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-17389

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 24 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 10 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what support it will provide to registered drinks producers that are liable for advance payments under section 8.5 of the Deposit Return Scheme Producer Agreement.

As Circularity Scotland is a private company, support arrangements they have with their members is a matter for them and it would not be appropriate for the Scottish Government to intervene in such commercial arrangements between private companies. Only the very largest producers (those making more than 10 million units per year) are required to underwrite costs. We are grateful to all businesses for the investment they have made in preparing for the launch of the deposit return scheme and this investment will be important for the success of the scheme when it launches on 1 March.

Question reference: S6W-17388

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 24 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 10 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether registered drinks producers are currently liable to make advance payments to Circularity Scotland under section 8.5 of the Producer Agreement, in light of the Deposit Return Scheme launch being postponed until 1 March 2024.

Circularity Scotland advise that only the very largest producers (those making more than 10 million units per year) are required to underwrite costs. As Circularity Scotland is a private company, contractual arrangements they have with their members, including any payments as part of their producer agreement, is a matter for them and it would not be appropriate for the Scottish Government to intervene in such commercial arrangements between private companies.

Question reference: S6W-17618

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 10 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has any plans to review tiers of local democracy and whether reform is needed.

Question reference: S6W-17356

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 24 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 10 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many deposits have been held with SafeDeposits Scotland in each year for which data is available.

Question reference: S6W-17407

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 24 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 10 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what support is available to land managers to help reduce or eliminate the use of phosphates and nitrogen in land management practices; what statutory requirements exist for land managers to use less phosphates and nitrogen; whether it has set any enforceable targets for reduction in phosphate and nitrogen use, and who is responsible for any (a) monitoring and (b) enforcement in relation to the use of phosphates and nitrogen.

Preparing for Sustainable Farming (PSF) provides funding to farmers to undertake soil testing and analysis. Preparing and implementing a nutrient management plan on the basis of results encourages balanced fertiliser use for all plant nutrients. In addition, the Scottish Government-funded Farm Advisory Service (FAS ) offers a significant amount of high quality advice and support on a range of topics, the vast majority of which is free to the user. This includes the Soil and Nutrient Network, which is considering how to protect and improve farm soils and make the best use of both organic and inorganic fertilisers, saving money, benefitting yields and improving farm efficiency and resilience.

The relevant statutory requirements for land managers fall under the Action Programme for Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (Scotland) Regulations 2008 and the Water Environment (Controlled Activities) (Scotland) Regulations 2011 (CAR) General Binding Rule 18 – Storage and application of fertilisers.

Objectives/ targets for improving the water environment in relation to phosphorus and nitrogen impacts are set through River Basin Management Planning.

SEPA is responsible for monitoring phosphorus and nitrogen in the water environment. RPID audits farms for compliance with Nitrate Vulnerable Zone (NVZ) requirements and there are penalties through the cross compliance scheme for non-compliance. SEPA enforces CAR through its priority catchment work and other regulatory activities and can serve fixed penalty notices on land managers for non-compliance or in severe cases take a case to the Procurator Fiscal for prosecution. There can potentially be cross compliance penalties for breaches of CAR GBRs as well.

Question reference: S6W-17414

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 24 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 10 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has a duty to achieve a biodiversity net gain, or whether this is a matter of general policy ambition, and whether it has set any explicit targets to achieve a biodiversity net gain.

There is no statutory duty on the Scottish Government to achieve a biodiversity net gain.

Scotland’s draft biodiversity strategy published in December 2022 sets out a clear ambition for Scotland to be nature positive by 2030, and to have substantially restored and regenerated biodiversity by 2045. Five year delivery plans will set out the actions we need to take to achieve that ambition. We will consult on the first delivery plan in the summer. We will also bring forward a Natural Environment Bill, which will put in place key legislative changes to restore and protect nature, including, but not restricted to, targets for nature restoration.

The National Planning Framework also places a strong emphasis on securing positive effects for biodiversity as one of its six statutory outcomes (as identified in section 3A(3)(c) of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997, as amended). The recently adopted National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) includes a cross-cutting theme to improve biodiversity and our strategy and policies support development that helps to secure positive effects for biodiversity. NPF4 Policy 3 sets out that development proposals will contribute to the enhancement of biodiversity, including where relevant, restoring degraded habitats and building and strengthening nature networks.

Question reference: S6W-17406

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 24 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 10 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what statutory requirements exist to slow the spread of aquatic invasive species; whether it has (a) costed and (b) set any specific targets in relation to this matter, and which of its directorates or agencies have any statutory duties or targets placed upon them in relation to aquatic invasive species.

The Scottish Government has statutory requirements in the UK Marine Strategy to develop and implement pathway action plans to reduce the risk of introduction and spread of invasive non-native species (INNS), and to improve monitoring and surveillance to detect new non-indigenous species (or INNS) introductions, particularly at high-risk locations. The Scottish Government provides significant funding to tackle INNS, for example this includes part funding the Scottish Invasive Species Initiative, which is an ambitious £3.24 million partnership project tackling invasive non-native species alongside rivers and water courses.

Scottish Ministers, NatureScot, the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency and Scottish Forestry have statutory powers to enforce the Wildlife and Countryside Act UK (1981), using the Wildlife and Natural Environment (Scotland) Act (2011), which make it a criminal offence to release, plant or cause a species to be outwith its native range. This applies across all aquatic environments.

Question reference: S6T-01364

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 May 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to avoid industrial action by junior doctors, in light of the decision in favour of action by almost 97% of BMA Scotland members who voted.

Question reference: S6T-01368

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 May 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is regarding reports that a new contract has been awarded by the Scottish Police Authority, valued at around £663,000, for the provision of additional forensic testing in relation to suspected cases of spiking.

Question reference: S6F-02109

Asked by: Gillian Mackay, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 May 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 May 2023

To ask the First Minister whether the Scottish Government will consider a full ban on disposable vaping products on health and environmental grounds.

	Tenancy deposits held
2012-13*	70,729
2013-14	82,770
2014-15	89,888
2015-16	102,181
2016-17	111,003
2017-18	122,246
2018-19	127,210
2019-20	139,298
2020-21	146,044
2021-22	156,739