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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-06547

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 11 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 11 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it can introduce a Direct Vision Standard for HGVs in Scotland, and, if so, what consideration it has given to this.

Vehicle safety standards, such as Direct Vision Standard to improve the sighting of vulnerable road users in the HGV and bus driving positions, is reserved to the UK Government.

In the Scottish Government’s formal response dated November 2021 to the UK Government consultation on its future of transport regulatory review, we called on the UK Government to adopt the measures outlined in the EU General Road Safety Regulation, including Direct Vision, to ensure that the UK remains a leader in vehicle safety.

Question reference: S6W-07031

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 March 2022
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Jackson Carlaw on 10 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body when it will proceed with the appointment of a new Scottish Parliamentary Pension Scheme trustee board.

Under Schedule 1, Part B, Rule 8(1) of the 2009 Act it is for the Parliament to appoint all trustees by resolution on nomination by the SPCB. The SPCB recently agreed to nominate Gordon MacDonald MSP, Murdo Fraser MSP and Mark Ballard (pensioner trustee) as Fund Trustees of the Scottish Parliamentary Pension Scheme. The motions for the Parliament to approve the appointment of the above named were moved on Wednesday 9 March 2022.

Question reference: S6O-00868

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S6W-06176

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 9 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether individual licences to carry out control of certain generalist predator species should be issued to employees of landholdings, when the general licence allowing this same activity has been suspended by NatureScot.

Decisions on licence applications are taken by NatureScot on a case-by-case basis taking into account all relevant information. The arrangements for restricting the use of General Licences are set out in detail on the NatureScot website. We consider these arrangements to be a fair and proportionate response where there is evidence of wildlife crime. We do not think an automatic restriction on all other licence applications is necessary or justified.

An individual licence may be issued, where a general licence restriction has been imposed, where there is evidence that the licence is required to deliver legitimate land management or other work. Applicants must provide detail as to the requirement for an individual licence, therefore, individual licences allow more control by the licensing authority. Details such as number of a species to be controlled, time and place can be specified on the licence. The licence will also usually require the applicant to report on the activities carried out.

For example, NatureScot has previously issued individual licences to employees of landholdings where general licenses restriction are in place, for the prevention of serious damage to livestock. In this case for example the licence was for heavily restricted use only in specified locations.

Question reference: S6W-06175

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 9 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, in cases of restrictions of the use of general licences on certain land-holdings, where “the regulator has lost trust or confidence”, as stated by NatureScot, what its position is on how the regulator can regain enough trust and confidence to issue individual licences to employees of that same land-holding to undertake the same activities prohibited by the restriction.

Individual Licences can be issued on land-holdings where General Licences have been restricted due to the level of control held by the licensing authority in the case of the former. General Licences by their nature require a higher degree of trust on the part of the licensing authority as the user of the licence is not required to provide details of the activities being undertaken under the licence. When an application is made for an Individual Licence details such as number of a species to be controlled, time and place are specified on the licence. The licence will also usually require the applicant to report on the activities carried out.

Question reference: S6W-06053

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 2 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether the new ScotRail operator, ScotRail Trains Ltd, will honour the commitment to staff, reportedly offered under the existing franchise agreement, to no compulsory redundancies until at least 2025.

We absolutely remain committed to our policy position, which remains that public bodies should work with their staff representatives to negotiate no compulsory agreements for 2022-23 where it is practical to do so.

For a new body like ScotRail Trains Ltd, which does not have an existing agreement on no compulsory redundancies, I would expect there to be negotiations on this as part of the Public Sector Pay Policy discussions, which are crucial to the change that is needed as ScotRail comes under Scottish Government control on 1 April 2022.

Question reference: S6W-06290

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 24 February 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what the total energy generation capacity is in Scotland of (a) domestic rooftop solar installation, (b) commercial rooftop solar installation and (c) ground mounted solar PV schemes.

There is approximately 400MW of solar PV operational in Scotland, equating to 3% of total operational capacity.

As of 2020, there are at least 60,000 domestic level solar PV installations in Scotland with a capacity of just over 200MW, and around 8000 solar thermal installations.

Of the remaining operational Solar PV, approximately 12,000 of these are community and locally owned PV installations. With around 3500 community and locally owned solar thermal projects, these are typically found across housing associations, public sector, communities and other charitable organisations.

The Scottish Government does not hold this data on commercial or ground mounted only solar PV schemes.

There is approximately 350 MW of solar capacity in pipeline in Scotland, including 32MW in planning, 44MW under construction and 281 awaiting construction, representing 2.25% of the overall renewables pipeline in Scotland. This will take the total capacity of both installed and pipeline of solar in Scotland to in the region of 750MW.

Question reference: S6O-00788

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 February 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 2 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how it is ensuring that the COVID-19 certification scheme records the vaccination status of people who received their vaccine outwith Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-06548

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 11 February 2022
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 23 February 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how it apportions and spends the revenue raised in Scotland from Vehicle Excise Duty.

Question reference: S6W-06289

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 22 February 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has assessed the impact that on-site solar generation can have on reducing household energy bills.

We have not assessed the impact that on-site solar generation can have on reducing household energy bills. However, we are currently undertaking research (due to published this year) to examine the extent to which building level storage technologies could help to reduce householder energy costs, when installed alongside zero emission heat technologies. The research, although not specific to solar PV or the savings made by solar PV installations, does take into account pairing solar PV with storage.

We also continue to support microgeneration measures as part of our Heat in Buildings Delivery schemes such as Area Based Schemes, Home Energy Scotland, Warmer Homes Scotland, the Community and Renewable Energy Scheme (CARES) and the Low Carbon Infrastructure Transition Programme (LCITP).