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: S4W-18389

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 15 November 2013
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 27 November 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that the dietary goal of increasing potato consumption by 25%, as set out in Preventing Overweight and Obesity in Scotland: A Route Map Towards Healthy Weight, is met, and whether it is on course to achieve this.

The Preventing Overweight and Obesity in Scotland: A Route Map towards Healthy Weight recommended that the Scottish dietary goals outlined in the National Food and Drink Policy while not directed towards tackling obesity was an appropriate target at a population level for achieving nutritional balance and protecting health across a broad range of risk factors in the long term.

Subsequent to the route map’s publication the Food Standards Agency in Scotland reviewed the goals and, on its recommendation, the Scottish Government published revised dietary goals. In which the specific target for increased potato consumption has been removed on the basis that there is no evidence base regarding the health benefit of consuming potatoes specifically, in the same way that there is for oily fish and for fruit and vegetables. However, increasing consumption of potatoes without added fat or salt is recommended within the context of supporting the achievement of the dietary goal for increasing starchy carbohydrates.

Question reference: S4W-18390

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 15 November 2013
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 27 November 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what support it provides to the potato sector to help with variety development.

The Scottish Government supports potato breeding and variety development activities in Scotland by funding underpinning strategic research into relevant areas such as potato genomics, pests and diseases and agronomy. The total planned investment by the Scottish Government into potato focused research over the next three years is more than £8 million.

Specifically this research includes the development of genetic markers for marker-assisted breeding. However, Scottish Government support also covers the maintenance of important germplasm collections, including the Commonwealth Potato Collection, as well as potato variety trials.

Question reference: S4W-18025

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 October 2013
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 12 November 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions have taken place between the Minister for the Environment and Climate Change and the Minister for Local Government and Planning regarding the final Scottish Planning Policy and the National Planning Framework 3.

Question reference: S4O-02583

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 November 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 14 November 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the Minister for Environment and Climate Change has had with the Minister for Housing and Welfare regarding the environmental benefits of measures to tackle fuel poverty.

Question reference: S4W-17644

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 04 October 2013
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 1 November 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how much it considers a consumer would receive under a wider deposit return scheme to encourage recycling of drink containers.

Question reference: S4W-17645

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 04 October 2013
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 1 November 2013

To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers that a wider deposit return scheme to encourage recycling of drink containers would lead to an increase in the retail price of the product.

Question reference: S4W-17643

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 04 October 2013
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 1 November 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how it will consider the feasibility of a wider deposit return scheme to encourage recycling of drink containers and whether it plans to make a statement to the Parliament on the matter.

I have asked Zero Waste Scotland to examine the feasibility of a Scotland wide approach to deposit-return, building on the current recycle and reward pilots, and engaging with key business and local authority stakeholders. I will be meeting with business and other stakeholders during this process. In looking at options for such a scheme, the study will include consideration of the products to be in scope and the level of reclaimable deposit to be paid at the point of sale. The study will examine these effects as well as the overall economic impacts; implications for manufacturers, retailers and consumers; and the interaction with local authority recycling services. As I discussed with delegates at the Scottish Resources Conference on 2 October, I am open to considering alternative approaches to achieve the same benefits for litter, recycling, and Scotland’s reprocessing sector.

I will take a view on how best to engage Parliament once the findings of the study emerge.

Question reference: S4W-17642

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 04 October 2013
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 1 November 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with drinks companies regarding the potential for a wider deposit return scheme to encourage recycling of drink containers.

Question reference: S4O-02533

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 October 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 November 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing has had with the Minister for Housing and Welfare on food bank provision.

Question reference: S4W-17710

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 07 October 2013
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 29 October 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how many pubs there are; how many are free houses, and how many are run under the tied pub model.

The Scottish Government collects figures on premises licensed to sell alcohol each year from local authorities, and these are published at:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Crime-Justice/Datasets/DatasetsLiquor

The most recent set of figures is for 2011-12 shows a total number of premises licensed for on-sales was 11,511. This covers pubs, as well as hotels and restaurants. We do not collate information on whether pubs are tied or free houses, nor do we collate information on pub closures. It is not possible to meaningfully compare totals over a longer period of time due to changes in the way licences are administered.

Information from the Scottish Beer and Pub Association suggests that approximately 35% of the estimated 5000 pubs in Scotland are leased. Of these, fewer than half, around 630 (or around 13% of all pubs in Scotland), are leased from PubCos owning above 500 premises.