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: S5W-11350

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 18 September 2017
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 28 September 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what procedures are in place to alert the public to the potential dangers associated with consuming salmon or trout that have escaped from fish farms, and what plans it has to update the section on the website, aquaculture.scotland.gov.uk, which provides information about such escapes, regarding the safety of eating such fish, including whether they have been subject to pesticide or other chemical or pharmaceutical treatments.

Question reference: S5W-11353

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 18 September 2017
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 27 September 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what research it has carried out or plans regarding the impact that escaped farmed Atlantic salmon might have on stocks of native wild salmon.

Scottish Government, through Marine Scotland Science, has developed and published a theoretical modelling framework that might be used to consider genetic impacts of farmed salmon and is currently part of a consortium developing new genetic tools for assessing the degree to which genetic material from escaped farmed salmon may have become incorporated into wild populations. SG previously funded development of genetic tools through Rivers and Fisheries Trusts and has conducted experiments to examine the dispersal of farmed fish escapees on the Scottish west coast.

Question reference: S5W-11349

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 18 September 2017
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 27 September 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how many fish farms have been prosecuted in each of the last five years for releasing farmed fish, and how many were convicted.

Question reference: S5W-11347

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 18 September 2017
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 26 September 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it had with the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem) prior to announcing its plan to phase out new petrol and diesel vehicles by 2032.

Question reference: S5W-11348

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 18 September 2017
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 26 September 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what impact its plan to phase out new petrol and diesel vehicles by 2032 will have on the country's energy supply.

The Scottish Government's plans to increase the proportion of electric cars and vans will place an increased demand on electricity supply. This will need more flexibility and efficiency within the electricity system, and increase the importance of a resilient supply of power.

Vehicle electrification will also create new opportunities for storing and balancing electricity on the network, with great potential for smart technology to manage the interface between supply and demand of power between vehicles and grid.

These matters have been set out in the Scottish Government's draft Energy Strategy, published in January 2017, and will be developed further under the final Scottish Energy Strategy.

Question reference: S5W-11333

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 18 September 2017
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 26 September 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what target it has set for the number of people to be trained via the sustainable procurement training framework, including what timescale it has set for this to be met.

Use of the Sustainable Procurement Training Framework in the first year is in line with advertised values published in its procurement. This translates into over 350 places allocated so far. Take up is from a range of public sector organisations and geographically across all of Scotland.

The framework was awarded in September 2016 and runs for two years with the option for two further one-year extensions. Training places are demand led and open to all Scottish Public Sector organisations. The framework offerings facilitate learning and have grown through new course development in its first year.

Question reference: S5W-11204

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 11 September 2017
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 21 September 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the commitment in its document, Programme for Scotland 2017-18, which organisations have been invited to join the advisory group "to consider fiscal and other measures to reduce waste and boost the circular economy", and whether the terms of reference of the group will be published.

Question reference: S5W-11203

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 11 September 2017
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 21 September 2017

To ask the Scottish Government when an updated waste data strategy will be published, and which organisations were consulted in its development.

Scotland’s new Waste Data Strategy will be published on 26 September 2017. This strategy has been written by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), Zero Waste Scotland (ZWS) and the Scottish Government, in consultation with the following stakeholders:

Belmont Trading UK Ltd
BIFFA
Chartered Institution of Wastes Management
East Ayrshire Council
EcoideaM Ltd
Falkirk Council
Jacobs UK Ltd
Moray Council
National Health Service – Ayrshire and Arran
National Health Service – National Services Scotland
Renfrewshire Council
Resource Efficient Solutions (A Fife Council company)
Ricardo Energy and Environment
Scottish Environmental Services Association
Stirling Council
The University of Edinburgh
University of St Andrews
Valpak Scotland
Viridor
Western Isles Council
William Tracey Ltd

Question reference: S5W-11097

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 September 2017
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 20 September 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it carried out of the potential impact that a rise in business rates would have on the commercial and industrial property rental market.

The Scottish Government has reduced non-domestic rates bills this year by cutting the poundage, limiting the extent of the large business supplement and expanding the Small Business Bonus Scheme - as well as targeting further support in light of the 2017 revaluation.

The Scottish Government has now also responded to the Barclay review of non-domestic rates, committing to a range of measures to support investment, development and growth. The impacts of all changes are considered carefully informed by wide-ranging engagement with industry.

Question reference: S5W-11096

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 September 2017
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 20 September 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how much revenue it expects to generate from empty commercial and industrial properties that are subject to newly increased business rates, broken down by local authority area.