Chamber and committees

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-02307 on 15 September 2016. The then Minister for Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform, Dr Aileen McLeod MSP, met the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SSPCA) on 25 February 2016. Officials had further discussions with SSPCA representatives in March 2016 but no formal discussions have been held since then.

The investigation and prosecution of crime are operational matters for Police Scotland and the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service respectively. The Scottish Government fully supports the police, prosecutors and the courts in using their powers to hold drug drivers to account through the long-standing offence of driving while impaired through the use of drugs.

Data on the number of convictions for motor vehicle offences relating to being unfit through alcohol or drugs is contained in the following table. Please note that data is not held separately in relation to these offences between offences involving drugs and offences involving alcohol.

This is a very complex area with individual limits proposed for 17 different drug types. While no specific timescale has been set, we understand there is likely to be an evaluation of the new drug driving limits introduced in England and Wales that is due to be published in 2017. This evaluation will likely prove helpful in understanding the full practical implications of setting drug driving limits and whether the potential benefits of drug driving limits have been realised in England and Wales since their introduction in 2015.

This will help inform our own consideration of whether drug driving limits should be introduced in Scotland including what implications this may have for the equipment used by Police Scotland to detect drug drivers.

The Scottish Government supports non-national museums and galleries through Museums Galleries Scotland, the National Development body which supports the museum sector across Scotland through the provision of services and the operation of grant schemes.

Museums Galleries Scotland would welcome discussions with the Nimrod Heritage Group to help develop the project and to support them through the process of becoming an accredited museum.

The Ferries Plan (2013 – 2022) indicated that the Scottish Government is willing to assume responsibility for all lifeline ferry services in Scotland, including those operated by local authorities. Any such transfer of responsibility would be subject to Transport Scotland and the relevant authority reaching mutual agreement on the terms of a transfer.

There was discussion in 2015 between The Highland Council and Transport Scotland regarding responsibility for the Corran Ferry. The Highland Council confirmed that they did not wish seek a transfer of responsibility at that time.

Transport Scotland remain open and willing to discuss a potential transfer of responsibility for the Corran Ferry with The Highland Council.

It is for individual Scottish public authorities to comply with their statutory obligations under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002. One public authority cannot seek to direct how another public authority responds to Freedom of Information requests.

The funding, in terms of cash Grant-in-Aid, that Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) has received from the Scottish Government in each of the last five years is set out in the table below. I have asked SNH’s Chief Executive to write to the Member to provide details on how much of this funding the organisation has allocated to its biodiversity strategy priorities in each year as this is an operational matter.

¹ Figures take into account in-year budget transfers and spend profile adjustments.

The Scottish Government established a target to reduce food waste by 33% by 2025 earlier this year. In November 2016 we announced that the baseline for the target would be the 1.35m tonnes of food wasted in Scotland in 2013. This is the first time that total food waste arisings have been calculated for Scotland.

Zero Waste Scotland has estimated that, between 2009 and 2014, household food waste in Scotland decreased by 37,000 tonnes per year, a 5.7% reduction saving households £92 million per year.

To identify a package of actions to meet the 2025 target, the Scottish Government has launched a series of stakeholder meetings to generate options. It is important that all sectors contribute and work together to achieve this ambitious target.

This is an operational matter for Scottish Natural Heritage and I have asked the Chief Executive to write to the Member to provide further details.

This is an operational matter for Scottish Natural Heritage and I have asked the Chief Executive to write to the Member to provide further details.