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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: S5O-03046

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 March 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 21 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body, following the installation of new security devices at passholder entrances, what action it is taking to address queues forming and delays to entry.

Question reference: S5W-21379

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 01 February 2019
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 27 February 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what correspondence or discussions it has had with cheese producers regarding the document, Guidance for Local Authority Enforcement Officers on the Production of Cheese from Unpasteurised Milk; whether it is aware of any concerns regarding this guidance, and, if so, what its response is to these.

The Scottish Government has not had discussions on the guidance with cheese producers. As this is a food safety issue it would therefore rightly be for Food Standards Scotland and the Scottish Food Enforcement Liaison Committee, not Ministers, to respond to any concerns that have been raised.

I am however aware of the concerns raised with Food Standards Scotland, regarding the impact of the guidance on the raw milk cheese sector in Scotland. I have been advised by Food Standards Scotland that this is guidance for Local Authorities, and its key purpose is to provide a framework that will promote a consistent approach to enforcement and help environmental health professionals to support cheese producers in complying with legal food safety requirements.

Question reference: S5F-03087

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 25 February 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 February 2019

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S5W-21380

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 01 February 2019
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 21 February 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what consultation was undertaken by (a) the Scottish Food Enforcement Liaison Committee and (b) Food Standards Scotland prior to the development of the document, Guidance for Local Authority Enforcement Officers on the Production of Cheese from Unpasteurised Milk.

I am advised by Food Standards Scotland that the Scottish Food Enforcement Liaison Committee consulted on the guidance in April 2017 and a total of 10 responses were received, from local authorities, industry representative bodies and individual businesses. During the consultation, the cheese sector raised concerns about the costs and feasibility of testing for Shiga-toxin producing E. coli (the type of E. coli that can cause illness), and changes were made to the guidance to provide a more practical approach that still ensured food safety. It has also been made clear in the guidance document itself that the approach will be reviewed later this year following a period of application and subject to the feedback of cheese producers and enforcement officials using it.

Question reference: S5W-21381

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 01 February 2019
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 21 February 2019

To ask the Scottish Government whether the document, Guidance for Local Authority Enforcement Officers on the Production of Cheese from Unpasteurised Milk, was approved by ministers prior to its adoption.

I am advised by Food Standards Scotland that the Guidance was produced to address a recommendation in the multi-agency incident management team report of March 2017 on the E. coli outbreak of 2016. During this outbreak, 17 people were hospitalised and unfortunately a three year old child died. It is standard practice for food authorities to produce guidance which aims to support compliance across a wide range of different sectors. This does not require approval by Ministers as it is an independent food safety matter for Food Standards Scotland and Local Authority enforcement officials who are represented by the Scottish Food Enforcement Liaison Committee (SFELC).

Question reference: S5F-03039

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 04 February 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 February 2019

Question to be taken in chamber.

Question reference: S5O-02854

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 January 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 February 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the document, Towards a Cooperative University, by Queen Margaret University members of the University and College Union Scotland.

Question reference: S5F-03015

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 28 January 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 31 January 2019

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S5F-02964

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 14 January 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 17 January 2019

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S5W-20781

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 December 2018
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 11 January 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what the planned expenditure under its draft budget is for the Home Energy Efficiency Programmes for Scotland (HEEPS), and for each component programme, including (a) Area Based Schemes, (b) Scotland’s Energy Efficiency Programme (SEEP) Pilots, (c) Warmer Homes Scotland and (d) the Home Energy Scotland Loan Scheme.

The draft budget for Fuel Poverty and Energy Efficiency in 2019-20 is £119.6m, which now includes an element of Total Operating Costs, as explained in Annex G of the 19/20 Budget. This figure also includes planned expenditure for all the current Home Energy Efficiency Programmes for Scotland (HEEPS). The component programmes for HEEPS are Area Based Schemes (£49m); Warmer Homes Scotland (£24m); Home Energy Scotland and other relevant loan schemes (£30m); energy efficiency and fuel poverty advice services (£10.6m).

Some of the pilot schemes delivered as part of Energy Efficiency Scotland (previously SEEP) and support for transition to the EES programme will also be funded from this budget. Details of these schemes are yet to be announced. However over £1m from the Fuel Poverty and Energy Efficiency budget supported delivery of EES (including SEEP pilots) in 2018-19.