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-33181

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 25 November 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-32552 by Joe Fitzpatrick on 10 November 2020, whether it will provide the information requested regarding when it last met representatives of (a) community and (b) national football authorities.

Question reference: S5W-33256

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 16 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 25 November 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-32948 by Fiona Hyslop on 13 November 2020, whether it will provide the information that was requested regarding the date that the 2020-21 Scottish Enterprise R&D budget was approved.

Question reference: S5W-33146

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 24 November 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answers to questions S5W-32259 and SW5- 32008 by Fiona Hyslop on 20 October 2020 and Maree Todd on 6 October 2020 respectively, whether private tuition of school pupils can be delivered in private homes at each level of its COVID-19 Strategic Framework.

In light of the publication of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Scotland's Strategic Framework on 23 October 2020, the Coronavirus (COVID-19): organised activities for children guidance for organised activities and services for children, including babies and toddlers, was updated on 12 November 2020. The guidance is not an instruction for all services and activities to open up at this time, since this will be based on the requirements that need to be met, relevant to each individual delivery setting. Private providers should read this guidance in conjunction with guidance for small businesses: Coronavirus (COVID-19): small and micro businesses guidance .

Question reference: S5W-33142

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 November 2020
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 18 November 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-32198 by Roseanna Cunningham on 30 October 2020, what alternative methodologies have been used in the absence of granular and sector data collection to monitor progress toward its target of reducing food waste by 33%.

While our capacity to measure and monitor on a granular and sector specific level develops, we have identified some alternative interim measurement methodologies. For household data, we have utilised waste compositional data from 5 local authorities in Scotland from a wider UK waste compositional study conducted by WRAP. This has been analysed alongside information from Waste Data Flow, the national database that holds data on waste collected by local authorities.

For specific sectors, we have scaled to geographical areas based on economic and demographic metrics from UK level data. For example, we were able, due to the high level of participation in the Courtauld commitment, to calculate the ratio of local units in Scotland to the total local units in the UK in 2018 and this was applied to the total UK retail and wholesale food waste from 2018 to derive the Scottish component.

Question reference: S5W-32571

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 October 2020
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 16 November 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on discussions between SEPA and energy-from-waste (EfW) operators in relation to improving data collection to determine the (a) composition and volume of incinerated waste and (b) final destination of waste items that are difficult to incinerate.

Energy from waste (EfW) operators submit quarterly data returns on the types and quantities of waste they accept. These are included in the Official Statistics on Waste Incineration, available at https://www.sepa.org.uk/environment/waste/waste-data/waste-data-reporting/

These returns include items that are unsuitable for processing and picked out of the waste before processing or ash after processing. The next destination of waste leaving the site is a voluntary field in the quarterly return form.

EfW operators must report the types of waste they accept by EWC Code. There is no requirement to report a more detailed compositional analysis of the residual waste they accept. There are no plans to include such a requirement in the regulations.

Question reference: S5W-32940

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 02 November 2020
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 16 November 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the latest household waste statistics from SEPA, which state that the recycling rate in Scotland’s two largest cities either declined or remained stagnant between 2018 and 2019.

Two thirds of local authorities improved their recycling rate between 2018 and 2019. We are aware that some local authorities face specific challenges in improving their recycling rates.

Alongside Zero Waste Scotland, we will continue to work with local authorities to support further progress. As part of this approach, our Programme for Government 2020-21 announced a £70 million recycling fund, to support local authorities in improving recycling collection infrastructure; and the development of a route map to achieving our ambitious 2025 recycling targets.

Question reference: S5W-32963

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 02 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 16 November 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what pilot schemes have been introduced to address accidental/wind-blown litter in each year since 2014.

Question reference: S5W-32954

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 02 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 16 November 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what the (a) locations, (b) costs and (c) outcomes have been of the pilot scheme to reward communities that encourage voluntary clean-ups of black spots, as set out in Zero Waste: Towards a Litter-free Scotland: A Strategic Approach To Higher Quality Local Environments.

We have recently provided grant funding to support Keep Scotland Beautiful (KSB) and Marine Conservation Society (MCS) volunteer-led clean ups and to provide clean, disinfected equipment for small group clean ups in locations across Scotland.

There have been 20 ‘Community Hubs’ set up by KSB, hosted by local organisations, providing kit to local volunteers and 30 sets of kit sent out by MCS to 30 volunteers groups in coastal areas across Scotland.

Previously, a number of community-based projects have been supported including providing funding of £650,000 between 2013-16 to support the Clean Up Scotland campaign led by Keep Scotland Beautiful. This included key targets to engage harder to reach communities and blackspots and to support action beyond the litter pick. In addition, over £1.5 million in grant funded projects was provided to communities and organisations through a range of initiatives. These are: Flytipping Small Grants Scheme, Recycle on the Go, Litter and Flytipping Community Action Fund, Community Options Grant Fund, Innovation Funds and Contextual Messaging Toolkit Communications Fund. These were administered by Zero Waste Scotland.

Question reference: S5W-32955

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 02 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 16 November 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what the (a) locations, (b) costs and (c) reductions in litter frequency/volume have been of the tailored local messaging pilot projects to influence behaviour in motivating people not to litter, as set out in Zero Waste: Towards a Litter-free Scotland: A Strategic Approach To Higher Quality Local Environments.

A contextual messaging toolkit has been developed based on behavioural insights research Public Perceptions and Concerns Around Litter carried published in 2015. The litter toolkit cost £120,000 and helps to provide effective context-specific and local communication messages.

A grant fund was available to organisations to bid in to use the toolkit in situ, a total of 9 organisations received funding across Falkirk, Edinburgh, Highland, North Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire, Aberdeen, Glasgow and Argyll and Bute. A total of £43,000 was awarded to the 9 funding recipients. We do not hold longitudinal data that would allow us to accurately represent what the reduction in litter frequency/volume has been as a result of the local messaging.

Question reference: S5W-32943

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 02 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 16 November 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how many applications to the Social Housing Net Zero Heat Fund have been (a) received and (b) approved since it opened in August 2020, and when the first payments will be made.

The Social Housing Net Zero Heat Fund was opened for applications on 21 August 2020 with the closing date for applications on 18 December 2020, with funding awards being made in January 2021. As of 9 November 2020, there have been no applications submitted or approved, but please note that we would not expect there to be in receipt of a substantive number of applications at this stage with over a month left for organisations to apply.

We have received considerable interest in the fund, with over 50 enquiries from Registered Social Landlords, Local Authorities and Energy Supply Companies.

Information webinars and application support continue to be provided throughout the application window and we anticipate receiving a high number of applications for low carbon social housing projects.