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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-17572

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 28 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 11 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to Friends of the Earth Scotland's latest report, On the Move: Investing in public transport to meet carbon targets and create jobs, which found that increased investment in public transport could create 22,000 direct and 416,000 direct/indirect jobs in Scotland's transport sector, while significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The Scottish Government welcomes this report and recognises that reaching our target of a 20% reduction in car km by 2030 will require a broad combination of interventions, including infrastructure, incentives and disincentives.

I further refer the member to the answer to question S6T-01336 on 25 April 2023, with regard to investment in public transport. All answers to oral parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, which can be found at: https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/official-report/search-what-was-said-in-parliament/meeting-of-parliament-25-04-2023?meeting=15260&iob=130152

Question reference: S6W-17722

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 May 2023
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Lorna Slater on 5 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the publication of Dr Church’s second report on the decarbonisation of residual waste infrastructure in Scotland on 3 February 2023, when it plans to publish its response.

The First Report of the independent review of incineration was delivered in April 2022. Having accepted all of its recommendations, we have already taken actions to deliver the commitments we set out in our response. This includes introducing new restrictions on the development of energy from waste proposals in National Planning Framework 4, and working with UK Government to develop a methodology to report emissions from energy from waste separately.

Following careful consideration of the key findings and recommendations of Dr Church’s Second Report, we have published our response to the Report today. The Scottish Government’s response is available at: Scottish Government Response to: Stop, Sort, Burn, Bury? The Independent Review of the Role of Incineration in the Waste Hierarchy in Scotland. Second Report: Decarbonisation of Residual Waste Infrastructure in Scotland. Our response accepts, in full or in principle, all of the report’s recommendations and sets out the actions we are taking to decarbonise the waste sector, in particular by ending the unnecessary incineration of plastics.

Our 2022 Waste & Circular Economy Route Map consultation set out a range of proposed measures that will support the ambition to end the unnecessary incineration of plastics. These include continuing to deliver the £70 million Recycling Improvement Fund, implementation of extended producer responsibility (EPR) schemes, and greater transparency in the end destination of recycling collected. In addition, we will continue to work with other governments of the UK to consider the expansion of the UK Emissions Trading Scheme, which the Report notes could be an important decarbonisation tool.

We are also continuing to incentivise and support the deployment of combined heat and power, including for incineration facilities through our £300 million Heat Networks Fund. This is available across this Parliamentary session to support the rollout of new zero emission heat networks and communal heating systems, as well as the expansion and decarbonisation of existing heat networks across Scotland. Further details on implementing these recommendations will be incorporated into the final waste Route Map.

I would like to thank Dr Church for his hard work in delivering this important report for Scotland.

Question reference: S6O-02200

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 May 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 10 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what it has learnt from the fisheries no-take zone at Lamlash Bay.

Question reference: S6W-16172

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 26 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the recommendations in the Scottish Animal Welfare Commission Report on the Welfare of Beavers in Scotland.

The Scottish Animal Welfare Commission (SAWC) Report on the Welfare of Beavers in Scotland made a number of recommendations including:

The urgent need for comprehensive guidance for landowners etc for non-lethal control which does not require licensing;
No licences should be issued in the kit dependency period:
Banning the shooting of beavers in the water would eliminate the problem of poor or difficult marksmanship, which can significantly affect the welfare of beavers;
While translocations are welcome as an alternative to lethal control, where possible, it is important that robust protocols are followed by trained operators, release areas are assessed properly, to ensure that high standards of welfare are maintained during and after the translocations of individuals.

NatureScot responded directly to SAWC on behalf of the Scottish Government, and that response is summarised below:

Mitigation is a key theme of Scotland’s Beaver Strategy with a view to minimising negative impacts. The Strategy includes a range of actions to update guidance, raise awareness, help support and innovate around beaver mitigation techniques. NatureScot currently provides specialist advice to land managers through the Beaver Mitigation Scheme and is actively working on a programme of work on the actions outlined above. The guidance is being reviewed in line with the strategy and advice is available on the NatureScot website.
Currently only exceptional licences may be issued during the kit dependency period (1st April to 16th August). Exceptional circumstances include situations where either serious damage or a threat to public health or public interest is occurring at that time or is imminent and where lethal control is the only means of addressing that issue.
The examples of poor shooting practice pre-date the introduction of accredited controller training developed when European Protected Species (EPS) status was given to beavers and the introduction of minimum calibre and bullet weights. The examples given cannot be assumed to reflect current practice. NatureScot also noted that the Commission did not base these recommendations on any practical field work following beaver becoming EPS and the introduction of a licensing scheme. NatureScot are also looking at the conditioning of licences with requirement to provide carcass for post mortem.
In relation to robust protocols being in place in relation to translocations, there are actions relating to all of these points in Scotland’s Beaver Strategy. NatureScot has produced protocols to accompany the recent release licence issued to RSPB Scotland at Loch Lomond. NatureScot will share and invite comment on these from the Scottish Animal Welfare Commission with a view to agreeing standard protocols going forward.

Further discussions on the recommendations are currently ongoing between NatureScot and SAWC. Any resulting changes to protocols or licensing arrangements will be published on the NatureScot website.

Question reference: S6O-02152

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 April 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it can provide an update on what progress it has made towards delivering the Bute House Agreement commitment to ensure that every child has access to mental health and wellbeing support, including counselling services, in primary school.

Question reference: S6O-02125

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 April 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 20 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how it is supporting communities and local authorities to strengthen local bus networks across Scotland.

Question reference: S6O-02087

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 March 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Scottish Animal Welfare Commission’s recommendation that no further new greyhound tracks be permitted in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-15544

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 21 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether any recipients of the Network Support Grant Plus have been penalised for not meeting the grant's terms and conditions regarding bus service provision.

To date, no operator has been penalised for not meeting the terms and conditions of the Network Support Grant Plus.

All operators who claim Network Support Grant Plus must sign up to specific conditions and terms set out, or will have no entitlement to the grant. This includes the condition to freeze fares, which took effect from 10 October 2022. My officials gather relevant information, and ensure payment is made on the basis of actual kilometres run by each operator.

Question reference: S6W-15501

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 06 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 20 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of how the £126 million budgeted for support for active travel in the Scottish Budget 2022-23 has been spent, and how much of it has been allocated across public bodies.

The Scottish Government’s budget of £126m is available to grant recipients to draw down until the end of March 2023. This means that there is still time for spend to be incurred, including grant funding to our delivery partners which we may need to accrue for if payment hasn’t been made before the 31 March 2023. The final actual spend for the 2022-23 financial year will be known when the Annual Accounts are finalised.

Transport Scotland is working with the grant recipients to ensure as much of the maximum amount of grant funding available is drawn down before the end of the financial year.

Question reference: S6W-15546

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 14 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-13240 by Mairi McAllan on 5 January 2023, what consideration it has given to alternative sewage treatment options to UV treatment, outside of bathing seasons.