Parliamentary questions
Donald Cameron
1,854 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
26 Jan 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a list of the 156 small towns that Architecture and Design Scotland originally identified to be part of its Climate Action Towns project.
Answer · Neil Gray: Architecture and Design Scotland originally identified 154 towns to be part of its Climate Action Towns project as set out in the following table. Alexandria Cardenden Girvan Law Oldmeldrum Alness Carronshore Gorebridge Lennoxtown Peebles Alva Cas…
26 Jan 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the potential impact of the Public and Commercial Services Union industrial action, on 1 February 2023, on the work of Registers of Scotland.
Answer · John Swinney: Following the PCS ballot results, Scottish Government officials held regular meetings in the run up to the strike action with Chief Executives of those employers in the Scottish Administration where PCS had a mandate for strike action, including with the Keep…
26 Jan 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the potential impact of the Public and Commercial Services Union industrial action, on 1 February 2023, on the work of Historic Environment Scotland.
Answer · Neil Gray: The Scottish Government discussed with Historic Environment Scotland the effect of the Public and Commercial Services Union industrial action. Although four Historic Environment Scotland sites could not open due to the industrial action, the vast majority of…
26 Jan 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the potential impact of the Public and Commercial Services Union industrial action, on 1 February 2023, on the work of Architecture and Design Scotland.
Answer · Neil Gray: The Scottish Government discussed with Architecture and Design Scotland the effect of the Public and Commercial Services Union industrial action on 1 February 2023. There was no significant impact on its business.
26 Jan 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government which (a) cities, (b) towns and (c) villages Architecture and Design Scotland has engaged with in each year as part of the Scotland + Venice project.
Answer · Neil Gray: Since joining the Scotland + Venice project in 2016, Architecture and Design Scotland has supported the commissioning and work of external curatorial teams. These teams develop and deliver the project including engagement with communities. Architecture and De…
26 Jan 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of what Architecture and Design Scotland’s budget is allocated to.
Answer · Neil Gray: The following table sets out a breakdown of Architecture and Design Scotland budget allocations for 2022-23. Item Cost (£) Salaries 1,481,427 Board Remuneration 47,868 Accommodation (inc. rent, rates, insurance, utilities, maintenance) 113,780 Emplo…
26 Jan 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the total cost to Architecture and Design Scotland was of producing its report, Designing for a Changing Climate: Carbon Conscious Places.
Answer · Neil Gray: Excluding staff time, the total cost to Architecture and Design Scotland of producing the Designing for a Changing Climate: Carbon Conscious Places report was £1,300. Costs related to staff time involved in producing the report are not held centrally.
26 Jan 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether any airports will be forced to close as a result of the Public and Commercial Services Union industrial action, on 1 February 2023, and, if so, which ones.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: No airports were forced to close.
26 Jan 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many civil servants are involved in Architecture and Design Scotland’s Scotland + Venice project.
Answer · Neil Gray: Two Scottish Government civil servants from Planning, Architecture and Regeneration Division are involved in the Scotland + Venice project on a varying part time basis.
26 Jan 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the potential impact of the Public and Commercial Services Union industrial action, on 1 February 2023, on the work of Creative Scotland.
Answer · Neil Gray: The Scottish Government discussed with Creative Scotland about the effect of the Public and Commercial Services Union industrial action on 1 February 2023. There was no significant impact on its business.
26 Jan 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government in what ways the Architecture and Design Scotland report, Designing for a Changing Climate: Carbon Conscious Places, has made a material difference in the way in which (a) it and (b) local authorities approach (i) local architectural projects and (ii) planning decisions.
Answer · Neil Gray: The Architecture and Design Scotland report, Designing for a Changing Climate: Carbon Conscious Places , offers examples of good practice to support a whole place approach to responding to the climate imperative, carbon targets and local places. The key find…
26 Jan 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many civil servants employed by Architecture and Design Scotland are working on its Climate Action Towns project, and what the total cost of this civil service resource has been for each year since the project began.
Answer · Neil Gray: Architecture and Design Scotland staff are not civil servants, however their pay and conditions are analogous with Scottish Government civil servants. The Climate Action Towns project commenced in September 2021. The number of Architecture and Design Scotlan…
26 Jan 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the potential impact of the Public and Commercial Services Union industrial action, on 1 February 2023, on the work of the National Galleries of Scotland.
Answer · Neil Gray: The Scottish Government discussed with the National Galleries of Scotland the effect of the Public and Commercial Services Union industrial action on 1 February 2023. The National Galleries made the decision to close each of their galleries, shops and restaur…
26 Jan 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the potential impact of the Public and Commercial Services Union industrial action, on 1 February 2023, on the work of Bòrd na Gàidhlig.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The matter of strike action is a for Bòrd na Gidhlig to consider and to ensure that any vital services to the Gaelic community continue to be supported.
26 Jan 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-05974 by Tom Arthur on 8 February 2022, whether it will provide an update of the number of title holders currently awaiting copies of their title deeds from Registers of Scotland.
Answer · Tom Arthur: This is a question for the Keeper of the Registers of Scotland (RoS). She advises me that that, as of 31 January 2023, there are 88,826 dispositions undergoing registration. RoS received and processed over 655,000 applications in 2022, of which 90% were comp…
26 Jan 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much funding (a) Architecture and Design Scotland and (b) Scottish Forestry has allocated to the Best Use of Timber Awards for each year since the awards were established.
Answer · Neil Gray: Since the Best Use of Timber Awards were established in 2012, Scottish Forestry has allocated £6,000 each year towards the delivery of the awards, with the exception of 2020 when the awards did not take place due to the Covid 19 pandemic. Architecture and Des…
26 Jan 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has any plans to (a) reverse or (b) review the 6% additional dwelling supplement, in light of the reported pressures faced by the private rented sector following the introduction of the Cost of Living (Tenant Protection) (Scotland) Act 2022.
Answer · Tom Arthur: Increasing the ADS to 6% provides much-needed revenue to support our national priorities, while also protecting opportunities for first-time buyers and home movers by allowing them to more fully compete with buy-to-let investors or those buying second homes. …
26 Jan 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government on how many occasions landowners have failed to respond to a formal request made under section 10(2) of the Deer (Scotland) Act 1996 to cull deer.
Answer · Lorna Slater: There has been one occasion in which the landowner has failed to respond to a formal request under section 10(2) of the Deer (Scotland) Act 1996 to cull deer. This is in relation to the recent NatureScot intervention in Loch Choire, where the landowner has …
26 Jan 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to reduce the life expectancy gap between people living in the most and least deprived 10% of local areas.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: We know that deprivation is a significant driver of excess mortality and reduced life expectancy. Reducing poverty and inequality therefore sits at the heart of our investment across all portfolios and remains the best way of improving life expectancy. Incre…
26 Jan 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-09911 by Shona Robison on 18 August 2022, how many new homes have been built through the (a) Rural Housing Fund and (b) Islands Housing Fund in each year since 2016-17.
Answer · Shona Robison: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-14348 on 31 January 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-committ…
26 Jan 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has any plans to emulate the success of the Great Tapestry of Scotland in Galashiels in order to boost tourism and promote regeneration in other small towns.
Answer · Tom Arthur: The award winning Great Tapestry of Scotland (GToS) is an excellent example of the Town Centre First Principle (TCFP) in practice. This principle has been embedded in the recently approved National Planning Framework (NPF4), so that future planning decisions …
26 Jan 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-09908 by George Adam on 26 July 2022, whether the Cabinet plans to meet in the Highlands and Islands region in 2023, and, if so, whether it will provide details of the locations of any such meetings.
Answer · George Adam: The Scottish Government is exploring options for restarting the travelling Cabinets programme in 2023 after it was paused as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. In line with standard practice, the location of each event would be announced in advance, includin…
26 Jan 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on any plans it has to offer a relief package to small and medium-sized enterprises that are facing rising costs to run their businesses.
Answer · Tom Arthur: Recognising the challenging economic circumstances for businesses, the Scottish Budget 2023-24, published on 15 December 2022, delivers a strong non-domestic rates package to support business. In addition to the lowest poundage in the UK for the fifth year i…
26 Jan 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider the findings and recommendations of the 2020 study, The Gaelic Crisis in the Vernacular Community, as part of its work on its proposed Scottish Languages Bill.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Scottish Government carried out a consultation on the Future of Gaelic and Scots as part of the work to develop the proposed Scottish Languages Bill. As part of the consultation, the Gaelic and Scots Division undertook a variety of public engagement event…
26 Jan 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many new (a) social and (b) affordable homes have been built in the Highlands and Islands region since 2021-22.
Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government holds this information by local authority area and not by constituency area. A table showing the number of social and affordable completions by local authority area can be accessed using the following link: https://www.gov.scot/public…
26 Jan 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it monitors the efficacy of grant funding distributed via the Rural and Island Communities Ideas into Action Fund.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: As a recipient of Scottish Government grant funding, Inspiring Scotland are subject to regular monitoring and reporting against pre-agreed and clear outcomes as set out in their offer of grant. This includes interim and end-of-grant reporting, which are subm…
26 Jan 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many pieces of artwork it owns, and what the total value of any such artwork is.
Answer · Angus Robertson: The Scottish Government does not have an art collection. A number of artworks are owned by Scottish Government, the majority have been gifted to Ministers over time. Approximately 100 art works, prints and maps of varying individual values with an overall ins…
26 Jan 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many new (a) social and (b) affordable homes it plans to build in the Highlands and Islands region by the end of the current parliamentary session.
Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government provides investment to assist housing partners to deliver social and affordable homes. Over £327 million has been made available to Local Authority areas in the Highlands and Islands for the current parliamentary term. Local Authoritie…
26 Jan 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government on how many occasions a formal request has been made under section 10(2) of the Deer (Scotland) Act 1996 to cull deer.
Answer · Lorna Slater: In the last five years NatureScot have taken regulatory action under section 10(2) of the Deer (Scotland) Act 1996 five times. Prior to this, notice of section 10 emergency measures have been issued on at least three occasions.
26 Jan 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has plans to purchase any new pieces of artwork in 2023, and, if so, whether it can provide details of any such pieces.
Answer · Angus Robertson: There are no plans to purchase artwork in 2023.