- Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 June 2022
-
Current Status:
Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 12 July 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with farmers regarding feed additives and changing feed in response to new technologies to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Answer
No methane inhibiting feed additive products have yet been approved for use in Scotland but the Scottish Government has been receiving interest from the livestock industry about the potential of such products. In their report last year the Suckler Beef Climage Group noted the potential of such products in reducing overall methane emissions.
It is likely that such products will be authorised on a GB basis due to the applications for the authorisation of a regulated food or feed product or process in GB. As such Scottish Government officials are working with other GB administrations to consider the best approach to strengthening engagement with industry on this topic to understand the potential of such new technologies in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
- Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 June 2022
-
Current Status:
Answered by Tom Arthur on 12 July 2022
To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to consult on removing the 50kW threshold above which permitted development rights do not apply for solar panels on commercial rooftops.
Answer
The Scottish Government is currently carrying out a review of PDR in Scotland. This is being taken forward in phases, with each phase focussing on new/extended PDR for specific development types. We have committed to consider updated PDR for renewable energy apparatus – including non-domestic solar – as part of the review programme and we will consult on proposals for change in due course.
- Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 June 2022
-
Current Status:
Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 12 July 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the use of animal feed additives and innovative feeds that can reduce methane emissions from livestock, in order to support sustainable farming.
Answer
Through the ClimateXChange centre of expertise the Scottish Government has received expert advice on the use of animal feed additives which have the potential to reduce methane emissions. This advice has suggested that more data are needed to assess the full potential of feed additives and feed materials in reducing methane emissions from livestock.
FSS and FSA are responsible for assessing animal feed safety in GB. Any new innovative feed material would be considered through the feed risk analysis process. For feed additives these are products that require to be authorised by the GB regulated product process before they can be sold and used in animal feed in GB and may only be used for the purpose stated in the authorisation. The FSA and FSS carry out the risk analysis process for regulated products such as feed additives and provide advice to Ministers who decide whether the product can be placed on the market in England, Wales and Scotland. Feed additives intended to reduce methane production in ruminants are new and highly innovative feed additives and within the GB regulated products application process are being categorised and risk assessed as; zootechnical feed additives under the functional group ‘as substances which favourably affect the environment’.
- Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 June 2022
-
Current Status:
Answered by Tom Arthur on 6 July 2022
To ask the Scottish Government when it will submit the final draft of the fourth National Planning Framework (NPF4) to the Parliament.
Answer
I wrote to the Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee on 22 June confirming that I now intend to lay a revised NPF4 in the Scottish Parliament in the autumn. This is in order to ensure there is sufficient time to fully consider the detailed responses submitted during the consultation period and to ensure that the finalised version is robust for the important role that NPF4 will have in the planning system.
- Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 June 2022
-
Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 1 July 2022
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6O-01192 by Michael Matheson on 8 June 2022, in which he stated that “the Scottish Government will this year work closely with Solar Energy Scotland representatives to support the development of a solar vision for Scotland”, whether it will provide an update on progress on this commitment; how it is meeting the commitment, and what the timeline is for meeting it.
Answer
I met with Solar Energy Scotland (SES) in February, with the Minister for Public Finance, Planning and Community Wealth meeting with them in May. In addition to ministerial meetings, officials have also been meeting with SES regularly, and they have been invited to join the Renewable Energy Strategic Leadership Group (RESLG). Continued official engagement is planned over the summer as the solar vision develops. The solar vision will form part of the Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan, which will be published later this year.
- Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 June 2022
-
Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 1 July 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what targets have been set for solar energy generation in Scotland as part of its plans for achieving net zero.
Answer
The Scottish Government recognises the importance of energy generated from solar PV in contributing to the decarbonisation of Scotland’s energy supply, and helping us meet our targets for a net zero emissions society by 2045.
In support of this, the Scottish Government will, in consultation with the solar sector, establish a vision for the future of solar energy in the forthcoming Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan, which will be published later this year. We expect this vision to act as a signal for the solar industry going forward and it is important that we take the time to ensure that the vision is fully considered in context of the whole energy system.
- Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 June 2022
-
Current Status:
Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 30 June 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of Scotland’s current food processing capabilities and any opportunities for further development.
Answer
The Scottish Government has worked jointly with the food and drink industry on the development of a Food & Drink Recovery Plan which has over 50 actions to help the sector recover from the effects of Covid and Brexit. The plan, which has been supported by £15m of Scottish Government funding over 2020-2023, includes ongoing work to assess the current capabilities and development opportunities for all parts of the food and drink industry (including food processing). We are working with the Scotland Food & Drink Partnership during 2022 to build on this work through the refresh of the “Ambition 2030” food and drink industry strategy, which was the industry’s main focus pre-Covid. We expect more information on a revised strategy to become available later in 2022.
A new £7.3m funding round for the Food Processing and Marketing Cooperation (FPMC) grant scheme also ran in late 2021 to support food processors in developing local supply chains and transitioning to net zero operations. All applications have been assessed and 29 businesses were successful in receiving a share of the funding. A further £10.2m round was launched on 9 May 2022 and closed for applications on 19 June 2022. Applications are now in the process of being assessed, with decisions expected later in the summer.
- Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 June 2022
-
Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 16 June 2022
To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body when it last reviewed the requirements for members to access legal services funded through the Members Expenses Scheme in order to ascertain whether the current criteria are fit for purpose.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 16 June 2022
- Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 20 May 2022
-
Current Status:
Answered by Mairi McAllan on 8 June 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will respond to the recommendations in the Scottish Environment LINK report, Scotland’s environmental ambitions, From rhetoric to reality: revisited.
Answer
The Scottish Government published a report to Parliament on 29 March 2022, outlining progress in developing the new Environment Strategy for Scotland ( https://www.gov.scot/publications/environment-strategy-scotland-progress-report-parliament/ ). This report provided a summary of key areas of Scottish Government policy and action that are already contributing to the goals of the Environment Strategy and outlined some of the challenges and opportunities in realising the strategy's vision. The Scottish Government does not plan to publish an additional response to the 'From Rhetoric to Reality: Revisited' report, but remains in ongoing dialogue with Scottish Environment LINK as a valued stakeholder.
- Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 June 2022
-
Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 9 June 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that Scotland’s education system is properly aligned with the future workforce requirements of the emerging green economy.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 9 June 2022
