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: S6W-09405

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 1 July 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6O-01192 by Michael Matheson on 8 June 2022, in which he stated that “the Scottish Government will this year work closely with Solar Energy Scotland representatives to support the development of a solar vision for Scotland”, whether it will provide an update on progress on this commitment; how it is meeting the commitment, and what the timeline is for meeting it.

I met with Solar Energy Scotland (SES) in February, with the Minister for Public Finance, Planning and Community Wealth meeting with them in May. In addition to ministerial meetings, officials have also been meeting with SES regularly, and they have been invited to join the Renewable Energy Strategic Leadership Group (RESLG). Continued official engagement is planned over the summer as the solar vision develops. The solar vision will form part of the Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan, which will be published later this year.

Question reference: S6W-09264

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 1 July 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what targets have been set for solar energy generation in Scotland as part of its plans for achieving net zero.

The Scottish Government recognises the importance of energy generated from solar PV in contributing to the decarbonisation of Scotland’s energy supply, and helping us meet our targets for a net zero emissions society by 2045.

In support of this, the Scottish Government will, in consultation with the solar sector, establish a vision for the future of solar energy in the forthcoming Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan, which will be published later this year. We expect this vision to act as a signal for the solar industry going forward and it is important that we take the time to ensure that the vision is fully considered in context of the whole energy system.

Question reference: S6W-09403

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 30 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of Scotland’s current food processing capabilities and any opportunities for further development.

The Scottish Government has worked jointly with the food and drink industry on the development of a Food & Drink Recovery Plan which has over 50 actions to help the sector recover from the effects of Covid and Brexit. The plan, which has been supported by £15m of Scottish Government funding over 2020-2023, includes ongoing work to assess the current capabilities and development opportunities for all parts of the food and drink industry (including food processing). We are working with the Scotland Food & Drink Partnership during 2022 to build on this work through the refresh of the “Ambition 2030” food and drink industry strategy, which was the industry’s main focus pre-Covid. We expect more information on a revised strategy to become available later in 2022.

A new £7.3m funding round for the Food Processing and Marketing Cooperation (FPMC) grant scheme also ran in late 2021 to support food processors in developing local supply chains and transitioning to net zero operations. All applications have been assessed and 29 businesses were successful in receiving a share of the funding. A further £10.2m round was launched on 9 May 2022 and closed for applications on 19 June 2022. Applications are now in the process of being assessed, with decisions expected later in the summer.

Question reference: S6O-01249

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 June 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 16 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body when it last reviewed the requirements for members to access legal services funded through the Members Expenses Scheme in order to ascertain whether the current criteria are fit for purpose.

Question reference: S6W-08652

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 20 May 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 8 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will respond to the recommendations in the Scottish Environment LINK report, Scotland’s environmental ambitions, From rhetoric to reality: revisited.

The Scottish Government published a report to Parliament on 29 March 2022, outlining progress in developing the new Environment Strategy for Scotland ( https://www.gov.scot/publications/environment-strategy-scotland-progress-report-parliament/ ). This report provided a summary of key areas of Scottish Government policy and action that are already contributing to the goals of the Environment Strategy and outlined some of the challenges and opportunities in realising the strategy's vision. The Scottish Government does not plan to publish an additional response to the 'From Rhetoric to Reality: Revisited' report, but remains in ongoing dialogue with Scottish Environment LINK as a valued stakeholder.

Question reference: S6O-01209

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 June 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that Scotland’s education system is properly aligned with the future workforce requirements of the emerging green economy.

Question reference: S6W-08653

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 20 May 2022
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 30 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what biodiversity metrics will used to determine whether the National Planning Framework 4 meets the outcome of “securing positive effects for biodiversity”, as set out in the amended Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997.

In response to the amended Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997, Draft National Planning Framework (NPF) 4 sets out policy proposals which aim to deliver positive outcomes for biodiversity from development.

A key element for the successful implementation and delivery of NPF4 is having a robust monitoring process in place, to be actively applied through the period of the framework. The Scottish Government has committed to working with relevant stakeholders, to develop an approach to monitoring of NPF4, making links across the national, regional and local levels.

Question reference: S6O-01087

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 May 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to improving data gathering and data management across government as part of the development of policies relating to the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Question reference: S6W-08146

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 3 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the potential impact of the reportedly relatively low number of qualified heat pump engineers on the average maintenance costs for a heat pump, compared to a conventional gas heating system where a greater number of qualified engineers can deliver greater competition in the market.

It is vital that the supply chain for the installation and maintenance of zero emission heating systems is equipped with the necessary skills and qualifications to provide a high quality and responsive service to consumers. We estimate that the supply of skills is largely balanced at existing levels of heat pump demand, but will need to grow substantially to match the pace and scale of the heat transition.

We have partnered with Skills Development Scotland to undertake a ‘Heat in Buildings Workforce Assessment Project’ which will help us better understand the timing of workforce growth and how best to support people transitioning into key sectors, including low carbon heating. This work is at an advanced stage and we will publish the findings in due course.

We have committed to publishing our Heat in Buildings Supply Chain Delivery Plan later this year which will detail actions and public support to aid workforce growth through a combination of reskilling, upskilling and youth employment.

Question reference: S6W-08149

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 3 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what support it is offering to provide training opportunities to existing heating engineers to gain the qualifications required to install and/or maintain heat pumps.

There are a number of current initiatives funded by Scottish Government aimed at providing support to industry to upskill their workforce and gain the necessary qualifications to effectively install/ maintain low carbon heating systems.

Current initiatives include the National Transition Training Fund (NTTF); The Flexible Workforce Development Fund (FWDF); and, the Heat Pump Skills Grant and MCS Certification Fund.

NTTF was established as a reactive response to Covid-19’s immediate impact on the labour market. The fund offers industry-recognised qualifications and training in growing employment sectors. Individuals can apply direct for training opportunities, while employers are encouraged to apply on behalf of their team. We have provided over £1.3m through the NTTF for energy efficiency and zero emissions heating retrofit skills. This includes a Low Carbon Learning Programme delivered by the Construction Scotland Innovation Centre which provides free training access for tradespeople to increase their skills in retrofit and Passivehaus construction methods, as well as funding through the Energy Skills Partnership to support heat pump training in Scottish Colleges.

FWDF is available to employers to address priority skills gaps in their organisation. The fund provides funding to UK Apprenticeship Levy-payers and SMEs in Scotland which they can use to access flexible workforce development training opportunities. Training programmes can be delivered in partnership with their local college, The Open University in Scotland or an independent training provider.

The Heat Pump Skills Grant and MCS Certification Fund is offered to assist Scottish SMEs installing heat pumps in achieving MCS certification for the first time. This funding is for installers who are not currently MCS certified for heat pumps and who want to become MCS certified for any heat pump technology (air, water, or ground source).