- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 June 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 16 June 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on how many local resilience and emergency plans have been developed by local authorities in each of the last five years.
Answer
This is a matter for Local Authorities. This information is not held centrally.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 05 June 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 16 June 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any costs associated with local authorities reporting on statutory duties placed on them by the Scottish Ministers.
Answer
In setting the total level of local government support, Scottish Ministers consider local authorities' on-going responsibilities and any new burdens or transfers of responsibility, including those imposed by Parliament through changes in statute. These issues are discussed on a regular on-going basis between the Scottish Government and COSLA.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 12 June 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Neil Gray on 16 June 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made in implementing its conclusions in Priority Area 7 of the Report of the City Centre Recovery Task Force 2021-22.
Answer
The delivery of the actions in the Report of the City Centre Recovery Task Force 2021-22 is being carried out under the auspices of the Scottish Cities Alliance, in agreement with our local authority partners. As a member of the Alliance, the Scottish Government will work with the cities to progress the strategic objectives in the report as part of the Alliance’s Operational Programme 2022-2026.
In addition, the Scottish Government has also adopted the National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) in February 2023, which references the ambitions of the Report and directly influences all planning decisions. NPF4 recognises that our cities and towns are a national asset and their centres bring together a wide range of functions and land uses. Its policies help centres adapt and be vibrant, healthier, creative, accessible and resilient places for people to live, learn, work and enjoy. In March 2023 we also introduced new permitted development rights that provide greater flexibility to change the use of buildings and place furniture outside specified hospitality premises.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 05 June 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 15 June 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what record of medical equipment provided to households is kept by NHS boards, and what equipment has been provided in each year since 1999.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not hold this information, however, it may be available from local Health Boards.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 05 June 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 14 June 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to review any of the statutory duties placed on local authorities by the Scottish Ministers.
Answer
The Scottish Government is committed to working with COSLA to agree a New Deal with Local Government in Scotland that promotes sustainability, empowerment and provides greater fiscal flexibility over local funding with clear accountability for delivery of shared priorities and outcomes.
As part of the New Deal, we are committed to concluding the Local Governance Review in this parliament, ensuring that decisions are taken as close as possible to those they affect the most is at the heart of our approach to public service reform in Scotland.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 05 June 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 13 June 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on how much has been received in planning gain contributions by each local authority, in each year since 1999.
Answer
This information is not held centrally. Research on the value, incidence and impact of developer contributions was published in 2021: https://www.gov.scot/publications/value-incidence-impact-developer-contributions-scotland/documents/
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 25 May 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Neil Gray on 8 June 2023
To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to establish a City Centre Recovery Task Force.
Answer
The City Centre Recovery Taskforce was established in 2021 to identify actions to support city centre recovery from the effects of the COVID pandemic. It was wound up following publication of its report in March 2022 and the Scottish Government is now working with the Scottish Cities Alliance and city leaders to deliver on the report’s recommendations.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 25 May 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom Arthur on 5 June 2023
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has established a Land Tax Working Group, and, if so, when the group will report.
Answer
The Scottish Government has not established a Land Tax Working Group and does not have plans to do so at present. The Medium Term Financial Strategy set out that the Deputy First Minister will establish and chair an external Tax Advisory Group this summer, building on our inclusive approach to tax policymaking. The outcomes of this engagement will feed into the Budget 2024-25 and the development of the Government’s longer-term tax strategy.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 19 May 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 5 June 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-17019 by Michael Matheson on 15 May 2023, whether it will delineate the morphine prescriptions by (a) inpatient use, (b) outpatient use, (c) GP-prescribed and (d) those prescribed by drug and alcohol recovery services.
Answer
The Scottish Government nor its partners hold information on morphine prescribing at this level of granularity and have no plans to do so.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 May 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Natalie Don on 2 June 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what support it provides to charities supporting families to prevent family breakdown.
Answer
The Scottish Government wants children to grow up loved, safe and respected and to fulfil their potential, and our third sector partners play a critical role in achieving this.
We are providing over £34 million to a wide range of third sector organisations who are delivering support to families through a number of programmes – the Whole Family Wellbeing Fund, the Children, Young People and Families Early Intervention & Adult Learning & Empowering Communities third sector fund, the Residential Rehabilitation Rapid Capacity Programme, the Drug and Alcohol Services – Improving Holistic Family Support Framework - as well as through direct grant funding to organisations who are providing relationship support and support to families affected by imprisonment.