Chamber and committees

England introduced a ban on combustible materials used in the construction of external walls for all new residential buildings over 18m in December 2018. The 11m threshold introduced from 1 October 2019 is contained in regulatory guidance, with the alternative route of a large scale fire test being retained on the advice of the fire safety review panel. Since that time a number of stakeholders have made clear their views that the Scottish regulations should align with those in the rest of the UK, and we have therefore sought to include this as an option within the consultation.

The fire safety review panel considered a broad range of evidence on fire safety of cladding systems. Some of the evidence supported the retention of the large scale fire test, BS8414, as a means to demonstrate the safety of cladding systems with some combustible elements. Whilst other evidence supported a ban on combustible materials. A fourth option allows respondents to set out alternative views.

The location of the court where the Fatal Accident Inquiry will be heard is a matter for the Sheriff Principal and the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service. The criminal proceedings in relation to the deaths of Mr Dyson and Mr Midgley took place at Dumbarton sheriff court.

ScotRail is exploring potential options to provide contactless ticket infrastructure on the rail network as part of a mix of products to offer passengers.

Contactless payment is already accepted at all stations on ScotlRail’s network for tickets. Mobile ‘phone ticketing has also been introduced. To extend ticketing systems to tap in style contactless ticketing would need considerable investment in ticketing infrastructure, such as gates, as well as back office systems and potentially a fares structures review, which is why this is subject to consideration in the context of changing travel and ticket purchase patterns.

Further to our response to Mr Leonard's previous question on this issue (S6W-02579 on 13 September 2021) the Statement of Requirements for the Tripartite review have been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre under BIB number 62666.

This review is separate to other policy reviews.

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

The 2018 Building Standards (Fire Safety) Review Panel set up following the Grenfell Tower fire did not support an outright ban on combustible cladding. A further review was intended to address concerns raised by some stakeholders since the fire safety standards were changed on 1 October 2019. The current consultation is being undertaken to consider a ban on the highest risk cladding materials through building regulations, and to review the role of the large scale fire test, BS 8414.

As Lord Advocate, I am head of the system for the investigation of deaths in Scotland, as well as of the system of criminal prosecution. I am, accordingly, constitutionally responsible for the investigation of sudden, unexpected, and unexplained deaths in Scotland, as well as for the prosecution of crime. These are functions which I exercise independently of any other person.

Death investigations are undertaken on my behalf by Procurators Fiscal, who act under the direction as required of Crown Counsel. Procurators Fiscal are professional lawyers, who act independently in the public interest. Crown Counsel are likewise senior lawyers who act independently in the public interest and who are responsible for prosecuting the most serious criminal cases and for providing instructions to Procurators Fiscal as required.

Where an inquiry is to be held into the death of a person, the procurator fiscal must investigate the circumstances of the death and arrange for the inquiry to be held.

An inquiry is to be conducted by a sheriff. The purpose of an inquiry is to establish the circumstances of the death and consider what steps (if any) might be taken to prevent other deaths in similar circumstances.

The appointment of a sheriff to the Fatal Accident Inquiry is a matter for the Sheriff Principal and the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service.

No specific assessment has been carried out for kerbside glass recycling. However, the Scottish Government is committed to review the Household Recycling Charter’s Code of Practice, which aims to bring more consistency in household recycling services, and encourage higher participation in waste prevention, recycling and reuse. This review will directly consider the impact on kerbside recycling of measures like the introduction of Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme, and reform to Extended Producer Responsibility, and enable the Code of Practice to evolve in line with developments across the waste and recycling sector.

We are working with the other administrations on the introduction of an extended producer responsibility system for packaging that will recover full net costs from producers and allocate funding to local authorities for the provision of effective and efficient kerbside recycling services. This will support improved recycling for all packaging types, including glass.

Councillors' pay increased by 4.2% on 1 April 2021, taking the annual salary of ordinary councillors from £17,854 to £18,604. This reflects the arrangement introduced in 2017 which now ensures councillors’ pay is increased annually in line with the percentage increase in the median annual earnings of public sector workers in Scotland.

The Scottish Government currently has no plans in the near future to carry out its own review of councillor remuneration. However, we are aware that COSLA's Barriers to Elected Office Special Interest Group is considering this issue, and we are open to discussing and exploring the findings of their work with them, once it becomes available, and how we might support them to address this issue.

The information requested is not held centrally. The Scottish Government does not hold information on offenders' or victims' nationality.