Parliamentary questions
Liam McArthur
3,644 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
22 Apr 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether Ferguson Marine should adhere to the Scottish Government publication, Guidance on due diligence: human rights, before engaging in any investment relationship involving the construction of sea vessels, and, if it considers that Ferguson Marine should adhere…
Answer · Kate Forbes: We expect all public bodies, including Ferguson Marine, to adhere to existing Scottish Government guidance on due diligence and human rights.
13 Apr 2022 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting the agricultural and fishing industries with rising fuel costs.
28 Mar 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-06408 by Jamie Hepburn on 4 March 2022, on what date it anticipates the consultation on the proposed Scottish Exchange Programme will be launched.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: Currently, Scottish Government have no confirmed timetable for a consultation process for the proposed Scottish Education Exchange programme. However, the Scottish Government have had and continue to have discussions with stakeholders in higher and further ed…
28 Mar 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-06064 by Michael Matheson on 22 February 2022, whether it expects Crown Estate Scotland to have acted, specifically, in accordance with the Scottish Government publication, Guidance on due diligence: human rights, to conduct checks on the organisati…
Answer · Michael Matheson: As outlined in my response on 22 February 2022, Crown Estate Scotland is responsible for the ScotWind leasing and selection process. We expect Crown Estate Scotland to undertake appropriate due diligence on companies, including their human rights record, in …
22 Mar 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what support it is providing to ensure that rental properties in rural and island communities meet energy performance certificate (EPC) rating standards.
Answer · Patrick Harvie: The Private Sector Landlord specialist advice service, run by Home Energy Scotland, provides bespoke advice to private landlords throughout Scotland, this can include property visits and modelling as well as tailored advice for older properties. Home Energy …
22 Mar 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many properties, broken down by local authority area, it anticipates will not meet an EPC rating of at least band E by 1 April 2022, as required under the Energy Efficiency (Domestic Private Rented Property) (Scotland) Regulations 2020.
Answer · Patrick Harvie: As set out in the Scottish Government’s Heat in Buildings Strategy, the draft regulations cited (to set minimum energy efficiency standards of EPC E, rising to EPC D) were withdrawn as a direct result of the impact Covid-19 has had on the private rented secto…
22 Mar 2022 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting the provision of community first responders in island communities.
21 Mar 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it is responsible for issuing any licences or registrations required by P&O Ferries to operate to or from Scottish ports.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The Scottish Government is not responsible for issuing any licences or registrations required by P&O Ferries to operate to or from Scottish ports.
21 Mar 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what funding, if any, it provides to P&O Ferries to operate services to or from Scottish ports.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The Scottish Government does not provide any funding to P&O Ferries.
16 Mar 2022 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding matching Ukrainian refugees with households in Scotland that have registered under the Homes for Ukraine scheme.
15 Mar 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government on what evidentiary basis it determined that £465 million of funding over five years will be sufficient “to support those in fuel poverty in the heat transition and to remove poor energy efficiency as a driver of fuel poverty”, as set out in its 2021 Fuel Poverty Strategy, and whether it…
Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government has committed to provide at least £465 million of funding over this parliamentary session to support fuel poor households. This figure was set with the aim to provide - at a minimum – a funding level for those in fuel poverty and least…
15 Mar 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will be providing annual updates on progress towards its target that, by 2040, no more than 5% of households will be in fuel poverty and no more than 1% will be in extreme fuel poverty.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish House Condition Survey (SHCS) is the source of National Statistics on fuel poverty in Scotland. These statistics are normally published annually. Due to the Covid 19 pandemic data collection for the 2020 SHCS survey was suspended as internal insp…
15 Mar 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the view in its 2021 Fuel Poverty Strategy that energy price increases since 2017 will have increased the number of households in fuel poverty, whether it will provide an up-to-date estimate of the cost of delivering an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) C rating for all f…
Answer · Michael Matheson: We have not yet calculated the impact of the April 2022 rise of the fuel price cap on the cost of raising households to EPC C. The Fuel Poverty Strategy Technical Annex ( Supporting documents - Tackling fuel poverty in Scotland: a strategic approach - gov.s…
15 Mar 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide details of its plans for achieving its 2030 target for no more than 15% of households being in fuel poverty and no more than 5% in extreme fuel poverty.
Answer · Michael Matheson: Our Fuel Poverty Strategy contains a comprehensive range of actions addressing all four drivers of fuel poverty, We will keep progress towards the fuel poverty targets under review and will report every 3 years. If we consider that we need to change our appro…
15 Mar 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many fuel poor households it estimates have not qualified for the Warmer Homes Scotland scheme based on issues with the scheme’s qualifying criteria, as identified in its 2021 Fuel Poverty Strategy.
Answer · Patrick Harvie: More than £175 million has been invested through Warmer Homes Scotland, the Scottish Government’s national fuel poverty scheme since its launch in September 2015, helping over 25,000 households throughout Scotland. Eligibility for the scheme is based on both…
15 Mar 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the aim in its 2021 Fuel Poverty Strategy to ensure that “all homes across Scotland will have achieved the equivalent of an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) C” by 2033, how it plans to make the estimated investment of up to £6 billion that is required to deliver EPC C rat…
Answer · Michael Matheson: The 2021 Fuel Poverty Strategy, states that the required level of capital expenditure to bring fuel poor households up to EPC C, including the replacement of existing fossil fuel heating systems, will be in the region of £6 billion. The Scottish Government ha…
15 Mar 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the view in its 2021 Fuel Poverty Strategy that energy price increases since 2017 will have increased the number of households in fuel poverty, what it now estimates the true number of fuel poor households in Scotland to currently be.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government have used the data from the 2019 Scottish House Condition Survey to estimate the likely impact of energy price increases since 2019 on fuel poverty. This has been done by increasing modelled fuel bills in line with increases in the Ofg…
14 Mar 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to address the reported shortfall of legal aid providers in family law.
Answer · Ash Regan: Scottish Government officials have been in contact with the Scottish Legal Aid Board (SLAB) who have a statutory duty to give the Scottish Ministers such information as they may require relating to the availability and accessibility of legal services in Scotl…
14 Mar 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it is taking action to reduce pressures on family courts by supporting other forms of dispute resolution.
Answer · Ash Regan: The Scottish Government believes that where appropriate family cases should be resolved outwith court. A number of forms of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) are available in family cases, including mediation, arbitration, collaborative law and family grou…
14 Mar 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on progress in establishing a pilot of mandatory meetings on alternatives to court, in line with its statutory duty as set out in the Children (Scotland) Act 2020.
Answer · Ash Regan: In line with the duty set out in section 24(4) of the Children (Scotland) Act 2020, the Scottish Ministers have laid two six-monthly progress reports before the Scottish Parliament on establishing a pilot of mandatory meetings on alternatives to court. The f…
7 Mar 2022 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Government what work is being done by sportscotland and Creative Scotland to provide opportunities for children and young people.
3 Mar 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish in detail plans for achieving the goals set out in its new vision for agriculture.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-07181 on 24 March 2022. 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-committee…
3 Mar 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the publication of its new vision for agriculture, how it will encourage more farmers and crofters to farm and produce food organically through financial support and other incentives.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-07181 on 24 March 2022. 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-committee…
3 Mar 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the publication of its new vision for agriculture, what specific steps it plans to take to “enable more local employment on the land, more women to enter farming and more new and young entrants into farming”.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Scottish Government’s Vision for Agriculture, https://www.gov.scot/publications/next-step-delivering-vision-scotland-leader-sustainable-regenerative-farming was published on 2 March 2022, and outlines our aim to transform how we support farming and foo…
3 Mar 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the publication of its new vision for agriculture, how it plans to take a “whole farm approach” to reducing emissions, and how such an approach will be measured.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-07181 on 24 March 2022. 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-committee…
2 Mar 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether statutory sick pay is sufficient support for people who are required to self-isolate due to COVID-19, and who do not qualify for the Self-isolation Support Grant and who care for one or more dependants, and what the basis is for its position on this matter.
Answer · Kate Forbes: The Scottish Government supports the Real Living Wage. As statutory sick pay is reserved to Westminster the Scottish Government continues to engage with the UK Government to improve on the existing arrangements. The income eligibility threshold for the Self-…
2 Mar 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to the financial support needs of families with young people where the primary earner is required to self-isolate due to COVID-19 and does not qualify for the Self-isolation Support Grant.
Answer · Kate Forbes: The Self-Isolation Support Grant is focussed on supporting those low income workers who are most likely to face hardship. Since it was launched, it has been extended to better reach those it is intended to support. This includes parents or carers of children …
28 Feb 2022 · Topical Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Government about using the sanctions regime to prevent Russian government-owned tankers entering ports in the UK, including in Orkney.
23 Feb 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish the evidence it used for (a) providing a self-isolation exemption to health and social care staff who have tested positive for COVID-19 within 28 days of contact with an infected person and (b) not extending this exemption to other sectors under strain due to staf…
Answer · Humza Yousaf: The self-isolation exemption guidance for health and social care staff is based on the latest clinical and public health evidence and advice, and has been updated on a regular basis as we learn more about new variants, transmission and severity of illness fro…
23 Feb 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to expand the self-isolation exemption for health and social care staff who are identified as close contacts for COVID-19 but are not fully vaccinated and have tested positive for the virus within 28 days, to other sectors under strain due to staff shortages.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: As of 28 February, general population self-isolation guidance states that if you test positive, you should pause routine LFD testing for 28 days after self-isolating. Count the 28 days from the day your symptoms started, or the date of your positive test if h…