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-22586

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 September 2014
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 9 October 2014

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish a league table of recycling rates for local authorities.

Official statistics on household waste are published annually by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA). Its annual household waste summary reports, which include the recycling rate for each local authority, can be viewed on SEPA’s website at:

http://www.sepa.org.uk/waste/waste_data/waste_data_reports/lacw_reporting/household_waste_reporting.aspx

These SEPA reports give an overview of local authority household waste management performance, showing that:

Nine local authorities recycled/composted more than 50% of household waste in 2013 - the same authorities that achieved this in 2012 (Stirling, Perth and Kinross, North Ayrshire, Moray, Inverclyde, Fife, Falkirk, East Renfrewshire, Clackmannanshire).

20 local authorities improved on their 2012 rates. The biggest increases were: Orkney, up 8.3% (to 30.8%); East Dunbartonshire, up 6.2% (to 44.9%); Renfrewshire, up 5.4% (to 44.3%); Inverclyde, up 4.8% (to 55.5%); Argyll & Bute, up 4.6% (to 36.1%).

Variation between councils is a big factor in overall performance – five of the eight with biggest waste volumes are recycling under 40%, as follows: South Lanarkshire 39.1% (up 1.7%); Edinburgh 38.1% (up 1.4%); Aberdeen City 37.1% (down 0.2%); Aberdeenshire 35.9% (up 0.3%); Dundee 31.1% (up 1.4%); Glasgow 26.9% (down 2.6%).

Waste landfilled in Scotland went down from 55.5% in 2012 to 53.5% in 2013. The biggest local decreases were: East Dunbartonshire, down 12.6% (to 48.7%); Angus, down 7.4% (to 46.6%); East Ayrshire, down 6.6% (to 49%); Argyll and Bute, down 5.9% (to 51.1%); Dundee, down 5.8% (to 43.6%)

Question reference: S4W-22584

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 September 2014
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 7 October 2014

To ask the Scottish Government how it monitors the recycling rates of each local authority.

Official statistics on household waste are published annually by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA). As from 2012, SEPA started publishing household waste data information on an annual calendar year basis rather than a financial year basis. This aligns household waste data reporting with other European waste data reporting, and allows comparison and aggregation of the information on household waste data with commercial and industrial waste data. The data in the household waste reports are obtained from WasteDataFlow (the web based system for waste data reporting by UK local authorities to government).

Question reference: S4W-22587

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 September 2014
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 7 October 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Glasgow City Council regarding its recycling rates and service availability.

I met with all councils at COSLA’s Development, Economy and Sustainability Executive Group in September 2013 to discuss the importance of the zero waste agenda and hear feedback from councils on progress and the issues they are facing. Earlier this year, I, along with the Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Employment and Sustainable Growth, convened the first meeting of the Zero Waste Taskforce with COSLA. The taskforce’s work aims to support all councils to collaborate, drive up recycling rates, and create economic opportunities.

Scottish Government officials and Zero Waste Scotland last met with Glasgow City Council in late 2012 to discuss their approach to waste and recycling. Following that meeting, Zero Waste Scotland has provided the council with considerable support for a variety of activities to help review its approach to collections, including piloting food waste collection and assessing waste collection issues in tenements.

Question reference: S4F-02319

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 06 October 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 October 2014

To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government is taking to tackle the stigma surrounding mental health issues.

Question reference: S4W-22585

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 September 2014
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 6 October 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has with COSLA and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency to ensure that local authorities are working toward achieving the objectives set out in the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009.

<>The Public Sector Climate Leaders Forum (PSCLF) provides a formal means of discussing climate change action with both COSLA and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency. I chair the forum which meets quarterly and Councillor Stephen Hagan, COSLA Spokesperson on Development, Economy and Sustainability is deputy chair. Minutes and papers for the meetings are available at www.scotland.gov.uk.

The Climate Leaders Officers Group provides operational support to PSCLF and is the main delivery vehicle for the actions arising from PSCLF.

I have also had several bilateral meetings over the last year with Councillor Hagan, to discuss climate change and also biodiversity, and the Scottish Government funds a policy manager post within COSLA to provide liaison between the government and COSLA on climate change and waste issues.

Question reference: S4O-03571

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 October 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 October 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what provision primary schools and nurseries make for first aid cover.

Question reference: S4W-22362

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 August 2014
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 21 August 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what costs have been associated with the electrification of the Whifflet-Central line.

Question reference: S4W-22361

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 August 2014
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 21 August 2014

To ask the Scottish Government when the electrification of the Whifflet-Central line will be completed.

Question reference: S4O-03392

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 June 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 June 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the recent reports of significant levels of disruption to residents in Dalmarnock because of the Commonwealth Games.

Question reference: S4O-03325

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 May 2014
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 5 June 2014

To ask the Scottish Government whether it provides support to Sudan from its international development budget and, if so, what discussions it has had with the Sudanese authorities concerning Mariam Yahia Ibrahim Ishag, who has been sentenced to death and 100 lashes for apostasy.

The Scottish Government has not provided any direct support to the Government of Sudan. The international development budget funded a project run by Tearfund in the Darfur region of Sudan during the first round of our Sub Saharan Development Programme in 2008. This was a four year project and it was awarded a grant of £1.25 million.

The project aimed to meet the basic needs of local and displaced people through provision of nutrition support and health promotion in feeding centres and health clubs, as well as improvements to water, sanitation and food security.

We have been in contact with the UK Government and fully support the representations made by the UK and EU regarding the Mariam Yahia Ibrahim Ishag case, and are unequivocal in our support for freedom of religion and belief and in our opposition to the death penalty in all circumstances. The Scottish Government has not had any direct discussions with the Sudanese authorities.