Questions and answers

Question reference: S6O-01111

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 May 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 19 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support a town centre first approach to the development of new housing.

Question reference: S6O-01110

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 May 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 19 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on which of the key recommendations it is looking to progress from the report State of The Nation: Heart Valve Disease in Scotland by Heart Valve Voice, which was released in December 2021.

Question reference: S6W-08220

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 11 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how people with no digital or internet access can use ScotRail's half-price train ticket scheme.

Anyone with no digital or internet access can benefit from ScotRail’s half price ticket offer by phone via 0344 811 0153.

The number to call has been publicised by ScotRail from 9 May to enable customers to book their discounted Off-Peak tickets between 9 and 15 May 2022 inclusive, with outward travel valid Monday to Friday between 9 and 31 May 2022 inclusive. All open return travel must be complete by 30 June 2022.

Question reference: S6W-08222

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 11 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what specific support it will provide to help people with their energy bills (a) in general and (b) for those whose residence is not in a council tax band that qualifies for the council tax rebate.

The Scottish Government is providing a £150 cost of living award to all those receiving a reduction under the Council Tax Reduction scheme, regardless of their council tax band, as well as to all households living in properties in Bands A - D, which means this help will reach 1.85 million households.

Local authorities have also been provided with funds from which to make the £150 award payment to the estimated 38,000 low income households which are exempt from council tax, including those accessing housing support services or living in temporary accommodation.

In addition to the £150 cost of living award, £10 million is being allocated to continue the Fuel Insecurity Fund, which supports people struggling with their energy bills to the point that they are at risk of self-rationing their energy use, or self-disconnecting entirely. The Fuel Insecurity Fund is delivered through third sector partner organisations, particularly the Fuel Bank Foundation and Advice Direct Scotland. It includes provision for households on any tariff type and using any type of fuel.

Question reference: S6W-08213

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 11 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider a moratorium on onshore windfarm developments until an update to its Energy Strategy is published later in 2022.

The Scottish Government has no plans to introduce a moratorium on windfarm development.

To achieve a net zero, nature-positive Scotland, our planning system must be rebalanced so that climate change and nature recovery are the primary guiding principles for all our plans and all our decisions. Draft National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) sets out new Universal Policies that should apply to all planning decisions to help us tackle the climate and nature crises and ensure Scotland adapts to thrive within the planet’s sustainable limits. It also includes green energy policies which support renewable energy development other than in National Parks and National Scenic Areas, subject to an assessment of their impacts on a case by case basis.

Our draft NPF4 was laid in the Scottish Parliament on 10 November, and at the same time published for consultation which closed on 31 March 2022. We are pleased with the very wide interest shown in NPF4 from across society, befitting a document of its importance to our future. The Scottish Government is now taking some time to carefully consider the broad range of views shared with us before finalising NPF4 for Scottish Parliament approval.

Additionally, the Onshore Wind Policy Statement consultation was launched on 28 October 2021, which includes our ambition that an additional 8-12 GW of onshore wind be installed by 2030, in line with the Climate Change Committees' recommendations. The consultation considered other key themes such as barriers to deployment, positive environmental impacts, community benefits and shared ownership, circular economy and supply chain opportunities. The consultation closed on 31 January 2022, and a full policy statement is expected to be published during later this year with consultation analysis also to be published in due course.

However, the Scottish Government recognises the need to strike a balance between maximising deployment to reach net-zero targets, while considering concerns over factors such as peatland, landscape impacts, local economy and tourism, and ‘capacity saturation’. Support for maximising onshore wind deployment does not come at any cost, and the planning system exists to ensure that development sites are optimised and offer net benefit wherever possible.

Question reference: S6W-08103

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 11 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider making funding available to (a) help train seafarers to deal with lithium-ion battery fires in electric vehicles on board ferries and (b) purchase and retrofit any required equipment to contain and extinguish such a fire.

Shipping safety is a matter that is reserved to the UK Government. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency is responsible for maritime safety regulation and implementation. In October 2021, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency conducted a consultation on Electric Vehicles Onboard Passenger Ro-Ro Ferries. The results of this consultation were published in March 2022, along with Marine Guidance Note 653, covering aspects relating to fire safety elements, electrical hazard risks, the increased risk from carriage of damaged electric vehicles (accident recovery) and the safe charging of electric vehicles aboard Ro-Pax vessels.

The Scottish Government has no current plans to fund seafarers’ training or the purchase and retrofit of equipment in relation to the possibility of lithium-ion battery fires on board ferries.

Question reference: S6W-08023

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 11 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) onshore and (b) offshore wind energy projects are owned by companies that are headquartered in Scotland.

Crown Estate Scotland manage leasing of the Scottish seabed, and we will ask their Chief Executive to write to you directly with this information.

This information is not held centrally for onshore wind projects however the Scottish Government continue to be encouraged by the onshore and offshore wind industries' commitment to developing on Scottish land and in Scottish waters and are aware of some developers establishing headquarters and/or additional offices located in Scotland.

Scottish Renewables, as the renewable industry representative body in Scotland, hold a directory of their members, which may be useful in collating this information. The Scottish Government would also suggest that further detail could be obtained by contacting Scottish Renewables directly.

Question reference: S6W-08231

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 11 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what research it has (a) undertaken and (b) considered to utilise vermiculture processes to convert organic waste to a sustainable circular alternative to chemical fertiliser.

We have not funded research on vermiculture in the current Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture Strategic Research Programme (2022-7), nor in its previous programme, (2015-22).

In the previous programme however Scottish Government did fund research on green manure and municipal waste compost as part of a programme to monitor soil and plant nutrients, sustainable soil, and water management, as well as in research projects on alternative approaches to sustainable land management.

The Scottish Government’s Farm Advisory Service (FAS) is available to help support farmers, crofters and land-managers realise their potential through quality, innovative, and largely free advice, and we would encourage businesses to get in touch.

The Scottish Government’s Vision for Agriculture was published on 2 March 2022. The vision outlines our aim to transform how we support farming and food production in Scotland to become a global leader in sustainable and regenerative agriculture.

We see opportunities to include more nitrogen-fixing crops in our pasture and arable rotations to reduce our requirements for nitrogen fertilisers and we will be considering how to encourage wider use of nitrogen-fixing crops as we continue to develop the National Test Programme. We would urge all farmers to take up the Programme’s support for soil sampling and analysis under the first phase of Track 1, ‘Preparing for Sustainable Farming,’ which aims to help farmers and crofters to prepare their farms to meet the conditions of future agriculture policy and support and is open to all. Further information on PSF is available on the Scottish Government website , including comprehensive guidance for those seeking to get involved.

Question reference: S6W-08239

Asked by: Elena Whitham, MSP for Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 11 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how much it (a) has spent on funding Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) in each year for which it has been responsible for doing so and (b) estimates it will spend on funding DHPs in the current financial year, all broken down by how much was in relation to (i) the removal of the spare room subsidy and (ii) other reasons, and what the (A) administrative costs for DHPs and (B) total value of DHPs made by local authorities was in each year from 2010-11 to 2021-22.

(a) Scotland has budgeted £429 million in total for Discretionary Housing Payments since DHPs were devolved in 2017 to the 2022-23 financial year. This is broken down into £349 million for mitigation of the bedroom tax and £80.4 million for mitigating the impact of other welfare reforms.

SG funding for DHPs 2017-18 to 2022-23

Year	2017-18	2018-19	2019-20	2020-21	2021-22	2022-23	Total
Bedroom Tax Budget	£47.6m	£50.1m	£52.3m	£59.7m	£71m	£68.1m	£348.8m
Other DHPs	£10.9m	£10.9m	£10.9m	£18.9m 1	£10.9m	£17.9m 2	£80.4m
Full Budget	£58.5m	£61m	£63.2m	£78.6m	£81.9m	£86m	£429.2m

1. Figure includes additional £8m of Covid-support funds

2. Figure includes £7m for additional benefit cap support

Note: These figures do not include administration funding

(b) (i) (ii) In 2022-23 it is estimated that the Scottish Government will spend £86m on DHPs. From this, £68.1 million is to mitigate the bedroom tax helping over 92,000 households in Scotland to sustain their tenancies. An additional £17.9 million mitigates against the damaging impact of other UK Government welfare cuts including the benefit cap and changes to the Local Housing Allowance rates.

From the £17.9m, £10m will be used to mitigate the benefit cap with the other £7.9m to be allocated to LHA and other non-welfare. We are unable to confirm the exact amounts allocated to each stream at present as allocations are ongoing.

(A) Since DHPs were devolved in 2017 the Scottish Government has provided local authorities with £1.2m in administration funding each year since 2017. In 2021-22 a further £256,255 was allocated to the administration funding as part of the roll-over of the ‘other’ underspend.

(B) The Scottish Government do not hold information on total value of DHPs made by local authorities each year pre 2013-14. Pre 2017 the funding was not broken down into bedroom tax or other. We do not yet have the final spending figures for 2021-22. It is, however, estimated that in 2021-22 there will be £71m for bedroom tax spend and £10.9m for DHP other spend.

Outturn (Spending) 2017-18 to 2020-21

Year	2013-14	2014-15	2015-16	2016-17	2017-18	2018-19	2019-20	2020-21	Total
Bedroom Tax Spend	-	-	-	-	£48.7m	£52.6m	£56m	£62.7m	£220m
DHP Other Spend	-	-	-	-	£10.5m	£9.9m	£10m	£13.8m	£44.2m
Total Spend	£29.2m	£50.5m	£49.1m	£51.8m	£59.2m	£62.4m	£66m	£76.5m	£264.1m

Note, some local authorities add some of their own funds for local priorities

Question reference: S6W-08230

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 11 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a list of any reports procured by Zero Waste Scotland since 2011 that are not published on the Zero Waste Scotland website.

The information in this response has been provided by Zero Waste Scotland (ZWS).

The reports listed in the following table are currently being assessed to determine if further quality assurance/peer review is required to ensure data remains valid and useful. This assessment includes liaising with any relevant partner organisations

REPORT TITLE	DATE OF COMPLETION
RES Advice & Support Service and Energy Efficiency Business Support Service impact evaluations	2018-19; 2019-20 & 2020-21
Scoping Study for a household waste tagging and weighing trial	March 2019
Embodied Carbon of Natural Stone in Scotland: A Methodology	December 2020
Creating a circular economy for tyres: development and appraisal of policy options	Q1 2021
St. Sophia's Circular Refurbishment – as a case study	February 2021
Report on project to raise awareness about the links between circular economy and planning delivered by PAS in partnership with Zero Waste Scotland	July 2021
Resource Efficient Housing for 2020: The Seven years on Evaluation from The Resource Efficient House 2013	Initially April 2020 – new summary document currently in development
Characterising Fish processing by-products	Initially April 2020, currently being revised alongside new summary document

The following reports are currently published on partner websites and Zero Waste Scotland is looking to link to/directly publish on relevant pages on www.zerowastescotland.org.uk

The Circular Economy in Glasgow	November 2021 – while not published on the Zero Waste Scotland website is available on OECD website.
Circular Bioeconomy Opportunities Valorising Agricultural Wastes and Co-Products	April 2022 – while not on Zero Waste Scotland website available on SEFARI webpages

Chamber and committees