Parliamentary questions
Alex Johnstone
582 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
19 Oct 2016 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assistance it provides to local authorities to deal with planning and enforcement issues on unauthorised Gypsy/Traveller sites.
28 Sep 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will reconsider the decision to move jury trials from Forfar to Dundee.
Answer · Annabelle Ewing: I refer the member to the answer to question S5O-00156 on 21 September 2016. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusine…
28 Sep 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what (a) analysis it has carried out of and (b) advice it has received regarding investing in housing stock unclaimed funds from tenancy deposit schemes.
Answer · Kevin Stewart: The laws governing the Schemes allow tenants to reclaim money owed to them at any time after the end of a tenancy. There is no statutory time limit. Nothing in the scheme rules provides for unclaimed money to be paid to anyone. Under the Housing (Scotland) A…
28 Sep 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what information it has regarding how much is held in tenancy deposit schemes that has not been reclaimed within one year of the tenancy ending; what it expects the amount will be in (a) 3, (b) 5, (c) 10, (d) 15 and (e) 20 years, and what the legal position is regarding how this unclaime…
Answer · Kevin Stewart: The Scottish Government does not hold information on the current or expected future value of deposits remaining unclaimed more than one year after the tenancy end date. Scheme administrators are required to hold a tenant's deposit in a designated account unt…
28 Sep 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how long unclaimed funds in tenancy deposit schemes must be retained by scheme administrators.
Answer · Kevin Stewart: Scheme administrators must hold a tenant’s deposit until it falls to be repaid at the end of the tenancy. If it is unclaimed they must hold it indefinitely in case it is claimed at a later date.
28 Sep 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what powers it has to direct tenancy deposit scheme administrators to reassign unclaimed funds.
Answer · Kevin Stewart: Scottish Ministers have approved three tenancy deposit schemes in Scotland on the basis that their proposals met the requirements of the Tenancy Deposit Schemes (Scotland) Regulations 2011. The laws governing the Schemes allow tenants to reclaim money owed t…
14 Sep 2016 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will reconsider the decision to move jury trials from Forfar to Dundee.
Answer · Annabelle Ewing: The administration of the courts is the responsibility of the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service under the leadership of the Lord President. The Courts Reform (Scotland) Act 2014 makes clear that the Sheriff Principal is responsible for the efficient dispo…
5 Sep 2016 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what progress it is making in providing high-speed broadband to rural areas and town centres that are served by exchange only lines.
29 Aug 2016 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the expected completion date is for the upgrading of the junction of the A937 with the A90 at Laurencekirk.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: As announced yesterday, Transport Scotland has now appointed a design consultant to take forward the next phases of design for the Laurencekirk junction upgrade including the identification of a preferred junction option, and preparation of draft road orders.…
7 Mar 2016 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the impact will be on staffing at universities in the north east of the planned 3.3% reduction in the higher education budget.
Answer · Angela Constance: In 2017 the Scottish Government will again invest more than £1 billion in our higher education sector – the fifth year in succession where investment has exceeded that figure. Levels of investment like these provide a stable base which enables our universitie…
2 Mar 2016 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Scottish Funding Council's announcement that the reduction to the higher education budget will prevent expansion of the widening access scheme.
22 Feb 2016 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether there is a satisfactory level of support for older people in north Angus with dementia.
15 Feb 2016 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what progress is being made in assisting farm businesses that have been affected by the recent winter flooding.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: Having recently visited flooded farms, I’ve seen first-hand the devastation that flooding can cause. The Scottish Government has made £16 million of funding available to help flood hit communities across Scotland. This includes grants of £1,500 to househol…
5 Jan 2016 · Topical Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking in response to the recent flooding.
7 Dec 2015 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to invest in flood defences for areas deemed to be at risk.
16 Nov 2015 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether, in light of reported evidence of injury to working dogs, it will revoke the ban on tail docking in breeds that have traditionally been docked for their own protection and safety.
9 Nov 2015 · Topical Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has determined the number of homes that are immediately available to house refugees in Scotland.
10 Sep 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what sources of private rental data it uses to prepare its statistics on private rents.
Answer · Margaret Burgess: Information on the source data collection methodology for Private Sector Rent Statistics, Scotland 2010 to 2014 is available in Annex C of the statistical publication at: http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2014/11/2313.
10 Sep 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the Bank of England regarding its assessment of the financial stability risks associated with buy-to-let investors exiting the market and how this might impact on Scotland.
Answer · Margaret Burgess: The Scottish Government has not had discussions with the Bank of England regarding its assessment of the financial stability risks associated with buy-to-let investors exiting the market and how this might impact on Scotland. The Bank of England has responsib…
10 Sep 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with institutional investors regarding the impact that local rent controls might have on investment in new private rental developments.
Answer · Margaret Burgess: Local rent controls formed part of the Scottish Government’s proposals in the Second Consultation on a New Tenancy for the Private Sector and a number of institutional investors commented on the approach outlined. The Private Rented Sector (PRS) Champion and …
10 Sep 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it (a) collects and (b) interprets data regarding the operation of the private rented sector.
Answer · Margaret Burgess: The Scottish Government collects data on the private rented sector through sources such as the Rent Service Scotland Market Evidence Database, the Scottish Household Survey, and the associated Scottish House Condition Survey module. Information from these sou…
10 Sep 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact on the levels of private investment in the private rented sector of the proposed system of local rent controls.
Answer · Margaret Burgess: The impact upon business of the proposed system of local rent controls will be outlined in the Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment, which will be published on the Scottish Government’s website the day after the Private Tenancies Bill is introduced to Pa…
10 Sep 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what consultation it has carried out with local authorities regarding the implementation of local rent controls.
Answer · Margaret Burgess: Local rent controls formed part of the Scottish Government’s proposals in the second consultation on a new tenancy for the private sector and sixteen local authorities commented on the approach outlined.
10 Sep 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many landlords have been (a) convicted and (b) sanctioned under the Landlord Registration Scheme.
Answer · Margaret Burgess: Responsibility for administration of the Landlord Registration Scheme rests with local authorities and Information on the number of prosecutions is not held by the Scottish Government. The Scottish Government does monitor local authority Landlord registration…
10 Sep 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much the Landlord Registration Scheme has received from (a) it and (b) other sources.
Answer · Margaret Burgess: Since 2006, £20.7 million has been paid by landlords making online fee payments to local authorities. The Scottish Government does not keep figures for payments made in offline applications or by invoiced payments made directly to local authorities. These fee…
10 Sep 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the effectiveness of the Landlord Registration Scheme.
Answer · Margaret Burgess: Private landlords make a significant contribution to meeting housing need in Scotland. Private landlord registration is a key tool to raise standards of accommodation and management in the private rented sector. Since its introduction, there have been over 25…
10 Sep 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to encourage the (a) construction and (b) development of private rental properties in (i) Edinburgh, (ii) Glasgow and (iii) Aberdeen.
Answer · Alex Neil: Following on from its support for the industry-led Building the Rented Sector Study in 2013, the Scottish Government is funding the new Private Rented Sector (PRS) Champion, appointed by Homes for Scotland. The Champion works with the house building industry …
10 Sep 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has had discussions with the (a) German and (b) Swedish Government about the efficacy of a system of rent controls and, if so, what the outcome was.
Answer · Margaret Burgess: The Scottish Government has not had any discussions with either the German or Swedish governments.
10 Sep 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on whether the introduction of local rent controls in other countries has impacted on the level of new housing supply.
Answer · Margaret Burgess: The Scottish Government does not hold any information on whether the introduction of local rent controls in other countries has impacted on the level of new housing supply.
10 Sep 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of local rent controls on the housing supply.
Answer · Margaret Burgess: The Scottish Government has assessed the impact of local rent controls on the private rented sector in the Private Tenancies Bill Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment, which will be published on the Scottish Government’s website shortly.