Chamber and committees

Zero Waste Scotland is currently conducting research on soft plastic recycling to understand collection and processing opportunities. The outputs of this research are expected to be available in the summer of 2025.

SEPA is presently awaiting the incident report following the fire at the Blairlinn industrial estate in Cumbernauld.

Therefore, at this time, it would not be appropriate to commit to a review of fire safety procedures at waste management facilities.

During the build phase of MV Glen Sannox, certain specifications required amendment to ensure compliance with updated regulatory standards issued by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA). This is standard practice within the shipbuilding industry, where ongoing engagement with the MCA is essential to ensure that vessels meet all necessary safety and operational requirements.

Following the nationalisation of Ferguson Marine in 2019, ownership of vessels 801 (MV Glen Sannox) and 802 (MV Glen Rosa) was transferred to Scottish Ministers. As part of the restructuring arrangements, new contracts for the construction and completion of each vessel were entered into between Scottish Ministers and Ferguson Marine (801 & 802) Limited.

As Scotland’s independent environmental regulator, SEPA determine the permitting of facilities and what waste streams they are allowed to accept – although individual facilities will make decisions on inputs based on commercial and operational considerations. So, while a facility may be able to accept a particular waste type, there may not be the capacity or the appetite to do so.

Offshore oil and gas licensing, consenting and the associated fiscal regime are all matters that are currently reserved to the UK Government.

The Scottish Government is taking the appropriate time to carefully consider the UK Government’s consultation on Building the North Sea’s Energy Future and its potential outcomes.

Alongside this consideration, Scottish Government Ministers and officials continue to engage with UK Government counterparts as well as trade unions, industry bodies and other stakeholders on a range of issues relevant to the energy transition.

We are clear in our own support for a just transition for Scotland’s oil and gas sector, that recognises the maturity of the North Sea basin and is in line with our climate change commitments. At the heart of our approach is ensuring a just transition for Scotland’s valued and highly skilled oil and gas workforces to a net-zero future.

The Scottish Government welcomes this report and will fully consider the Action Against Stalking report recommendations and will work in partnership to consider current policy and how recommendations may be taken forward.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that finances remain on a sustainable trajectory and that we continue to reach a balanced position each year. The upcoming Medium Term Financial Strategy and Fiscal Sustainability Delivery Plans will set out how we will progress work to achieve our financial aims over the next five years.

While the Scottish Government ensure devolved benefits are adequately and sustainably financed to provide meaningful support, we are deeply concerned about the cuts to sickness and disability benefits announced by the Labour Government. These changes will push 250,000 people, including 50,000 children into poverty by 2029-30, and will reduce the funding Scotland receives for devolved disability benefits.

We are working at pace to develop the systems needed to effectively mitigate the two-child cap in 2026. We recently carried out an online consultation to inform policy development and are engaging with the Department for Work and Pensions to develop the necessary systems and data sharing arrangements needed to deliver the payments effectively. Impact assessments will be published in due course to inform Parliament’s consideration of the required legislation.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that finances remain on a sustainable trajectory and that we continue to reach a balanced position each year. We will continue to take forward our strategy for doing this, which will be updated in the next Medium Term Financial Strategy due to be published later this year, alongside the fiscal sustainability delivery plan.

As is referenced in the answer to S6W-36157 on 2 May 2025, instruction and direction may be issued in relation to specific matters in the context of ongoing liaison between the police and Procurators Fiscal who can instruct the police during the course of investigations and when further investigation is required in a case. Instruction of the police is a continuous process in the discharge of the Lord Advocate’s duties as regards the investigation and prosecution of criminal offences 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