Chamber and committees

While bedbug bites can be itchy they do not constitute a public health hazard. Local authority environmental health departments are responsible for their own pest control and advice services. General prevention advice for anyone who suspects an infestation can be found by contacting the relevant local authority.

The NHS UK website contains useful information on bed bugs, including self-care advice, and can be found at Bedbugs - NHS (www.nhs.uk) .

Local authorities are independent of the Scottish Government and responsible for their own delivery of pest control services. This information is not held centrally. General prevention advice for anyone who suspects an infestation can be found by contacting the relevant local authority.

Yes. We will update Parliament, when appropriate, in relation to the Green Industrial Strategy.

This strategic investment to help create thousands of green jobs and deliver the full economic potential of offshore renewables projects will be delivered over the next five years.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

On 09 October 2023, there were 36 cells, containing two or more individuals across the prison estate, which had a living space of less than 7m²: 1 cell at HMP Dumfries and 35 cells at HMP Edinburgh.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

As at 9 October 2023, the majority of cells occupied by more than one person across the prison estate had a living space of at least 7m 2.

The pandemic and the subsequent pressures on the court system and justice partners arising from the backlog of cases it created, has impacted on the implementation timetable for the Vulnerable Witnesses (Criminal Evidence) (Scotland) Act 2019. We are working with partners and stakeholders through a cross sector implementation group to update the implementation plan and have committed to publish by the end of March 2024.

Information on the tonnage of waste Scotland has the capacity to recycle is not held centrally.

Information on the tonnage of waste that has been recycled in Scotland in the last five years is available from SEPA (Scottish Environment Protection Agency) via its household waste data reporting: www.sepa.org.uk/environment/waste/waste-data/waste-data-reporting/waste-data-for-scotland/

The following table shows tonnage of waste recycled in Scotland from 2015. Data for 2022 is still being processed and will be published in 2024. Due to the cyber attack experienced by SEPA in 2020, data for 2019 and 2020 is unavailable:

The Scottish Government remains committed to implementing the provisions of the Vulnerable Witnesses (Criminal Evidence) (Scotland) Act 2019 to ensure that the presumption in favour of pre-recorded evidence extends to children and adult deemed vulnerable witnesses.

While the presumption does not currently apply beyond children giving evidence in specified cases in the High Court, the Court does have the power to, upon application of either the prosecution or the defence, direct that the evidence of other children and vulnerable adult witnesses should be pre-recorded. This is provided for in the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995 and in 2017 the High Court issued a practice note to give guidance around the use of evidence by commissioner hearings. Evidence by commissioner hearings are therefore regularly being conducted to pre-record the evidence of a wider cohort of witnesses that are not yet covered by the statutory presumption.

The Climate Change Committee has previously written to the Scottish Government setting out a series of recommendations for the reform on Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs). In response to this advice, the Scottish Government published a consultation on EPC reform on 25 July 2023. This consultation highlights proposals to revise the information displayed on EPCs by expanding the current suit of metrics and reporting other relevant information. This would provide a more holistic view to current and potential homeowners for all types of buildings. The consultation on EPC reform does not cover Scottish Government proposals to ensure homes reach a particular standard of energy efficiency or decarbonise their heating systems. This will be subject to a separate consultation on proposals for a Heat in Buildings Bill planned for later this year.

An EPC assessment for existing buildings is a non-intrusive survey and so the methodology makes assumptions based on the age and characteristics of the building. Our consultation highlights that we are reviewing the assessment and quality assurance processes to enhance the accuracy of EPCs.

The Scottish Government does recognise it may be more challenging for some homes and buildings to meet the proposed energy efficiency standards than for others. We will work with stakeholders, including Historic Environment Scotland, to develop approaches and solutions to transition Scotland’s traditional buildings, where it is technically feasible and cost effective, to achieve a good level of energy efficiency and transition to zero direct emissions heating while respecting and preserving the special characteristics of our historic buildings.