Pam Gosal

9 May 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much it has spent on the Islands Housing Fund in each year since its introduction.

Answer · Paul McLennan: A breakdown of spend from the main Rural and Islands Housing Fund in each year since the funds were launched in 2016-17, broken down by rural (mainland) and Islands is provided in the following table. The Rural and Island Housing Fund plays an important role …

9 May 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many homes have been built through the Islands Housing Fund in each year since 2016-17.

Answer · Paul McLennan: The number of homes completed through the Rural and Islands Housing Fund in each year since 2016-17, broken down by rural (mainland) and islands is provided in the following table. There are over 80 housing units currently on-site which are expected to comple…

8 May 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether the approach to counter allegations set out in the joint protocol on challenging domestic abuse is followed in practice by (a) reporting officers and (b) marking deputes.

Answer · Dorothy Bain: This question relates to a recommendation in the report on HM Inspectorate of Prosecution in Scotland (HMIPS)’s inspection of the prosecution of summary domestic abuse cases which was instructed by the Lord Advocate and was published on 17 April 2024. The re…

8 May 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that standard prosecution reports (SPRs) fully address the views of domestic abuse victims on any (a) court proceedings, (b) bail conditions and (c) non-harassment orders, and that the reasons for such domestic abuse victims’ views are fully explored an…

Answer · Dorothy Bain: This question relates to a recommendation in the report on HM Inspectorate of Prosecution in Scotland (HMIPS)’s inspection of the prosecution of summary domestic abuse cases which was instructed by the Lord Advocate and was published on 17 April 2024. The re…

8 May 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that prosecutors have sufficiently detailed information on any risk to domestic abuse victims, which could be passed on to the court when required.

Answer · Dorothy Bain: This question relates to a recommendation in the report on HM Inspectorate of Prosecution in Scotland (HMIPS)’s inspection of the prosecution of summary domestic abuse cases which was instructed by the Lord Advocate and was published on 17 April 2024. The re…

7 May 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service provides clear guidance to staff on when a domestic abuse victim should be informed of a decision to discontinue a case, and of their right to request a review of that decision.

Answer · Dorothy Bain: This question relates to a recommendation in the report on HM Inspectorate of Prosecution in Scotland (HMIPS)’s inspection of the prosecution of summary domestic abuse cases which was instructed by the Lord Advocate and was published on 17 April 2024. The re…

7 May 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service will be mandating domestic abuse training for its staff.

Answer · Dorothy Bain: This question relates to a recommendation in the report on HM Inspectorate of Prosecution in Scotland (HMIPS)’s inspection of the prosecution of summary domestic abuse cases which was instructed by the Lord Advocate and was published on 17 April 2024. The re…

7 May 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service is reviewing and streamlining the content of its domestic abuse training for its staff.

Answer · Dorothy Bain: This question relates to a recommendation in the report on HM Inspectorate of Prosecution in Scotland (HMIPS)’s inspection of the prosecution of summary domestic abuse cases which was instructed by the Lord Advocate and was published on 17 April 2024. The re…

23 Apr 2024 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to help local authorities tackle damp and mould in social housing.

5 Apr 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting local authorities to ensure that there is sufficient staff to invest in a significant scaling up of the prevention of homelessness activity.

Answer · Paul McLennan: The Scottish Government wants to see a renewed focus on the prevention of homelessness and this is underlined by the inclusion of the homelessness prevention provisions in the Housing (Scotland) Bill, introduced to the Scottish Parliament on 26 March 2024. A…

5 Apr 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to revising planning policies and/or regulations to facilitate faster decision making on certain types of applications, such as the delivery of affordable homes.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: Recent reforms to Scotland’s planning system are focused on facilitating delivery of high quality development, where and when it is needed. New legislation being implemented through the Planning (Scotland) Act 2019 and National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) is …

5 Apr 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting planning authorities to streamline their planning processes.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: We have already implemented significant reforms to the planning system to reduce pressures by streamlining processes and providing a robust and up to date policy framework. We have significantly extended permitted development rights, to remove certain applica…

5 Apr 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what immediate action it is taking to improve certainty for investors in the build-to-rent sector.

Answer · Paul McLennan: The Scottish Government has ongoing engagement with the Build to Rent sector including through recent Ministerial meetings and the Housing Investment Taskforce. We also continue to work with stakeholders across landlords, tenants and investors as we develop a…

20 Mar 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on whether it plans to introduce a new reporting system to record incidents of physical and verbal abuse in schools.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: Our national guidance on recording and monitoring incidents of bullying in schools makes clear that all schools and local authorities are expected to record all incidents of abusive or violent behaviour. In 2019, we introduced a consistent approach to record…

19 Mar 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on staff employed by (a) MSPs and (b) political parties being part of its expert advisory groups.

Answer · Shona Robison: Expert advisory groups are set up in response to the specific needs and demands of the individual policy context. Decisions on the need to set up such groups and membership are taken by the relevant Minister.

11 Mar 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on what alterations would need to be made to the PAS 9980 code of practice in order for it to work within the context of the Building (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2022.

Answer · Paul McLennan: The specification for the Single Building Assessment (SBA) is under development with an expected publication date of May 2024, initiated to give further clarity on the SBA process. When complete, the document will set out any divergence from the PAS 9980 for …

11 Mar 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what (a) discussions it has had regarding and (b) assessment it has made of using the PAS 9980 code of practice as the basis for the single building assessment in Scotland.

Answer · Paul McLennan: We are committed to engaging with stakeholders to help inform the specification of the Single Building Assessment (SBA). As part of this we established a Technical sub group, the SBA Task and Finish Group, which has met over the period November 2023 – March…

21 Feb 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-24936 by Jenny Gilruth on 21 February 2024, whether it will provide an update on what stage it is at with the development of its new digital strategy for education.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: Officials have been engaging with COSLA on partnership development of this strategy and are jointly planning stakeholder engagement which is expected to commence in the coming weeks.

21 Feb 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-24936 by Jenny Gilruth on 21 February 2024, when it will publish its new digital strategy for education.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The commitment to develop a new digital strategy for education was made in the 2023 Programme for Government and is expected to complete by Autumn 2024.

21 Feb 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it expects to publish its report following the consultation on draft guidance on the Delivery of relationships, sexual health and parenthood (RSHP) education in Scottish schools.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The responses to the consultation on the draft guidance on the Delivery of relationships, sexual health and parenthood (RSHP) education are currently being analysed ahead of the report being prepared for publication. The Scottish Government expects to publish…

16 Feb 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will commit to reviewing its guidance document, Supporting Transgender Pupils In Schools, in light of the publication of the full Cass Review.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: As is indicated in the answer to question S6W-25608 on 4 March 2024, the Scottish Government will review the Supporting Transgender Young People in Schools Guidance in due course. This would include taking account of any significant legislative or policy deve…

16 Feb 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will review the credibility, transferability and reliability of the statistics used to inform its guidance document, Supporting Transgender Pupils In Schools.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The Supporting Transgender Young People in Schools non-statutory guidance sets out a range of advice on legislation, policy and practice including illustrative examples of the concerns faced by young people through a range of statistical information. All stat…

16 Feb 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take to ensure that its guidance document, Supporting Transgender Pupils In Schools, accurately reflects the revised Equality and Human Rights Commission document, Technical guidance for schools in Scotland.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The non-statutory guidance on supporting Transgender Young People in Schools sets out a range of advice on legislation, policy and practice including illustrative examples. It is for education authorities and schools to use the guidance as they see fit, in li…

13 Feb 2024 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it is tackling NHS waiting times for conditions affecting children, adolescents and young adults.

9 Feb 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with local authorities regarding any pressures on housing and homelessness services as a result of its decision to remove local connection requirements for accessing homelessness services.

Answer · Paul McLennan: There are a number of avenues for local authorities to engage with Scottish Government on this issue including via the Housing Options Hubs, through the Local Connection Solutions Group and via the regular meetings between local authority and Scottish Governm…

9 Feb 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will conduct a review of the impact of its decision to remove local connection requirements for accessing homelessness services.

Answer · Paul McLennan: It would be premature to review the impact until at least a year of official data is available to allow for a proper assessment of the impact of the legislative change. This data will be provided as part of the Scottish Government homelessness annual statisti…

9 Feb 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what support it is providing to any local authorities that are experiencing growing pressures on housing and homelessness services as a result of its decision to remove local connection requirements for accessing homelessness services.

Answer · Paul McLennan: There is growing pressure on homelessness services and for some local authorities, including Glasgow and Edinburgh, the pressure is most keenly felt from the impact of the Home Office’s streamlined asylum process which is increasing demand for homelessness su…

9 Feb 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what specific actions it is taking to reduce waiting times for ear, nose and throat treatment.

Answer · Neil Gray: The Scottish Government commissioned Centre for Sustainable Delivery (CfSD) is playing a central role in working with Health Boards to ensure that they are able to continually identify new ways to increase capacity, and to respond to demand through service in…

9 Feb 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it is future-proofing the tertiary education sector against any geopolitical shocks.

Answer · Graeme Dey: In Scotland, colleges and universities are autonomous institutions with responsibility for business planning. This includes ensuring they meet the needs of students and the local economy and can respond to external factors, such as geopolitical shocks. The S…

8 Feb 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on progress on the objectives outlined in its publication, Scottish Mental Health Law Review: Our Response, which was published on 28 June 2023.

Answer · Maree Todd: In the June response we committed to establishing a new Mental Health and Capacity Reform Programme to co-ordinate and drive further change and improvement over time in line with the Scottish Mental Health Law Review ambitions. This Spring, we intend to publi…