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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-06377

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 28 February 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it has taken to improve public awareness of paint recycling and reuse initiatives.

I welcome the reports from Royal Society of Chemistry on making Polymers in Liquid Formulations (PLFs) more sustainable, helping to raise awareness of the complex issues around sustainable paint, and waste management.

Zero Waste Scotland provide further detail on what to with used paint and paint cans here: What to do with used paint | Recycling | How to Waste Less . Zero Waste Scotland also work through Revolve to promote the wider reuse of items and materials and help raise awareness of responsible consumption.

This service provision supplements social enterprise and third sector initiatives running paint collection and redistribution reuse networks for waste paint.

Question reference: S6W-06375

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 28 February 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to reduce the quantity of unused paint being sent to landfill or for incineration.

I welcome the report from Royal Society of Chemistry on making Polymers in Liquid Formulations (PLFs) more sustainable, helping to embed circular economy in to this area.

The Scottish Government is committed to building a fully circular economy as part of our work to tackle the climate emergency.

To make the most of this opportunity, we are working with industry, including construction and demolition sectors, local government, environmental groups and wider stakeholders to develop a Route Map to deliver our waste and recycling targets to 2025 and beyond. Through the Route Map and the forthcoming Circular Economy Bill we will consider how best to take forward waste reduction and ensure circular economy approach across a range of waste streams.

Question reference: S6W-06897

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S6W-06068

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 25 February 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what impact COVID-19 restrictions had on the numbers of deer culled in 2021-22.

Question reference: S6W-06070

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 25 February 2022

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish an updated deer management strategy to implement the recommendations in the Deer Working Group report.

Question reference: S6W-06067

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 25 February 2022

NatureScot, in their role as Scotland’s deer authority, gather and publish data on annual deer cull returns.

Formal cull return requests are now being issued for the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons. The requests were delayed due to difficulties in sending out cull return requests as a result of Covid-19 measures. Once those completed returns have been received annual deer cull returns will then be published.

As the 2021-22 season is ongoing, cull return requests for this year have not yet been issued.

Question reference: S6W-06108

Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 25 February 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the findings of the Centre for Cities report, Cities Outlook 2022, showing that Aberdeen city centre and Dundee city centre lost 39 and 32 weeks of sales, respectively, between March 2020 and September 2021.

The Scottish Government recognises the difficulties facing Scotland’s cities and businesses as a result of the global pandemic as highlighted in the Centre for Cities report. The Scottish Government has provided more than £4.4 billion of business support since March 2020. This includes COVID-19 non-domestic rates reliefs which have saved businesses around £1.6bn in reduced rates bills since 1 April 2020. In addition last year, we awarded £2m directly to our cities through the City Centre Recovery Fund, to kick-start their recovery.

The Omicron variant in late 2021 further impacted on city centre recovery and has exacerbated the economic challenges faced by our city centres and their businesses. As such, the Cabinet Secretary for Finance announced an additional £3m of funding this financial year through the City Centre Recovery Fund on 10 February. These monies will support all seven cities build sustainable recovery for their centres and their businesses and will take forward the priorities of the City Centre Recovery Task Force.

Question reference: S6W-06030

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 31 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 25 February 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what work has been done to increase standardisation of ferries, since the publication of its Infrastructure Investment Plan for Scotland 2021-22 to 2025-26.

Work to increase standardisation since the Scottish Government’s Infrastructure Investment Plan for Scotland 2021-22 to 2025-26 was published, can be seen in the announced Invitation to Tender (17 December 2021) for two new ferries for Islay and the continuing work as part of the Small Vessel Replacement Programme (SVRP) that will see up to 7 vessels replaced on the west coast as part of Phase 1 of the programme.

Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited (CMAL) are taking forward the SVRP and are currently working with the appointed naval architects (Navalue) who are providing consultancy services for the concept design stage as well as investigating and evaluating the feasibility of designing low emission ferries to be in line with the Scottish Government climate change and standardisation commitments.

We also continue to support the vessel resilience funding that can be spent on replacing obsolete equipment on existing vessels.

Question reference: S6W-06029

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 31 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 25 February 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what recent consultations it has held with stakeholders regarding the Arran ferry timetable.

We continue to engage extensively with the Arran Ferry Committee on timetable matters through the twice yearly timetable consultation process, which has recently concluded with regard to the Winter 2022 timetable, and additionally through the Ardrossan Task Force which met most recently on 23 February 2022.

In the coming months CalMac Ferries Ltd will undertake a public consultation regarding service continuity plans for Arran ferry services when they temporarily relocate to Troon.

Question reference: S6W-06104

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 25 February 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider implementing the high quality shopfront design standards developed in Traditional Shopfront Improvement Grant Scheme (TSIG) areas as a future planning requirement in Conservation Areas and in Listed Buildings, as part of the forthcoming update of the National Planning Framework.

We encourage any owner of a traditional building to explore the best available methods of repair and maintenance for their properties, including shop-owners and we welcome local shopfront improvement schemes which seek to increase the attractiveness and conserve the distinctiveness of high streets.

Draft National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) recognises the importance of our historic environment in defining the character of our places, and in promoting a sense of place, belonging and cultural identity.

Draft NPF4 also encourages Distinctive Places. Universal Policy 6, on Design, Quality and Place, sets out the six qualities of successful places. One of these is ‘distinctive’ which refers to attention to local architectural styles, with designs reinforcing identity, by drawing on historic environment assets, as well as examining building types, colours and materials and acknowledging the sense of place, heritage and identity.

Shopfront requirements around design, colour and materials are more appropriately covered in local guidance, to reflect and reinforce local styles and character of places.

Local planning authorities are best placed to advise property owners regarding the necessary consents for any restoration or renovation. It is important to ensure these consents remain appropriate and not unnecessarily restrictive. This maximises the ability of the local economy to flourish, while we continue to carefully preserve the distinctive characteristics of local spaces.