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-14338

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 8 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what impact it anticipates the Deposit Return Scheme will have on consumer choice.

Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme will make a significant contribution to Scotland’s efforts to reduce climate emissions, tackle litter and increasing recycling. As it is a producer responsibility scheme, in line with similar schemes across the world, it inevitably means significant change for all producers in Scotland.

Drinks producers must register their products in order to continue to sell them in Scotland once DRS has launched. Registration is free for producers with an annual turnover of £85,000 or lower. As an industry-led scheme, it will be for individual businesses to decide what products they wish to sell in Scotland once DRS launches. Any producer with questions or concerns about registration should contact Circularity Scotland for advice and guidance.

Question reference: S6W-14330

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 8 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what work it is considering with local authorities to ensure that vaping products and e-cigarettes are properly disposed of and recycled, including examining how trading standards relate to this issue.

I have commissioned an urgent review of the environmental impacts and management of single-use vapes. Zero Waste Scotland will lead on the review, which will examine available evidence and consider potential options to tackle the issue.

The review will consider of a range of approaches and implementation considerations, including the role of local authorities and others in helping to ensure responsible recycling and disposal, as well as enforcement issues.

We will consider the evidence and expert advice and bring forward policy options in due course.

Question reference: S6W-14269

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 7 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the recommendation in the paper, Transforming Nursing, Midwifery and Health Professions’ Roles: Review of Clinical Nurse Specialist and Nurse Practitioner Roles within Scotland, whether it has commissioned NHS boards to review all clinical nurse specialist roles by undertaking to establish the numbers of nurse specialists who map across to the new definition outlined in the paper.

The Scottish Government is currently working with NHS Education for Scotland to identify a workplan for the next phase of the Transforming Roles Programme. This involves agreeing priority actions and implementing outstanding recommendations from the ‘Transforming Nursing, Midwifery and Health Professions’ Roles: Review of Clinical Nurse Specialist and Nurse Practitioner Roles within Scotland’ publication.

At a time of significant system pressure, this priority setting is to be undertaken as part of wider considerations in collaboration with the Scottish Executive Nurse Directors Group in Spring 2023.

Question reference: S6W-14278

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 7 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made in relation to the Building Safety Register.

The Scottish Government has committed to introduce a Register of Buildings by the end of this Parliament. The Register of Buildings will hold information on buildings that have been assessed though the Cladding Remediation Programme. Single Building Assessment reports and remediation activity will define the information that needs to be held in the Register. As this work progresses we are developing the information base for the Register.

Question reference: S6W-14224

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 January 2023
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 7 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will commission NatureScot to lead on red squirrel conservation and embed grey squirrel control in its operations to ensure a future for the red squirrel in Scotland.

NatureScot has worked with partners on red squirrel conservation, including work to control grey squirrels, for many years. In particular, the Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrel (SSRS) partnership project has been working in strategic areas to protect, maintain and promote existing red squirrel populations since 2007. With support from project staff, professional Grey Squirrel Officers (GSOs) have been working with volunteers and landowners to deliver strategic grey squirrel control.

NatureScot, Scottish Forestry and Forestry and Land Scotland are currently providing core funding for these roles. It remains a priority for the Scottish Government to ensure the important work undertaken by Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels continues.

Question reference: S6W-14233

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 23 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 7 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how much it has spent to date on a Biodiversity Investment Plan, as set out in the new Scottish Biodiversity Strategy, and how many civil servants have worked on delivering this.

Following the recent publication of the draft biodiversity strategy, a delivery plan is now being developed and this will include the development of an investment plan. The delivery plan is being led jointly by Scottish Government and NatureScot officials, drawing on engagement from key policy areas and across a wider network which includes significant stakeholder engagement. No expenditure has therefore been directly devoted to the development of the Biodiversity Investment Plan yet.

Question reference: S6W-14232

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 23 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 7 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether any external organisations or individuals have provided paid consultancy services to date in relation to the development of a Biodiversity Investment Plan, as set out in the new Scottish Biodiversity Strategy, and, if so, which external organisations or individuals have done so.

Question reference: S6W-14313

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 7 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-13349 by Mairi McAllan on 10 January 2023, whether it is the case that it can now confirm how much funding will be allocated to the Climate Justice Fund in financial year 2023-24, and, if it is not the case, whether it will provide a draft figure, prior to final budget allocations being made, of how it expects to allocate for this purpose.

Question reference: S6W-14296

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 7 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-13230 by Lorna Slater on 20 December 2022, whether it will provide further detail of the scale of the financial impact on those local authorities not expected to receive a net financial benefit from the introduction of Deposit Return Scheme, and whether it proposes to provide funding to local authorities to offset any losses.

Calculations are based on commercially sensitive data provided in confidence to Zero Waste Scotland by local authorities. Therefore, we will not provide any additional information.

Zero Waste Scotland has engaged with three local authorities which are modelled to not make a saving and offered modelling support to identify changes that could mitigate the potential net cost. The Recycling Improvement Fund, a £70 million fund designed to support local authorities to make impactful change to their recycling services, is available for any local authority to apply to.

Question reference: S6W-14279

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 7 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what recent communication it has had with public bodies, including local authorities and the NHS, regarding the safety of buildings affected by the ban on combustible cladding materials that will require some form of remediation.

The ban of combustible cladding that came into force on 1 June 2022 through the Building (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2022 applies to new buildings, conversions and to existing buildings where the external wall cladding system is being replaced. The regulations do not apply retrospectively to existing buildings.

The Scottish Government communicated the changes to the building regulations to all local authorities as well as a range of stakeholders groups including the NHS, by written means and/or through participation in expert panels. Consultation exercises, social media releases, blogs and dissemination events were also used to reach key groups.