- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 March 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Ben Macpherson on 29 March 2022
To ask the Scottish Government how many Scottish Welfare Fund Crisis Grants have been provided by local authorities in each year since their introduction.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-02608 on 8 September 2021. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found here: https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 March 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Lorna Slater on 29 March 2022
To ask the Scottish Government, regarding its estimates as set out in the Deposit Return Scheme for Scotland Final Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment (BRIA), published in December 2021, and as contained in Annex F: Industry Assumptions, whether specific allowance is made for the additional costs of approximately 3,000 Reverse Vending Machines (RVM), as referred to in table 2 on page 19 of the same document, and, if this is not the case, what its position is on whether the 2021 BRIA is defective.
Answer
As Table 2 of the amended final Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment (BRIA) for our Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) makes clear, the economic modelling in the BRIA assumes that there will be 3,021 reverse vending machines (RVMs) in operation.
Annex F of the amended final BRIA shows that the economic case for DRS remains strong if higher numbers of containers and return points, suggested by industry, are adopted. As we have seen no evidence for higher numbers of RVMs than 3,021, this is also the figure modelled in Annex F.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 14 March 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Lorna Slater on 29 March 2022
To ask the Scottish Government, regarding its proposed Deposit Return Scheme, whether it will provide the detailed calculations for how each of the figures were arrived at as set out in Table 3 on page (a) 15 of A Deposit Return Scheme for Scotland: Full Business and Regulatory Impact, published in July 2019 and (b) 20 of the Deposit Return Scheme for Scotland Final Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment (BRIA), published in December 2021, in particular in relation to the (i) costs and (ii) benefits for (A) local authorities, (B) business, (C) the regulator, (D) the system operator and (E) society.
Answer
The economic model underlying the analysis in the amended Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment (BRIA) for Scotland's Deposit Return Scheme was developed in line with best practice by Zero Waste Scotland on behalf of the Scottish Government. The key inputs to the model are set out at table 2 of the amended Final BRIA.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Friday, 18 March 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Patrick Harvie on 29 March 2022
To ask the Scottish Government how many fuel poor households it estimates have not qualified for the Warmer Homes Scotland scheme based on issues with the scheme’s qualifying criteria, as identified in its 2021 Fuel Poverty Strategy.
Answer
More than £175 million has been invested through Warmer Homes Scotland, the Scottish Government’s national fuel poverty scheme since its launch in September 2015, helping over 25,000 households throughout Scotland.
Eligibility for the scheme is based on both the property and the individual meeting the qualifying criteria. Individual eligibility is based on “proxies” - certain benefits which are an indication of the likelihood of the household living in or being at risk of fuel poverty. The eligibility criteria are designed to target support at households who are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of poor energy efficiency and heating systems. This includes those with a long term health condition (as well as carers, older people and families with children under 16 years of age).
During the lifetime of the scheme, the eligibility criteria have been reviewed and amended to manage demand and increase referrals, and in line with policy priorities. Households also move in and out of fuel poverty and the receipt of qualifying benefits.
For these reasons an estimate as outlined is not possible.
The Scottish Government has committed to procuring a new enhanced successor to Warmer Homes Scotland when the current contract expires in June 2023, with a formal procurement process now underway. As outlined within the Fuel Poverty Strategy, working with the Scottish Fuel Poverty Advisory Panel, we will seek to ensure the eligibility criteria is aligned with the updated Scottish fuel poverty definition and that assistance continues to be targeted at those who need it most.
- Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 18 March 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Lorna Slater on 29 March 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has plans to include an options appraisal of how existing incinerators could be decarbonised, in the upcoming independent review on the role of incineration in the waste hierarchy, which is due to be published by Easter 2022.
Answer
As independent Chair of the review of the role of incineration in the waste hierarchy in Scotland, Dr Colin Church has determined the scope, process and timelines of the Review.
In December 2020, Dr Church set out in a Call for Evidence his intention to commission a further piece of work, since he believes an assessment of the options to decarbonise the existing residual waste treatment infrastructure in Scotland may take longer than the intended timescale for the review.
This further work will not impact on the delivery date of the Review Report or Scottish Government’s ability to respond to the Report. Dr Church has stated his aim is to submit the report by Easter 2022 and we will publish it as soon as possible after this.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 18 March 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 29 March 2022
To ask the Scottish Government how much it has paid private contractors to recruit Test and Protect staff.
Answer
We do not hold this information centrally. Private contractor costs that have been incurred relating to Test & Protect staff would be held by the Boards recruiting the relevant staff members. In addition, costs relating to private contractors for staff working at test sites were awarded and managed by the UK Government as part of the National Testing Programme, and are not managed by the Scottish Government.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 18 March 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 29 March 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what the total number of Test and Protect testing centres was on 1 March 2022, and how many will remain operational from 1 May 2022.
Answer
On 1 March 2022, there were 71 UK Government-operated test centres, 39 Scottish Ambulance Service-run mobile test centres, and around 50 temporary local authority and health board-run asymptomatic test sites across Scotland. There were also 23 operational small-scale test sites in NHS Highland and NHS Grampian, resulting in a total of around 180 test sites.
As the First Minister said in her 15 March statement when she announced the Test and Protect Transition Plan, the primary purpose of testing is changing from population-wide testing to reduce transmission, to targeted testing to support clinical care. It will also be required on an ongoing basis for surveillance, outbreak management and health and care workforces.
Until the end of April, we will continue to advise those with symptoms to get a PCR test. PCR test sites will remain open during this period, though opening hours and locations may change during the transition. Test sites will close at the end of April – although a small number of mobile testing units and lab capacity will be retained for our longer term contingency and testing purposes.
A copy of the Test and Protect Transition Plan can be found here: Supporting documents - Coronavirus (COVID-19): Test and Protect - transition plan - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Friday, 18 March 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 29 March 2022
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the aim in its 2021 Fuel Poverty Strategy to ensure that “all homes across Scotland will have achieved the equivalent of an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) C” by 2033, how it plans to make the estimated investment of up to £6 billion that is required to deliver EPC C ratings to all fuel poor households in Scotland.
Answer
The 2021 Fuel Poverty Strategy, states that the required level of capital expenditure to bring fuel poor households up to EPC C, including the replacement of existing fossil fuel heating systems, will be in the region of £6 billion. The Scottish Government have committed to investing at least £1.8 billion this parliamentary term to help kick-start growth in the market and support those least able to pay. Alongside public investment, we need innovative mechanisms to increase individual and private-sector investment into energy efficiency and zero emissions heating. The Scottish Government has established a Green Heat Finance Taskforce to recommend ways that the Scottish Government and private sector can collaborate to scale up investment. It will provide an interim report by March 2023 and final recommendations by September that year.
- Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 18 March 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Lorna Slater on 29 March 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether the Operational Assessment of Alternative Residual Waste Treatment Technologies report will be considered in the independent review on the role of incineration in the waste hierarchy, which is due to be published by Easter 2022.
Answer
Zero Waste Scotland have shared the draft of the Operational Assessment of Alternative Residual Waste Treatment Technologies report with the Review. It is for Dr Church, as independent Chair, to determine if and how this is incorporated into the Review.
Dr Church, the independent Chair of the Review, has stated his aim is to submit the report by Easter 2022 and we will publish it as soon as possible after this.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 14 March 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 29 March 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether parking for (a) staff and (b) customers at retail outlets is included in the Workplace Parking Levy.
Answer
The Transport (Scotland) Act 2019 provides local authorities with a discretionary power to set up workplace parking licensing (WPL) schemes. Section 71 of the 2019 Act defines what constitutes a workplace parking place. Customer parking at retail outlets (except parking for business customers) is not included in the definition of workplace parking and therefore those places could not be included in any local authorities’ WPL scheme.
It will be for local authorities to decide whether they wish to implement WPL locally and to shape proposals to suit local circumstances. Parking places provided for employees and business customers are included in the definition of workplace parking set out in the 2019 Act. Accordingly, employers will be liable for workplace parking for staff within the context of proposals set out by local authorities.