clackmannanshire, Dundee City, Stirling and Fife
West: East Dunbartonshire, East Renfrewshire, Glasgow City, North Lanarkshire, Renfrewshire, South Lanarkshire and West Dunbartonshire.

Further information is available on the Scottish Government website which can be found at: