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: S6F-02070

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 May 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 4 May 2023

To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government plans to take in light of his declared support for the Daily Record’s “Our Kids … Our Future” campaign to tackle violence against young people.

Question reference: S6F-02064

Asked by: Collette Stevenson, MSP for East Kilbride, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 May 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 4 May 2023

To ask the First Minister whether he will provide an update on the anti-poverty summit that took place on Wednesday 3 May.

Question reference: S6F-02067

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 May 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 4 May 2023

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to a recent report suggesting that current forestry grant funding rules are supporting projects that are harmful to peatlands, and which, as a result, generate more CO2 than they sequester.

Question reference: S6F-02056

Asked by: Douglas Ross, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 May 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 4 May 2023

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6F-02057

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 May 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 4 May 2023

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6W-17514

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 2 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to mitigate the risk of wildfires, in light of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service reportedly stating that the risk of wildfire in parts of Scotland was “extreme”.

The weather conditions and condition of the vegetation on the hills and moors of Scotland at this time of year lend themselves to fires starting easily and spreading quickly. This is something the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) is very aware of, and has been working closely with a number of key partners on this for some time to establish a common understanding on the risk, prevention measures, and response procedures. Through the auspices of the Scottish Wildfire Forum (SWF), which SFRS chairs, a wildfire danger assessment is carried out every 5-7 days by a third party expert, and when the risk of wildfire reaches very high or extreme then the assessment is circulated across a wide network of key contacts, including public sector and private to ensure as wide a coverage as possible. This information is also used to produce a public facing message that is issued by SFRS across various media channels.

As stated in the response to the member to parliamentary question S6W-15750, climate change is identified as a strategic priority in the Scottish Government’s Fire and Rescue Framework for Scotland 2022. The Framework asks SFRS to continue to invest in the provision of specialist resources, technological advancements and forward thinking operational practices to enhance its response to wildfire incidents. It states that SFRS should continue to make use of local assets available to bolster its response during prolonged or widespread incidents such as wildfire.

We are already seeing warming here in Scotland, with more extreme weather events and rising sea levels. As a nation we must continue to adapt to these changes and prepare for the impacts of global climate change which are already locked in. The Scottish Government is responding to the full range of climate risks identified for Scotland through its 2019 Adaptation Programme, which sets out more than 170 policies and proposals to build resilience to the impacts of global climate change as part of our Just Transition to net zero emissions by 2045. We are also preparing our next Programme, in response to the most recent UK Climate Change Risk Assessment, for publication in 2024.

Question reference: S6W-17498

Asked by: Fulton MacGregor, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 2 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the appointment of a new national planning improvement coordinator.

Question reference: S6W-16788

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 2 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government on what basis the stakeholders interviewed as part of the gateway review into the Deposit Return Scheme were selected, and for what reason the Scottish Hospitality Group was not included.

Gateway Review teams normally speak with 12-15 interviewees including relevant commercial and external stakeholders (e.g. prime contractors and consultants). For the latest review, reviewers spoke to 45 people which included CSL, a range of producers, retailers, wholesaler, hospitality representatives, SEPA, Zero Waste Scotland and Scottish Government.

For this review, the interview team selected their chosen interviewees based on the information gathered from the previous gateway reviews as well as their understanding of Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme (DRS).

The Scottish Government continues to engage with the Scottish Hospitality Group, and they attended a round table meeting with the First Minister and myself to discuss DRS on 20 April 2023.

Question reference: S6W-16682

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 2 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-16134 by Patrick Harvie on 28 March 2023, what specific delivery programmes and support are available to help people to move immediately to zero or low emissions heating systems, in the event there is a sudden unexpected failure of a fossil fuel boiler, and what the (a) average and (b) shortest time was in (i) 2020-21, (ii) 2021-22 and (iii) 2022-23 between initial inquiries or applications being made and financial support being provided through each of these schemes.

The Scottish Government’s heat and energy efficiency schemes are not designed to act as an emergency response for households who have experienced a sudden failure in their heating system.

Support is available through Scottish Government schemes for households who want to make the move to zero direct emission heating systems, including through the Home Energy Scotland (HES) Grant and Loan Scheme and the Warmer Homes Scotland (WHS) Scheme.

The HES Grant and Loan Scheme offers homeowners grant funding of up to £7,500, with an additional £7,500 of funding available as an interest free loan to support the installation of zero direct emissions heating. The scheme is delivered through a consumer-led model where funding is applied for by the household directly, who in turn is responsible for sourcing an approved installer and paying funding to them once works are complete.

The WHS Scheme is the Scottish Government’s national fuel poverty scheme, designed to make homes warmer for those living in, or at risk of, fuel poverty through the installation of insulation and heating measures into individual properties. The scheme does not provide funding directly to applicants, but is claimed directly by the managing agent after the installation of measures. Measures are entirely grant funded in the majority of cases.

Question reference: S6W-16932

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 2 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to inform individuals and businesses how to identify textiles fit for reuse, before recycling.

Zero Waste Scotland seeks to raise awareness of the benefits of responsible consumption by promoting the benefits of reuse. This is regularly done through communications campaigns promoting the Revolve programme, actions such as Pass It On Week and European Week for Waste Reduction, and encouraging individuals to reuse items and choose second-hand. Its recent carbon metric publication highlighted the impact of textiles waste.

Zero Waste Scotland is working to support businesses in understanding the benefits of circular business models which support the waste hierarchy, including hosting an upcoming textiles specific webinar.