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-18106

Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 19 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 31 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding distributed by (a) Scottish Enterprise, (b) Highlands and Islands Enterprise and (c) South of Scotland Enterprise in each of the last three financial years was issued to cooperatives, and what proportion of overall funding this represented.

Research shows that co-operatives, and other inclusive business models, are fair and inclusive places to work and as a result enjoy financial and social resilience. Co-operative business models can play a critical role in economic recovery, supporting the Scottish Government’s aim to create a fairer, stronger and more democratic economy.

We will continue to work through Co-operative Development Scotland (CDS) and the enterprise agencies to support the growth of co-operative and other alternative business models. The funding distributed by Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and South of Scotland Enterprise to cooperatives is an operational matter for each agency and I have therefore asked the agencies’ Chief Executives to respond to you directly.

Question reference: S6W-18141

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 19 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 31 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to publish the independent review of the skills delivery landscape.

Question reference: S6W-18108

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 19 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 31 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on whether there are any other areas, in addition to Argyll and Bute, in which traders are operating who are offering home energy products and are incorrectly claiming to be working on behalf of the local authority and Home Energy Scotland.

The regulation of consumer protection is reserved to the UK Government. As such, the Scottish Government does not hold the requested information.

However, the Scottish Government is determined to take action where it can to try and prevent consumers experiencing harm as a result of activity which breaches regulations, particularly throughout the cost of living crisis.

One of these actions is the funding of an Energy Efficiency Measures Coordinator Post in Trading Standards Scotland to support work in tackling energy marketing scams.

We recommend that householders should always call the Scottish Government’s Home Energy Scotland service for advice before deciding to make energy efficiency improvements to their home.

Question reference: S6W-18147

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 19 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 31 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what target number of full-time equivalent (FTE) places in colleges it has set in each year since 2007.

Question reference: S6W-17565

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 31 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-16202 by Gillian Martin on 24 April 2023, what average contract for difference (CfD) price for an operating (a) offshore and (b) onshore wind farm it uses in its calculations when developing policy and taking decisions related to energy developments.

Question reference: S6W-18003

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 31 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what increase in waste reprocessing capacity has been funded through the Recycling Improvement Fund, broken down by (a) project, (b) capacity increase and (c) funding provided.

RIF funding awards are predominantly still at planning or early implementation stages and there has therefore not yet been an evaluation of the impact of the projects in terms of waste reprocessing capacity (or increased collection for recycling). Information is currently available relating to two projects.

Project	Capacity increase (tonnes, estimated)	Funding provided
Fife Council TOMRA plastic film sorting equipment, allowing collection of film from all households in Fife.	2,733	£0.4M
North Ayrshire Council. Mattress cleaning equipment to allow for mattress reuse/recycling.	220	£0.07M

The most current official waste data from SEPA is 2021, before RIF funding awards began and provides a baseline for future impact evaluation.

Question reference: S6W-17983

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 31 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) developments in Scotland make any contribution to public revenues through (a) council tax and (b) non-domestic rates.

Question reference: S6W-18004

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 31 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that plastic waste collected through the Deposit Return Scheme is not exported outwith Scotland, in accordance with its acceptance of recommendation 18 of Stop, Sort, Burn, Bury? Independent Review of the Role of Incineration in the Waste Hierarchy in Scotland, Second Report: Decarbonisation of Residual Waste Infrastructure in Scotland.

There are no regulations to specifically prevent the export of waste collected through DRS. Waste will be channelled to appropriate recycling facilities. Decisions on appropriate recycling facilities are made by Circularity Scotland in delivering the scheme As stated in our response to the second report, the Scottish Government accepts recommendation 18. We want to be able to manage more of our own waste within Scotland and strengthen public confidence in where their recycling goes.

The DRS is expected to improve the quality of collected materials, resulting in high value recyclate that will incentive investment in reprocessing infrastructure in Scotland to handle material, and for drinks producers to return it to food-grade plastics rather than export for other purposes.

Question reference: S6W-18002

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 31 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to publish details of its consideration of how to include biogenic carbon in future research publications.

In 2021, Scottish Government published the Strategy for Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture Research, which has formed the basis for the Strategic Research Programme 2022-2027 and includes consideration of biogenic carbon. Scottish Government has not undertaken specific consideration of how to include biogenic carbon in future research publications and has no plans to publish on the matter, given its consideration within the Strategic Research Programme.

Question reference: S6W-17988

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 31 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether consumers in Scotland will be free to order for delivery Deposit Return Scheme articles requiring no deposit from retailers based outwith Scotland, and, if not, what steps it plans to take to prevent such deliveries.

The Deposit Return Scheme regulations apply to all types of drinks sold in Scotland that are packaged in single-use containers made from PET plastic, glass, steel or aluminium, sized between 100ml and 3 litres. This includes online retailers selling products into the Scottish market.

The DRS Regulations give SEPA the power to investigate suspected non-compliance and take enforcement action where necessary.