- Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 18 November 2024
Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 21 November 2024
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will outline any progress that it has made on establishing regional land use frameworks across Scotland.
Answer
The Scottish Government has supported four pilot regions in the development of bespoke Regional Land Use Frameworks (RLUFs). This work was taken forward through a co-development approach with a range of stakeholders. It tested a natural capital-led approach to identifying land use opportunities and priorities, whilst maintaining place-based principles to understand the potential for delivering mutual benefits to all land users.
This work covers the South of Scotland (Scottish borders and Dumfries and Galloway) The Cairngorms and Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Parks and the NorthWest 2045 region of the Highlands. More information on the individual RLUFs can be found at the links below:
We are now working with the RLUPS to consolidate this learning in order to refine our understanding of the role that RLUFs could play in supporting/delivering land use change and informing wider Scottish Government policy.
- Asked by: Lorna Slater, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 14 November 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 21 November 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what its anticipated timescale is for consultations on Scotland's circular economy strategy and targets.
Answer
The development of the circular economy strategy and associated monitoring and indicator framework will be developed between now and March 2026.
A consultation for both is planned for summer 2025 with development of targets to follow the publication of the strategy and monitoring and indicator framework.
The Circular Economy (Scotland) Act was approved unanimously by Parliament in June and gives Ministers and local authorities the tools they need to achieve our ambitions for a circular economy and build on progress to date. Scotland has made good long-term progress towards reaching our circular economy ambitions with the total amount of waste going to landfill in Scotland halving over the past decade, the overall recycling rate at its highest level since records began in 2011 (62.3%) and the most recent official statistics showing Scotland met its 2025 target to reduce all waste by 15%.
- Asked by: Fulton MacGregor, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 November 2024
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Current Status:
Initiated by the Scottish Government.
Answered by Shona Robison on 21 November 2024
To ask the Scottish Government how it and COSLA have jointly considered the first year of implementation of the Verity House Agreement, in light of its commitment to do so.
Answer
The Scottish Government has today published the Verity House Agreement stocktake report. It is available at https://www.gov.scot/isbn/9781836019817.
- Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 15 November 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Ivan McKee on 21 November 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what measures it is taking to ensure that the supply chain for primary school meals is (a) sustainable, (b) environmentally friendly and (c) aligned with the national climate goals.
Answer
Under the Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014, a public body with an annual procurement spend of at least £5 million must report each year on how, when its procurements involve the provision of food, it is improving the health, wellbeing and education of communities in the body’s area, and promoting the highest standards of animal welfare.
The Scottish Government continues to support the delivery of the Food for Life Programme in local authorities across Scotland which has a primary focus on school meals. Food for Life accreditation ensures that at least 75% of school food is fresh and unprocessed, as well as greatly increasing the amount of fresh fruit (including berries) and vegetables; fish; and wholegrains on the menu. There are currently 16 councils who hold Food for Life accreditation, with ongoing work to ensure retention, expansion and development of the programme.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 25 October 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Graeme Dey on 21 November 2024
To ask the Scottish Government how many college and university course places have been developed to date to help address any skills shortages in the renewables industry workforce.
Answer
Our education and skills system is already adapting in response to the transition to net zero with colleges and universities acting as key anchor points for research, innovation, and training.
Due to the depth, breadth and variety of interrelated programmes of teaching for net zero skills run by both colleges and universities, it is not possible to provide an exact figure for courses specifically designed for and only catering to skills shortages in the renewables industry workforce at this stage.
A range of work is underway to help address need. For example, the Energy Skills Partnership, Built Environment - Smarter Transformation (BE-ST) Innovation Centre and the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland, all funded by the Scottish Funding Council, support colleges and universities in developing their capability, capacity and curriculum pathways for the transition to net zero.
SFC have been leading collaborative regional pathfinders, in both the North-East and the South of Scotland, which have identified a range of important best practices for institutions which will help improve the system and ensure provision is more responsive to Scotland’s strategic skills needs.
A number of sector-based initiatives are also in place to inform system improvement. For example, the Scottish Offshore Wind Energy Council (SOWEC) is taking forward crucial work that will help both industry and the public sector to identify and address future skills and workforce gaps.
- Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 24 October 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 21 November 2024
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of how the £1.3 million 2023-34 Connecting Scotland funding was spent.
Answer
In 2023-24, total Scottish Government funding for Connecting Scotland and Ethical Digital Nation combined was £1.3 million. This was allocated as follows:
- Grant funding to the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) to develop digital training, continue support for existing clients and deliver existing projects. This funding covers support for a wide range of digital inclusion initiatives including:
- ‘Digital Champion’ training, delivered through Mhor Collective, which equips individuals to support others in engaging safely and meaningfully online, building digital confidence within communities;
- Offboarding support for existing Connecting Scotland users, including temporary extension of connectivity with further support for users to transition to other means of connectivity;
- Supporting the delivery of three digital inclusion programmes - lending libraries, social housing, and place-based initiatives - helping more people to get online through access to devices, connectivity, and technical support, and providing public and third-sector organisations and their staff with support in digital inclusion provision;
- £100,000 for the Digital Participation Charter Fund to promote and recognise digital inclusion amongst organisations. Some of the projects funded include:
- Budding Engineers (£10,000 award) to provide access to digital skills and teaching for people with additional support needs in several areas of Scotland;
- Deaf Action (£10,000 award) to provide digital and employability support for people experiencing hearing loss across Scotland;
- Milan Senior Welfare Organisation (£9,850 award) to provide basic digital skills and digital support for older people and their carers from the South Asian community in East Lothian and Edinburgh;
- Programme incidentals (e.g. software licences, training, stakeholder engagement, advertising and marketing);
- Staffing costs to support the ongoing management of both programmes
- Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 24 October 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 21 November 2024
To ask the Scottish Government how much of Connecting Scotland’s £1.6 million budget for 2024-25 has been committed, and on what this is being spent.
Answer
There is a budget of £1.8m which covers Connecting Scotland, Ethical Digital Nation and Unlocking the Value of Data programmes. To date, the following spend has been committed:
- Grant funding to the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) to develop digital training, continue support for existing clients and deliver existing projects. This funding covers support for a wide range of digital inclusion initiatives including:
- ‘Digital Champion’ training, delivered through Mhor Collective, which equips individuals to support others in engaging safely and meaningfully online, building digital confidence within communities.;
- Offboarding support for existing Connecting Scotland users, including temporary extension of connectivity with further support for users to transition to other means of connectivity;
- Supporting the delivery of three digital inclusion programmes - lending libraries, social housing, and place-based initiatives - helping more people to get online through access to devices, connectivity, and technical support, and providing public and third-sector organisations and their staff with support in digital inclusion provision;
- The University of Liverpool to undertake research on a Minimum Digital Living Standard for Scotland. The findings from this research will provide the Scottish Government with detailed Scotland-specific data to identify where there is a need for targeted support for digital inclusion, and help to inform future service design;
- licenses, travel and other services
- staffing costs to support the management of the programme.
All remaining spend in this financial year will be assessed in line with the guidance set out by Ministers in the Scottish Public Finance Manual and current Scottish Government guidelines on spending controls
- Asked by: Bill Kidd, MSP for Glasgow Anniesland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 November 2024
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 28 November 2024
To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the potential impact on Scotland's finances, how much it estimates will be raised in increased taxes in Scotland in 2025-26 as a result of the UK Autumn Budget.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 28 November 2024
- Asked by: Meghan Gallacher, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 November 2024
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 28 November 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what support it is providing to the nightclub industry, in light of the Night Time Industries Association’s launch of The Last Night Out campaign.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 28 November 2024
- Asked by: Rona Mackay, MSP for Strathkelvin and Bearsden, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 November 2024
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 28 November 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that students with additional support needs receive adequate resources and tailored educational support.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 28 November 2024
