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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-24995

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 21 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the 2021 estimate for food waste, whether it will provide an updated estimate of the cost to households of unnecessary food and drink purchases, as set out in the report, Household food and drink waste in Scotland 2014.

Question reference: S6W-24992

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 21 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how much public funding has been spent on communications related to food waste reduction in each year since 2016.

There was Scottish Government marketing spend in the below years. Figures are provided, along with links to the full published reports, for the Member’s ease.

2018 – 2019: £303,516.65 - https://www.gov.scot/publications/marketing-spend-2018-2019/ ;
2019 – 2020: £86,102.44 - https://www.gov.scot/publications/marketing-spend-2019-2020/
2021 – 2022 - £171,653.75 - https://www.gov.scot/publications/marketing-spend-2021-to-2022/

Based on available information up until 2022, the total marketing spend from 2016 was £561,272.84.

In addition, the total spent on food waste communications activities by the Scottish Government’s Circular Economy Division from 2016 to present was £175,766.93.

Finally, the Scottish Government funds Zero Waste Scotland (ZWS) to deliver the Food Waste reduction programme. ZWS has confirmed the total spent on communications for food waste reduction activities since September 2017 was £897,000. For a breakdown of this spend, ZWS can be contacted by email at: PolicySupport@zerowastescotland.org.uk.

Question reference: S6W-24993

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 21 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many food redistribution services are currently available in each local authority area, and how much food was redistributed in each area in the most recent year for which data is available.

Question reference: S6W-24983

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 21 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what work it is doing to review the proportion of contamination in food waste collections.

Local authorities remain responsible for household waste collections, which includes addressing contamination in food waste collections.

However, as part of the Waste Route Map and as set out in the Circular Economy Bill, we will be co-designing a new statutory code of practice for household waste services with local government, to create consistent and easy to use recycling services across Scotland. Food waste collections and contamination will be considered as part of this review.

Question reference: S6W-24985

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 21 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what the (a) tonnage, (b) carbon impact and (c) increase from the baseline is of food waste attributable to the public sector in the data gathered in the 2021 Scottish Food Waste Estimate.

Question reference: S6W-24986

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 21 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to use the data gathered in the 2021 Scottish Food Waste Estimate to estimate the (a) quantity and (b) carbon impact of food waste attributable to the (i) education and (ii) health sector.

Question reference: S6W-24990

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 21 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what the status is of the schools food waste pilot that began in autumn 2021, and what progress has been made on establishing a baseline for school food waste.

Zero Waste Scotland supported Glasgow City Council Education Services to run a food waste pilot across five schools in 2021. However, due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic and the cost of living crisis, operational priorities shifted towards cost of living support. As a result, the project was only partly delivered.

Zero Waste Scotland has undertaken analysis of data gathered and provided a food waste baseline and recommendations for reduction to these schools.

Question reference: S6W-24989

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 21 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many food waste champions have been appointed since 2019, broken down by (a) the sector they represented, (b) any monetary reimbursement they received and (c) their engagement impact, as set out in the 2019 Food Waste Reduction Plan.

This detail is not available at sector-level. There was no remuneration for Food Waste champions. Between 2019 and 2022 (inclusive), 245 workshops were held with 2,952 attendees in total. This engagement would have contributed to recent food waste levels as outlined in the 2021 Scottish Food Waste Estimate, available at: https://cdn.zerowastescotland.org.uk/managed-downloads/mf-cdtg7vnr-1696942041d . This shows, per capita, food waste between 2018 and 2021 in the food and drink manufacturing and other sectors roughly stayed the same.

Question reference: S6W-25095

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 16 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will follow the same conformation standard for XL Bully-type dogs as that set out for England and Wales.

Yes, the definition used for an XL Bully dog will be the same as the UK Government set out for England and Wales.

Helpful and practical support and guidance has been published on the Scottish Government website to ensure owners are made aware of how to comply with the new safeguards on XL Bully dogs, with further information to be published in the coming period: https://www.gov.scot/publications/xl-bully-dog-rules/ .

Question reference: S6W-25098

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 16 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when it next plans to meet the British Veterinary Association to discuss its decision to replicate regulations introduced in England and Wales in relation to XL Bully-type dogs.