Parliamentary questions
Willie Rennie
1,353 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
15 Jul 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the purpose is of the personal guarantee that it has from Sanjeev Gupta, as stated in its response to Freedom of Information request 202500455118.
Answer · Ivan McKee: There are commitments with the Guarantee and Reimbursement Agreement that require a personal undertaking from Sanjeev Gupta.
17 Jun 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W- 38271 by Alasdair Allan on 12 June 2025, and in light of the commitment in its 2025-26 Programme for Government to simplify the Home Energy Scotland application process, when it expects the detailed analysis of average application and claim process…
Answer · Mairi McAllan: It is expected that data relating to the average application and claim processing timescales for the Home Energy Scotland Grant and Loan Scheme will be published later this calendar year.No specific target date is currently set for the publication of this dat…
12 Jun 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-32419 by Fiona Hyslop on 17 December 2024, when it plans to publish an updated Rail Services Decarbonisation Action Plan.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: An update to the Rail Services Decarbonisation Action Plan is currently underway and is planned to be published later this year.
11 Jun 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many houses have been built or renovated through the (a) Rural and (b) Islands Housing Fund in each year of its operation.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: The following table provides a breakdown of homes delivered through the demand-led Rural and Islands Housing Fund, by financial year, between 1 April 2016 and end March 2025.Financial YearTotal Rural and Islands Housing Fund CompletionsRural Housing Fund Comp…
11 Jun 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the Rural Housing Fund has received any expressions of interest relating to projects in Fife, and, if so, how many.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: The Rural and Islands Housing Fund has received one Expression of Interest relating to projects in Fife since 2016.
11 Jun 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much funding has been (a) allocated to and (b) spent by the (i) Rural and (ii) Islands Housing Fund in each year of its operation.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: The following table provides a breakdown of funding allocated to the demand-led Rural and Islands Housing Fund (RIHF), and expenditure, by financial year, between April 2016 and end March 2025.A total of £14.358 million has been spent through the Rural …
2 Jun 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many applications for Carer Support Payment that were completed in each month since it was launched took (a) 51 to 60, (b) 61 to 70, (c) 71 to 80, (d) 81 to 90, (e) 91 to 100, (f) 101 to 110, (g) 111 to 120 and (h) 121 or more working days to process, expressed as a (i) total number …
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: Social Security Scotland routinely publishes information on application processing times for Carer Support Payment as part of official statistics releases.The latest statistics covering the period to 31 March 2025 were published on Tuesday 13 May and can be f…
2 Jun 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many applications for Carer Support Payment that were completed in each month since it was launched took (a) between six and nine months and (b) nine months or more to process, expressed as a (i) total number and (ii) percentage.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: Social Security Scotland routinely publishes information on application processing times for Carer Support Payment as part of official statistics releases.The latest statistics covering the period to 31 March 2025 were published on Tuesday 13 May and can be f…
2 Jun 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what performance reporting information it holds regarding the Home Energy Scotland service, specifically in relation to the transparency and accessibility of the customer journey for individual applications for grants and loans, and what opportunities are available for the public to revi…
Answer · Alasdair Allan: The application, claim and repayment processes for the Home Energy Scotland (HES) Grant and Loan Scheme are currently administered by Energy Saving Trust (EST) via a competitively tendered contract. EST report their performance to the Scottish Government mont…
27 May 2025 · First Minister's Question
To ask the First Minister for what reason there has reportedly been no financial agreement between the Scottish Funding Council and the University of Dundee, in light of the alternative financial recovery plan being launched four weeks ago.
21 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on how many current vacancies there are in local authority planning services.
Answer · Ivan McKee: The Scottish Government does not hold information on the number of vacancies in local authority planning services. The resourcing and staffing of planning services is a matter for individual local authorities.Recognising the financial and capacity pressures o…
21 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the current average time taken for a decision to be made on planning applications is.
Answer · Ivan McKee: The average time taken to determine planning applications not subject to processing agreements for the first two quarters of 2024-25 in Scotland was as follows:• for local developments: 11.1 weeks in Q1 and 11.9 weeks in Q2; and• for major developme…
21 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on how many staff are currently employed in local authority planning services, and how many staff were employed in 2015.
Answer · Ivan McKee: The Scottish Government does not hold information on the number of staff currently employed in local authority planning services.However, each planning authority in Scotland has recently participated in the new National Planning Improvement Framework (NPIF), …
19 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when the Future Farming Investment Scheme will be launched.
Answer · Jim Fairlie: The First Minister announced on 7 February that around £14 million will be allocated to delivering the Future Farming Investment Scheme (FFIS). The proposals for the scheme are currently being finalised and the full details about the scheme and applicat…
30 Apr 2025 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the reported intimation from the British Medical Association that it is considering a formal dispute with it over GP underfunding.
29 Apr 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government which NHS boards’ child and adolescent mental health services are not accepting referrals for neurodevelopmental assessments of young people without co-morbid mental health problems.
Answer · Maree Todd: The Scottish Government is responsible for setting the overall policy direction of mental health services, and for working with and funding NHS Health Boards and local authorities to ensure they plan and deliver appropriate local services. The design and mana…
29 Apr 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6O-04562 by Neil Gray on 24 April 2025, whether the progress made towards meeting the child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) waiting time standard would have been possible without changes in the approach to making neurodevelopmental a…
Answer · Maree Todd: The Public Health Scotland CAMHS waiting times statistics capture children and young people who meet the CAMHS criteria. We continue to see a significant and sustained improvement in CAMHS waiting times, despite continuing high demand from children and young …
29 Apr 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of the most common reasons that are currently being given by NHS boards for not accepting referrals to child and adolescent mental health services.
Answer · Maree Todd: I refer the member to the answer to the question S6W-37322 on 19 May 2025. 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-co…
29 Apr 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the proportion of referrals not accepted by child and adolescent mental health services has reportedly increased over the last year.
Answer · Maree Todd: There will always be referrals to CAMHS that are not accepted as CAMHS only provide the right support for a small proportion of children and young people. Children who require neurodevelopmental support are not reported in these statistics unless they have co…
29 Apr 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether there is a relationship between its waiting times target for child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) being met in the final quarter of 2024 and the reported increase in the proportion of referrals not being accepted by CAMHS.
Answer · Maree Todd: There will always be referrals to CAMHS that are not accepted as CAMHS only provide the right support for a small proportion of children and young people. Children who require neurodevelopmental support are not reported in these statistics unless they have co…
29 Apr 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on any progress made in implementing the National Neurodevelopmental Specification for Children and Young People, including progress made against standard 1: 1.2.
Answer · Maree Todd: Standard 1.2 of the National Neurodevelopmental Specification relates to the offer of a first appointment. As set out in the Specification, Neurodevelopmental Services that are delivered locally are the responsibility of Children Services providers. A first a…
29 Apr 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what information and signposting to alternative support is provided to people who are not admitted to child and adolescent mental health services, broken down by NHS board.
Answer · Maree Todd: The Scottish Government does not hold this information centrally as this is the responsibility of NHS Boards. However, the Scottish Governments expects NHS Boards to follow the National Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) specification, which …
29 Apr 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many children and young people are waiting for a neurodevelopmental assessment, broken down by NHS board.
Answer · Maree Todd: I refer the member to the answer to the question S6W-34345 on 28 February 2025. 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-a…
29 Apr 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what progress each NHS board has made in ensuring that notifications of referrals that are not accepted include a direct re-referral to a more appropriate service, in line with recommendation 13 of the 2018 report, Rejected Referrals Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services.
Answer · Maree Todd: We expect NHS Boards to follow the National Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) specification, which includes a clear expectation that children and young people whose referral is not accepted for CAMHS are sensitively and appropriately signpos…
29 Apr 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it reportedly does not publish waiting time data for children and young people waiting for neurodevelopmental assessments and support, and what plans it has to publish routine waiting time data in the future.
Answer · Maree Todd: The Public Health Scotland CAMHS statistics capture children and young people who meet the CAMHS criteria. Children and Young People and their families who have requested support for their neurodevelopmental needs but do not meet the CAMHS criteria are not re…
16 Apr 2025 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with EU member states regarding Scotland's alignment with EU policies, in light of the election of President Trump.
24 Mar 2025 · Topical Question
To ask the Scottish Government what practical steps it is taking to review the funding model for Scottish universities, in light of recent reports that the number of international students enrolled at Scottish universities fell by more than 10% between 2023 and 2024.
17 Mar 2025 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the proposal by Scotland's Rural College to close the animal care unit at its Elmwood Campus in Cupar, following the sale of the farm and closure of the student accommodation.
Answer · Graeme Dey: I appreciate that the proposed closure of the main building at SRUC’s Elmwood campus will be deeply concerning for affected staff and students.Although SRUC is an autonomous institution with responsibility for its own strategic and operational decision,…
13 Mar 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the recommendations in the Shelter Scotland report, In Their Own Words: Children’s Experiences in Temporary Accommodation, how it will work with local authorities to improve allocation policies and ensure that these take account of a child’s e…
Answer · Paul McLennan: Although there is a clear legal framework within which allocation policies must operate, local authorities have considerable discretion within these constraints to develop their allocation policy and practice to meet the needs of the communities in which they…
13 Mar 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the recommendations in the Shelter Scotland report, In Their Own Words: Children’s Experiences in Temporary Accommodation, whether it will guarantee access to mental health support for all children experiencing homelessness.
Answer · Paul McLennan: We have provided local authorities with over £65 million since 2020 to fund community mental health and wellbeing services for children, young people and their families. This investment will continue with the baselining of £15 million per annum fu…