Parliamentary questions
Miles Briggs
4,209 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
9 May 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to extend eligibility for the Scottish Child Payment to foster parents.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Scottish Government is grateful for the hard work foster carers do in providing caring homes to vulnerable children. However, there are no plans to extend eligibility for Scottish Child Payment to all foster carers. Children in foster care are considered…
9 May 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to promote understanding of the reported National Crime Agency (NCA) alert of "sextortion" to all primary and secondary schools in Scotland.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: Steps have already been taken to disseminate the NCA alert to all schools in Scotland. Education Scotland officials worked with the NCA to ensure a copy of the alert went to all safeguarding leads in each local authority for onward transmission to all school…
9 May 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to support a minimum framework for bereavement care when a baby or infant dies.
Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government is committed to supporting families who have experienced pregnancy and baby loss through the delivery of high-quality, sensitive bereavement care, and has provided funding to Sands UK to develop and implement the National Bereavement C…
9 May 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with patient representatives, including Coeliac UK, regarding the reported challenge of the underdiagnosis of coeliac disease.
Answer · Neil Gray: In 2018, a new national evidence-based pathway for coeliac disease was launched across four health boards (NHS Lothian, NHS Lanarkshire, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and NHS Tayside). It was funded by Scottish Government’s Modernising Patient Pathways Progra…
8 May 2024 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what it anticipates the impact of the reported reduction in primary school music teacher numbers will be on children and young people.
7 May 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of alleged hate crimes reported since the commencement of the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act 2021 have been successfully prosecuted.
Answer · Dorothy Bain: Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) uses a live, operational database to manage the processing of reports submitted to Procurators Fiscal by the police and other reporting agencies throughout Scotland. It is designed to meet business needs in t…
7 May 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many complaints to public bodies related to non-crime hate incidents have been received since the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act 2021 was passed, broken down by parliamentary region.
Answer · Siobhian Brown: The Scottish Government does not hold information on the number of complaints received by Police Scotland or any other public body that relate to Non-Crime Hate Incidents (NCHIs). On 9 May 2024, Police Scotland published their interim guidance on ‘ Respondi…
7 May 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether Police Scotland has requested further assistance in the past six months from the Metropolitan Police in relation to its policing and constitutional duties, particularly in relation to serious and organised crime.
Answer · Angela Constance: This is an operational matter for Police Scotland.
7 May 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government where the new location of critical policing facilities will be, particularly the Criminal Investigation Department and fingerprinting facilities of the Edinburgh Division, in light of the recently reported closure of Fettes station.
Answer · Angela Constance: The location of critical policing facilities is an operational decision for the Chief Constable. Police Scotland is currently in discussions with a number of partners around possible co-location options, to ensure it can continue to provide a policing service…
7 May 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) police officers of all ranks and (b) civilian staff (i) were offered and (ii) accepted the option of compulsory redundancy following the reported announcement of police station closures in Edinburgh and the Lothians.
Answer · Angela Constance: The Scottish Government’s 2023-24 Public Sector Pay Strategy is clear that employers should negotiate extensions to No Compulsory Redundancy Agreements as part of pay negotiations. I can confirm that Police Scotland and the Scottish Police Authority do not ha…
7 May 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many police officers (a) were offered and (b) accepted voluntary redundancy following the reported announcement of station closures in Edinburgh and the Lothians.
Answer · Angela Constance: Police Scotland’s Voluntary Redundancy (VR)and Voluntary Early Retirement (VER) schemes are open to police staff only, with police officers not eligible to apply. It is important to note that VR/VER schemes are not related to the Police Estates Strategy. The…
7 May 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it can provide police officer relocation figures, in light of the reported closure of five current and 14 potential locations in Edinburgh and the Lothians, and of safety issues identified in buildings that they have been working in from at least the 1970s onwards, including rein…
Answer · Angela Constance: The location and deployment of police officers is an operational decision for the Chief Constable. However, under its estate plans for Edinburgh and the Lothians, Police Scotland intends that front-line operational officers will be relocated within the same g…
24 Apr 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many cases of (a) online extortion and (b) threats to disclose an intimate image have been (i) reported to and (ii) investigated by Police Scotland in each year since records began, and whether there are any plans to begin recording incidents of sextortion.
Answer · Angela Constance: Sextortion is sexual extortion and involves the threat of having sexual information, photos or videos shared with others. It is carried out to extort money or force a victim to do something against their will, control behaviour or obtain further images. Wher…
24 Apr 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many houses for (a) nurses, (b) GPs and (c) police officers are owned by public services.
Answer · Neil Gray: The Scottish Government does not hold this information. Health Boards are responsible for delivering health services and deciding on the best means of accommodating staff including nurses, and GPs if necessary. The Scottish Police Authority and the Chief Co…
24 Apr 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many people who applied for a free personal care package died before they received one in each year since 1999, also broken down by local authority area.
Answer · Maree Todd: The Scottish Government does not collect data on the number of people who have applied for a free personal care package, but have died before receiving it. It is the local authority’s responsibility to assess each person and consider whether their needs call…
24 Apr 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how many homes have been secured for key workers as a result of the £25 million funding scheme, and how much has been spent from the fund to date.
Answer · Paul McLennan: To date, four affordable homes were approved in Orkney under the demand-led Rural Affordable Homes for Key Workers Fund with no spend drawn down to date. We are currently working with local authorities to progress a number of proposals to support the delivery…
24 Apr 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many applications for a short-term let licence have been rejected in each local authority area.
Answer · Paul McLennan: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-27007 on 30 April 2024. 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…
24 Apr 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many homes that are operated by (a) local authorities and (b) housing associations are not fitted with integrated fire alarms.
Answer · Paul McLennan: The results from the 2022 Scottish House Condition Survey were published on 29 February 2024. In 2022 the Scottish House Condition Survey asked the following new question on fire alarms: Has the dwelling satisfactory equipment for detecting fire and giving w…
24 Apr 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many short-term let licences have been granted in each local authority area.
Answer · Paul McLennan: I refer the member to the answers to questions S6W-24548 on 30 January 2024 and S6W-23003 on 4 December 2023. Please note that in S6W-24548 we advised the next statistical publication would be April 2024, however I wrote to Parliament with an update on 22 Apr…
24 Apr 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what research it has undertaken, or plans to undertake, into the number of people who are "couch surfing" in each local authority area.
Answer · Paul McLennan: The Scottish Government collects information on the property type that the main applicant making a homelessness application to a local authority became homeless from. This includes a category for those who have been ‘long-term sofa surfing’. This is defined a…
24 Apr 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on how many key workers are living in tied accommodation, broken down by (a) local authority and (b) NHS board area.
Answer · Paul McLennan: The Scottish Government does not hold this information. Unlike the mainstream rental sector, people who live in accommodation tied to their employment do not have a tenancy agreement such as the Private Residential Tenancy. Instead their rental conditions a…
24 Apr 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much of the £500,000 that it made available to help older and disabled people install fire alarms has been allocated.
Answer · Paul McLennan: The Scottish Government provided a total of £2.1 million between Care and Repair (£1.1 million) and Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (£1 million) during 2021-22 to support those in greatest need or at greatest risk of fire, to meet the new standard. An annou…
24 Apr 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what research it has undertaken, or plans to undertake, into the number of people who are rough sleeping in cars in each local authority area.
Answer · Paul McLennan: The Scottish Government collects information on whether any member of a household making a homelessness application to a local authority slept rough: (a) during the three months preceding and b) the night before the application. This data is collected from …
10 Apr 2024 · Written Question
To ask to the Scottish Government for what reason social landlords reportedly have access to grants and additional time to support Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) compliance, in light of reports that many private landlords, who are struggling with rising mortgage costs and subject to rent control measures, limiti…
Answer · Gillian Martin: Private rented homes have a poorer standard of energy efficiency and the tenants who live there are usually unable to make improvements. That’s why our consultation on proposals for a Heat in Buildings Bill asked for views on private rented homes reaching a g…
10 Apr 2024 · Written Question
To ask to the Scottish Government what progress has been made towards reviewing the operational arrangements of Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs), as committed to in its consultation on reforms to EPCs.
Answer · Gillian Martin: As set out in the Scottish Government’s consultation on the reform of Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs), we are now undertaking a full review of the operational arrangements for how the production of EPCs is overseen, and how the legislation is enforced …
10 Apr 2024 · Written Question
To ask to the Scottish Government what incentives there will be for landlords to comply with the new Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) regulations, in light of the reported current lack of enforcement by local authorities.
Answer · Gillian Martin: The Scottish Government is not proposing any change in requirements that landlords will have to comply with as part of proposed amendments to EPC regulations, and therefore is not aware of the need for any incentives to do so. It will remain a legal requireme…
4 Apr 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when the most recent cancer mortality statistics will be published, in light of annual figures reportedly not being published in autumn 2023 in line with the normal publication schedule.
Answer · Neil Gray: Mortality data up to 2022, including breakdowns of deaths caused by cancer, has been published to its usual annual timetable by National Records of Scotland at https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/files//statistics/vital-events-ref-tables/2022/vital-events-22-ref-t…
28 Mar 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consult on fire safety in autumn 2024, based on the work of the Building and Fire Safety Expert Working Group, and, if so, whether any such consultation will cover all of the objectives that the working group is reviewing.
Answer · Patrick Harvie: The work of the Building and Fire Safety Expert Working Group is programmed to consult in autumn 2024 and will cover all objectives and terms of reference which can be found on the Building and Fire Safety Ministerial Working Group website.
28 Mar 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has done any work with the hospitality sector to look at the economic and social impacts of fires affecting hotels.
Answer · Patrick Harvie: The Scottish Hospitality sector was represented on the Cameron House Hotel Short Life Working Group and is also represented on the ongoing Building and Fire Safety Expert Working Group. The economic and social impacts of fires affecting hotels are being consi…
28 Mar 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the use of BS 8414 testing still being allowed as a route to compliance for combustible façade materials to be used on certain buildings, such as hotels, over 11 metres in height.
Answer · Patrick Harvie: Hotels are not listed as ‘relevant buildings’ within the meaning of the Building Scotland (Amendment) Regulations 2022. All new and converted hotels having a storey, or creating a storey at a height of 11 metres or more above the ground, must comply with the …