- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 November 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 9 December 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the report published in January 2025 by climateXchange, Carbon Calculator for wind farms on Scottish peatlands: an evidence assessment, and what progress has been made to deliver against its recommendation that the carbon calculator, in its current form, should be updated.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-42174 on 9 December 2025. 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.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 November 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 9 December 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it remains committed to achieving 20GW of operational onshore wind in Scotland by 2030 as set out in the Scottish Onshore Wind Sector Deal in 2023.
Answer
The Scottish Government remains committed to the ambitions set out in the Onshore Wind Sector Deal. Joint working with industry is central to delivering Scotland’s energy transition and achieving our climate change ambitions.
We will continue to work closely with industry partners to support investment, create skilled jobs, and ensure benefits are shared with communities across Scotland.
Working together, industry and government can achieve our shared long-term goals to the benefit of both Scotland communities and its economy.
- Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 November 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 9 December 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has held any discussions with Police Scotland about upgrading its tasers to the new Axon Taser 10 model, in light of the decision by the Home Office on 3 October 2025 to allow police in England and Wales to upgrade to the new model.
Answer
I can confirm that the Scottish Government has not held discussions with Police Scotland about upgrading its tasers. Any such upgrade would be an operational matter for the Chief Constable.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 November 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 9 December 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what measures it is taking to ensure that Scotland can maximise the number of onshore wind projects that are eligible to bid for a Contract for Difference and can contribute to its ambition to achieve 20GW of operational onshore wind by 2030, as set out in the Scottish Onshore Wind Sector Deal agreed in 2023.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-42174 on 9 December 2025. 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.
- Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 November 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 9 December 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-35424 by Jenni Minto on 17 March 2025, regarding referrals to secondary services from the Thistle drug consumption facility, whether it will provide a breakdown of any such referrals by service type, including (a) housing, (b) addiction recovery and (c) mental health services from 17 March until the current date, and how many of the referrals were made to addiction recovery services during this period.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not hold a breakdown of referrals from the Thistle drug consumption facility by service type, nor does it hold data on the number of referrals made to addiction recovery services from 17 March 2025 to current date. Such information may be available from Glasgow Health and Social Care Partnership who are responsible for operation of the Thistle facility.
The primary function of the safer drug consumption facility is to reduce drug-related harm by providing a safe, supervised environment for individuals who use drugs. Where additional support or treatment is required, staff may signpost individuals to the most appropriate services.
- Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 November 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 9 December 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-35424 by Jenni Minto on 17 March 2025, regarding referrals to secondary services from the Thistle drug consumption facility, whether it will provide a breakdown of these referrals by service type, including (a) housing, (b) addiction recovery and (c) mental health services, and how many of the referrals were made to addiction recovery services up to 17 March 2025.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not hold a breakdown of referrals from the Thistle drug consumption facility by service type, nor does it hold data on the number of referrals made to addiction recovery services from 17 March 2025 to current date. Such information may be available from Glasgow Health and Social Care Partnership who are responsible for operation of the Thistle facility.
The primary function of the safer drug consumption facility is to reduce drug-related harm by providing a safe, supervised environment for individuals who use drugs. Where additional support or treatment is required, staff may signpost individuals to the most appropriate services.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 November 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 9 December 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has agreed a peatland compensation ratio for onshore wind projects, and, if so, whether it will publish the scientific evidence it used to inform that decision.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-42174 on 9 December 2025. 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.
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 November 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Kate Forbes on 9 December 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will engage with Stadler regarding the potential to develop a rolling stock and locomotive manufacturing base in Scotland for the UK market.
Answer
As our national and international development agency, Scottish Enterprise engages with a range of companies regarding support and potential inward investment opportunities. While Scottish Enterprise has had no engagement with Stadler to date, it stands ready to discuss any potential support it can offer, as appropriate.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 November 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 9 December 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the findings of the 2022 Scottish Government Independent Review of the Role of Incineration in the Waste Hierarchy in Scotland that "given the risks that incineration poses to human health and the environment, and the risk of lock-in, Scotland should not construct more capacity than it needs and only some of the currently planned capacity should be built", how this aligns with its reported plans to delay the landfill ban by building additional incinerator facilities to begin operating in 2026 and 2027.
Answer
The ban on landfilling biodegradable municipal waste (BMW) is a crucial part of delivering Scotland’s net zero ambitions and in line with Committee for Climate Change advice. It will come into force on 31 December this year.
While significant efforts and investment have been made by local authorities and commercial waste operators to prepare for the ban, due to a temporary shortfall of energy from waste capacity in Scotland, some parts of the waste sector identified challenges in fully complying with the upcoming ban.
Taking account of these challenges, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency published a Regulatory Position Statement on 29 October outlining its approach to enforcing the ban.
The Scottish Government recognises the findings of the Independent Review of the Role of Incineration in the Waste Hierarchy in Scotland, including its determination that in the short-term incineration will have a role to play in managing our waste as we transition to a circular economy.
The Scottish Government is committed to limiting EfW capacity, as part of our transition to a circular economy. Our National Planning Framework 4 makes it clear that development proposals for new EfW facilities will not be supported except under limited circumstances, and there have been no planning applications for new EfW developments since 2023.
- Asked by: Douglas Ross, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 November 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Ivan McKee on 9 December 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has conducted a review of the Scottish Public Pensions Agency's (SPPA) quality of service, in light of any increases in complaints about transfer and valuation delays.
Answer
The Scottish Government receive regular updates from the SPPA on service delivery, who in turn engage regularly with the Scheme Pension Boards, on which both members and employers are represented. The SPPA has not recorded a significant increase in complaints about transfers and pension estimates.