Parliamentary questions
Sarah Boyack
2,373 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
12 Mar 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that some landlords applying to the First Tier Tribunal (Housing and Property Chamber) to seek an eviction order face at least a six-month wait for their case to be heard.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: The scheduling and management of cases is a matter for the Chamber and the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service.There are multiple factors which can impact the timescales for cases to be heard, such as the volume and complexity of legal issues or evidence to…
12 Mar 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what seed funding has been allocated to the Scottish Marine Recovery fund in its Budget 2026-27 to allow its establishment.
Answer · Gillian Martin: The Scottish Government has not allocated seed funding for the Scottish Marine Recovery Fund (MRF) within the 2026–27 Scottish Budget as development of a comprehensive suite of compensatory measures to be used by the MRF has to be completed first. This …
12 Mar 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when the Scottish Marine Recovery Fund is expected to be accessible for renewable energy developers.
Answer · Gillian Martin: The Scottish Government recognises the urgency of establishing a Scottish Marine Recovery Fund (MRF). We are actively prioritising its delivery, and the completion of relevant policy development and due diligence, to ensure establishment can happen at the ear…
12 Mar 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what timelines officials are working towards to ensure that the Scottish Marine Recovery Fund is set up and accessible as soon as possible, and specifically, what progress has been made in identifying a suitable quantum of measures that will be operationally deliverable.
Answer · Gillian Martin: I refer the member to the answers to questions S6W-44340 on 19 March 2026, S6W-44341on 24 March 2026 and S6W-44342 on 19 March 2026. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be…
12 Mar 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made in the establishment of the Scottish Marine Recovery Fund.
Answer · Gillian Martin: The Scottish Government is working at pace to secure delegated functions from the UK Government to operate the Scottish Marine Recovery Fund (MRF), reflecting the UK Government’s reserved competence in this area.In parallel, development of the fund&rsqu…
11 Mar 2026 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the regulatory framework currently in place to monitor the development and operation of data centres in Scotland, in relation to ensuring that their energy use, water consumption and any environmental impacts are being effectively controlled.
9 Mar 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on the number of households that do not have central heating, broken down by age for those over (a) 67, (b) 70 and (c) 75.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: The Scottish House Condition Survey (SHCS) provides a snapshot of the Scottish housing stock in each survey year including the construction age and built form of Scottish domestic buildings. Within this it records if a dwelling has the presence of full or par…
9 Mar 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether its heat decarbonisation policy supports the deployment of solar photovoltaic (PV) panels, alongside batteries and heat pumps.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: We support the use of solar PV panels, alongside a range of technologies including batteries and heat pumps, to decarbonise existing homes. To allow us to target finite budgets where they have the greatest impact, we fund these technologies through our fuel p…
9 Mar 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the recent findings by the Grantham Research Institute in its report on the impacts of Home Energy Scotland loans for solar and storage, Adoption, incidence and welfare impacts of interest-free loans: evidence from solar PV, whether it will reconside…
Answer · Mairi McAllan: The Scottish Government funds solar PV through schemes which are aimed at supporting those on lower incomes to reduce fuel poverty. We helped thousands of households to benefit from free electricity last year as part of our Area Based Schemes and national War…
9 Mar 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, should any Barnett consequential funding arise from the forthcoming UK Warm Homes Plan, whether it plans to use that funding to support solar and battery deployment programmes.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: All Warm Homes Plan funding was announced in the UK Government's Autumn Budget on 27 November 2025.Scottish Budget allocations were confirmed in the Scottish Budget published on 6 March, which included an allocation of £300 million for Heat in Building …
9 Mar 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding any potential Barnett consequential funding arising from the forthcoming UK Warm Homes Plan, and whether it will publish any records of those discussions.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: All Warm Homes Plan funding was announced in the UK Government's Autumn Budget on 27 November 2025. Scottish Budget allocations were confirmed in the Scottish Budget published on 6 March, which included an allocation of £300 million for Heat in Building…
9 Mar 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any potential for so-called zero bill homes of combining the deployment of solar photovoltaic (PV) panels, batteries and heat pumps, and whether it will publish any such analysis.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: The Scottish Government is supportive of market innovations which deliver lower bills for households as well as providing benefits to decarbonisation and our New Build Heat Standard has created regulatory certainty for developers and energy suppliers to innov…
4 Mar 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government where local BSL-plan redesign results in increased safeguarding or access risks, what oversight or intervention mechanisms are available.
Answer · Kate Forbes: The Scottish Government does not have a regulatory function under the BSL (Scotland) Act 2015, nor does the Act have provisions in place specifically in relation to safeguarding. BSL local plans are the responsibility of listed authorities as designated under…
4 Mar 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what method it uses to monitor whether local BSL plans are delivering equitable outcomes in practice.
Answer · Kate Forbes: The Scottish Government does not have a regulatory function over BSL local plans under the British Sign Language (Scotland) Act 2015. We fund British Deaf Association (BDA) Scotland and the Health and Social Care ALLIANCE Scotland (the ALLIANCE) to support li…
4 Mar 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assurance it can provide that mainstream insourcing models deliver culturally competent, BSL-first, support rather than interpreted access alone.
Answer · Kate Forbes: The British Sign Language (Scotland) Act 2015 requires Scottish Ministers and listed authorities, as set out within the Act, to promote, and facilitate the promotion of, use and understanding of BSL within their services and functions. The BSL National Plan 2…
4 Mar 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment has been made of the cumulative removal of specialist deaf-led provision in Edinburgh.
Answer · Jenni Minto: All organisations, including local authorities, must meet their obligations under the Equality Act 2010, including the duty to avoid placing deaf people at a disadvantage when making decisions about services. The Scottish Government continues to engage with E…
26 Feb 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking, in partnership with Scottish Water, to plan for and respond to long-term water resource pressures highlighted in the recent UN report on global water scarcity, and what assessment it has made of any impact of the reduction in Scottish Water’s budget on fut…
Answer · Gillian Martin: Scottish Water’s Long-Term Strategy recognises the pressures on its water resources and supplies over the next 25 years as a result of climate change and changing demographics across Scotland. Options to address these challenges will consider a range of…
26 Feb 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that Scottish Water’s 25-year sustainability plan is adequately funded, monitored and stress tested against worst-case climate scenarios.
Answer · Gillian Martin: The Scottish Government is currently consulting on draft Ministerial Objectives for 2027-33. These are proposed to help address the challenges faced by the water industry, including adapting to climate change. They are aligned with our long-term Water Sector …
26 Feb 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure transparent public reporting on water scarcity indicators, drought risk levels and associated infrastructure vulnerabilities.
Answer · Gillian Martin: Scotland’s National Water Scarcity Plan sets out how water resources are managed prior to, and during, periods of prolonged dry weather. Water scarcity indicators and seasonal conditions are reported publicly through SEPA’s weekly and seasonal rep…
26 Feb 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what specific long-term modelling it has selected, alongside Scottish Water, to undertake an assessment of drought risks over the next 25 years.
Answer · Gillian Martin: Scottish Water has recently updated its projections for the availability of water from its sources, using the UK Climate Projections (UKCP18) based on 2-degree and 4-degree scenarios, in line with advice from the Climate Change Committee. For areas where dema…
17 Feb 2026 · Written Question
17 Feb 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what financial support and guidance it is providing to local authorities, in light of the potential for council and community-owned heat networks to provide accountable and affordable low carbon heat for homes and buildings.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: Our Heat Network Support Unit (HNSU) offers advice and grant funding for the pre-capital stages development including for feasibility studies, Outline Business Cases and strategic heat network support for local authorities to build on their Local Heat and Ene…
17 Feb 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will outline its plans to increase the number of heat network consumers from 1.1% of households, in light of its potential as an affordable, low carbon heating option for consumers.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: The Heat Networks Delivery Plan (HNDP), published in March 2022, and the first Review Report, published March 2024, outlines how the Scottish Government will contribute to increasing the use of heat networks in Scotland and meeting the statutory targets. The …
17 Feb 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding its plans to ensure that heat networks remain a fair and affordable heating solution for households in Scotland, in light of reports of high, varied and volatile pricing experiences by consumers.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: Consumer protection including the price of heat is a reserved matter. We are working with the UK Government and Ofgem to support the introduction of GB-wide heat network authorisations under the UK Energy Act 2023. Authorisations came into effect in January 2…
17 Feb 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to raise awareness of heat networks amongst consumers, in light of Consumer Scotland’s report, Challenges facing heat network consumers in Scotland, which highlighted a lack of public understanding of heat networks.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: The Scottish Government provides core funding to Consumer Scotland to advocate on behalf of Scottish consumers and consider Scottish specific issues, such as those highlighted in this report. My officials will continue to meet regularly with Consumer Scotland…
17 Feb 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government which resources it plans to provide to consumers on existing heat networks in order to ensure that they are aware of their rights.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: Heat network consumer advice is provided by Advice Direct Scotland, funded by Consumer Scotland.Following the GB wide authorisations which came into force on 27 January 2026 and included consumer protections, Consumer Scotland, Advice Direct Scotland, and Cit…
5 Feb 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason, in its draft Budget 2026-27, the (a) funding for Energy Transitions has been significantly reduced, and (b) Just Transition Fund has been held at a flat cash level, despite the stated commitment to deliver £500 million over 10 years, which current allocations would…
Answer · Gillian Martin: The Scottish Government is absolutely committed to supporting a just transition to net zero for workers, communities and businesses. Through initiatives such as the Just Transition Fund and the Energy Transition Fund, we have invested £120m in the North…
5 Feb 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many projects it estimates will be supported by Recovery funding from the Community and Renewable Energy Scheme (CARES), following the reported 27% reduction in the fund’s budget.
Answer · Gillian Martin: Planning for Community and Renewable Energy Scheme (CARES) funding for 2026-27 is currently ongoing.We are committed to working with partners to continue to grow the community energy sector, including by investing in CARES. We want to ensure that the delivery…
5 Feb 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of indications that the capital funding allocation for climate action lies in the local government budget, whether it will set out what (a) funding is in place for flood defence projects across Scotland, and (b) the total amount being provided for this …
Answer · Gillian Martin: Ministers and COSLA Leaders have agreed that £42m from the General Capital Grant will be distributed for flood resilience in 2026-27. The Draft Budget also includes £20m of capital funding for the Climate Emergency, and £15.5 for Inter Islan…
5 Feb 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many projects have been delivered or supported through Recovery funding from the Community and Renewable Energy Scheme (CARES) to date.
Answer · Gillian Martin: The Scottish Government’s Community and Renewable Energy Scheme (CARES), continues to play a central role in supporting communities to engage with, participate in, and benefit from Scotland’s transition to net zero emissions.In 2024-25, CARES Reco…