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-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.

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-17989

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 31 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how it monitors, and communicates to stakeholders, public support for the critical minerals sector and related projects, and what steps it has taken to draw attention to the role of critical minerals in achieving Scotland’s net zero goals and a just transition.

Critical minerals are becoming increasingly important for emerging technologies. However, the Scottish Government is not aware of any existing research on public support for critical minerals for communication to stakeholders.

I would encourage all business sectors in Scotland that rely on critical minerals to ensure that supply chains are resilient to current and future impacts of climate change, and that critical minerals are obtained from sustainable sources.

Where new development proposals come forward, our Fourth National Planning Framework (NPF4) supports the sustainable management of resources, whilst minimising the impacts of the extraction of minerals on communities and the environment.

Question reference: S6W-18036

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 31 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to better retain (a) nursing and (b) midwifery staff in the NHS.

The Scottish Government values the skill and dedication of our nurses and midwives, particularly in recent difficult circumstances. This is reflected in a pay deal worth more than £1 billion over the last two years, ensuring that nurses and midwives in Scotland continue to be the best paid in the UK.

We continue to strive towards developing and retaining a sustainable healthcare workforce in NHS Scotland and work is already underway supporting the Work-life Balance polices, that include flexible working, retirement and leave policies. As well as, the development of the NHS Scotland Interim National Arrangement on Retire and Return that supports retiring employees to return to employment in their health board.

In addition, we have also established a Nursing and Midwifery Taskforce, to build on efforts to make Scotland the best place for nurses and midwives to come and work by developing plans to bolster retention and recruitment of the existing workforce, and aim for our people to have the best conditions and career opportunities.

Question reference: S6W-18045

Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 31 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of any hospital wards or units that have (a) closed and (b) been downgraded in each of the last five years.

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-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-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-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-18242

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 31 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government on what date it plans to publish its International Education Strategy, as set out in the Scottish Connections Framework.