Seòmar agus comataidhean

The importance of Loch Rannoch as a site for Arctic charr sympatric divergence is well documented. Loch Rannoch is included within the boundary of the River Tay Special Area of Conservation (SAC), and as such it receives the highest level of environmental protection possible. In addition to the statutory protection afforded to the site through its SAC status, the freshwater habitat is also protected through River Basin Management Planning. It also receives wider protection against the threat of invasive species through the regulation of fish movements (through the Salmon & Freshwater Fisheries (Consolidation) (Scotland) Act 2003) and the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981 (as amended)).

Investigations have been undertaken to determine the fish species present in Lochs Rannoch, Monaghan and Finnart. SEPA have received the results of environmental DNA samples and have begun exploring the feasibility of potential management responses with NatureScot regarding the presence of non-native fish in Lochs Monaghan and Finnart. SEPA staff have also been on-site to examine the hydrological connectivity between the lochs, to inform these discussions.

Under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, local authorities in Scotland have a statutory duty to clear litter from all verges and roads, including trunk roads such as the A75. Transport Scotland, through its trunk road Operating Companies, is responsible for clearing litter from motorways and special roads.

Transport Scotland and its Operating Companies regularly meet with local authority officials to discuss trunk road related matters. The trunk road network is inspected on a weekly basis and where littering and litter collection is identified as an issue – or where complaints are received by members of the public – our Operating Companies report these to the appropriate local authority for their attention. If the issue relates to litter on a motorway or special road, the operating company actions the appropriate response.

To ensure our Operating Company contracts deliver value for money, Transport Scotland has in place the Performance Audit Group who audit, monitor and report on the financial, technical and performance aspects of the Operating Companies to ensure standards are being met.

We are aware that many relevant authorities are already undertaking some preparatory work prior to the commencement of section 10, such as identifying who will lead on this work; which departments or policy areas will need to be involved; and what food policy is already in existence. However, we are also aware that some relevant authorities are waiting for further information before starting work on their Plans. We intend to provide ongoing support to both health boards and local authorities, such as facilitating collaboration, providing information and advice, and providing resources such as guidance documents.

Public Health Scotland (PHS) published the annual update to cancer mortality statistics in Scotland on 27 January 2026. Cancer mortality deprivation data has not been published due to the lack of available census data. Once the population data required for this analysis is available, PHS will pre-announce the publication.

The contents and timings of statistical publications are at the discretion of PHS who are independent of the Scottish Government.

In Scotland Under The Microchipping of Dogs (Scotland) Regulations 2016 all owners are legally obligated to ensure their dog’s microchip details are recorded on a compliant database, and to keep their dog’s microchip details up to date.

Any owner who has not microchipped their dog in accordance with the 2016 Regulations could face a fine of up to £500.

Under the 2016 Regulations all dogs in Scotland must be microchipped and the details recorded on a compliant database, regardless of breed. If a dog is not microchipped or that chip is registered with a non-compliant database the owner could be fined up to £500.

Since the beginning of the Ukraine conflict the Scottish Government has urged businesses in Scotland to, where possible, cut ties with Russia. We fully support the UK Government’s sanctions regime against Russia and apply additional discretionary economic measures, whereby the Scottish Government and its economic agencies will not support trade and investment activity with Russia.

The case of Seapeak, and their role in transporting Russian liquified natural gas (LNG) to European countries, was previously raised in the Scottish Parliament on 4 September 2024 by Patrick Harvie MSP (S6O-03656).

Importing LNG into the UK is prohibited by the UK’s Russian sanctions regime, however, equivalent sanctions are not yet in place in the EU.

Sanctions are a reserved matter over which the Scottish Government has no control we are therefore limited in the action we can directly take. However in September 2024, I wrote to the then UK Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs and raised the case of Seapeak and also encouraged the UK Government to take all possible action to ensure the effectiveness of the UK’s sanctions regime in exerting pressure on the Russian regime.

My position on Russia has been clear since its invasion of Ukraine and I have urged businesses in Scotland to, where possible, cut ties with Russia. Beyond consideration of potential reputational, economic or security implications, the Scottish Government has made clear that it stands in solidarity with the Ukrainian government and its people and resolutely condemns Russia’s illegal war against Ukraine.

I therefore welcome recent developments in the EU and UK sanctions regimes against Russia, with the EU sanctions banning the import of Russian LNG from January 2027 and the UK Government’s intention to ban maritime services on Russian LNG, to be phased in over 2026.

As outlined in my response to your PQ S6W-43449 on 10 February 2026, I plan to write to the UK Government regarding these developments in due course.

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers.

All answers to Oral Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/official-report/search-what-was-said-in-parliament

The Scottish Government does not hold exact data on the number of single-use vapes for which lithium has not been recovered due to the way those products and their waste are categorised. However, Zero Waste Scotland estimate that during the 52 weeks prior to April 2023, the number of single-use vapes consumed in Scotland was between 21 and 26 million units, each containing on average 0.15g of lithium. Our Strategic Environmental Assessment estimated that approximately 1% of single-use vapes returned to a shop or recycling centre across the UK were currently recycled due to a lack of capacity. Based on these figures, the estimated yearly tonnage of lithium not recovered from single-use vapes would be between 3.11 and 3.86 tonnes. This amounts to enough lithium to make around 400 electric vehicles per year.

It is now illegal to sell or supply single-use vapes in the course of business in Scotland. In 2025, a new category of electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) was added to the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations 2013 for vapes and electronic cigarettes to ensure producers of vape products are paying the appropriate amount for the collection, recycling, and safe disposal of used vapes. Waste vapes can be deposited at all Council household waste recycling centres where their separate collection and recycling will be funded at zero cost to the council.

Under the WEEE Regs all retailers of vapes must also offer in store takeback for waste vapes to their customers. The Office for Product Safety & Standards have undertaken extensive campaigns to raise awareness of this requirement. New targets for vape-specific collections will be introduced in 2026. This will also allow for more precise data on the number of vapes placed on the market and their end of life management. October 2026 will also see HMRC introduce excise duty on vapes which will help improve compliance of the vaping sector with all relevant legislation, including that related to waste and recycling.

The Energy Company Obligation is a UK Government scheme. They have advised us that external wall insulation (EWI) was installed in 421 properties in Scotland as part of the Energy Company Obligation (ECO4) and Great British Insulation (GBIS) schemes. In Scotland a Building Warrant is required before external wall insulation can be installed, this provides additional safeguards compared with England and Wales.

Where these EWI installs have subsequently been audited by the UK Government, they have not reported any serious faults (e.g. health and safety risks due to poor ventilation). They reported non-compliance with scheme requirements as being 34% of the audited EWI cases in Scotland.

We anticipate that a small number of Scottish homes may have been affected by poor quality installation of external wall insulation with ECO4 and GBIS finance. We have requested that the UK Government provides further information about these cases to relevant local authorities and the Scottish Government.

The UK Government report that internal wall insulation (IWI) was installed in around 6,100 properties in Scotland as part of these schemes. This work does not normally require a Building Warrant but local authority consents may be required in some cases. The UK Government has advised us about 410 properties with IWI that were referred for auditing (i.e. this includes cases where a concern had already been raised). Non-compliance was reported in 31% of audited IWI cases. The UK Government reports that serious problems were identified in 12 properties and that all of these were successfully remediated.

The number of Scottish properties affected by poor quality or faulty installation of internal wall insulation is likely to be higher. However it seems likely that these issues have affected a minority of homes and can be successfully remediated in most cases. We have requested that further information about these properties continues to be provided to relevant local authorities and the Scottish Government.