Asked by: Kerr, Stephen (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party - Central Scotland)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with international firms operating in Scotland regarding expanding domestic supply chains.
Answered by Lochhead, Richard - Minister for Business
The Scottish Government along with Scottish Development International and Enterprise Agencies are actively engaged with business and international firms operating in Scotland to expand the domestic supply chains. For instance, Scottish Enterprise works with more than 350 foreign owned businesses to support their growth which includes encouraging the benefits of engaging with local supply chain companies.
This is achieved by building on the strength of Scotland’s innovation ecosystem, which supports technology development and skills across a wide range of manufacturing sectors, leveraging the knowledge and expertise of industry bodies, partners and Scotland’s academic institutions. This approach will enable our manufacturing sector to take advantage of emerging market opportunities, such as offshore wind, hydrogen and future industries in which Scotland has the potential to excel.
Asked by: Kerr, Stephen (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party - Central Scotland)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding the provision of additional financial support for housing decarbonisation.
Answered by Allan, Alasdair - Acting Minister for Climate Action
The Scottish Government has regular discussions with the UK Government about heat decarbonisation. For example, we continue to press the UK Government to align delivery of the Energy Company Obligation and Great British Insulation Schemes with Local Heat and Energy Efficiency Strategies.
While heat and energy efficiency are devolved, however, we need to see further and urgent action by the UK Government in reserved areas. These actions, which include market reforms designed to make electricity cheaper to use than gas, will be vital to ensure that the transition is fair and affordable.
Asked by: Kerr, Stephen (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party - Central Scotland)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it will support social housing providers in complying with greener heat regulations that they find unaffordable.
Answered by Allan, Alasdair - Acting Minister for Climate Action
The social housing sector has been outperforming the housing stock overall in terms of EPC ratings in recent years. The Scottish House Condition Survey found 65% of Scotland’s social housing stock rated EPC band C or better. Scottish Government provides grant funding support to social landlords to implement clean heating systems and energy efficiency measures in their existing stock through the Social Housing Net Zero Heat Fund.
Asked by: Baker, Claire (Scottish Labour - Mid Scotland and Fife)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the comment by the Cabinet Secretary for Transport during the debate on motion S6M-15612 on 27 November 2024 that the actions recommended in the March 2023 report, Women's and girls' views and experiences of personal safety when using public transport, "have been carried out", whether it will confirm (a) how and (b) when each of the 10 recommendations was actioned.
Answered by Hyslop, Fiona - Cabinet Secretary for Transport
The report on women and girls’ safety on public transport recommends measures to enhance security and comfort. These include better lighting, surveillance, greater staff presence, clear reporting, use of technology, public awareness campaigns and stricter enforcement of safety policies. These recommendations align to work underway by the transport industry and Transport Scotland. Therefore not all have specific commencement dates, but build on already established activities.
To share good practice and improve awareness, in May 2024 Transport Scotland published research around the use of personal safety apps in public spaces. In November 2024, Transport Scotland launched a dedicated webpage which provides links to the Transport Scotland’s research and engagement, as well as how violence against women and girls is being tackled by the Scottish Government.
Transport Scotland continues to work with the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) to support sharing of best practice amongst bus operators including on data, education and driver training, and last met in January 2025. In addition, Transport Scotland are developing actions to tackle antisocial behaviour on the bus network, which includes the development of a behaviour code for those using the National Concessionary Travel Schemes and a process for temporary suspension or withdrawal of concessionary travel entitlement.
On the rail network, ScotRail, Network Rail and British Transport Police are working together with stakeholders to deliver a activities to reduce anti-social behaviours. British Transport Police’s (BTP) “Text 61016” service allows all passengers to discreetly report any incidents they witness on trains or at stations directly to BTP. ScotRail are reviewing their existing processes for responding to customer reports of anti-social and unacceptable behaviour, and in February 2025 further expanded their “Travel Safe Team”. To further improve joint working and reporting, BTP have established a Strategic Safer Transport Group which ensures partnership working between organisations to create a safer transport network across Scotland.
Regarding staff presence, ScotRail must have a member of staff other than drivers on all train services and they are reviewing changes to ticket office opening hours to allow more staff to be present at train stations. ScotRail have piloted conflict management training for front-line staff with a view to rolling this out further. Transport Scotland’s SQUIRe team inspect trains and all stations in Scotland in a four week period, ensuring that aspects such as CCTV, station help points and lighting are all working appropriately.
Asked by: Golden, Maurice (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party - North East Scotland)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the finding in the Marine Conservation Society 2024 report, State of our Beaches, which records that, compared with 2023, there had been an increase of 7.2% in items of litter found on the beaches surveyed.
Answered by Martin, Gillian - Acting Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy
The Scottish Government thanks the Marine Conservation Society and all the many volunteers for their excellent work in monitoring beach litter and cleaning our shores. Citizen science is valued, and in combination with data from our scientists and our wider international monitoring programme, it is useful in helping us prioritise policy development to effectively reduce marine litter.
Marine litter is a global challenge and we are working both nationally and internationally to share the development of solutions. We are currently focused on the most problematic of litter items including fishing gear, nurdles, and wet wipes containing plastic. Our work is set out in our Marine Litter Strategy Action Plan, and responsibility for its delivery is shared between the Scottish Government and multiple partners, with progress coordinated through a steering group of which the Marine Conservation Society is a valued member. We are also taking action through our National Litter and Fly-Tipping Strategy to reduce land sources of litter which can make their way into our seas.
It takes time for implemented policies and legislation to begin to be reflected in beach litter levels, such as the ban on plastic-stemmed cotton buds from 2019, and the ban on other single-use items including polystyrene food containers from 2022. With more measures and legislation expected in the future; banning wet wipes containing plastic and a Deposit Return Scheme for drinks containers, we expect to see these litter levels reduce.
Asked by: Burnett, Alexander (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party - Aberdeenshire West)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-30798 by Gillian Martin on 7 November 2024, for what reason more schemes have not been confirmed, or begun the legal notification process towards confirmation, in light of £570 million being assigned for the period 2016-26, and only £408.8 million estimated to date as final costs.
Answered by Martin, Gillian - Acting Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy
The £570 million referenced in the answer to question S6W-30798 on 7 November 2024 is provided by Scottish Government to local authorities to support a range of flood resilience actions, including cycle 1 Flood Protection Schemes. The development and delivery of Flood Protection Schemes is a local authority responsibility.
Cost estimates for completion of cycle one flood protection schemes are updated annually by local authorities in November so estimated costs have increased since question S6W-30798 was answered.
The Scottish Government/ COSLA Funding Working Group are considering new recommendations to put to Ministers and COSLA Leaders to improve certainty around the remaining cycle 1 flood protection schemes. This is necessary before commitment to new schemes outside cycle one.
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-questions-and-answers
Asked by: Ewing, Annabelle (Scottish National Party - Cowdenbeath)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what up-to-date assessment it has made of the safety of biological women, on the basis of the protected characteristic of sex, in the prison estate.
Answered by Constance, Angela - Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs
I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:
SPS Women’s Strategy delivers a focus on both therapeutic and trauma informed environments for women in our care, and through individualised case management processes, women’s safety is managed in a way that is sensitive to their individual and gender specific needs and risks.
SPS’ person-centred approach and Women’s Strategy acknowledges that safety and wellbeing needs can be different for each woman, and traumatic experience can show that one woman’s feeling of safety and secure looks very different from another’s.
In practice our approach allows us to create an environment that promotes safety in a way that is sensitive to individual past experiences of distress, abuse and trauma.
Additionally, SPS are acutely aware of the Supreme Courts Judgement regarding the ‘biological definition’ of a woman and are currently considering any impact this may have on existing policies and operations.
Asked by: Burnett, Alexander (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party - Aberdeenshire West)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-30798 by Gillian Martin on 7 November 2024, whether it will meet all final costs, regardless of any increase compared with the initial estimate.
Answered by Martin, Gillian - Acting Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy
As outlined in the answer to question S6W-30798 on 7 November, since 2016, the Scottish Government has allocated £570 million to local authorities for flood protection schemes and flood resilience. In this period, the estimated costs of cycle one schemes eligible for funding has risen.
A joint Scottish Government/ COSLA Funding Working Group was established to make recommendations to Ministers and COSLA Leaders on how to improve the affordability of the remaining cycle one schemes. This has resulted in the removal of 6 schemes that failed to meet key progress deadlines from the funding programme.
The Funding Working Group are considering whether further recommendations are required to ensure the programme remains affordable.
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-questions-and-answers
Asked by: Kerr, Stephen (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party - Central Scotland)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the updated list of public appointments by public body, which was published on 25 March 2025, is an exhaustive list of all public appointments.
Answered by Robison, Shona - Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government
The list of public appointments by public body, which was published on 25 March 2025, is an exhaustive list of Ministerial regulated public appointments only. Ministerial regulated public appointments are those governed by the Ethical Standards Commissioner and the Code of Conduct for Public Appointments (2022).
The list is intended to be updated regularly so that it reflects recently made appointments. It was corrected on 25 March 2025 following the identification of errors.
Details added to the spreadsheet should be correct at the point of the appointment commencing. These details may change over time and become out of date. A process is underway to update the spreadsheet to ensure accuracy, including rectification of any other errors identified, and it will be re-published when complete.
Asked by: Lumsden, Douglas (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party - North East Scotland)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland report, Investigation into the care and treatment of Mr TU, published in March 2023, whether it will introduce measures to ensure that all remand prisoners are provided with suitable accommodation and support upon unexpected release, and if this is the case, what the timeline is for implementing such measures.
Answered by Constance, Angela - Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-36086 on 24 April 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-committees/written-questions-and-answers