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: S5W-25022

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 29 August 2019
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 20 September 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what efforts it is making or can make to ensure that electric-only supplied houses are provided a broad choice of suppliers.

Consumer fairness is a key priority for the Scottish Government. We continue to call on the UK Government for an equitable energy market that serves all consumers fairly regardless of location, circumstance or meter type.

I recently responded to Ofgem’s consultation on effective competition in the domestic retail market, highlighting that the CMA’s package of remedies has not delivered consistently for consumers in Scotland. We continue to work with Ofgem to ensure full consideration is given to how distinct characteristics of the Scottish market can impact on consumer’s ability to engage in the energy market.

In particular, Scotland has a comparatively high number of consumers using electric heating. We are committed to providing targeted support for these consumers, which is we fund Home Energy Scotland who are rolling out an enhanced advice service for electric heating consumers. This service will help users to make informed choices about which supplier is best for them.

The regulation of energy markets for electricity and gas are matters that remain reserved under the Scotland Act (1998). We are, however, committed to using our devolved consumer advocacy powers to best effect and are developing new ways to ensure Scottish consumer interests are effectively heard and acted on at the UK level. The Scottish Government’s recently published will make sure that needs and expectations of Scottish energy consumers drive change in the evolving energy market as we transition to a net zero economy.

Question reference: S5W-25073

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 September 2019
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 18 September 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-05394 by Roseanna Cunningham on 20 December 2016, for what reason statutory protection of the freshwater pearl mussel population in the unnamed water, river X, has still not been implemented.

Question reference: S5W-25200

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 September 2019
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 17 September 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what measures it is taking to improve the energy efficiency of listed buildings.

The Scottish Government remains committed to achieving the vision of our Energy Efficient Scotland (EES) Programme that by 2040 our homes and buildings are warmer, greener and more efficient.

The EES Route Map, published in May 2018, outlines our objectives for all Scotland’s buildings including traditional and listed buildings. It specifies that all properties should achieve certain energy efficiency standards by sector specific deadlines where cost effective and technically feasible (see ).

The Scottish Government continues to fund free and impartial advice through Home Energy Scotland. Advisors have received specialist training from Historic Environment Scotland to provide appropriate advice. Historic Environment Scotland also provide advice on saving energy in traditional buildings on their own .

As we develop and deliver the EES Programme, we will continue to work with our partners, including Historic Environment Scotland and local authorities, to ensure that the Programme helps to maintain or improve the energy efficiency of our traditional buildings without diminishing their contribution to our sense of place and cultural identity.

Question reference: S5F-03530

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 09 September 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 12 September 2019

To ask the First Minister when an action plan for delivery of residential services for drug and alcohol rehabilitation across the country will be provided, in line with its Drug and Alcohol Strategy.

Question reference: S5O-03510

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 September 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 September 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what its anticipated timescale is for the progress of the Scottish Elections (Reform) Bill.

Question reference: S5W-23908

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 June 2019
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 10 July 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on offering blood tests to anyone considered to be at risk of having contracted Lyme disease.

Question reference: S5W-23909

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 June 2019
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 5 July 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on setting up a regional or national blood testing centre in the NHS Grampian area, and what support it can offer toward this.

NHS National Services Scotland’s National Services Division (NSD) commission and manage nationally designated specialist services in Scotland. Proposals may be submitted to the National Specialist Services Committee throughout the year.

NSD already commissions the Scottish Lyme Disease and Tick-borne Infections Reference Laboratory. The service, hosted by NHS Highland, provides specialist diagnostic testing for Lyme disease and other tick-borne infections and provides a reference service function for the whole of Scotland.

Question reference: S5O-03449

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 June 2019
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 June 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made since August 2018 on increasing the number of foundation, modern and graduate apprenticeships that are offered and taken up.

Question reference: S5W-23489

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 May 2019
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 11 June 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what measures are in place to address the reported increase in staff moving from private, voluntary and independent sector childcare providers to local authority-run services.

The Scottish Government’s Delivery Support Plan for Providers, published on 19 December 2018, set out how we will ensure providers, including childminders, are supported through the transition to 2020. This includes the following measures which aim to support private and third sector providers with recruitment and retention:

Funding COSLA to open up the myjobscotland public sector recruitment site for private and third sector ELC providers to post jobs on in the period up to 2020
Confirmation that the funding agreement with COSLA will enable all childcare workers delivering the funded entitlement to be paid at least the real Living Wage from 2020
The provision of targeted advice and support to providers to help them to implement Fair Work practices and to deliver the real Living Wage commitment

We are also implementing a number of measures to support the recruitment and training of the additional staff required to deliver the 1140 hours expansion overall, including:

Continuing our national recruitment campaign targeting school leavers and older career changers
Working with the Scottish Funding Council and Skills Development Scotland to create additional capacity in the college and work-based learning sectors to train the additional staff required for 2020
Funding CEMVO to disseminate our national campaign messaging to ethnic minority communities, to broaden out the talent pool and diversify the sector.

In relation to retention issues in the partner provider sector: we would expect local authorities to consider the impact of recruitment exercises on their funded partners and recruit appropriately, and we know local authorities are considering the potential disruption to funded private and third sector providers when recruiting additional staff for the expansion of ELC. Indeed, many are recruiting from other areas, such as other Council services, to minimise their impact on private/third sector providers.

Question reference: S5W-23488

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 May 2019
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 11 June 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to encourage local authority transparency in the setting of the hourly rate for providing childcare services.

Guidance was published on 29 April 2019 - Funding Follows the Child and the National Standard for Early Learning and Childcare Providers: Guidance for Setting Sustainable Rates from August 2020 – to support local authorities to set sustainable rates for providers in the private and third sector, including childminders, delivering the funded early learning and childcare entitlement.

The guidance, which was developed by Scotland Excel on behalf of the Scottish Government and COSLA, sets out the overarching principles and points that should be taken into account by all local authorities when establishing sustainable rates. One of the principles, as set out in Section 2 of the guidance document, is that Local authorities and funded providers should work together to be as transparent and open as commercially reasonable when discussing rates and costs .

The guidance is available from: .