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-04188

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 05 November 2021
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 16 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether sportscotland has provided any funding for the development of a tennis centre at Park of Keir.

Sport scotland has not made any award of funding to the development of a tennis facility at Park of Keir. Any decision on whether to award funding to this project will only be taken on completion of a full application by the applicant and following a sport scotland assessment process. This assessment process would consider among other issues the strategic need and demand for a facility, the impact it will have on sport and physical activity and whether the project is financially viable in capital and revenue terms.

Question reference: S6W-04187

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 05 November 2021
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 16 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether any applications have been made to sportscotland for funding to support the development of a tennis centre at Park of Keir.

Question reference: S6W-04444

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 12 November 2021
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Patrick Harvie on 15 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its Heat Networks Delivery Plan.

The Scottish Government has today published its Draft Heat Networks Delivery Plan for consultation. The Consultation will run until 15 December and can be accessed at https://consult.gov.scot/energy-and-climate-change-directorate/heat-networks-delivery-plan

This consultation document fulfils the requirement of the Heat Networks (Scotland) Act 2021 to consult with relevant persons in preparing the heat networks delivery plan (Part 1). It outlines in draft how the provisions of the 2021 Act, and any other supporting policies, will contribute to increasing the use of heat networks in Scotland. It sets out the proposed approach that the Scottish Ministers intend to take to increase the use of heat networks in Scotland and how the statutory targets will be met. In addition, it outlines how progress will be measured and the expected contribution that heat networks will make toward meeting the emission reduction targets.

Over this parliamentary term we are investing at least £1.8 billion in heat and energy efficiency in buildings, including investing £400 million to support the development of large-scale heat infrastructure, such as heat networks.

The consultation document also seeks views on policy proposals relating to aspects of the emerging regulatory regime.

I have also written to the Conveners of the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee and Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee. The Government looks forward to engaging with interested parties on this issue.

Question reference: S6W-04116

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 November 2021
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 15 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what Scottish Landfill Tax rate (a) biostabilised waste and (b) incinerator bottom ash (IBA) qualifies for.

The Scottish Landfill Tax (Qualifying Material) Order 2016 sets out the material that qualifies at the lower rate of Scottish Landfill Tax and the qualifying conditions that have to be met.

The Order sets out specific circumstances in which incinerator bottom ash qualifies for the lower rate. As biostabilised waste is not listed in the Order, the standard rate of tax would apply.

Zero Waste Scotland has commissioned a study to better understand the potential for biostabilisation as a municipal residual waste treatment process in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-03959

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 25 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 29 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to establishing a statutory target for re-use.

Question reference: S6W-03401

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 26 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the World Health Organization (WHO) publication, Global Air Quality Guidelines, on 22 September 2021, and what plans it has to set new targets to meet the new air pollution levels set out by WHO.

Question reference: S6F-00367

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 25 October 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 October 2021

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government will be doing to amplify the voices of the Global South at COP26.

Question reference: S6W-03426

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 01 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 22 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on the number of households that have installed interlinked fire alarms in advance of the new legislation coming into force in February 2022; whether it anticipates all households will meet the new standard by this date, and how it is monitoring this.

It is not possible to determine exactly how many owner occupied homes have alarms of the prescribed type installed as this information is not currently collected as part of the Scottish House Condition Survey.

We consider that, in principle, all houses could meet the standard by the date it comes into force. But, as with existing standards, it is possible that some owners will be unwilling to carry out work to substandard houses, and that others might need more time, for example, due to illness or because of the cost. The legislation allows some flexibility, as it says work should be carried out within such period as is reasonable in all the circumstances.

When the regulations on the new fire alarm standard have come into effect, we will collect more precise data because compliance with the tolerable standard is included in the Survey. This will allow us to monitor progress in bringing Scotland’s homes up to the new standard.

Question reference: S6W-03061

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 22 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-00882 by Mairi Gougeon on 7 July 2021, whether it will provide an update on the number of landings that have been reported by wrasse fishers through (a) their standard reporting requirements and (b) the new weekly reporting required under the point 11 of the licence conditions applying to the harvesting of wrasse, since 1 May 2021.

As referenced in my response to S6W-03059 on 28 September 2021 Marine Scotland does not collect information from wrasse fishers on the number of individual landings by creek or aquaculture facility. The data that is collected by Marine Scotland is outlined in my previous answer.

I am unable to provide the level of detail you seek, as that may lead to individuals vessels being identified, but between 1 May and 9 October 2021, reports were received by Marine Scotland that the number of individual Wrasse landed totalled 365,826. Please note that these figures are provisional and may be subject to change.

You may be interested to know that once the season has ended and provisional figures have been finalised, Marine Scotland intend to report on data collected relating to Wrasse fishing over the course of this season.

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

Question reference: S6O-00277

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 October 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its discussions with the Danish Government regarding the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance.