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-07121

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 March 2022
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 22 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to the Deposit Return Scheme and the estimates it made of the costs of loss of revenue to retailers caused by the loss of space necessary to accommodate a reverse vending machine (RVM), whether it will state (a) what specific evidence it obtained from Envipco whom it cites as the basis for the figure used of around 0.5 square metres, (b) what discussions it had with representatives of small retailers in connection with the business and regulatory impact assessment (BRIA) of 2019 (paragraph 174) and the Final BRIA of 2021 (paragraph 209), (c) what its response is to reports that many small retailers believe that the space required for the smallest RVM that would permit its location in a shop and its use for its intended purpose, including extraction of recyclate, is 3 square metres of floor space, which is around six times more than what was estimated and (d) what it estimates will be the total annual cost of loss of revenue for retailers that is attributable to the loss of floor space required for RVMs based on the area of (i) 0.5 and (ii) 3 square metres.

The most up to date information available regarding the impact of Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme on retailers, including information about the use of Reverse Vending Machines (RVMs) can be found in the amended Final Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment (BRIA), which was published on 22 December 2021 and can be downloaded from the Scottish Government’s website here: https://www.gov.scot/publications/deposit-return-scheme-scotland-final-business-regulatory-impact-assessment/ .

Question reference: S6W-07112

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 March 2022
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 22 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government which items of glass recyclate that are currently capable of being disposed of in existing local authority schemes will not be capable of being recycled in its Deposit Return Scheme; what arrangements will be in place to continue the recycling of such items, and what proportion of the total of glass recyclate these items will constitute, expressed as a proportion of the (a) number and (b) volume of items.

There is a duty in the Waste (Scotland) Regulations 2012 for local authorities to provide a collection for glass. The Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) is for single-use drinks containers; local authorities will continue to collect all other glass not captured by DRS.

The Scottish Government does not hold figures relating to the proportion of glass recyclate for non-scheme articles. However, including glass in DRS will bring significant environmental and economic benefits. The inclusion of glass will save over 1.2 megatonnes CO2 equivalent over 25 years and will also reduce the amount of harmful glass litter in our environment. In addition, DRS will significantly increase the quantity and quality of glass recyclate, creating an aggregated and high-quality feedstock for reprocessing. This will include clear glass, which we understand to be in high demand.

Question reference: S6W-07107

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 March 2022
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 22 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the comment by the Minister for Green Skills, Circular Economy and Biodiversity at the meeting of the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee on 25 January 2022 that "Circularity Scotland intends the reverse vending machines [RVMs] that it advises businesses to install to be compatible with future digital schemes", which includes a digital deposit return scheme, whether this requirement will be mandatory on the part of businesses; what extra costs that will entail to each business in relation to the most recent estimated cost of a minimum of £19,000 per machine; what steps it took to ascertain the cost impacts of requiring businesses to purchase or lease RVMs that are compatible in this way; what checking it undertook regarding whether it is possible to obtain RVMs that are compatible, and what choice there is of RVMs that have this compatibility that will ensure that competition applies in the RMV market.

Question reference: S6W-07136

Asked by: Maggie Chapman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 March 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 22 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what evaluation it has made of the impact on the Scottish labour market of the UK Government’s proposed reduction in the time offered to unemployed social security recipients to seek work in their preferred job sector from three months to four weeks.

The Scottish Government routinely publishes a range of labour market statistics and analysis to monitor changes in our labour market. These can be accessed at the following link: Labour market statistics - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) .

No evaluation of the UK Government’s proposed reduction in the time offered to unemployed social security recipients to seek work has been carried out by the Scottish Government. However, this recent announcement from the UK Government is yet another example of a system which doesn’t work well enough to help our most vulnerable people, in a time when support is most needed. Universal Credit, which is the responsibility of the UK Government, is too often failing the people it is designed to support and driving more people into poverty.

Question reference: S6W-07137

Asked by: Maggie Chapman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 March 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 22 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what contact during this parliamentary session it has had with the Department for Work and Pensions regarding the impact of social security sanctions in Scotland.

Since the start of this parliamentary session the Scottish Government has written to the UK Government on three separate occasions regarding a number of different issues with the Universal Credit system. The Scottish Government is very concerned that since the DWP reintroduced conditionality, including sanctions, the number of hardship payments have increased substantially. The Scottish Government will continue to call on the UK Government to make Universal Credit a system that works for people and not against them.

Question reference: S6W-07114

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 March 2022
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 22 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to the Valpak report, Deposit Return Schemes for Drinks Containers, and its findings that a majority of people prefer a kerbside collection scheme to be used for recycling.

Public support for Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) is high.

Zero Waste Scotland’s consumer research indicates that 71% of the public support the introduction of DRS.

Kerbside collection remains important since it enables people to recycle non-scheme items. Additionally, DRS will help local authority waste management services to free up capacity to support wider collection services and improve recycling rates on other materials.

Furthermore, DRS will significantly increase the quantity and quality of glass recyclate, creating an aggregated and high-quality feedstock for reprocessing.

We do not believe an enhanced kerbside scheme could deliver the level or rate of improvement that we will see through DRS. Packaging recycling rates have stalled, including for glass, and the current producer responsibility system is not driving improvement.

DRS should deliver an 85% collection rate for glass by the second full year of operation at the latest.

Question reference: S6W-07144

Asked by: Kaukab Stewart, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 March 2022
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 22 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what support it will provide for early career researchers in medical research (a) in general and (b) at the British Heart Foundation’s Glasgow Cardiovascular Research Centre, in light of reports that its funding has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Scottish Government Chief Scientist Office run a range of Fellowship schemes for early career researchers to build capacity for health research in Scotland. These schemes are open to researchers in all fields including cardiovascular research. Applications are subject to peer review with funding recommendations made by independent panels.

Clinical Academic Training Fellowship Scheme to enable early career researchers to undertake a PhD.

Clinical Academic Fellowships – Chief Scientist Office (scot.nhs.uk)

NES/CSO Postdoctoral Clinical Lectureships to enable medics with a PhD to have 50% research time while completing training.

Joint NES/CSO Postdoctoral Clinical Lectureships – Chief Scientist Office (scot.nhs.uk)

Early Postdoctoral Fellowship providing 3 years of funding for early career researchers to develop their academic career.

Early Postdoctoral Fellowship – Chief Scientist Office (scot.nhs.uk)

Researchers at the British Heart Foundation's Glasgow Cardiovascular Research Centre are eligible for these awards.

Question reference: S6T-00613

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 21 March 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 22 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether there are any measures in place to prevent serious violent offenders from changing their names.

Question reference: S6T-00610

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 21 March 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 22 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with DP World and P&O Ferries regarding the loss of jobs for ferry staff working out of Cairnryan.

Question reference: S6F-00948

Asked by: Pam Gosal, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 21 March 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 24 March 2022

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government is doing to ensure that perpetrators of domestic abuse do not go on to reoffend.