Stephen Kerr

27 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance it has provided to Forestry and Land Scotland for the financial year 2023-24.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: There is regular engagement at all levels between Scottish Government and Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) and this will continue for the remainder of the financial year 2023-24. This includes regular dialogue between Ministers and the FLS CEO. FLS’s second C…

27 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance it has provided to SEPA for the financial year 2023-24.

Answer · Mairi McAllan: The duties of SEPA are set out in the Environment Act 1995. There is regular engagement at all levels between Scottish Government and SEPA and this will continue for the remainder of the financial year 2023-24. This includes regular dialogue between Minister…

27 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance it has provided to Creative Scotland for the financial year 2023-24.

Answer · Christina McKelvie: The Scottish Government’s grant-in-aid to Creative Scotland for 2023/2024 is to fulfil its statutory functions, deliver Scottish Ministers' strategic objectives and contribute to the National Outcomes and National Performance Framework , as set out in the a…

27 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what grant funds it has made available to third sector organisations over the past 12 months.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-15129 on 7 March 2023. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees…

27 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what meetings it has held with Heads of Planning Scotland regarding the implementation of the fourth National Planning Framework (NPF4).

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: Officials meet on a frequent basis with Heads of Planning Scotland (HOPS), including through a monthly catch up between the Chief Planner and the HOPS Chair and Vice Chairs to discuss key issues, and by officials attending the HOPS sub-committees on developme…

27 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what meetings it has held with housing developers regarding the implementation of the fourth National Planning Framework (NPF4).

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: Officials have met with housing developers throughout the preparation of NPF4. Most recently, Planning, Housing and Analytical officials met with members of the industry to discuss matters relating to Housing Need and Demand Assessment (HNDA) on 6 February 20…

27 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what meetings it has held with chairs of planning authorities regarding the implementation of the fourth National Planning Framework (NPF4).

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) was adopted on 13 February 2023 and our focus now lies on the delivery of NPF4. We are in the early stages of planning a gathering of authorities’ planning convenors in autumn 2023, to discuss a range of issues, including …

27 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance has been issued to local authorities regarding short-term lets.

Answer · Paul McLennan: In June 2021 draft licensing guidance was published as part of our consultation on the Licensing Order. In March 2022 we published revised guidance for licensing authorities and hosts . Both iterations of guidance were produced in conjunction with our …

27 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance has been issued to local authorities regarding current houses in multiple occupation legislation.

Answer · Paul McLennan: The Scottish Government issued statutory guidance to local authorities on the licensing of houses in multiple occupation in 2012: https://www.gov.scot/publications/licensing-multiple-occupied-housing-statutory-guidance-for-scottish-local-authorities/ .

27 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance has been issued to local authorities on landlord registration.

Answer · Paul McLennan: General guidance for local authorities to administer and manage the Private Landlord Registration scheme was issued in 2009: https://www.gov.scot/publications/registration-private-landlords-guidance-local-authorities/pages/1/ . This was updated in 2017 to …

27 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on landlord registration.

Answer · Paul McLennan: Local authorities are responsible for the administration and enforcement of landlord registration, and are the data controllers of the information held on the landlord registration IT system for landlords in their area. The Scottish Government works with Reg…

27 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it currently has any contracts with SOLACE.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: The Scottish Government has no contracts with SOLACE.

27 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what meetings the (a) Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Housing and Local Government and (b) Minister for Social Security and Local Government has attended with local government and council (i) leaders, (ii) chief executives and (iii) officials, in each of the last 12 months.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: Details of all Ministerial engagements are proactively published by the Scottish Government. The information can be accessed at the below link: https://www.gov.scot/collections/ministerial-engagements-travel-and-gifts/.

27 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many individual pieces of guidance have been issued to local authorities since May 2021.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: The Scottish Government has published 89 individual pieces of advice and guidance to local authorities since 1 May 2021. These can be found at https://www.gov.scot/publications/ .

27 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance has been issued to local authorities on planning for the implementation of a National Care Service.

Answer · Maree Todd: Local authorities are important partners in delivering social care and will remain so as we develop new ways to deliver improved care across the country. At this stage, as the policy is still undergoing co-design with a range of stakeholders, it would not be …

27 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what grant funds have been made available to local authorities in each of the last 12 months.

Answer · Tom Arthur: The annual local government finance settlement consists of both revenue and capital grants and local authorities also receive additional ring-fenced funding outside the annual settlement. In 2022-23 the General Revenue Grant funding within the annual local g…

27 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance it has issued to local authorities on future pandemic preparations.

Answer · Angela Constance: In Scotland, guidance in relation to preparing for emergencies is generally structured around key consequences or themes, rather than specific risks. The Scottish Government’s suite of emergency planning guidance, “Preparing Scotland” ( https://ready.scot/ho…

21 Mar 2023 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure value for money in government projects.

20 Mar 2023 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what the outcomes have been of the Scottish Government's "defining mission" to tackle the poverty-related attainment gap.

16 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding the impact in Scotland of the implementation of a UK-wide Deposit Return Scheme.

Answer · Lorna Slater: Scottish Government Ministers meet monthly with their counterparts in the other UK administrations via the Intra-Ministerial Group for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs to discuss a number of issues, including DRS. Officials also engage regularly with repr…

16 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the current annual salary is of the CEO of Circularity Scotland.

Answer · Lorna Slater: Circularity Scotland is a not-for-profit company, delivered and funded by industry, in line with the polluter pays principle. This structure is based on successful schemes seen elsewhere in Europe, and was approved by the Scottish Parliament in 2020. Circula…

16 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much money it has given to Circularity Scotland since 1 January 2020.

Answer · Lorna Slater: The Scottish Government has not given any money to Circulatrity Scotland Ltd (CSL), In line with the ‘polluter pays’ principle, and just like similar schemes around the world, Scotland’s deposit return scheme is being delivered and funded by industry, led by…

15 Mar 2023 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the status of NHS Forth Valley since its escalation to Stage 4 of NHS Scotland's National Performance Framework.

1 Mar 2023 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will propose time for a parliamentary debate on the effective scrutiny of the Scottish Ministers.

24 Feb 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how many free bicycles had been distributed by the end of the pilot scheme; what the total cost of this was, and what progress has been made to provide free bicycles to school-aged children who cannot afford them by 2026.

Answer · Patrick Harvie: The pilot period for the commitment concluded on 31 August 2022, and a final evaluation report has been published on the Transport Scotland website . Support has been provided to delivery organisations to continue activities until 31 March 2023. The total …

15 Feb 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what advice it has sought on any potential difficulties of linked SMEs successfully applying for the SME Loan Scheme, in light of reports that some linked SMEs that have considered decoupling in order to secure a loan have been warned that, if they do so, HMRC may suspect tax fraud and o…

Answer · Patrick Harvie: The Scottish Government eligibility criteria prevent SMEs that are more than 25% owned or have more than a 25% stake in another business to access funding through the SME Loan. This is to protect public finance, make certain that the economic benefit from inv…

15 Feb 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) autonomous, (b) partner and (c) linked enterprise SMEs have (i) applied for and (ii) been granted a loan under the SME Loan Scheme for renewable or energy efficiency projects, since the scheme began.

Answer · Patrick Harvie: The Scottish Government is unable to provide the information requested as it does not gather data based on the definitions used in this question. As set out in PQ reference S6W-15196 on 6 March 2023 businesses may be defined by the Scottish Government as bei…

15 Feb 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the definition of an SME, how it defines an (a) autonomous, (b) partner and (c) linked enterprise.

Answer · Patrick Harvie: Businesses may be defined by the Scottish Government as being “Small and Medium Enterprises” on the basis of a range of criteria. These criteria will depend upon the purpose for which a definition is being applied, as well as relevant legislation and standard…

6 Feb 2023 · Topical Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what steps it is taking to bring the strike action by teachers to an end.

1 Feb 2023 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to propose time for a debate in the Parliament on parliamentary reform.