Chamber and committees

Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S6W-27295

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 03 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 14 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will repeal the short-term lets regulations, and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.

We remain committed to the current regulation of short-term let accommodation. Over the last decade the sector has both grown significantly and changed in nature. That has brought economic benefits but also raised concerns about consistency of quality and the impact on neighbourhoods. The introduction of licensing brings short-term lets in line with other accommodation such as hotels and caravan parks, providing assurance to guests on safety and quality such as gas and electrical safety compliance and the suitability of hosts.

I am currently preparing an update for Parliament on the implementation of short-term let licensing. This will outline findings from our monitoring and ongoing engagement with stakeholders.

Question reference: S6T-01989

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 13 May 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 14 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in the event that the reported legal action raised against it by Biffa and any potential actions by other companies that incurred expenditure in expectation of the Deposit Return Scheme being implemented are successful and lead to any financial losses, whether it will consider suing the UK Government in respect of any such losses, in light of its reported position that the UK Government is responsible for the scheme not proceeding in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-26861

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 April 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 7 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-26188 by Angela Constance on 15 April 2024, in the event that the Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Bill does not apply to Scotland, what consideration it is giving to how Scottish legislation would define any case involving the Horizon system in relation to which a person who was wrongfully convicted in Scotland should be exonerated, and whether it will propose a parliamentary debate on the issues arising from the Post Office Horizon system in Scotland following a ministerial update to the Parliament.

Question reference: S6W-26639

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 April 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 7 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the First Minister's attendance at the meeting of the Conveners Group on 27 March 2024, and his statement that, if the details of some of the cases in Scotland were made public, people would be "horrified" if these convictions were overturned, whether it will detail which specific cases the First Minister was referring to; what specific advice he had received in relation to that assertion, and what consideration he has made of the individual cases in Scotland, and, if it cannot or will not detail which specific cases the First Minister was referring to, what its position is on how this will impact on any people who were wrongfully convicted in Scotland and who are still awaiting exoneration.

Question reference: S6W-26638

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 April 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 7 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the First Minister's attendance at the meeting of the Conveners Group on 27 March 2024, and his statement that, if the details of some of the cases in Scotland were made public, people would be "horrified" if these convictions were overturned, whether it will publish any (a) advice and/or speaking notes that were provided to the First Minister as part of his attendance and (b) briefing that he has been provided on the cases in Scotland involving the Post Office's Horizon IT system.

Question reference: S6W-26636

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 April 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 7 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports that the consultants, Deloitte, provided evidence to the Post Office in 2017 suggesting that errors in the Horizon IT system or remote tampering could have caused the financial losses that were being investigated, what its position is on whether any convictions in Scotland that involved evidence related to the Horizon IT system (a) can be considered safe and (b) should be quashed.

The Scottish Government believes that the Post Office Horizon scandal is a unique situation requiring urgent action to ensure those wrongly convicted can finally access justice. Whilst the determination of innocence or guilt in criminal cases is usually rightly a matter for the judiciary, the situation arising is unprecedented in its scale and nature.

The Scottish Government can confirm that a Bill is currently going through the usual parliamentary process and will be introduced shortly.

The Scottish Bill will need to be passed after the UK Bill has been passed, to take account of any amendments made during passage at Westminster. This is to ensure full compatibility with UK legislation and the UK compensation scheme, in which the Scottish parliament has no locus, as we do not want to see anything that could lead to sub-postmasters not being treated on and equal and fair basis.

Question reference: S6W-27298

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 03 May 2024
Current Status: Answer expected on 20 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will withdraw the Visitor Levy (Scotland) Bill, and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.

Question reference: S6W-27296

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 03 May 2024
Current Status: Answer expected on 20 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will remove the requirements relating to compulsory compliance with minimum energy efficiency and the installation of decarbonised heating systems from its proposed Heat in Buildings Bill, and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.

Question reference: S6W-27294

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 03 May 2024
Current Status: Answer expected on 20 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will remove the ban on wood burning stoves in new build homes, and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.

Question reference: S6W-27297

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 03 May 2024
Current Status: Answer expected on 20 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will drop its proposed changes to deer management, and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.