- Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 03 April 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Lorna Slater on 26 April 2023
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has any plans to reintroduce lynx into Scotland, and, if so, what assessment it has made of any potential impact that this would have on livestock.
Answer
As I set out in my recent answer to S6W-16591 on 26 April 2023, the Scottish Government has no plans to reintroduce lynx or any other large carnivorous species into Scotland. However, the Scottish Government is aware that appropriate species reintroductions can be beneficial to ecosystems and restoring biodiversity.
Neither the Scottish Government, nor NatureScot, have carried out any formal assessment of any potential impact that lynx would have on livestock in Scotland.
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
- Asked by: Pam Gosal, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 03 April 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 26 April 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that the majority of transgender prisoners in Scotland began the process of transitioning after being convicted.
Answer
The Scottish Prison Service are committed to treating everyone in their care with dignity and respect and do not provide the personal information of prisoners.
Any transgender individuals in custody are supported and managed through an individualised risk assessment and case conference process that protects their rights and needs, as well as the welfare and rights of others around them, including staff, in order to achieve an outcome that balances risks and promotes the safety of all.
- Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 April 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 26 April 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the statement in the Climate Change Committee publication, Progress in reducing emissions in Scotland: 2022 Report to Parliament, that “Scotland’s targets for peatland restoration are not ambitious enough and are not being met”.
Answer
We are currently reviewing the proposals put forward in the Climate Change Committee’s Progress in reducing emissions in Scotland: 2022 Report to Parliament and will publish our response in due course.
- Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 06 April 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by George Adam on 26 April 2023
To ask the Scottish Government how many full-time employees there are in each (a) cabinet secretary's and (b) minister's private office, broken down by pay scale.
Answer
The number of full-time employees and their pay scale for each Cabinet Secretary's office and Minister's private office are as follows.
Minister | C1 | B3 | B2 | B1 | A4 |
Deputy First Minister & Cabinet Secretary for Finance | 1 | 1 | 1 | | 1 |
Cabinet Secretary for NHS Recovery, Health and Social Care | 1 | 1 | 2 | | 3 |
Cabinet Secretary for Education & Skills | 1 | | 1 | | 1 |
Cabinet Secretary for Justice & Home Affairs | 1 | | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Cabinet Secretary for Wellbeing Economy, Fair Work & Energy | 1 | 1 | | 1 | 2 |
Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero & Just Transition | 1 | 1 | 1 | | 2 |
Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice | 1 | | 1 | | 2 |
Cabinet Secretary for Constitution, External Affairs & Culture | 1 | 1 | | 1 | 1 |
Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform & Islands | 1 | | 1 | | 2 |
Minister for Drugs & Alcohol Policy | | | 1 | | 1 |
Minister for Parliamentary Business | | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Minister for Independence | | | 1 | | |
Minister for Community Wealth & Public Finance | | | 1 | | 1 |
Minister for Local Government Empowerment & Planning | | | 1 | | 1 |
Minister for Culture, Europe & International Development | | | 1 | | 1 |
Minister for Social Care, Mental Wellbeing & Sport | | | 1 | | 1 |
Minister for Public Health & Women's Health | | | 1 | | 1 |
Minister for Equalities, Migration & Refugees | | | 1 | | 1 |
Minister for Housing | | | 1 | | 1 |
Minister for Transport | | | 1 | | 2 |
Minister for Small Business, Innovation & Trade | | | 1 | | 1 |
Minister for Energy | | | 1 | | 1 |
Minister for Zero Carbon Buildings, Active Travel & Tenants' Rights | | 1 | | 1 | 1 |
Minister for Green Skills, Circular Economy & Biodiversity | | 1 | | 1 | 1 |
Minister for Children, Young People & Keeping the Promise | | | 1 | | 1 |
Minister for Higher Education & Further Education & Minister for Veterans | | | 1 | | 1 |
Minister for Victims & Community Safety | | | 1 | | 1 |
- Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 April 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Christina McKelvie on 25 April 2023
To ask the Scottish Government when it expects (a) Kisimul Castle, (b) the Bonawe Historic Iron Furnace and (c) Kilchurn Castle to reopen to the public.
Answer
I have asked Historic Environment Scotland to contact the member directly with an answer to his question. I can confirm that Historic Environment Scotland would be happy to arrange site visits for the member to discuss matters with its experts.
- Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 30 March 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 25 April 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what the cost of the R100 programme has been to date, and what the projected cost will be to completion.
Answer
The three R100 contracts have a total value of £648.7 million. By the end of March 2023, £116.4 million had been spent, which is line with our expectations at this stage of contract delivery. The remainder of the funding will be utilised in the period to March 2028 when the North contract will formally be completed.
The R100 programme also encompasses the Scottish Broadband Voucher Scheme which had issued almost £6m in voucher funding by 31 March 2023. As the R100 SBVS is demand led it is not yet known what the cost of delivery will be upon completion.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 March 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Lorna Slater on 25 April 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the Scotch whisky industry regarding the inclusion of glass in the Deposit Return Scheme, and what the outcomes were of any such meetings.
Answer
The Scottish Government meets regularly with representatives of the Scotch whisky industry to discuss Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme (DRS). The Scotch Whisky Association is a member of the DRS System Wide Assurance Group which meets often to monitor the progress of the scheme’s implementation.
Most recently, on 20 April this year, the First Minister and the Minister for Green Skills, Circular Economy, and Biodiversity, met with industry leaders, including representatives from the Scotch Whisky Association and other producers and retailers to discuss DRS and how all parties can work together to ensure a successful launch on 1 March 2024.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 March 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Lorna Slater on 25 April 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with glass bottling companies regarding the inclusion of glass in the Deposit Return Scheme, and what the outcomes were of any such meetings.
Answer
Throughout the development of Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme (DRS), all relevant business sectors, including glass producers, were consulted. The Scottish Government continues to engage with industry to ensure that our scheme launches successfully on 1 March 2024.
Most recently, on 5 April 2023 the Director of the Environment and Forestry Directorate replied to a letter from British Glass which restated the Government’s position that glass will be included in Scotland’s DRS.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 March 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Lorna Slater on 25 April 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what quantity of glass materials has been collected for recycling in each year since 2016.
Answer
This information is publicly available through the SEPA Waste Discover Data Tool: https://informatics.sepa.org.uk/WasteAllSources/ .
Please note, the impact of a cyber attack means there are data gaps covering 2019 and 2020.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 March 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Lorna Slater on 25 April 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to tackle fly-tipping.
Answer
Last year the Scottish Government consulted on proposals for a National Litter and Flytipping Strategy. The consultation included proposals to raise the value of fixed penalty notices, carry out a review of flytipping enforcement, support private landowners to deter and tackle flytipping, and work with a wide range of stakeholders to improve consistency of data collection.
The Scottish Government is committed to tackling flytipping and will publish a finalised National Litter and Flytipping Strategy later this year. The strategy will set how we plan to work with partners to develop more effective flytipping prevention and enforcement measures.
