Miles Briggs

27 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to tackle fly-tipping.

Answer · Lorna Slater: Last year the Scottish Government consulted on proposals for a National Litter and Flytipping Strategy. The consultation included proposals to raise the value of fixed penalty notices, carry out a review of flytipping enforcement, support private landowners t…

27 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with energy companies regarding what current actions can be taken to address fuel poverty.

Answer · Gillian Martin: The high cost of energy prices combined with inflation is having a disproportionate impact on fuel poor households across Scotland. That is why the First Minister recently announced that our Fuel Insecurity Fund will be increased to up to £30 million in the …

27 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has developed a framework for distributing emergency funding in a fair and timely manner as set out in the Social Justice and Social Security Committee’s 8th Report, 2022 (Session 6), Robbing Peter to pay Paul: Low income and the debt trap (SP Paper 211).

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Scottish Government recognises the importance of working with partners to ensure that emergency funding meets need effectively. To ensure local authorities have the capacity and resources required to deliver any new policy commitments, all new policy or …

27 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will introduce a fund dedicated to filling up potholes.  

Answer · Kevin Stewart: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-15116 on 17 March 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-committee…

21 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when any further decisions will be taken regarding how the deposit value of price-marked packs of containers that are within the scope of the Deposit Return Scheme should be displayed when the scheme launches.

Answer · Lorna Slater: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-16112 on 26 April 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-committe…

21 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when any further decisions will be taken regarding how the deposit value of containers that are within the scope of the Deposit Return Scheme should be displayed on shelving when the scheme launches.

Answer · Lorna Slater: Decisions regarding how the deposit will be displayed is a retained power and the responsibility of Trading Standards. The Scottish Government believes that the deposit should not be included in the unit price displayed either on shelves or price-marked packs…

21 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on how much has been spent by each local authority on private car parking apps in each year since 1999.

Answer · Tom Arthur: This is a matter for individual local authorities. The information is not held centrally.    

21 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on how many (a) professional and (b) personal carers parking permits have been provided to social care staff in each local authority area, in each of the last five years.

Answer · Maree Todd: The Scottish Government does not hold this information. Local authorities are responsible for decisions around the enforcement of parking restrictions and the consideration of any exemptions is at their discretion. Their powers are set out in statute and, as…

21 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many families have accessed the Young Patients Family Fund in each year since it was established.

Answer · Jenni Minto: The Young Patients Family Fund (YPFF) has been available since July 2021. We ask NHS Boards to report on the number of young inpatients (and therefore families) who benefit from the Fund. This data informs the funding that each Health Board receives. In 2021…

21 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on how many households in Scotland are on the Priority Services Register.

Answer · Gillian Martin: The Scottish Government does not hold information on how many Scottish households are on the Priority Services Register(PSR). However, we would encourage all consumers who think they may be eligible to join the PSR to contact their energy supplier or the ener…

21 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to introduce compulsory microchipping of pet cats in Scotland, in light of the UK Government regulations proposing compulsory microchipping of cats in England, which were laid in the UK Parliament on 13 March 2023.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: I refer the member to my response to question S6W-15928 on 20 March 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-committe…

21 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to develop and support a town planning apprenticeship scheme.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: We are supporting the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) Scotland and Heads of Planning Scotland (HOPS) to implement the recommendations of the Future Planners Project Report. The Future Planners Project Report, commissioned by the Scottish Government and …

21 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many community-led housing developments have been supported in each year since 1999, and, as a result, how many homes have been developed.

Answer · Paul McLennan: The Scottish Government does not hold the specific information requested. However, through our mainstream Affordable Housing Supply Programme (AHSP), we have supported many community controlled housing association developments across urban and rural Scotland.…

16 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to announce the establishment of a fund aimed at making leisure centres, including centres with swimming pools, more energy efficient.

Answer · Maree Todd: The Scottish Government are fully aware that rising energy costs are a significant issue for leisure centres and swimming pools. We recognise the positive financial and environmental benefits to increasing the energy efficiency of leisure centres and swimming…

13 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with (a) City of Edinburgh Council and (b) the Ministry of Defence (MoD), regarding the sale and utilisation of empty MoD properties at Craigiehall, Edinburgh.

Answer · Shona Robison: Scottish Government is pleased to be supporting City of Edinburgh Council to purchase Ministry of Defence owned properties at Dreghorn, Edinburgh as part of our Affordable Housing Supply Programme. The Council has also indicated interest in exploring the purc…

9 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much it has spent on Digital Planning in each of the last five years.

Answer · Tom Arthur: The Digital Planning Transformation programme is a £35 million programme to transform the planning service and realise £200 million economic benefits to the sector. Work is progressing to deliver outputs from five missions as set out in the Digital Strategy …

9 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many people have accessed its Digital Planning tools in each of the last five years.

Answer · Tom Arthur: The eDevelopment service currently has 52,000 registered users. In the last 5 years the eDevelopment homepage has been accessed 3,294,533 times. The figures in the following table set out the number of times that users have accessed the homepage. The informa…

9 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many people have received a face-to-face meeting to assist them with a homelessness application in each local authority area in each year since 1999.

Answer · Shona Robison: I refer the member to the question S6W-15815 on 23 March 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/written-…

9 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding has been provided to date to each hospice by Integration Joint Boards under the Public Bodies (Joint Working) (Scotland) Act 2014 to plan and commission services for their area using the integrated budget under their control, including palliative and end-of-life care ser…

Answer · Maree Todd: This information is not held centrally. It is the responsibility of Integration Joint Boards (IJBs) to plan and commission adult palliative and end of life care services for their areas using the integrated budgets under their control.

9 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how many local authorities are currently not providing face-to-face meetings to assist people with homelessness applications.

Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government does not hold or collect information about the format of meetings local authorities have with people who make homeless applications.

9 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what initiatives it has for private sector employers to implement its anti-racist employment strategy.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: On 9 December 2022 the Scottish Government jointly published our Anti-Racist Employment Strategy and refreshed Fair Work Action Plan. The Anti-Racist Employment Strategy offers clear and practical guidance for employers from all sectors to improve the recruit…

9 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many looked after young people have been placed in unregulated accommodation in each year since 1999, broken down by local authority area.

Answer · Clare Haughey: The Scottish Government does not hold information on the number of children placed in unregulated accommodation.

1 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information Police Scotland holds on the number of cars that have been abandoned in each year since 1999.

Answer · Keith Brown: Police Scotland hold management information on recorded incidents of abandoned vehicles. Not all abandoned vehicles will relate to cars and an incident may relate to more than one abandoned vehicle. Figures are available at a Scotland level from 2019, which w…

1 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of patients who have been put forward for a clinical trial, in each year since 1999, went on to access the clinical trial following their assessment.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: While data on the number of people in Scotland who have consented to participate in the range of clinical research studies that are supported by Health Boards in Scotland are routinely collected, data on the number of people referred to and screened for enrol…

1 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many foster carers there have been in each year since 1999, also broken down by local authority area.

Answer · Clare Haughey: The Scottish Government does not collect statistics on the number of foster carers registered with local authorities or independent/voluntary service providers.    

1 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) fostered and (b) adopted babies have received a Baby Box in each year since the initiative was launched.

Answer · Clare Haughey: We do not hold the information requested on the number of Baby Boxes distributed to fostered and adopted babies.  

1 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any bridge upgrades that may be needed in the future, broken down by local authority area.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: From our latest review of the trunk road network there are 35 bridges which have been identified as requiring upgrades. These are located within the following Local Authority areas: Local Authority Area Number of Bridges Highland 19 Argyle & Bute 1 Fal…

1 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to introduce a national payment for kinship carers, and, if so, when it anticipates such a payment will be agreed and delivered.

Answer · Clare Haughey: The Scottish Government values the crucial role carried out by kinship carers and is committed to delivering a Scottish Recommended Allowance for them, alongside foster carers. We acknowledge that it has taken far longer than we would like. That is why we are…

1 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many community bodies have been supported to request an asset transfer under the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 since its provisions came into force.

Answer · Tom Arthur: Community bodies receive support to request an asset transfer under Part 5 of the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 from a range of sources. The Scottish Government provides support for community bodies by funding the Community Ownership Support Servi…

1 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to establish a carers citizenship fund to help provide better advocacy for carers.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: The Scottish Government has no plans to establish such a fund; however, we are currently considering a number of advocacy-related recommendations from the Scottish Mental Health Law Review. This includes whether a national dedicated independent advocacy servi…