Questions and answers

Question reference: S5O-04857

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 December 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 16 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made on promoting Fair Trade awareness across the public sector.

Question reference: S5W-33502

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 9 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-33160 by Ben Macpherson on 23 November 2020, how many (a) short- and (b) long-term car parking businesses in Edinburgh have received 100% rates relief.

Retail, Hospitality, and Leisure Relief provides 100% relief for properties , used wholly or mainly for the qualifying purposes set out in Schedule 1 of the Non-Domestic Rates (Coronavirus Reliefs) (Scotland) Regulations 2020. It is for local authorities to determine eligibility of properties based on the legislation.

All non-domestic properties including car parks will benefit from a 1.6% universal rates relief in 2020-21, which will apply automatically to their non-domestic rates bills. As with any other rated property, car parks may be eligible for other reliefs such as the Small Business Bonus Scheme (SBBS) and the Empty Property Relief (EPR).

As at 01 July 2020, there were 390 separate entries for car parks or parking spaces on the Valuation Roll in the City of Edinburgh that were receiving 100% rates relief.

Of those 390 car parks, 270 were in receipt of SBBS, 80 are in receipt of EPR, 30 are in receipt of Charitable Rates Relief, and 10 are in receipt of other reliefs. The Scottish Government is unable to distinguish whether these are short or long-term car parks. Some car parks form the same entry in the roll as the building they serve, rather than being listed on the Valuation Roll separately and are not therefore included in figures here.

Question reference: S5W-33503

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 9 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-33160 by Ben Macpherson on 23 November 2020, how it defines “other aviation related industries” in terms of the 100% rates relief.

Under Regulation 4 of The Non-Domestic Rates (Coronavirus Reliefs) (Scotland) Regulations 2020, 100% relief is available in 2020-21 for properties that are:

used as an airport, prescribed in schedule 2 of the regulations (Aberdeen International, Barra, Benbecula, Campbeltown, Cumbernauld, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Glasgow Prestwick, Inverness, Islay, Kirkwall, Oban, Stornoway, Sumburgh, Tiree, Wick John O’Groats)
situated at such an airport and wholly or mainly used to provide one or more handling services for scheduled passenger flights, or
occupied by Loganair Limited.

Handling services are defined in regulation 4(7) of The Non-Domestic Rates (Coronavirus Reliefs) (Scotland) Regulations 2020 as any of the following activities—

(a)in relation to aircraft—

(i)de-icing,

(ii)re-fuelling,

(iii)moving aircraft,

(iv)waste servicing, and

(b)in relation to aircraft passengers—

(i)allocation of seating,

(ii)handling of baggage,

(iii)supervision of boarding.

The administration of non-domestic rates reliefs, and the interpretation of the relevant legislation, is a matter for local authorities.

Question reference: S5W-33501

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 9 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-33159 by Ben Macpherson on 23 November 2020, what plans it has to extend 100% rates relief to (a) short- and (b) long-term stay airport car parking businesses not captured by the Non-Domestic Rates (Coronavirus Reliefs) (Scotland) Regulations 2020.

Further to my answer to your question S5W-33159, on 23 November 2020, in designing the relief system we aimed to help as may business as possible. Like all governments we were constrained by affordability and consequently it was necessary for difficult decisions to be taken, and for lines to be drawn. These decisions prioritised specific uses in the retail, hospitality, leisure, and airport sectors as set out in The Non-Domestic Rates (Coronavirus Reliefs) (Scotland) Regulations 2020, over more generic uses of lands and heritages such as huts, sites, bare ground, and car parks.

All non-domestic properties including car parks will benefit from a 1.6% universal rates relief in 2020-21, which will apply automatically to their non-domestic rates bills. As with any other rated property, car parks may be eligible for other reliefs such as the Small Business Bonus Scheme (SBBS) and the Empty Property Relief (EPR).

The Scottish Government does not intend to further amend The Non-Domestic Rates (Coronavirus Reliefs) (Scotland) Regulations 2020 in 2020-21.

Question reference: S5W-33511

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 9 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is aware of a reported shortage of school crossing patrol staff in Edinburgh; what discussions it has had with the City of Edinburgh Council about this, and what support it can provide to help the council address any shortage.

Local authorities have a statutory duty to promote road safety and take steps to both reduce and prevent accidents and safeguard children on the way to school. We have grant funded Sustrans to run its Safer Routes To Schools programme which builds safer infrastructure to and around schools to encourage more cycling to schools by both teachers and pupils. Deciding what funding is made available for school crossing patrol staff is a matter for the City of Edinburgh Council.

Question reference: S5W-33519

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 9 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-32165 by Michael Matheson on 20 October 2020, whether a decision has been made on the development of Hillend junction, and, if not, when a decision is expected to be made.

We are continuing to analyse a number of options around signalisation and prohibition of movements in order to understand the wider impacts of this on the surrounding local and trunk road network. This is a complex task, which aims to balance the need to reduce conflict at this location along with minimising any reduction in operational performance of the A702 corridor. It is expected that this work will be concluded in summer 2021.

Question reference: S5W-33490

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 23 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 8 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider funding the business degree programme at West Lothian College, in light of the support from Napier University being withdrawn.

The Scottish Funding Council (SFC) allocates funding announced in the SG Scottish Budget to each institution on an annual basis. With the exception of any controlled subjects, it is then the responsibility of each institution to determine how best to utilise their funding allocation and determine their own curriculum offer and course provision in line with the economic needs of their region.

Ministers recognise that the withdrawal of funding from the business degree programme at West Lothian has caused concerns for students and have brought these to the attention of the SFC. Edinburgh Napier University has stated that it remains committed to delivering and growing its articulation routes and partnership working including with West Lothian College in line with previous Outcome Agreements with the Scottish Funding Council.

Question reference: S5W-33443

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 7 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how many people have been hired or seconded to work with the Clinical Priorities Unit on policy on chronic pain and other related long-term conditions; which third sector organisations have been involved; what the cost of the (a) salaries and (b) other expenses have been, and who the team leaders on policy have been in each year since 2011.

The Clinical Priorities Unit currently has six people seconded at B2 and B3 salary bands to deliver policy on chronic pain and other long-term conditions. A number of the secondments are from third sector organisations: Action for ME, Versus Arthritis, Children's Hospices Across Scotland, British Heart Foundation and, the Alliance.

Disclosing salaries and names of team members would contravene the data protection principles in Article 5(1) of the General Data Protection Regulation and in section 34(1) of the Data Protection Act 2018.

Policy responsibility sits with the Healthcare Quality and Improvement Division.

Question reference: S5W-33476

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 23 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 4 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what action it takes to ensure that antipsychotic drugs are not given to older people in care homes or hospitals as a chemical restraint.

The Scottish Government’s Standards of Care for Dementia set out standards for the prescribing, use and review of psychoactive medications across all care settings. Such medication should be prescribed following appropriate individual clinical assessment and consultation with families and only after all other alternatives, including therapeutic interventions, have been explored. The Scottish Government funds two national dementia workforce programmes to support implementation of the standards.

In September, the Scottish Government produced a communication on psychoactive medication prescribing and review which was circulated by Care Inspectorate to care providers. This communication summarised and reinforced current guidance on the prescribing and review of psychoactive medication for people with dementia across all care settings.

Question reference: S5W-33520

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 4 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-32413 by Michael Matheson on 29 October 2020, what issues have been raised in correspondence regarding the Spaces for People initiative.

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Chamber and committees