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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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

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Question reference: S6W-00726

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 June 2021
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 21 July 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether Ministers will publish the findings of the gateway review into the deposit return scheme for drinks containers in full, prior to making a decision on whether to accept its recommendations.

Question reference: S6W-00887

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 18 June 2021
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 21 July 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the state of its preparations for the COP26 conference.

We are delighted that COP26 is happening in Scotland and are working closely with the UK Government, Glasgow City Council, Public Health bodies and the UN to deliver a safe, successful and in-person conference in November. We recognise the significant challenges to public health alongside the urgent need to agree action to tackle climate change and are exploring all possible COVID security measures. Vaccination and test and protect will be key and we are involved in planning for these measures and all relevant aspects of event delivery.

The Scottish Government’s COP26 programme will focus on key themes of a just transition and people, demonstrate the actions Scotland is taking to a Net Zero future and support the global outcomes of the Summit. We are partnering with a range of organisations to engage people with COP26 and climate change. This includes the recently announced youth climate programme, delivered in partnership with Young Scot, Keep Scotland Beautiful and Youth Link Scotland, which will deliver a programme of events putting the voices of young people in Scotland at the heart of the climate conversation during COP26.

Question reference: S6W-00725

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 June 2021
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 21 July 2021

To ask the Scottish Government when the gateway review into the deposit return scheme for drinks containers will conclude its work.

Question reference: S6W-00724

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 June 2021
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 21 July 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what the terms of reference are for the gateway review into the deposit return scheme for drinks containers.

A Gateway Review 0: Strategic Assessment is a programme-only review that sets the programme in the wider policy or corporate context. This review investigates the direction and planned outcomes of the programme, together with the progress of its constituent projects.

In addition, the Gateway Review 0 into Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) had a particular remit to examine the delivery schedule for DRS, especially in light of the impact of COVID-19.

Question reference: S6W-00723

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 June 2021
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 21 July 2021

To ask the Scottish Government which organisation is conducting the gateway review into the deposit return scheme for drinks containers, as announced by the Minister for Rural Affairs and the Natural Environment in March 2021.

Question reference: S6W-00722

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 June 2021
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 21 July 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, following the announcement that a deposit return system for cans and bottles will launch in Ireland by the end of September 2022, whether it has contacted the Irish Government to ask for advice on setting up such a system efficiently, given the significant delays to the deposit return scheme in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-01282

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 July 2021
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 20 July 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what the Scottish Futures Trust's current role is in the subsidy and provision of build-to-rent homes, and how this differs from its previous role.

The Scottish Futures Trust (SFT) is a partner in a build-to-rent joint venture with Edinburgh City Council called “Edinburgh Living” which is providing mid-market rent properties and market rent homes across the city. To date, more than 250 families have moved into quality affordable homes with the long-term aim to provide 1,500 new mid-market rent and market rent homes over the next few years.

In 2017, the Scottish Government put in place a package of measures to support the growth of the Build to Rent Sector in Scotland. That package included a Rental Income Guarantee Scheme and SFT was appointed by Scottish Government to manage applications to the Scheme. However, no formal application was made to the Scheme in three and a half years and the Scheme was closed. The BtR sector is now growing without further Scottish Government intervention.

Question reference: S6W-00931

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 21 June 2021
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 20 July 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how it will ensure that women who are pregnant following the death of a baby are able to access promptly the continuity of carer model as it rolls out in their local midwifery service.

Question reference: S6W-01029

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 June 2021
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 20 July 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how much it has spent on peatland restoration in each year since 2016.

Since 2016, the Scottish Government has invested around
£39 million in peatland restoration through the Peatland Action programme (delivered by NatureScot) and the Agri-Environment Climate Scheme under the Scottish Rural Development Programme. The annual figures are shown in the following table:

	2015-16	2016-17	2017-18	2018-19	2019-20	2020-21
£millions	3.50	0.82	5.49	7.86	10.35	11.18

The Member may also want to be aware of our 10-year commitment to invest more than £250 million in peatland restoration by 2030.

Question reference: S6W-01023

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 June 2021
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 20 July 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will review its key policy, planning and consenting frameworks to ensure that they are administered through processes that are efficient, flexible and outcome-focussed.

The Scottish Government is progressing wide reform of the planning system, including implementation of the Planning (Scotland) Act 2019; preparation of Scotland’s fourth National Planning Framework; a review of permitted development rights and a programme of digital transformation of planning services, with a focus on efficient processes, delivering good quality development and positive outcomes.