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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: S6W-15739

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 23 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its work to identify how older and disabled people who are unable to access physical return points will be protected during the phase-in period of an online takeback service for the Deposit Return Scheme.

We have proposed to bring forward amendments to the Deposit Return Scheme regulations so that only the largest grocery retailers will initially be obliged to provide an online takeback service and all other businesses will be exempt.- Further work will be undertaken to identify how older and disabled people will be protected during this phasing-in of online takeback to ensure the scheme is accessible to everyone.

Question reference: S6W-15915

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 13 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 23 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has considered the Friends of the Earth Scotland report, Our Power: Offshore workers' demands for a just energy transition, and, if so, what its response is to the report's recommendations to the Scottish Government.

The Scottish Government welcomes the report detailing offshore workers’ demands for a just energy transition, and agrees that listening to and acting on recommendations from workers is critical to ensure a Just Transition. This is why we have provided £100,000 in funding to the STUC to ensure workers’ voices are at the heart of our just transition planning. The recommendations provided within this report will be considered in full during the consultation period for the Energy Strategy Just Transition Plan and responded to in the final draft.

Question reference: S6W-15925

Asked by: Meghan Gallacher, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 13 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Elena Whitham on 23 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what work has been undertaken to ensure the implementation of Dog Control Notices throughout all local authorities in Scotland.

The Control of Dogs (Scotland) Act 2010 (“the 2010 Act”) introduced the Dog Control Notice (DCN) regime. This regime is operated by independent local authorities under the terms of the 2010 Act.

Local authorities are required to appoint at least one officer for the purposes of the 2010 Act. Local authority ‘authorised officers’ i.e. dog wardens, will be permitted to serve a written DCN on dog owners (if the owner is not yet 16 years of age, a person who has parental responsibilities would be served) who do not keep their dogs under proper control.

It is for local authorities to determine the best approach for enforcement for their areas.

Action taken by the Scottish Government to facilitate the use of the 2010 Act powers includes updated Scottish Government guidance for local authorities in relation to the exercise of their functions and the functions of authorised officers under the 2010 Act (published in 2020): https://www.gov.scot/publications/updated-guidance-control-dogs-scotland-act-2010/

The Scottish Government also led discussions between Police Scotland and local authorities to update the non-statutory Joint Protocol agreement between these enforcement agencies. The intention of the Joint Protocol is to aid local authorities and the police with the decision making process when considering how best to deal with complaints relating to irresponsible dog ownership. The updated Joint Protocol was published September 2021: https://www.safercommunitiesscotland.org/wp-content/uploads/Joint-Protocol-REVISED-10.09.2021-Control-of-Dogs-pdf.pdf

The Scottish Government has also established a national DCN database. The database went live in early February 2022. The national database brings together the DCN records of all local authorities into a centralised database accessible by all local authorities and Police Scotland. Where a person subject to a DCN moves from one local authority to another, the national database will be a valuable tool in helping to enforce that notice.

The Scottish Government has also recently funded the development and delivery of dog warden training, successfully delivered by Royal Environmental Health Institute for Scotland (REHIS).

Question reference: S6W-15884

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 10 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 23 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government on how many occasions a Litter Abatement Order has been issued in each year since 2007.

Question reference: S6W-15819

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 23 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many looked after young people have been placed in unregulated accommodation in each year since 1999, broken down by local authority area.

Question reference: S6W-15792

Asked by: Fulton MacGregor, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 23 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the confirmation of both the scope of the Children (Care and Justice) (Scotland) Bill and of the national service specification for secure transport, jointly developed with COSLA, what plans it has to (a) regulate and (b) improve monitoring of the use of restraint in children, including those in care, by secure transportation providers.

The Scottish Government is committed to working with COSLA to develop solutions for secure transport - to advance our commitment to the UNCRC and the requirements within The Promise. A sub-group of the National Secure Care Group has been set up to develop solutions to these issues.

The service specification for secure transport is still in development. Multi-agency discussions are ongoing about how that will be used in local authority commissioning arrangements.

We will consider the implications of changing the legislative and regulatory framework to make it possible to bring scrutiny of secure transport arrangements within the remit of the Care Inspectorate.

Question reference: S6W-15933

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 23 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding is currently allocated for goose management schemes, and how much has been spent in each of the last three years, broken down by scheme.

Management Agreement Costs

Schemes for Annex 1 goose species (barnacle geese, white-fronted geese) and pink-footed geese at Strathbeg

Financial Year	Islay	Kintyre	Slamannan	Solway	South Walls	Strathbeg	Uist, Coll & Tiree
2019-20	£937,000	£64,282	-	£234,668	£27,243	£13,460	£67,598
2020-21	£929,990	£68,259	-	£237,502	£27,495	£789	£67,806
2021-22	£911,498	£66,500	-	£230,568	£23,711	-	£64,966

Allocated 2022-23	£770,000	£58,014	-	£178,990	£15,562	-	£60,000

NatureScot and Scottish Government expenditure on Adaptive Management Pilot Projects for resident greylag geese in Scotland (inclusive of monitoring and development costs)

Adaptive Management Projects	Uist	Orkney	Tiree	Lewis
2019-20	£8,500	£14,245	-	£6,489
2020-21	£7,212	£12,319	£2,400	£6,489
2021-22	£6,000	£38,181	£6,000	£6,000

Allocated 2022-23	£7,500	£36,131	£6,000	£7,500

Question reference: S6W-15893

Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Linlithgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 23 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when it will announce the tender awards for the Climate Just Communities programme, and what percentage of the £36 million Climate Justice Fund will go towards this initiative.

Question reference: S6W-15698

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Friday, 10 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 23 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the recommendation by the Children’s Parliament that the Scottish Government should stop alcohol sponsorship of events at which children may be present.

It is crucial that the voices of children and young people are at the heart of developing our next steps on alcohol policy.

Our recent consultation on restricting alcohol advertising and promotion directly references the recommendations of the Children’s Parliament and contains a section, and questions, on potential restrictions on alcohol sponsorship of events.

The consultation closed on 9 March. An independent contractor will comprehensively analyse the responses and publish a report. We will then further consider possible restrictions.

Question reference: S6W-15815

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 23 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how many local authorities are currently not providing face-to-face meetings to assist people with homelessness applications.