Questions and answers

Question reference: S6W-15991

Asked by: Paul McLennan, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 25 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has been advised by the UK Government of any Barnett consequential funding regarding the announcement in the Spring Budget of a one-year fund made up of £40 million to make swimming pools more energy efficient in the long term and £23 million in grants to leisure centres with swimming pools that are facing immediate cost pressures, including in relation to energy bills.

The Scottish Government have been advised by HM Treasury that Barnett consequentials will be passed to the Scottish Government as a result of the £63m swimming pool support package announced by the UK Government.

As you will be aware any Barnett consequentials will be added to the Scottish block as a whole and Scottish Ministers will decided how best to allocate resources. As part of this process, consideration will be given to what support can be provided to the sport and leisure sector in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-16167

Asked by: Paul McLennan, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 March 2023
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Michael Matheson on 24 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the Innovation and Targeted Oil and Gas (INTOG) decarbonisation seabed leasing round, and what the next steps are for INTOG.

Crown Estate Scotland will announce today (24 March 2022) the outcomes their evaluation of applications to the Innovation and Targeted Oil and Gas decarbonisation (INTOG) offshore wind leasing round.

In total 13 projects were successful and will be offered exclusive development rights over areas of seabed in Spring 2023.

Five new innovative wind projects (with a potential generation capacity of 449MW) were successful, providing opportunities for the new growth sector of hydrogen production, novel commercial solutions and stimulation of the supply chain.

To support secure energy supplies and the decarbonisation of fossil fuel production and extraction in Scottish waters, eight projects (totalling 4.96GW) providing green electricity directly to oil and gas platforms were also successful.

A full sustainability appraisal to support the INTOG planning process is underway and a public consultation later in 2023 will be carried out by Scottish Government, on a draft Sectoral Marine Plan. INTOG projects in the final adopted plan will be offered full Option Agreements by Crown Estate Scotland in 2024 and the consenting process can then proceed.

Question reference: S6W-15824

Asked by: Paul McLennan, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 10 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 21 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how it engages with the Ministry of Defence regarding objections to wind farm projects within the 50km safeguarding zone at Eskdalemuir.

If the Ministry of Defence objects to an application for consent for a wind farm which impacts on the Eskdalemuir seismic array, then the Scottish Government would not proceed to consent the application unless that objection is withdrawn.

In cases where further information is provided by an applicant or changes are made to a proposal to overcome an objection, there will be further consultation to establish if the Ministry of Defence are content to remove their safeguarding objection.

Question reference: S6O-02036

Asked by: Paul McLennan, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 March 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 22 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to celebrate and mark St Andrew's Day 2023.

Question reference: S6O-01929

Asked by: Paul McLennan, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 February 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 23 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its Hydrogen Action Plan, including regarding the role that local authorities can play in defining demand.

Question reference: S6W-14698

Asked by: Paul McLennan, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 06 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 13 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how much funding has been allocated for the construction of Changing Places toilets in the current parliamentary session, and by what date it expects this will be made available.

The Scottish Government is committed to investing in Changing Places Toilets over this parliamentary term, in order to increase the number of these facilities across the country and to support mobile Changing Places Toilets to allow people easier access to events and outdoor venues.

Funding for the construction of Changing Places Toilets has not yet been allocated. Further information about this fund will be available in the coming months. We have recently published our Changing Places Toilets: Planning Guide and an accompanying easy read for people who are planning to develop Changing Places Toilets now.

Question reference: S6O-01893

Asked by: Paul McLennan, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 February 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish the findings of the Local Governance Review.

Question reference: S6O-01844

Asked by: Paul McLennan, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 January 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 1 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any benefits to the structure of legal aid payments of the agreement on Scottish court legal aid fees between the Scottish Government, Scottish Solicitors Bar Association and the Law Society.

Question reference: S6W-13681

Asked by: Paul McLennan, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 09 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 20 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-12681 by Màiri McAllan on 13 December 2022, whether detailed marine spatial plans, as opposed to broad spatial areas, will be provisionally set in the new National Marine Plan (NMP2), in line with section 11(2)(a)(ii) of the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010, unless and until superseded by regional plans agreed under the terms of that same Act.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-12759 on 15 December 2022.

The purpose of Scotland’s National Marine Plan is to set out the strategic policies for the sustainable development of our marine resources. Regional marine plans are currently being developed for 3 out of the 11 Scottish Marine Regions (Orkney, Shetland and the Clyde) with preparatory work being undertaken by Local Coastal Partnerships in other regions.

The content of the new National Marine Plan (“NMP2”) is yet to be defined. As the process to replace the current National Marine Plan progresses, the content of NMP2 will be established and consideration will be taken as to whether NMP2 will include detailed spatial plans.

The Marine Scotland Directorate undertakes national marine planning activities in accordance with the requirements and conditions set out in the Marine Acts: Marine (Scotland) Act (2010) and the Marine and Coastal Access Act (2009). NMP2 will be developed in accordance with the policies, including the National Spatial Strategy, set out in the fourth National Planning Framework (NPF4)(once adopted).

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 .

Question reference: S6W-14102

Asked by: Paul McLennan, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 January 2023
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Patrick Harvie on 19 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the expected status of the provisions within Part 1 of the Cost of Living (Tenant Protection) (Scotland) Act 2022 for the period after 31 March 2023, in light of the Minister for Zero Carbon Buildings, Active Travel and Tenants’ Rights' statement to the Parliament on 12 January 2023.

The Cost of Living (Tenant Protection) (Scotland) Act 2022 is a key part of the Scottish Government’s help for tenants facing the impact of the cost crisis. The Act introduced a temporary rent cap and moratorium on the enforcement of evictions, along with increased damages for unlawful evictions – until at least 31 March 2023.

The Scottish Government has made clear it will retain and use the provisions in the Act only where they remain necessary and proportionate in connection with the cost of living crisis. This is demonstrated in the regulations laid before Parliament today, which:

expire the rent cap provisions for the social sector on 26 February, so that it allows landlords to implement changes from the end of March; and
also suspend the rent cap provisions for purpose-built student accommodation, recognising that new tenancies in the academic year
‎ 2023-24 would not be covered by the Act as it stands in any case.

In light of the differences in how the social and private rented sectors operate and the clear economic evidence demonstrating the continued pressure being placed on private rented households due to the ongoing cost crisis, the Scottish Government will bring forward regulations to extend the remaining provisions in Part 1 of the Act for a further 6 months to 30 September 2023, provided it remains necessary and proportionate. Subject to the approval of Parliament, this will mean that the rent cap for the private rented sector will continue, along with the moratorium on enforcing evictions - which will continue to apply across all sectors.

In order to ensure the provisions are proportionate, the Act gives powers to vary the level of the rent cap. And whilst the focus of the emergency measures continues to be on protecting tenants, the Scottish Government recognises that the ongoing impacts of the cost crisis may also be experienced by some landlords.

The Scottish Government is of the view that it would be proportionate to raise the rent cap in the private rented sector to allow within-tenancy rent increases of up to 3%. Landlords will continue to be able to apply for an additional rent increase based on prescribed property costs and the maximum increase on this basis will be raised to 6% of overall rent in these specific and limited circumstances, in effect preserving the existing landlord safeguard which allows rent rises of 3% above the rent cap if prescribed property costs can be evidenced.

Finally, the 2022 Programme for Government set out the intention to bring forward a new Housing Bill in 2023 and that exact timings would be kept under review, in light of our emergency work to support tenants through the costs crisis.

Having reviewed that work and recognising the extension of our emergency legislation, the Scottish Government can confirm that it intends to introduce that Housing Bill – which will include long-term rent control measures – as soon as possible after the 2023 summer recess.

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