Chamber and committees

The regulation of product standards and of consumer protection are reserved to the UK Government. Certification of PAS 2030 is carried out by independent certification bodies, therefore the information requested is not held centrally. PAS 2035 is currently a standard that installers can work to and is not a certification. Therefore installers cannot obtain PAS 2035 certification.

As colleges operate independently of Government, it is for them to decide on the shape of their curriculum, taking into account the needs of the region and communities they serve. We therefore do not hold information centrally on which individual colleges offer training courses relevant to PAS 2030 and PAS 2035. The information requested on training providers is not held centrally.

No expressions of interest have been received by the Scottish Government as the Community Bus Fund has not launched. Officials have engaged with local authority representatives ATCO and CoSLA, who have indicated the general feedback from local authorities on the Community Bus Fund has been positive.

The Scottish Greenhouse Gas Statistics quantify emissions from fishing vessels at sea. This is an estimate based on activity data and statistical modelling. In 2020, the latest year available, these were 0.3 mega tonnes carbon dioxide equivalent (Mt CO2-e). Marine Scotland Directorate, through ClimateXChange, commissioned research to obtain improved estimates of emissions from fishing vessels at sea. The full report can be accessed at https://www.climatexchange.org.uk/research/projects/assessing-greenhouse-gas-emissions-from-scotland-s-fishing-fleet/ .

As detailed in in response to S6W-12151 on 24 November 2022, the UK Climate Change Committee briefing on blue carbon , published in March 2022, recognised the challenges in estimating the climate change impact of fishing through disturbance to sea floor sediments and the current, significant evidence gaps. The briefing concluded that fundamental scientific uncertainties currently prevent accurate quantification of this effect. This has been an area of focus for the Scottish Blue Carbon Forum since its establishment in 2018, and we continue to develop our approaches to better understand the interaction. The latest research suggests that any disturbance of blue carbon by fisheries is not uniform, dependant on a number of factors and the consequences for blue carbon disturbed remain unknown.

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

To maximise the benefits of the Agri-Environment Climate Scheme (AECS), the 2023 round will target support for agri-environment, organics and slurry storage applications. This approach will focus on enabling options within the scheme, offering support to as wide a number of beneficiaries as possible.

Faced with significant budget cuts resulting from the UK Government reneging on public commitments that farmers and crofters would not be worse off as a result of the EU Exit, this has led to the difficult decision to suspend some elements of the 2023 round, including public funding for muirburn and heather cutting.

Those with existing AECS contracts or new contracts, following the 2022 AECS awards announced on 19 January 2023, which contain muirburn and heather cutting will continue to be supported.

Support for heather restoration through AECS has been suspended since 2020 following advice from NatureScot that the commonly used chemical treatment was not tested for use in rough grazing and upland areas. This treatment had negative implications for biodiversity and carbon sequestration. As there is no suitable alternative, this option was suspended. If in future, a chemical treatment is approved by the Chemicals Regulation Division (CRD) for use in upland areas this decision will be reviewed. Existing commitments at the time of suspension were removed without penalty.

Pesticide products can only be authorised where the available evidence shows that they do not pose unacceptable risks to human health, animals and the environment.

An appeal has been lodged with Scottish Ministers on behalf of Loch Long Salmon Limited against the decision by Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park Authority to refuse planning permission for a marine fish farm and associated development at Beinn Reithe, Loch Long. A reporter has been appointed to consider this appeal and is currently assessing what if any further information is required to fully consider this appeal. The planning authority has been asked to submit its response to the appeal, which will include copies of all information submitted on the application. This will include any consultation responses, including those from Marine Scotland, submitted on the planning application. Given this is a live appeal it would not be appropriate to comment on the merits or otherwise of the proposal.

We recognise the hazard of asbestos and the risks to health it poses. However, asbestos is only dangerous when it is disturbed or in poor condition. The Health and Safety Executive’s guidance states that it is safe for asbestos to remain in place if it is in good condition, well-protected and unlikely to be disturbed. Health boards carry out annual asbestos monitoring surveys and asbestos management plans are in place across the NHS estate. The Scottish Government will double its NHS estate maintenance budget and health boards can use that money to remove asbestos as and when it is appropriate to do so.

(a) The current outbreak season started on 1 October 2022. As of 17 February 2023, 12 wild birds in Moray were tested for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) under the GB dead wild bird surveillance scheme. Of these, 10 were positive and consisted of one Pink footed goose, four Herring gulls and five gulls for which the species could not be specified. The two birds that tested negative were a Kestrel and a Cormorant.

(b) HPAI was confirmed at a premises in Forres, Moray, on 14 December 2022. Within the Protection Zone around the infected premises near Forres two veterinary surveillance visits were made. Both were to the same premises and sampling was carried out. On each occasion, 14 ducks were sampled, giving a total of 28 samples which all tested negative for HPAI.

The Medium-Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) (most recently published in 2021) ( The Scottish Government's Medium Term Financial Strategy - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) ) sets out the revenue finance models available to the Scottish Government. The mutual investment model (MIM) is considered alongside a range of financing approaches including capital grant, capital borrowing, financial transactions and other forms of finance when determining how to finance projects. The approaches are regularly reviewed to ensure the best value for money.

The following figures are correct as at December 2022, when the last Recycling Improvement Fund Board was convened.