Parliamentary questions
Craig Hoy
1,298 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
12 Aug 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what consultation took place with (a) the social care sector, (b) trade unions, (c) third sector and charitable organisations, and (d) local authorities prior to the publication of A National Care Service for Scotland – Consultation.
Answer · Kevin Stewart: The proposals contained in the National Care Service consultation paper are based on the findings of the Independent Review of Adult Social Care (IRASC), which engaged extensively with people and organisations who have lived experience of using social care, i…
12 Aug 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what research and analysis it has (a) conducted and (b) commissioned to inform its position on whether (i) children’s (ii) social work, (iii) mental health, (iv) alcohol and drugs, (v) justice social work and (vi) elements of prison services should be incorporated into the jurisdiction o…
Answer · Kevin Stewart: All of the services highlighted in the question, apart from social care in prisons, must or can currently be delegated to integration authorities. The Independent Review of Adult Social Care recommended the formation of a National Care Service, and the reform…
12 Aug 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to improve the train line between North Berwick and Edinburgh to (a) reduce journey times and (b) increase the number of daily services.
Answer · Graeme Dey: Portobello to Newcraighall enhancements is a package of works which is being considered as part of the ‘pipeline-based approach’ to rail development and delivery. The project considers the railway infrastructure between Portobello and Newcraighall Junctions a…
9 Aug 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how (a) many flood defence schemes it has (i) commissioned and (ii) completed and (b) much it has spent on flood defences in each local authority area in the South Scotland parliamentary region in each year since 2011.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: Local authorities are responsible for commissioning and delivering flood protection schemes. In recognition of the importance of reducing flood risk the Scottish Government has provided, since 2007, a total of £42 million a year through the General Capital Gr…
9 Aug 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government by what date it will publish the findings of the review of two-metre social distancing restrictions in NHS settings.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: From 9 August, national guidance was updated to remove physical distancing requirements in most settings. This, however, did not extend to health and social care settings. On 11 August, the Chief Nursing Officer Directorate (CNOD) commissioned NSS Antimicrob…
9 Aug 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what impact two-metre social distancing restrictions in NHS settings have had on capacity and throughput in outpatient settings.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring there is resilience and capacity in the health and social care system to aid us in our mobilisation, support staff to recover from previous COVID-19 waves, and to manage the need to remain vigilant against any …
2 Aug 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to introduce a travel test package of NHS COVID-19 tests, offered at a fixed price, for travellers returning to Scotland, similar to that provided for travellers returning to Wales.
Answer · Maree Todd: The Scottish Government currently only allows travellers returning from green and amber list countries to use NHS Covid-19 tests. These home PCR kits are sold at a fixed price and can be booked through CTM, the UK Government’s booking portal for internationa…
20 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many of the cases considered by the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland housing and property chamber were found in favour of the (a) complainant and (b) property factor since 2011.
Answer · Keith Brown: “This question relates to operational matters that are the responsibility of the Scottish Court and Tribunals Service (SCTS) corporate body. The question has been passed to the Chief Executive of the SCTS who will reply in writing within 20 days” .
20 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on which property factors have been issued property factor enforcement orders in each year since 2011, also broken down by how many orders each factor was issued with.
Answer · Keith Brown: "This question relates to operational matters that are the responsibility of the Scottish Court and Tribunals Service (SCTS) corporate body. The question has been passed to the Chief Executive of the SCTS who will reply in writing within 20 days” .
20 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many property factor enforcement orders have been made against property factors by the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland housing and property chamber in each year since 2011.
Answer · Keith Brown: This question relates to operational matters that are the responsibility of the Scottish Court and Tribunals Service (SCTS) corporate body. The question has been passed to the Chief Executive of the SCTS who will reply in writing within 20 days.
20 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many complaints against property factors have been brought to the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland housing and property chamber in each year since 2011, and, of these, how many were brought as a result of the property factor failing to (a) carry out their duties and (b) comply with t…
Answer · Keith Brown: This question relates to operational matters that are the responsibility of the Scottish Court and Tribunals Service (SCTS) corporate body. The question has been passed to the Chief Executive of the SCTS who will reply in writing within 20 days
20 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many cases there have been of property factors operating without the appropriate (a) registration, and (b) approval through the property factor register, in each year since 2011.
Answer · Shona Robison: It is not possible to know how many factors have been operating without registration each year. Where the Scottish Ministers are made aware of a property factor operating without registration we will take action where there is evidence to support the allega…
20 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to broaden the remit of the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland housing and property chamber to consider whether the fee charged by a property factor is (a) excessive, or (b) otherwise unjustified.
Answer · Shona Robison: The Code of Conduct for Property Factors sets out minimum standards of practice and encourages transparency, while ensuring that homeowners know what to expect from their property factors. A revised Code of Conduct for Property Factors was approved by resolut…
20 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many property factors have been de-registered in each year since 2011, broken down by whether the factor was deregistered due to (a) no longer being considered to be a fit and proper person to be registered as a property factor, (b) having failed to comply with the obligation to incl…
Answer · Shona Robison: The information requested is contained in the following table: Year (See Note 1) Number removed from the register of property factors (See Note 2) Removed under S4(7) as registration expired after 3 year period without an application for renewal Removed…
20 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many property factors have been registered, as required by the Property Factors (Scotland) Act 2011, in each year since 2011, broken down by (a) those remaining on the register, (b) those who have been newly admitted to the register, and (c) those who have been removed from the regis…
Answer · Shona Robison: The information requested is contained in the following table: Year (See Note 1) Number registered Number remaining on register Number newly admitted to register Number removed from register (See Note 2) 2011 N/A N/A N/A N/A 2012 242 N/A 242 …
20 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many property factor enforcement orders have been challenged in the Sheriff Court, and, of those challenges, how many were successfully challenged by property factors.
Answer · Keith Brown: This question relates to operational matters that are the responsibility of the Scottish Court and Tribunals Service (SCTS) corporate body. The question has been passed to the Chief Executive of the SCTS who will reply in writing within 20 days”.
16 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has plans to make it easier for homeowners to take action against housing developers for poor construction.
Answer · Shona Robison: In the UK warranties for new-build residential homes typically consist of a two-year ‘developer warranty’, followed by a further eight years of structural cover. A warranty on a new build property is a type of insurance policy, meaning that any changes to the…
16 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to strengthen the regulation of building standards for new-build residential developments.
Answer · Shona Robison: The Building Standards Futures Board was established in 2019 to provide guidance and direction on the development and implementation of recommendations made by the Compliance and Enforcement and Fire Safety Review Panels. The Futures Board covers a number of…
16 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to update building standards regulations to require higher energy-efficiency standards for new-build residential developments.
Answer · Shona Robison: A review of the energy standards of the Scottish building regulations is currently under way. This is considering options to further improve the energy performance of both new residential developments and all other new buildings. It also considers the energy …
16 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to increase the warranty offered on new-build residential developments, beyond two years.
Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government is working with the UK Government to explore how the proposed New Homes Ombudsman scheme, within the UK Building Safety Bill, could operate in Scotland. The aims of the scheme are to provide better protection to consumers purchasing ne…
7 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has plans to require dog walking businesses to be licensed.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: Professional dog walkers, like dog owners, are subject to a number of laws relating to dog welfare and control. The majority of dog walkers are likely to operate sensibly and responsibly; however, the profession itself is currently unregulated and the Scottis…
7 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that holders of Saltire+1 entitlement cards can book discounted travel for their companions online.
Answer · Graeme Dey: Under the National Concessionary Bus Travel Scheme for Older and Disabled People, a holder of a +1 National Entitlement Card is entitled to free bus travel for themselves and a companion travelling together with them for the same journey on local registered a…
7 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that transport operators provide 50% concessionary travel to the companions of holders of Saltire+1 entitlement cards on public transport across all local authority areas.
Answer · Graeme Dey: Under the National Concessionary Bus Travel Scheme for Older and Disabled People, a holder of a +1 National Entitlement Card is entitled to free bus travel for themselves and a companion travelling together with them for the same journey on local registered a…
7 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many people have a Saltire+1 national entitlement card; how much the scheme costs to operate each year, and who is responsible for funding it.
Answer · Graeme Dey: As of June 2021, there are 114,738 registered companion (+1) cardholders eligible to access the Scotland-Wide Free Bus Travel Scheme for Older and Disabled People (the Scheme). The Scheme is administered by Transport Scotland on behalf on the Scottish Govern…
5 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it will (a) monitor and (b) evaluate the performance of Circularity Scotland as the administrator of the Deposit Return Scheme.
Answer · Michael Matheson: It will be for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency as regulator of Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) to assess Circularity Scotland’s performance of its obligations under the DRS Regulations. We are currently considering our approach to wider mon…
5 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of whether SEPA would be able to enforce the Deposit Return Scheme in the rest of the UK.
Answer · Michael Matheson: SEPA has the ability to carry out enforcement and investigatory activity in relation to compliance with the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) Regulations of businesses based outside Scotland, although their powers will not be as extensive as they would be in relati…
5 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has assessed the implications of the United Kingdom Internal Market Act 2020 on the Deposit Return Scheme.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The UK Internal Market Act was imposed on the rest of the UK by the UK Government, despite the refusal of consent from the Scottish and Welsh Parliaments, and poses a direct threat to Scotland’s ability to exercise devolved decision-making across a wide range…
15 Jun 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many empty (a) private, and (b) public sector residential properties there have been in each local authority area in the South Scotland parliamentary region, in each year since 2011.
Answer · Shona Robison: The information requested can be found here: Housing statistics: Empty properties and second homes - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) . Please note the figures provided for each local authority area do not differentiate between the different types of empty property.
15 Jun 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many homes in each local authority area in the South Scotland parliamentary region have been returned to use with support from the Scottish Empty Homes Partnership, in each year since 2011.
Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government does not hold a breakdown of the requested figures by local authority area. The annual figures are shown in the following table: Year Number of homes brought back into use 2011-12 4 2012-13 76 2013-14 278 2014-15 560 2015-16…
15 Jun 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many empty commercial properties there have been in each local authority in the South Scotland parliamentary region, in each year since 2011.
Answer · Tom Arthur: The following table shows the number of properties receiving a non-domestic rates relief or exemption from rates for unoccupied properties since 2011, except for 2014 and 2017 as no data is available for those years. The figures are as at the snapshot date an…