Questions and answers

Question reference: S6W-37252

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 3 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether the Minister for Business raised the issue of investment by Chinese companies in offshore wind infrastructure in Scotland during his recent trip to China.

In any meetings relating to offshore wind, I encouraged investors to continue engaging with Scotland’s economic development agencies.

The UK Government is responsible for national security, the regulation of international trade, elements of critical national infrastructure including energy, and the application of the NSIA. We continue to engage closely with the UK Government to understand the security implications of potential foreign investment in energy-related infrastructure.

Question reference: S6F-04143

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 02 June 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 5 June 2025

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6W-37800

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 29 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what steps it is taking to reduce waiting times for a routine colonoscopy, which is reportedly up to 40 weeks in NHS Lothian.

Our Budget provides a record £21.7 billion for health and social care.

As part of planned care funding for 2025-26 we have provided over £10.5 million to territorial health boards across Scotland, including NHS Lothian, to support endoscopy activity and reduce waiting lists.

Patients continue to be seen based on their clinical urgency, for example, those referred with an urgent suspicion of cancer continue to be prioritised for scope-based diagnostic tests.

To specifically support scope based diagnostics we published an Endoscopy and Urology Diagnostic Recovery and Renewal Plan backed by £70 million. The plan focuses on key areas such as: Balancing Demand and Capacity; Workforce Training and Development; Infrastructure; and Innovation and Redesign.

Question reference: S6W-37398

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 20 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the enhanced council tax on second homes, whether it plans to review any impact of the introduction of this uplift by local authorities on the group of properties that fall into the 25-day category, but which are unable to be let or sold for main dwelling purposes due to planning constraints attached to consent, which prohibit use or sale as a main dwelling.

Since 1 April 2024 local authorities have had discretionary powers to apply a Council Tax premium of up to 100% on second homes.

Council Tax is a local tax, and it is for individual councils to determine the appropriate balance of housing in their areas based on local needs. The Regulations give Councils greater fiscal empowerment, in the spirit of the Verity House Agreement. They enable Councils the discretion to charge Second Homes anywhere between a 50% discount, and up to a 100% premium. It is for Councils to take decisions about the tax treatment of second homes, including where exclusions may apply.

The Scottish Government is committed to monitoring the impact of the premium and will consider their effects as more data becomes available. The first set of data reflecting the implementation of the premium was collected in September 2024. This data indicated a 10% decrease (2,455 properties) in the number of second homes compared to the previous year. This decline may be related to the introduction of the 100% Council Tax premium on second homes. The Scottish Government will continue to monitor the impact of the Council Tax premium.

I would also note that the Council Tax system includes exemptions for certain circumstances. This includes an exemption for properties that are difficult to let, which applies specifically to properties that are inherently hard to let due to their physical relationship with another dwelling. Further, there is an exemption for properties that cannot legally be lived in because it is prohibited by law. It is for the local authority to assess whether the conditions are met for these exemptions to apply.

Question reference: S6W-37399

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 20 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the (a) University of Edinburgh and (b) Scottish Funding Council about additional support.

Universities are autonomous institutions with responsibility for their own strategic and operational decision making. The Scottish Government regularly engages with the Scottish Funding Council on a range of matters, including on the funding of institutions, and has engaged with the University of Edinburgh directly in recent weeks. There has been no ask of the Scottish Government or Scottish Funding Council regarding additional financial support from the University.

The Scottish Government fully appreciates the financial sustainability challenges being faced by many universities due to a range of factors, including inflation, the impact of UK Government immigration policies on international student recruitment, and the increase to employers’ National Insurance Contributions.

Question reference: S6W-37431

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 19 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has plans to provide additional training to newly qualified teachers on how to deal with violence in schools.

In August, we published our action plan on relationships and behaviour in schools, jointly with COSLA. This includes a specific action on empowering staff through provision of relevant professional learning to support relationships and behaviour approaches and practice and to respond to emerging trends in behaviour.

Education Scotland offers a wide range of professional learning to support the prevention of distressed and distressing behaviour. This includes professional learning on relationships, emotional regulation, de-escalation, expectations and consequences, restorative approaches and trauma.

As set out in the Relationships and Behaviour in Schools Action Plan 2024-27 Progress Report, published in March 2025, Education Scotland has delivered in-person professional learning to probation teachers on Being Restorative and on Expectations and Consequences.

Local authorities have responsibly for the delivery of education, which includes ensuring all employees receive adequate training.

Question reference: S6W-37302

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 16 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how much public money Scottish Enterprise has distributed to companies that have export licences permitting them to sell arms and/or other military technology to countries that are reported to be committing serious human rights abuses, in each of the last five years.

Question reference: S6W-37301

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 16 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how much public money Scottish Enterprise has distributed to companies that have export licences permitting them to sell arms and/or other military technology in each of the last five years.

Question reference: S6W-37307

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 02 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 14 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any potential benefits of introducing a price cap for the use of agency staff in healthcare positions, such as that introduced by NHS England in April 2023.

The Scottish Government is clear that all nurse agency workers should be accessed via the relevant national procurement framework operated by NHS National Services Scotland unless in exceptional circumstances. This approach supports efforts by NHS Scotland Boards to ensure that all engagements involving nurse agency workers represent value for money and contribute towards the delivery of high quality patient care.

With regards to the engagement of medical agency workers, our recently concluded Medical Locum Task and Finish Group considered the experience of NHS England in adopting price caps and concluded that such a step was unlikely to aid efforts to ensure best value in respect of such engagements. Instead, all NHS Scotland Boards are asked to operate robust governance processes in respect of decisions concerning the engagement of medical agency workers, ensuring that such workers are only used as a measure of last resort. Where this is the case, steps should be taken to ensure best value is secured in relation to such engagements, including through the development of clear exit strategies where possible.

Question reference: S6W-37303

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 02 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 13 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider reviewing and enhancing the human rights checks conducted by Scottish Enterprise, in light of reports that companies in receipt of public funding from Scottish Enterprise have export licences permitting them to sell military technology to countries committing serious human rights breaches.

Following a debate in Parliament on 26 February, a Parliamentary motion was passed calling on Scottish Enterprise to “review its human rights due diligence checks to ensure that they take account of where products’ end use is, and that they fully comply with legal obligations under the Export Control Act 2002 and international law”.

The Scottish Government supported this motion. Scottish Enterprise’s work on that review is ongoing and the Scottish Government will continue to stay in close contact with it on this.

The licencing of exports of military technology, including for Scottish-based companies, is a reserved matter over which the Scottish Government has no control. We have repeatedly called on the UK Government to place an immediate ban on licenced arms exports from the United Kingdom to Israel and will continue to do so. The UK Government’s decision, announced on 2 September 2024, to suspend 30 export licences to Israel for arms used in military operations in Gaza, was therefore welcome, but we have been clear that it should go much further.

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Chamber and committees