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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-08876

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 06 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 14 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to improve the consistency and reliability of data on delivery and funding of Frank’s Law across all local authorities.

Data on the number of people under the age of 65 receiving Free Personal Care and expenditure on personal care by local authorities is collected through the Scottish Government Quarterly Monitoring Return . The data is quality assured and sent back to local authorities for additional validation prior to publication.

Information on the number of people aged 65+ receiving Free Personal Care has been collected since 2002; however, in 2019-20 the Quarterly Monitoring Return was extended to cover people aged 18 – 64 following the implementation of Frank’s Law. Information on the expenditure on personal care delivered at home was also requested and the frequency of collection was changed from annually to quarterly.

We will review this collection now that the expanded data has been collected for multiple years. This will involve working with local authorities to determine what is possible to collect; how to improve the consistency and quality of information; whether the resource burden of completing the collection is proportionate; whether alternative sources are available and would be more appropriate; and to assess ongoing data requirements.

The data for 2021-22 is currently out for collection and is due to be returned at the end of June. Therefore, the review work will take place later in 2022, following quality assurance of the 2021-22 data.

Question reference: S6W-08860

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 May 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 14 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-07724 by Mairi McAllan on 9 May 2022, how the additional funding that was authorised but not eventually required by SEPA has been used.

The SEPA budget position for 2020-21 was reported as part of the overall ENFOR Directorate budget monitoring return, which was reporting an underspend, providing flexibility to finance colleagues to offset any potential overspends.

Unutilised funding that is not required for purpose originally allocated is actively re-allocated across Scottish Government to mitigate emerging budget pressures. Where effective re-allocation is not possible due to late declaration of underspend, unutilised funding can be carried forward through the Scottish Reserve for utilisation in a future financial year.

Question reference: S6W-08711

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 May 2022
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 14 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown, by local authority area, showing the progress of work in establishing a nature network, and what support is being provided for that work by the Scottish Government and its agencies.

In our Programme for Government the Scottish Government has committed to developing nature networks across Scotland, as we recognise the key role they can play in protecting and enhancing biodiversity. We are working closely with NatureScot and key stakeholders to develop a national framework and guidance which will help us support Local Authorities and others in developing new, and expanding existing, nature networks. A key part of this work will also be encouraging co-operation and knowledge exchange across local authorities.

Question reference: S6W-09003

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S6W-08785

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 30 May 2022
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 10 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-01103 by Michael Matheson on 21 July 2021, what subsequent meetings have been held with small brewers regarding the deposit return scheme.

Since 21 July 2021 representatives of the small brewing sector have met the Scottish Government on a number of occasions to discuss Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme (DRS); most recently, representatives of the Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) discussed DRS with the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Economy on 24 March 2022.

SIBA is also a member of the DRS System-Wide Assurance Group, which ensures that the views of small brewers continue to be heard as industry implements our DRS.

Question reference: S6W-08786

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 30 May 2022
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 10 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-28705 by Roseanna Cunningham on 6 May 2020, what subsequent monitoring took place; what impacts on industry this identified, and what additional steps were considered necessary to proceed with the deposit return scheme.

Question reference: S6W-08623

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 May 2022
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 7 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-08230 by Lorna Slater on 11 May 2022, whether it will provide a further list of any reports commissioned that were never made, or have ceased to be made, publicly available by Zero Waste Scotland.

ZWS commissions research and policy reports for a variety of reasons. In some cases ZWS commissions reports which are intentionally aimed at wider public audiences, and in other cases, ZWS commissions reports to inform the development of programmes and interventions, or of Scottish Government policy.

In addition to the reports listed in my answer to S6W-08230, ZWS may have commissioned additional work that was not intended for publication. This includes commercially sensitive work that was undertaken specifically for individual organisations, work solely undertaken in-house by Zero Waste Scotland staff, and data generated to inform input to further published reports or to assist Zero Waste Scotland’s Strategic development.

Question reference: S6W-08624

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 May 2022
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 6 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-08232 by Lorna Slater on 11 May 2022, whether it will provide a breakdown of the use of the reusable nappy vouchers that shows how (a) many have been used, (b) much the scheme has cost and (c) many families have switched permanently to reusable nappies.

The following table details the number of reusable nappies provided each year through the Baby Box reusable nappy voucher scheme and the cost.

Families who take up the nappy offer are offered a discounted package should they wish to continue with reusable nappies. From June 2020 – April 2022, 224 families have used the discount and purchased further reusable nappies. The supplier started recording the data from June 2020 and we do not have a record of voucher redemptions before that period.

Year	Total Nappy Vouchers Redeemed	Cost
2019 (starting from June)	4,912	£62,677.12
2020	7,192	£91,769.92
2021	5,864	£77,298.65
2022 (up to 30 th of April)	1,290	£18,229.72

Question reference: S6O-01184

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 June 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government when it will next propose a parliamentary debate on reaching net zero.

Question reference: S6W-08522

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 May 2022
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 25 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to strengthen existing requirements for waste pre-treatment to extract as much recyclable material as possible.

The Pollution, Prevention and Control (Scotland) Regulations 2012) (the “PPC regulations”) require that permits for the incineration or co-incineration of municipal waste contain such conditions as SEPA considers necessary to ensure, where practicable, that no waste including non-ferrous metals or hard plastics is incinerated or co-incinerated.

The recently published report on the Review of the Role of Incineration in the Waste Hierarchy makes a provisional recommendation on strengthening requirements for pre-treatment for residual waste. We are carefully considering all recommendations made in the report and will set out our initial response in June.