Parliamentary questions

Liam McArthur

3,644 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

24 Jul 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the (a) longest and (b) average time spent on remand was in (i) 2020-21, (ii) 2021-22 and (iii) 2022-23, also broken down by ethnic group.

Answer · Angela Constance: The following table shows the average (median) and longest continuous time (expressed in days) spent on remand before transition to the sentenced population or departure, in 2020-21 and 2021-22. Data for 2022-23 is not yet available. Table 1: Average (median…

24 Jul 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many people in total are currently being held on remand, and what the (a) longest and (b) average time spent on remand is among those people, broken down by ethnic group.

Answer · Angela Constance: As of the morning of 1 August 2023 there were 2,275 people on remand. The following table shows the average (median) and longest (maximum) continuous time (expressed in days) spent on remand, by ethnic grouping. The start date of this collection imposes an u…

19 Jul 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding the introduction of Road Equivalent Tariff on ferry routes across the Pentland Firth.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Transport Scotland is considering future ferry fares policy as part of the Islands Connectivity Plan alongside our wider Fair Fares Review, which will report by the end of 2023 and recommend a package of measures which can be considered for implementation fro…

17 Jul 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much capital spending was allocated to each local authority in each of the last 10 years.

Answer · Tom Arthur: The capital funding provided by the Scottish Government to individual local authorities is included in the Local Government Finance Circulars. Local government finance circulars - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) Local authorities in Scotland also have a statutory …

17 Jul 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of spending on the Road Equivalent Tariff, by (a) route and (b) carrier, in each year since it was introduced.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The spending on RET is not recorded separately. Since the start of new Clyde & Hebrides Ferry Service contract in 2016, Transport Scotland pays CalMac Ferries Limited, as the operator, a monthly grant payment which covers costs to operate the network as a who…

4 Jul 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has confirmed when the ferries task force will next meet, and which ministers will be attending.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: I will attend the next meeting of the Orkney Internal Ferry Replacement Task Force, now confirmed for 17 August in Orkney. Future meetings will be led by the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Finance with my support.

3 Jul 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of confirmation by Home Energy Scotland that the installation of solar PV and/or energy storage systems will now only be eligible for funding as part of a package that includes other measures, which minister approved this decision.

Answer · Patrick Harvie: I approved this decision as Minister for Zero Carbon Buildings, Active Travel and Tenants' Rights. For the reasons behind this decision, I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-19607 on 28 July 2023 . All answers to written Parliamentary Questions a…

3 Jul 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many households have received Home Energy Scotland funding to install solar PV and/or energy storage systems only, rather than as part of a wider retrofitting package, in each of the last five years, also broken down by local authority area.

Answer · Patrick Harvie: Home Energy Scotland (HES) Grant and Loan Scheme The following table sets out the number of households who have received funding through the HES Grant and Loan Scheme (formerly HES Loan and Cashback Scheme) for solar PV/energy storage systems where not insta…

3 Jul 2023 · Written Question

Answer · Patrick Harvie: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-19607 on 28 July 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…

3 Jul 2023 · Written Question

Answer · Patrick Harvie: The requested figures for live applications for loans for standalone solar PV/energy storage systems not being installed as part of a package including a certified renewable heating system are set out in the following table. These applications were submitted …

3 Jul 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding has been distributed to installation projects involving solar PV and/or energy storage systems only, rather than as part of a wider retrofitting package, in each of the last five years, also broken down by local authority area.

Answer · Patrick Harvie: The following response sets out the funding information for solar PV/energy storage systems not installed with a renewable heating or energy efficiency measure across the Scottish Government’s heat in buildings schemes for domestic properties. Home Energy Sc…

3 Jul 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of confirmation by Home Energy Scotland (HES) that the installation of solar PV and/or energy storage systems will now only be eligible for funding as part of a package that includes other measures, how much energy it estimates has been generated in each of the last five years …

Answer · Patrick Harvie: The requested figures for the estimated energy generation of standalone solar PV measures supported by Home Energy Scotland (HES) Grant and Loan Scheme (formerly HES Loan and Cashback Scheme) are set out in the following table. Figures show the estimated ener…

22 Jun 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-18957 by Fiona Hyslop on 22 June 2023, how much (a) public and (b) private investment has been allocated so far, broken down by funding recipient.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: A total of £4,480,000 of public funding has been allocated so far by Transport Scotland through the Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Fund. This is an allocation of £140,000 to each Scottish local authority to enable the development and delivery of public elect…

22 Jun 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-18957 by Fiona Hyslop on 22 June 2023, how much funding it plans to allocate in each year of the current parliamentary session.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The amount of funding allocated by the Scottish Government in each year of the Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Fund, will be informed by Strategies and Infrastructure Expansion Plans currently being developed and delivered by Scotland’s local authorities and …

16 Jun 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-17755 by Jenny Gilruth on 16 May 2023, whether it will provide details of the outcome of the discussions with the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs on the points raised.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: I met with the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Use and Islands on 27 June to discuss a number of issues which are of mutual interest. We have agreed to take forward further work with officials over the summer.

15 Jun 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to make its next report to the Parliament on Marine Protected Areas.

Answer · Mairi McAllan: As required by Section 103 of the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010, the next report to the Scottish Parliament on Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) will be published in 2024. Reporting occurs in a 6-year cycle. The last report was published in 2018, and is available he…

15 Jun 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government which Marine Protected Area sites are being monitored ahead of the next report to the Parliament.

Answer · Mairi McAllan: The Scottish MPA Monitoring Strategy sets out our approach to monitoring and ensures that the necessary evidence continues to be collected from the MPA network. A risk-based approach is used to provide a logical framework for planning and prioritising monitor…

13 Jun 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has carried out an Island Communities Impact Assessment in relation to the Visitor Levy (Scotland) Bill, and, if not, whether it plans to do so.

Answer · Tom Arthur: The Scottish Government has undertaken an Island Communities Impact Assessment for the Visitor Levy (Scotland) Bill. The findings from our assessment are published in the Visitor Levy (Scotland) Bill: island communities impact assessment on 25 May 2023.

13 Jun 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to S6W-14049 by Keith Brown on 30 January 2023, in light of the anticipated date of spring 2023 having passed, when it now anticipates that the Scottish Prison Service will publish its revised mental health strategy for people in custody.

Answer · Angela Constance: I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows: SPS now anticipate the publication of the Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy to be completed by end of October 2023. Competing prio…

12 Jun 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the recent ruling on the judicial review of the City of Edinburgh Council's short-term lets licensing scheme, whether it will detail the timeframes for the implementation of short-term lets legislation.

Answer · Paul McLennan: The judicial review decision about the City of Edinburgh Council's short-term lets licensing policy does not affect the timeframes for the implementation of short-term lets licensing as set out in legislation. Since 1 October 2022, new short-term let hosts m…

12 Jun 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the recent ruling on the judicial review of the City of Edinburgh Council's short-term lets licensing scheme, whether it is considering a review of short-term lets legislation, and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.

Answer · Paul McLennan: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-19106 on 29 June 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…

9 Jun 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide the full membership of the New Deal for Business Group, co-chaired by the Cabinet Secretary for Wellbeing Economy, Fair Work and Energy.

Answer · Neil Gray: The New Deal for Business Group membership is now published on the Scottish Government Website ( Business: New Deal for Business Group - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) . Representation is across a range of business sectors, sizes and locations in both the Group&rs…

6 Jun 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans there are to establish a dedicated space to address the role of Scotland in empire, colonialism and slavery, as recommended by the Empire, Slavery & Scotland’s Museums steering group.

Answer · Christina McKelvie: I am carefully considering the Scottish Government’s response to the steering group’s recommendations, including the one which focused on establishing a new organisation to create a dedicated space to address the legacy of colonialism in Scotland. This is an …

5 Jun 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many new public electric vehicle (EV) charging stations have opened in Scotland in each of the last 12 months, and how many there now are in total.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Since 2011, the Scottish Government has invested over £65m to develop the ChargePlace Scotland network of publicly available charge points, which is now the fifth largest network in the UK with over 2500 charge points. A total of 299 charge points were commi…

5 Jun 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports that ChargePlace Scotland will be brought under private ownership, how it will guarantee that rural and island areas will receive sufficient electric vehicle (EV) charger coverage and operational support under a private ownership model to meet local demand and suppor…

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: ChargePlace Scotland’s charging assets are owned by over 400 separate organisations across the public, private and third sectors and therefore are not all in public ownership. These organisations are responsible for procurement, maintenance and commercial dec…

5 Jun 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to its commitment to provide £60 million of public and private investment in Scotland's electric vehicle (EV) charging network, how much public funding it plans to allocate to this commitment in each of the next five years.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: A total of £30m of Scottish Government funding is being made available through the Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Fund to support the aim of doubling the public network to 6,000 charge points by 2026; with the expectation of leveraging an additional £30m fro…

5 Jun 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports that ChargePlace Scotland will be brought under private ownership, on what date it anticipates this will take place.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The Scottish Government has not made a decision to privatise charge points on the ChargePlace Scotland network. ChargePlace Scotland’s charging assets are owned by over 400 separate organisations across the public, private and third sectors and therefore are…

5 Jun 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to its commitment to provide £60 million of public and private investment in Scotland's electric vehicle (EV) charging network, how it will ensure that sufficient private investment is secured to achieve this goal.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Transport Scotland’s joint report with Scottish Futures Trust published in July 2021 highlighted the opportunities to leverage the investment, skills and resources of the private sector to grow Scotland’s public electric vehicle charging network at the scale …

23 May 2023 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of Ofcom’s latest Connected Nations update, whether it will provide an update on superfast broadband roll-out in Orkney.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The investment of over £400 million that we are making through the R100 North contract is directly benefitting communities on the Orkney Islands. Building on the seven new subsea fibre optic cables connecting islands across Orkney concluded last year, with te…

23 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-17663 by Lorna Slater on 23 May 2023, whether it will provide an answer to the question that was asked about which (a) businesses and (b) trade associations have confirmed to the Minister for Green Skills, Circular Economy and Biodiversity that thei…

Answer · Lorna Slater: As set out in the response to S6W-17663, the Scottish Government and delivery partners such as Circularity Scotland, SEPA and Zero Waste Scotland continue to regularly engage directly with businesses to ensure all involved are ready for successful launch of t…