- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Monday, 27 October 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 5 November 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the reported increase in carbon dioxide emissions from waste incineration since 2019, and how this aligns with Scotland’s statutory emissions reduction targets.
Answer
Energy from waste emissions were expected to rise in the short-term as a result of preparations for the ban on landfilling biodegradable municipal waste in Scotland which comes into force on 31 December 2025. As part of these preparations, a portion of currently landfilled waste is diverted to incineration, resulting in an increase in incineration emissions.
However, this is expected to be accompanied by a larger longer-term decrease in emissions from the waste sector as a whole due to lower landfill emissions, driven by the ban.
The independent review on the role of incineration in Scotland’s waste hierarchy (published 2022) found that incineration's current place within the waste hierarchy is correct, meaning that overall, it is preferable to other forms of residual waste treatment, such as landfill but made clear recommendations around limiting future capacity and decarbonisation of energy from waste.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 October 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 5 November 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on introducing a point of entry levy for ferry passengers, including allowing local authorities to implement these.
Answer
We held a public consultation to formally hear views on the introduction of a potential cruise ship levy and point of entry levy, and to consider further the impacts on business, local government, and others. The analysis of the responses will be published shortly and the Scottish Government will consider next steps in due course.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Monday, 27 October 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 5 November 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether contracts for existing or planned incineration sites include minimum waste throughput guarantees, and what assessment it has made of any impact of such provisions on recycling and waste reduction targets.
Answer
The 2022 independent review on the role of incineration in Scotland’s waste hierarchy states that in the short-term, incineration will have a role to play in managing our waste as we transition to a circular economy.
As we continue to increase our reuse and recycling rates, we will produce even less waste, however we will still need an appropriate way to manage our unavoidable and unrecyclable waste.
That’s why the Scottish Government’s Fourth National Planning Framework (NPF4) makes clear that development proposals for energy-from-waste facilities will not be supported, except under limited circumstances.
We have also been working with local authorities, through Zero Waste Scotland, to reduce the length of energy from waste contracts, and remove the requirement for guaranteed tonnages – giving local authorities the flexibility to respond to changes that will support Scotland’s move to a circular economy.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Monday, 27 October 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 5 November 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has carried out long-term emissions projections for incineration sites, and if so, whether it will publish these.
Answer
The Scottish Government has carried out long-term emissions projections for electricity generation, which include energy-from-waste emissions, which will be published as part of the Climate Change Plan Analytical Annex in due course. There are currently no long-term projections for emissions from energy-from-waste on a per site basis.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Monday, 27 October 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 5 November 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any potential public health impacts of emissions from waste incinerators, particularly in communities located near such facilities.
Answer
There have been several independent evidence reviews on potential health impacts from municipal waste incineration:
- Health Protection Scotland (2009) review on incineration and reported human health effects concluding that “providing that any existing or new incinerators operate in accordance with current regulations governing emissions, the scope for any adverse human health impacts associated with their emissions should remain minimal”.
- Public Health Scotland (2022) rapid evidence review focused on municipal solid waste incineration, commissioned to support the Government’s Independent Review of the Role of Incineration in the Waste Hierarchy. The findings of this rapid review reinforced the conclusions drawn in the 2009 HPS report above, concluding that it is “still reasonable to conclude that any risk to human health associated with emissions from newer incinerators, operated within the current regulations, is very likely to be less than was the case previously…”.
- UK-level synthesis by UKHSA (2025), concluding that “modern, well-run and well-regulated municipal waste incinerators are not a significant risk to public health, as contributions to local pollutant concentrations are small”.
As part of the permitting regime, SEPA requires a Human Health Impact Assessment with every PPC incineration permit application, and it publishes application documents for public and statutory consultation. SEPA also consults the relevant NHS Health Board to ensure potential public health impacts are considered.
SEPA sets and enforces stringent permit conditions, including continuous emissions monitoring, periodic stack testing, and ambient air quality assessments. SEPA tightened emissions limits for Scottish plants in line with the 2019 Waste Incineration BAT Conclusions, with compliance required by 3 December 2023.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Monday, 27 October 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 5 November 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on progress made to introduce a statutory cap on incineration capacity.
Answer
The Scottish Government recognises the value of a long term, evidenced-based indicative residual waste treatment cap to help inform planning and investment decisions as Scotland transitions towards a circular economy, as part of an overall strategic approach (Recommendation 5 of the Independent Review on the Role of Incineration in Scotland’s Waste Hierarchy (the Review) published May 2022).
That is why, as set out in Scotland’s Circular Economy and Waste Route Map to 2030, we have committed to develop an indicative cap through Scotland’s Residual Waste Plan (RWP), due for publication in 2027.
In line with the Review’s recommendation, any cap will be indicative and consider all residual waste capacity, including landfill and other treatment options. It should account for waste streams that must be incinerated by law, such as those containing persistent organic pollutants (POPs), and allow for sufficient contingency to account for uncertainties in the data, the trajectory of residual waste arisings, and policy development and delivery.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 October 2025
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 8 October 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any impact of sustained overcrowding in prisons on suicide and self-harm prevention.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 8 October 2025
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Friday, 29 August 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 29 September 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the comment by the former General Secretary of the Scottish Police Federation (SPF), Calum Steele, to the Justice Sub-Committee on Policing on 30 May 2019 that "the Ayr office was probably carved out of asbestos”, when it last met the SPF to discuss the reported presence of asbestos in more than 170 police stations, and what was discussed.
Answer
I meet regularly with the Scottish Police Federation (SPF), where we discuss a range of issues which affect their members. At our meeting on 19 December 2024, the SPF raised concerns about the condition of buildings in the Police Scotland estate, and we discussed the Police Scotland Estates Masterplan.
Management of the Police Scotland estate, including assessments of the condition of its buildings, is an operational matter for the Chief Constable under the oversight of the Scottish Police Authority. The Scottish Government supports Police Scotland’s commitment to providing a safe environment for officers, staff and the public, and notes that Ayr police station moved from old and outdated premises to a new modern location in May 2023.
We are investing a record £1.64 billion in policing in 2025-26. This includes £70 million of capital funding for investment in police assets, including the police estate.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 September 2025
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 2 October 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will commit to reintroducing the "shared cabin" policy as a condition of the next Northern Isles Ferry Services contract.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 2 October 2025
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 September 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Fairlie on 23 September 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to seek stakeholder input into
the development of the Agri-Environment and Climate Scheme, and what the
timeline is for any stakeholder engagement.
Answer
The Agri-Environment and Climate Scheme (AECS) was launched in 2015 to promote land management practices which protect and enhance Scotland’s natural heritage, improve water quality, manage flood risk and mitigate and adapt to climate change.
AECS has a strong uptake from farmers and crofters in Orkney. Since 2015 there has been 486 approved contracts from 288 businesses, valued at £24.48 million (figures as of August 2025).
This scheme is expected to continue until at least 2026 to deliver elements of Tiers 3 and 4 until new Elective and Complementary Support mechanisms are introduced.
Co-development and co-design with rural partners will be the foundational approach to the development of future support structures and delivery. We will work with farmers and crofters to make sure that our support is informed by their needs and experience. This will include specific consideration of our island farming and crofting systems to ensure funding is relevant and remains accessible to as many as possible. For example, a review of AECS is currently underway with stakeholders such as the National Farmers Union (Scotland) and the Scottish Crofting Federation inputting into this process.
Farmers and crofters can volunteer to help shape the policy and support that affects them by registering their interest here: Agricultural Reform Programme (ARP) - Volunteer to take part in research and design (Page 1 of 11)
