Chamber and committees

The information requested is contained in the following table:

Across Scotland in 2019 households once again recycled more than they sent to landfilI, and the whole-life carbon impact of Scotland’s household waste reached its lowest level since official recording began. There is however still work to be done to reduce waste further and increase recycling.

31 of 32 Scottish local authorities are now signed up to the Scottish Household Recycling Charter. Last year’s Programme for Government committed to evaluate the Charter with COSLA, and review its Code of Practice to ensure it reflects current best practice and makes it easier for households to recycle the right things.

This will ensure the Code of Practice will evolve in line with best practice and developments across the waste and recycling sector, including the introduction of our ambitious Deposit Return Scheme, and other Extended Producer Responsibility schemes.

Scottish Government are currently working with COSLA and SOLACE to complete the review of the Code Of Practice. A consultation on proposed changes is planned for the autumn.

To support local authorities to align recycling services with the charter, we have launched a new £70 million fund to improve recycling infrastructure, one of the largest single investments in recycling in Scotland. We have also committed to developing a new route map to achieve our ambitious 2025 waste and recycling targets.

It is not possible to know how many factors have been operating without registration each year.

Where the Scottish Ministers are made aware of a property factor operating without registration we will take action where there is evidence to support the allegation.

Operating as a factor without registration is a criminal offence and as such the investigation of such matters is for Police Scotland. Where concerns have been raised with the Scottish Government and we believe these require investigation by the Police, we will provide information of these concerns to the Police and cooperate with their investigations. We would encourage any property owner who considers that their factor is operating without registration to report the matter to Police Scotland.

The Scottish Government does not hold the requested information. The member may wish to redirect their question to Police Scotland who may have data on specific types of scams and rogue traders.

Keep Scotland Beautiful has delivered a range of initiatives on the Scottish Government's behalf and has been allocated the following funding since 2016 to enable it to do so:

2016-17 £11,147,463

2017-18 £11,152,455

2018-19 £11,131,472

2019-20 £8,642,939

2020-21 £10,054,598

To date £1,555,145 has been awarded to KSB for initiatives to be delivered in this financial year

This is a reserved policy area. Responsibility for security of supply sits with National Grid ESO (the GB electricity system operator), which works closely with generators and network operators across Scotland to ensure that there is always enough electricity to meet demand.

This includes preparing for the closure of individual generators several years in advance, to ensure that closures do not impact electricity supplies. National Grid ESO has worked closely with EDF, owners of Hunterston and Torness, and with Scotland’s electricity network owners, to ensure that the network is able to respond to and support the closure of these nuclear power stations in the coming years.

National Grid ESO is currently overseeing a “Stability Pathfinder”, the second phase of which is looking at network and commercial options to replace the various network stability requirements currently provided by existing generation. This is designed to ensure that the networks are ready for the greater share that Scotland’s renewable resources will constitute in the future.

13,743 homes, which is 36% of homes assessed against benchmarks, have sought grant funding in excess of the relevant benchmark over the last five years. These homes were spread across 476 projects. All projects seeking grant funding in excess of the relevant grant subsidy benchmark will have been subject to more detailed value-for-money assessment. The tables showing the Affordable Housing Supply Programme Homes and Projects Approved Above Published Benchmarks have been placed in SPICe under BIB number 62586.

The tables contain data submitted by delivery partners through our digital programme management system called HARP (Housing and Regeneration Programme) and provide the breakdown as requested. The analysis is based on information provided at tender approval stage which is when projects are assessed against benchmark subsidy levels. Only projects which have a relevant benchmark have been included i.e. social rent homes provided by Registered Social Landlords (RSLs), social rented homes provided by Local Authorities, and affordable homes for Mid Market rent provided by RSLs and their subsidiaries.

We have not made an assessment of this kind. However, our work to refresh Scotland’s Energy Strategy, due to begin later this year, will include consideration of such aspects across the energy sector as a whole.

It is for developers and the market to decide whether or not to bring forward proposals for new electricity generating stations in Scotland.

Our 2017 Energy Strategy set out our priority for a whole system approach that promotes renewables and other low carbon alternatives as part of a diverse, well balanced energy supply. The Strategy confirmed that we do not support a new generation of nuclear stations under current technologies. The economics of these stations are prohibitive, especially given the falling costs of renewable and storage technologies.

No. The ministerial reshuffle has no effect on the scope of the Island Connectivity Plan. Its focus remains establishing the transport connectivity needs of our island communities and how these needs can be met as well as providing greater travel integration across the transport network.