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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-16906

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 5 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how much has been spent on circularity education (a) in schools, (b) in colleges, (c) in workplaces and (d) for the general public, in each of the last five years.

Information on what has been spent on circularity education in schools, colleges and workplaces is not held centrally but we have been able to establish that the support set out below has been provided.

Over the last five years, Zero Waste Scotland has employed an education and skills team (between 1 and 3 FTEs), to work with education and skills delivery bodies in Scotland to encourage uptake and incorporation of circular economy content into educational materials.

Zero Waste Scotland has spent £185,000 on education and skills projects, following the publication of Scottish Government’s Climate Emergency Skills Action Plan (CESAP) in 2020, to support the delivery of CESAP projects.

In addition, Zero Waste Scotland has, over the last five years, supported the Construction Supply Chain Sustainability School with £69,250.

The Scottish Government provided the Scottish Waste Industry Training, Competency, Health & Safety (SWITCH) forum with a grant of £50,000 in 2022-23. As part of this grant funding, SWITCH established two training courses in partnership with the University of the West of Scotland, targeted at supervisors in the waste industry, to develop skills and knowledge in waste legislation, licensing, compliance and planning.

The Scottish Government has also spent £569,501 over the last five years on relevant communications targeting the general public, principally focused on food waste.

Question reference: S6W-17184

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Elena Whitham on 4 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what measures it has put in place to reduce the substance abuse of nitrous oxide, particularly among young people.

The most recent survey of young people about substance use shows the vast majority of teenagers do not take drugs. Similarly the 2021 Scottish Health Survey ( The Scottish Health Survey 2021 - main report ) provides general information on substance use and indicates that use of nitrous oxide remains low in Scotland.

Nonetheless, we are taking forward substance use education work in our schools through Curriculum for Excellence. Children and young people learn about a variety of substances including alcohol, medicines, drugs, tobacco and solvents. They will explore the impact risk taking behaviour has on life choices and health.

We hope by educating children and young people about substance use and the impact it can have on their life and health, this will prevent them making unhealthy choices.

Question reference: S6W-16911

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 4 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) ministers, (b) civil servants and (c) Special Advisers travelled overseas to learn more about how deposit return schemes operate in other countries; how much this cost for each of the individuals who travelled, broken down by (i) flights, (ii) accommodation and (iii) other costs, and how any knowledge gathered was disseminated more broadly to support the implementation of its Deposit Return Scheme.

Question reference: S6W-16912

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 4 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that English craft beer is being labelled as “not for sale in Scotland” due to concerns over the Deposit Return Scheme.

It is for individual businesses to determine whether or not they wish to sell products in Scotland following the launch of Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme (DRS).

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that businesses of all sizes can participate in our DRS. As part of this I announced on Thursday 20 April 2023 in Parliament that changes are to be made to the DRS Regulations so that any product which sells less than 5,000 articles a year in Scotland will no longer have to place a deposit on the product. This change was asked for by business and will apply to producers of all sizes. However, it will particularly help small producers and hospitality businesses.

Question reference: S6O-02222

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 May 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is, regarding any implications for its Water Safety Action Plan, on future lifeboat provision in Arbroath, in light of reported concerns expressed by the local community about the service.

Question reference: S6W-17308

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 3 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether dog trainers will be in scope for the upcoming consultation on the expansion of the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (Scotland) Regulations 2021, following the Scottish Animal Welfare Commission’s observation in the Report on the use of handheld remote-controlled training devices (e-collars) in dog training that "professional trainers and behaviourists, are unregulated and are not legally required to have understanding of or training in animal welfare, learning theory or the harm/benefit analysis of e-collar use".

Question reference: S6W-17188

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 3 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any potential prevalence of modern slavery in Scotland's waste management sector.

The Scottish Government condemns all forms of human trafficking or exploitation.

The Scottish Government has not assessed the potential prevalence of modern slavery in Scotland's waste management sector. Police Scotland monitor trafficking and exploitation trends in Scotland and the wider UK closely in order to tackle serious and organised crime effectively, including the potential for trafficking in the waste management sector.

The Scottish Government has provided grants to the Scottish Waste Industry Training, Competency, Health and Safety (SWITCH) Forum. As part of this grant funding, SWITCH has organised monthly webinars covering a range of issues, including modern slavery in the waste industry. The SWITCH webinars are available here: Webinars – SWITCH (switchforum.org.uk) .

Question reference: S6W-17181

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 April 2023
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 2 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of Peterborough's model for becoming a circular city by 2050 and its potential application to local authority areas in Scotland.

While we have not made any direct assessment of the Peterborough model, Zero Waste Scotland has engaged with Peterborough City Council in the past and has since explored a number of regional strategies and approaches to help inform their work to support cities and regions to adopt circular economy principles.

Zero Waste Scotland recently developed a framework for local authorities. The framework has been produced to help local authorities embed circular economy into their own operations, their wider cities, districts and regions and to deliver circular opportunities and benefits. It draws together experience, knowledge and learning from Scotland as well as other organisations and locations.

Question reference: S6W-17183

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 2 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what measures it will put in place to encourage consumers to dispose of nitrous oxide canisters responsibly.

A range of information and advice is available from Zero Waste Scotland and local authorities to help consumers recycle and dispose of waste responsibly, including gas canisters. Householders can seek specific advice from their local authority on recycling and disposal options in their local area.

Nitrous oxide canisters should not be disposed of in residual waste (‘black bag’) bins as they may explode if they are crushed, increasing the risk of injury or fire. Consumers of nitrous oxide canisters should follow advice provided by suppliers or contact their local authority to check that these items are accepted at their nearest Household Recycling Centre, where gas canisters can be safely stored and disposed of by a specialist waste contractor that has the facility to recycle them safely.

We will continue to work closely with the waste sector to consider any further advice required to support safe disposal of nitrous oxide canisters.

Question reference: S6W-17189

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 2 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to increase the recycling rate of waste electrical and electronic equipment.