- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 November 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom Arthur on 8 December 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what rate of Land and Buildings Transaction Tax is paid by non-resident house buyers.
Answer
The rates and bands of Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (LBTT) apply equally to UK resident and non-UK resident buyers.
- Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 November 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 8 December 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the EU policy priorities and forward look in Annex D of the letter of 31 October 2023 from the Cabinet Secretary for the Constitution, External Affairs and Culture to the Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee, which states that the Scottish Government is "looking carefully" at the implications of the European Commission’s legislative proposals on gene editing, when it plans to announce its decision on gene editing in Scotland.
Answer
The Scottish Government is determined to ensure that Scotland operates to the highest environmental standards, and that we protect the strengths of Scottish agriculture and food production.
Regulation of genetic modification (GM) is a devolved area of responsibility. The Scottish Government is opposed to the cultivation of GM plants in Scotland, and any change to our current definition of what a GM plant is would need to be carefully considered.
The views of stakeholders in Scotland – scientists, farmers, food producers and manufacturers, but especially, consumers and the public as a whole – will inform what we do in relation to new genetic technologies such as gene editing.
We are aware the European Commission’s legislative proposal is currently undergoing scrutiny, and we continue to monitor its progress to inform this consideration.
- Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 November 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 8 December 2023
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has identified any barriers that could prevent it from meeting its peatland restoration targets, and, if so, whether it will provide further details of these.
Answer
The Scottish Government has identified, working with our Peatland ACTION delivery partners, multiple barriers that are preventing it from achieving its peatland restoration targets. These include a lack of skilled project designers, technical advisers and agents to support landowners and managers through restoration projects; operating restrictions during bird breeding seasons and inclement weather; the absence until 2020 of a multi-year funding package which undermined contractor confidence to invest; and a lack of private sector investment at sufficient scale in peatland restoration projects. Significant efforts are underway to address these issues, including substantial work to develop and expand the number of skilled and experienced contractors; developing provisions whereby operations can be carried out safely during bird breeding seasons etc.
Furthermore, the continued growth of Peatland Action since 2020 has increased confidence in multi year funding. This has allowed the wider industry to focus on developing the supporting infrastructure for peatland restoration, particularly with regards to training and developing applicable skills.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 23 November 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi McAllan on 8 December 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what support will be provided to businesses in Argyll and Bute that have been impacted by damage as a result of Storm Babet, in light of reports of around half being unable to reopen and a cumulative financial deficit of nearly £1.3 million.
Answer
We recognise the significant impact on people, businesses and communities in areas affected by storm Babet. The Scottish Government is committed to playing its part in helping them through this horrible experience which has destroyed so many people’s property and belongings.
The Storm Babet Ministerial taskforce was established to co-ordinate the Scottish Government’s support of local recovery efforts. Initial focus has been on the worst affected areas; ones that had an exceptionally rare red warning for rain during October’s storm, and especially Angus, which provisionally experienced its wettest day since 1891.
The Taskforce has developed a package of support to assist Scotland’s Councils deal with the immediate recovery as well as consider longer term issues such as repairing infrastructure. This package includes initiating the Bellwin Scheme to help all Councils cover eligible expenditure for urgent repairs; grants for farmers affected by severe flooding in parts of Scotland to help repair man-made flood banks; and Flood Recovery Grants to be administered by eligible Local Authorities to assist people whose homes and businesses have been flooded.
This support is in addition to Scotland’s longer-term investment in flood resilience, where we have committed £150m over the course of this Parliament to deliver improved flood resilience, in addition to the £42m provided annually to councils for flood resilience through the general capital grant.
This flood response sits alongside our ongoing work to support Scotland’s businesses. The Scottish Government has committed up to £25 million to develop the Argyll and Bute economy over the next 10 years through the regional growth deal. Projects supported through the deal will support the development of skills, infrastructure and innovation in key industry sectors like marine tourism and aquaculture to create skilled jobs and attract investment’. Local authorities also have wide-ranging powers to create rates relief schemes to reflect local needs.
- Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 23 November 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Patrick Harvie on 8 December 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to increase domestic energy efficiency.
Answer
On 28 November, we launched our consultation on proposals for a Heat in Buildings Bill alongside the social housing equivalent. This includes proposals to improve the energy efficiency of Scotland’s homes, which will deliver enduring savings on energy bills and helpmeet our climate change targets.
We have a wide range of grant and loan schemes available, and households can contact Home Energy Scotland to access free, bespoke, impartial advice on making their home more energy efficient. Our Home Energy Scotland Grant and Loan Scheme is open to all domestic owner-occupied households in Scotland and provides grant funding of up to £7,500 for households to install energy efficiency measures. A rural uplift to the energy efficiency grant of up to £1,500 is available as well as up to an additional £7,500 as an interest free loan.
We have also helped over 150,000 households to benefit from warmer homes that are less expensive to heat through our fuel poverty programmes, Warmer Homes Scotland and Area Based Schemes. We have recently widened the eligibility criteria to the Warmer Homes Scotland programme, allowing a further 100,000 households to become eligible, and relaunched the programme with a significantly increased maximum contract value of more than £700million over up to seven years.
Furthermore, Registered Social Landlords can apply for grant funding from the Social Housing Net Zero Heat fund for the installation of energy efficiency measures and clean heating that deliver both carbon savings and reduction in fuel bills for their tenants. This includes “Fabric First” enhancements which help make homes easier and cheaper to heat.
Finally, we recently consulted on reforming EPCs to make them a more appropriate source of information about the energy efficiency of a building. This included proposals to introduce a metric based on fabric energy efficiency: Energy Performance Certificate reform consultation - Scottish Government consultations - Citizen Space . These reforms, if introduced, will help building owners understand the energy efficiency of their property, and the steps they can take to improve it . We plan to respond to the consultation in 2024.
- Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 23 November 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 8 December 2023
To ask the Scottish Government whether it can provide details of any (a) internal communications involving (i) ministers and (ii) officials regarding Sheriff Alistair Duff’s role as a director of the Judicial Institute for Scotland, in light of the Police Scotland investigation that resulted in him being convicted at Edinburgh Sheriff Court.
Answer
The Scottish Government has had no involvement regarding Sheriff Duff's role as a Director of the Judicial Institute for Scotland. The judiciary is independent of the Scottish Government. The Lord President delegates responsibility for the delivery of judicial training to the Judicial Institute of Scotland and is responsible for appointments including the role of Director to the Board of the Judicial Institute.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 23 November 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi McAllan on 8 December 2023
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to include Argyll and Bute Council in the Storm Babet Ministerial Taskforce.
Answer
We recognise the significant impact on people, businesses and communities in areas affected by storm Babet. The Scottish Government is committed to playing its part in helping them through this horrible experience which has destroyed so many people’s property and belongings.
The Storm Babet Ministerial Taskforce was established to co-ordinate the Scottish Government’s support of local recovery efforts. It will consider both the immediate recovery response and longer-term issues such as repairing infrastructure.
The Taskforce has developed a package of support to assist Scotland’s Councils deal with the immediate recovery as well as consider longer term issues such as repairing infrastructure. This package includes initiating the Bellwin Scheme to help all Councils cover eligible expenditure for urgent repairs; grants for farmers affected by severe flooding in parts of Scotland to help repair man-made flood banks; and Flood Recovery Grants to be administered by eligible Local Authorities to assist people whose homes and businesses have been flooded.
This support is in addition to Scotland’s longer-term investment in flood resilience, where we have committed £150m over the course of this Parliament to deliver improved flood resilience, in addition to the £42m provided annually to councils for flood resilience through the general capital grant.
The initial focus of the Task Force has been on the worst affected areas; ones that had an exceptionally rare red warning for rain during October’s storm, and especially Angus, which provisionally experienced its wettest day since 1891.We have therefore invited the Chief Executive of Angus Council to attend the Taskforce in her capacity as Chair of the Tayside Storm Babet Recovery Group. While we will continue to review membership of the group, there are no plans to extend membership at this time.
- Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 23 November 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Lorna Slater on 8 December 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made on its commitment to (a) facilitate a process to co-design high-quality, high-performing household recycling and reuse services by the end of 2023, working with service operators and users, and (b) undertake further consultation on the separate kerbside collection of textiles by 2025.
Answer
Through the Circular Economy Bill, the Scottish Government is committed to a co-design process to develop a new Household Recycling Code of Practice with local authorities and other stakeholders to provide a clear strategic direction for recycling in Scotland.
This includes enabling progress against future local recycling and reuse targets, informing how the monitoring and reporting framework for local authority waste services can be strengthened, and consideration of further measures to incentivise waste reduction at a household level.
Engagement with Cosla and local authority representatives is ongoing, and Scottish Government officials are currently developing plans for a local authority workshop to be held in early 2024 to continue this process.
The Scottish Government remains committed to a public consultation on the separate kerbside collection of textiles by 2025. Evidence from the consultation will inform the development of the new Household Recycling Code of Practice.
- Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 23 November 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 8 December 2023
To ask the Scottish Government whether it can provide details of any (a) internal communications involving (i) ministers and (ii) officials and (b) external communications in respect of the Police Scotland investigation that resulted in Sheriff Alistair Duff being convicted at Edinburgh Sheriff Court.
Answer
The Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012 stipulates that the Chief Constable is responsible for the policing of Scotland, and is accountable to the Scottish Police Authority for this, rather than to Scottish Ministers directly. These arrangements are in place to ensure public confidence that the police act independently, free from unwarranted Ministerial interference. The Scottish Government had no involvement in the Police Scotland investigation that resulted in Sheriff Alistair Duff being convicted at Edinburgh Sheriff Court.
- Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 23 November 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi McAllan on 8 December 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-22388 by Mairi McAllan on 6 November 2023, whether it will publish the responses to the consultation on its Report into the Effectiveness of Environmental Governance Arrangements before the end of 2023.
Answer
The consultation on the Report on the Effectiveness of Environmental Governance was open for responses for 19 weeks, closing on 13 October. The Scottish Government will publish the responses to the consultation on Citizen Space, at the same time as providing an update to Parliament in early 2024, which will include recommendations in response to the views raised.
