- Asked by: Lorna Slater, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 14 November 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 21 November 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what its anticipated timescale is for consultations on Scotland's circular economy strategy and targets.
Answer
The development of the circular economy strategy and associated monitoring and indicator framework will be developed between now and March 2026.
A consultation for both is planned for summer 2025 with development of targets to follow the publication of the strategy and monitoring and indicator framework.
The Circular Economy (Scotland) Act was approved unanimously by Parliament in June and gives Ministers and local authorities the tools they need to achieve our ambitions for a circular economy and build on progress to date. Scotland has made good long-term progress towards reaching our circular economy ambitions with the total amount of waste going to landfill in Scotland halving over the past decade, the overall recycling rate at its highest level since records began in 2011 (62.3%) and the most recent official statistics showing Scotland met its 2025 target to reduce all waste by 15%.
- Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Falkirk West, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 15 November 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 21 November 2024
To ask the Scottish Government when it will announce the proportion of funding between tiers 1 and 2 of the future agriculture support framework.
Answer
Funding certainty and market stability for farmers is absolutely crucial and we want to do all that we can to try to ensure that that is the case in Scotland. As announced at February’s NFU Scotland Conference, Tiers 1 and 2 will receive at least 70% of the available budget. Work on the future framework is continuing to be developed and any announcements will be made in due course. As always, we are committed to working with the industry to co-develop the new payment framework to ensure there are no cliff edges.
- Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 15 November 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Ivan McKee on 21 November 2024
To ask the Scottish Government in light of the commitment in the Framework For Tax and Scottish National Party 2021 manifesto, what the cost would have been in (a) 2021-22, (b) 2022-23, (c) 2023-24 and (d) 2024-25 of bringing the Higher Property Rate into line with that in England, broken down by industry sector.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W- 30147 on 11 November 2024. 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.
- Asked by: Lorna Slater, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 14 November 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 21 November 2024
To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to work with the UK Government's Circular Economy Task Force as it develops Scotland's circular economy strategy.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-31245 on 21 November 2024. 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.
- Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 November 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 21 November 2024
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-04853 by Mairi Gougeon on 14 December 2021, how many of the Fixed Penalty Notices issued since 25 January 2019 remain unpaid, and, of those, how many have been (a) referred to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service and (b) proceeded in the courts, and, of any that resulted in convictions, what the (i) nature of the offence, (ii) value of the original Fixed Penalty Notice and (iii) court disposal was.
Answer
Since 25 January 2019 until 13 October 2021, the period covered by S6W-03688 on 29 October 2021 and S6W-04853 on 14 December 2021, there have been 19 fixed penalty notices (FPNs) unpaid prior to referral to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, compared to 93 paid. This makes a payment rate over the period of 83%.
The breakdown is as follows:
(a) 8 of the 19 cases were referred to the COPFS for consideration of prosecution; 2 of the 8 cases resulted in the original FPNs being paid after agreement with the Procurator Fiscal, ultimately resulting in 17 unpaid FPNs in total and;
(b) 4 of the 8 cases resulted in convictions and fines with the breakdown as follows:
| | Offence | FPN Offered (£) | Court Disposal (£) |
1 | Breach of hobby fishermen regulations | 2000 | 500 |
2 | Non submission of statutory returns | 2000 | 3000 |
3 | Marine Protected Area incursion | 4000 | 2000 |
4 | Fishing gear offence | 3000 | 2075 |
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
- Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 14 November 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Ivan McKee on 21 November 2024
To ask the Scottish Government whether the Planning Hub, announced by the Minister for Public Finance in a statement on 12 November 2024, will provide funding for the deployment of empty homes officers wherever needed, and how much funding it will allocate for (a) these officers and (b) the Planning Hub in total.
Answer
We are establishing a Housing Planning Hub as a priority to help unblock stalled sites. We are now working with public and private sector partners to consider the reasons why specific sites are not progressing to development, and to confirm details around the role, scope and operation of the Hub.
We recognise that there are complex reasons why homes remain empty and dedicated empty homes officers are essential in building relationships with owners to help resolve these. Our recently updated guidance to councils makes clear that they can utilise the ring-fenced revenue they derive from council tax on second and empty homes to fund more officers. This is not, however, the purpose of the Housing Planning Hub which I announced on 12 November. Nevertheless, the work I announced on the potential for further permitted development rights could support efforts to bring some empty properties into residential use.
- Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 24 October 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 21 November 2024
To ask the Scottish Government how much of Connecting Scotland’s £1.6 million budget for 2024-25 has been committed, and on what this is being spent.
Answer
There is a budget of £1.8m which covers Connecting Scotland, Ethical Digital Nation and Unlocking the Value of Data programmes. To date, the following spend has been committed:
- Grant funding to the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) to develop digital training, continue support for existing clients and deliver existing projects. This funding covers support for a wide range of digital inclusion initiatives including:
- ‘Digital Champion’ training, delivered through Mhor Collective, which equips individuals to support others in engaging safely and meaningfully online, building digital confidence within communities.;
- Offboarding support for existing Connecting Scotland users, including temporary extension of connectivity with further support for users to transition to other means of connectivity;
- Supporting the delivery of three digital inclusion programmes - lending libraries, social housing, and place-based initiatives - helping more people to get online through access to devices, connectivity, and technical support, and providing public and third-sector organisations and their staff with support in digital inclusion provision;
- The University of Liverpool to undertake research on a Minimum Digital Living Standard for Scotland. The findings from this research will provide the Scottish Government with detailed Scotland-specific data to identify where there is a need for targeted support for digital inclusion, and help to inform future service design;
- licenses, travel and other services
- staffing costs to support the management of the programme.
All remaining spend in this financial year will be assessed in line with the guidance set out by Ministers in the Scottish Public Finance Manual and current Scottish Government guidelines on spending controls
- Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 24 October 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 21 November 2024
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of how the £1.3 million 2023-34 Connecting Scotland funding was spent.
Answer
In 2023-24, total Scottish Government funding for Connecting Scotland and Ethical Digital Nation combined was £1.3 million. This was allocated as follows:
- Grant funding to the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) to develop digital training, continue support for existing clients and deliver existing projects. This funding covers support for a wide range of digital inclusion initiatives including:
- ‘Digital Champion’ training, delivered through Mhor Collective, which equips individuals to support others in engaging safely and meaningfully online, building digital confidence within communities;
- Offboarding support for existing Connecting Scotland users, including temporary extension of connectivity with further support for users to transition to other means of connectivity;
- Supporting the delivery of three digital inclusion programmes - lending libraries, social housing, and place-based initiatives - helping more people to get online through access to devices, connectivity, and technical support, and providing public and third-sector organisations and their staff with support in digital inclusion provision;
- £100,000 for the Digital Participation Charter Fund to promote and recognise digital inclusion amongst organisations. Some of the projects funded include:
- Budding Engineers (£10,000 award) to provide access to digital skills and teaching for people with additional support needs in several areas of Scotland;
- Deaf Action (£10,000 award) to provide digital and employability support for people experiencing hearing loss across Scotland;
- Milan Senior Welfare Organisation (£9,850 award) to provide basic digital skills and digital support for older people and their carers from the South Asian community in East Lothian and Edinburgh;
- Programme incidentals (e.g. software licences, training, stakeholder engagement, advertising and marketing);
- Staffing costs to support the ongoing management of both programmes
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 25 October 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Graeme Dey on 21 November 2024
To ask the Scottish Government how many college and university course places have been developed to date to help address any skills shortages in the renewables industry workforce.
Answer
Our education and skills system is already adapting in response to the transition to net zero with colleges and universities acting as key anchor points for research, innovation, and training.
Due to the depth, breadth and variety of interrelated programmes of teaching for net zero skills run by both colleges and universities, it is not possible to provide an exact figure for courses specifically designed for and only catering to skills shortages in the renewables industry workforce at this stage.
A range of work is underway to help address need. For example, the Energy Skills Partnership, Built Environment - Smarter Transformation (BE-ST) Innovation Centre and the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland, all funded by the Scottish Funding Council, support colleges and universities in developing their capability, capacity and curriculum pathways for the transition to net zero.
SFC have been leading collaborative regional pathfinders, in both the North-East and the South of Scotland, which have identified a range of important best practices for institutions which will help improve the system and ensure provision is more responsive to Scotland’s strategic skills needs.
A number of sector-based initiatives are also in place to inform system improvement. For example, the Scottish Offshore Wind Energy Council (SOWEC) is taking forward crucial work that will help both industry and the public sector to identify and address future skills and workforce gaps.
- Asked by: Bill Kidd, MSP for Glasgow Anniesland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 November 2024
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 28 November 2024
To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the potential impact on Scotland's finances, how much it estimates will be raised in increased taxes in Scotland in 2025-26 as a result of the UK Autumn Budget.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 28 November 2024
