Andy Wightman

30 Sep 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government under what conditions the release of non-native game birds can be considered a Plan or Project under the EU habitats directive.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: Any proposal to carry out an operation included on the list of Operations Requiring Consent for a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) is considered to be a plan or project for the purposes of assessment under the EU Habitats Directive if that SSSI is a…

2 Aug 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to work with tenancy deposit schemes to deal with unclaimed deposits.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: The Scottish Government continues to monitor the performance of the tenancy deposit schemes to ensure that the original objectives are achieved -to reduce the number of unfairly withheld tenancy deposits;ensure that deposits are safeguarded throughout the dur…

2 Aug 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to work with colleges and universities to ensure that students, including those from overseas, claim back any deposits from private-rented tenancies.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: The Scottish Government remains committed to ensure that the tenancy deposit schemes aim to reduce the number of unclaimed deposits. The Schemes target students at peak times with marketing and awareness campaigns including social media and local events at e…

2 Aug 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what actions it plans in light of the findings of the paper, Review of Tenancy Deposit Schemes in Scotland.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: The review of the tenancy deposit schemes concludes that there is a broad consensus that the Regulations continue to provide a robust regulatory framework for the protection of tenants' deposits and the conditions for the operation of the schemes. Scottish M…

2 Aug 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to ensure that (a) tenants and (b) landlords are better informed about the rights of private-rented sector tenants.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: The Scottish Government continue to work with a range of stakeholders in order to raise awareness of rights and responsibilities within the private rented sector. Most recently we have:undertaken a social media campaign and developed a website of private rent…

2 Aug 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to address the findings in the paper, Review of Tenancy Deposit Schemes in Scotland, that nearly half of landlords did not know about letting agent registration or the letting agent code of practices, and that over 60% did not know about the First-Tier Tribunal for Scotland.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: The Scottish Government will continue to work with the tenancy deposit schemes and other key stakeholders such as local authorities to raise awareness of matters affecting private landlords, including on letting agent regulation. This will supplement the land…

2 Aug 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what it can do to support tenancy deposit schemes whose account surpluses might be affected by the impact of low interest rates.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: The Scottish Government has regular communications with the tenancy deposit schemes and receives formal interval performance reports and audited accounts. The low interest rates have not affected the ability of the schemes to operate within the regulatory fra…

2 Aug 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it will work with tenancy deposit schemes to ensure that all tenants receive their deposits back on time, in light of the finding in the paper, Review of Tenancy Deposit Schemes in Scotland, that one-third did not.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: The Review of Tenancy Deposit Schemes in Scotland shows that one-fifth of tenants did not receive their deposits back on time. However, this figure is likely to be affected by the significant nonresponse bias for the review. Key performance indicator reports …

28 Feb 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many estates had hen harrier nest cameras installed as part of the Heads up for Harriers project in each year since 2015, also broken down by name and location, and, of these, where nests produced successful broods, how many of the successful nests were on land (a) used as driven gro…

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The following tables detail the annual results of the Heads Up for Harriers project. The names of estates have been redacted to protect their identity, which was a condition for their participation in the project. Those used as driven grouse moors have been m…

27 Feb 2019 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support and expand housing co-operatives.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: Housing co-operatives form a distinct and valued part of the social housing sector in Scotland. The Scottish Government and the Scottish Housing Regulator provide a legal, regulatory and financial framework within which housing co-operatives can operate and g…

23 Jan 2019 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the preparations being made by it and its agencies for a potential no deal Brexit.

15 Jan 2019 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many proceedings have been raised against Scottish limited partnerships for failure to comply with the Scottish Partnerships (Register of People with Significant Control) Regulations 2017, and how many convictions there were.

26 Nov 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on extending the Housing Voluntary Grant Scheme beyond a one-year cycle to assist voluntary organisations in better planning and preparing the delivery of long-term housing-related projects and services.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: At present there are no plans to extend the scheme to a multiyear funding basis. The Housing Voluntary Grant Scheme (HVGS) is a challenge fund for Voluntary bodies operating in Scotland to request funding for projects which will benefit the people of Scotlan…

6 Nov 2018 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it or the Grouse Moor Management Group has made of the environmental impact of hill tracks constructed on open moorland.

31 Oct 2018 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what consultation is taking place regarding providing local authorities with the power to introduce a tourist tax.

12 Sep 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many scallop dredging vessels operating in Scotland fish in International Council for the Exploration of the Sea rectangles that hold Marine Protected Areas (MPAs).

12 Sep 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many scallop dredging vessels operating in Scotland are fitted with vessel monitoring systems.

12 Sep 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the existing vessel monitoring system deployed on Scottish boats is suitable to determine whether vessels are fishing illegally within restricted parts of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs).

28 Aug 2018 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to a recent report by the City of Edinburgh Council that requested licensing powers under the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 to allow local authorities to licence the use of domestic property for short-term letting.

20 Aug 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many affordable homes have been built under the National Housing Trust model since May 2016.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: There have been 312 affordable homes built under the National Housing Trust initiative since May 2016.

16 May 2018 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information it collects to assess the extent and nature of behavioural responses to income tax policy.

Answer · Derek Mackay: The Scottish Fiscal Commission produce independent income tax revenue forecasts for Scotland and in March 2018 published a paper setting out its approach to modelling taxpayer behaviour change in response to changes in income tax policy. The Scottish Governme…

4 May 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the Office for Nuclear Regulation regarding safety at Torness Power Station, in light of the recently reported issues at Hunterston B.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: Scottish Government officials are in regular contact with the nuclear safety and security regulator, the Office for Nuclear Regulation, (ONR) in respect of safety matters at all Scottish Civil Nuclear Sites. The latest contact between the Scottish Government…

30 Apr 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on the number of letting agencies that continue to charge prohibited fees following the implementation of the Private Rented Housing (Scotland) Act 2011.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: The Scottish Government does not hold this information.

30 Apr 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it has taken to enforce the prohibition of certain fees charged by letting agencies following the implementation of the Private Rented Housing (Scotland) Act 2011.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: The charging or receiving of an illegal premium is a criminal offence and enforcement is therefore a matter for Police Scotland. Where a tenant has paid an illegal premium, they can make an application to recover the fee paid at the First-tier Tribunal for S…

30 Apr 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many letting agencies have received penalties for charging prohibited fees in each year since 2011, also broken down by the level of penalty on the standard scale of fines.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: This is a matter for the Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service. The information requested is not held centrally.

30 Mar 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what funding it is providing to implement the autism strategy.

Answer · Maureen Watt: The Scottish Government remains committed to improving the lives of autistic people in Scotland. In partnership with COSLA we have published the updated priorities for the next phase of the Scottish Strategy for Autism. This publication can be accessed at h…

21 Mar 2018 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to make land information and data more freely available and accessible to the public.

Answer · Keith Brown: Scottish Ministers have invited the Keeper of the Registers of Scotland to complete the Land Register by 2024. In October 2017, Registers of Scotland launched ScotlLIS, an online, map-based service that allows anyone to access information about land in Scotla…

19 Mar 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many proceedings have been raised by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service against Scotland-based limited partnerships businesses in each of the last 10 years for failure to comply with the statutory provisions under which such partnerships are required to file details of pe…

Answer · James Wolffe QC: The statutory provisions requiring Scotland-based limited partnerships to file details of persons with significant control at Companies House came into force on 24 July 2017. To date the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service has not commenced any proceed…

19 Mar 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many proceedings have been raised by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service against Scotland-registered businesses in each of the last 10 years for failure to comply with the statutory provisions under which a company must file accounts and returns with Companies House, and h…

Answer · James Wolffe QC: Section 451 of the Companies Act 2006 includes the offence of failing to comply with the requirement to file accounts and returns with Companies House. There is a high rate of compliance with the requirement to file such accounts and returns. Where necessary,…

16 Mar 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of its spending on the Affordable Housing Supply Programme for 2016-17.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: Our Affordable Housing Supply Programme Out-turn Report for 2016-17 includes Tables 1 and 2 at pages 9 and 10 showing expenditure breakdowns by local authority area and tenure.