Questions and answers

Question reference: S6W-11796

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 10 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it can provide an update on any action it has taken regarding the closure of the Edinburgh Filmhouse and the Edinburgh International Film Festival.

I refer the member to the answer to questions S6W-11493 and S6T-00915 answered on 26 October 2022 and 25 October 2022 respectively.

The answer to Topical Question S6T-00915 can be found here: https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/official-report/search-what-was-said-in-parliament/meeting-of-parliament-25-10-2022?meeting=13939&iob=126317#16180

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 .

Question reference: S6W-11606

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 October 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 10 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will commit to a higher target than 50% for conditionality of agricultural subsidies in any future Agriculture Bill.

I refer the member to the Parliamentary Statement I made on Tues 8 November 2022, which set out the Scottish Government's pathway for the future of agricultural support including the conditionality of that support. This is in line with our Vision for Scottish Agriculture, published in March 2022, in which we committed to integrate enhanced conditionality of at least half of all funding for farming and crofting by 2025. We are seeking views on that conditionality in the public consultation “Delivering our Vision for Scottish Agriculture”, which closes on 21 Nov 2022.

Question reference: S6W-11607

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 October 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 10 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will introduce some conditional agriculture subsidies before 2025 in areas where there is widespread agreement between key stakeholders on policy.

Agriculture support is already conditional, the current Basic Payment Scheme requires Farmers, Crofters, etc to meet Cross Compliance and Greening measures, to qualify for that payment. I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-11606 on 10 November 2022 in relation to future conditionality of agricultural support. 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 .

Question reference: S6O-01553

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 November 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 16 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to prevent motorcycle thefts, in light of reports of rising motorcycle theft numbers.

Question reference: S6W-11740

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 October 2022
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 8 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what steps it has taken to ensure that the Filmhouse, in Edinburgh, can reopen as soon as possible.

I refer the member to the answer to questions S6W-11493 on 26 October 2022 and S6T-00915 on 25 October 2022 respectively.

The answer to Topical Question S6T-00915 can be found here: https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/official-report/search-what-was-said-in-parliament/meeting-of-parliament-25-10-2022?meeting=13939&iob=126317#16180

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

Question reference: S6W-11726

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 October 2022
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 4 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) prosecutions and (b) convictions there have been under the Property Factors (Scotland) Act 2011.

The Scottish Government Criminal Proceedings database is not a live system and the latest available information is for the financial year 2020-21. Statistics are presented on the number of people dealt with by the Scottish Criminal Justice System where proceedings have concluded.

Our records show one person was prosecuted in Scottish courts in 2018-19, where the main charge was under the Property Factors (Scotland) Act 2011. They were found not guilty.

Question reference: S6W-09717

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 30 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 28 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has conducted an impact assessment of the effect on businesses in Scotland of any potential differences in labelling requirements of the Deposit Return Scheme compared with other proposed schemes in the rest of the UK, in light of any differences in the materials that are covered in the scope of each scheme, and whether it plans to take any action to mitigate any such effects.

The Scottish Government has not conducted an impact assessment into any potential difference in the labelling requirements elsewhere in the UK. This is because, the Regulations underpinning Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) do not mandate specific labelling requirements. Instead, the Regulations give producers and the scheme administrator the flexibility to decide on their preferred approach.

While the UK Government is still to publish its response to its DRS consultation, which closed in March 2021, officials are working closely with the other administrations in the UK to ensure that Scotland’s DRS is compatible with other future schemes, without negatively impacting on the aims and ambitions of our scheme.

Question reference: S6W-09718

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 30 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 27 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the Deposit Return Scheme could impose a potentially higher producer fee for producers in Scotland that do not adopt Circularity Scotland’s labelling requirements and instead choose to adhere to a UK-wide labelling and barcode system.

As independent Scheme Administrator established by businesses, Circularity Scotland Ltd (CSL) is responsible for setting the fees for businesses who wish CSL to administer their DRS obligations on their behalf.

The rationale behind a higher fee for producers who use UK-wide labels instead of Scotland-specific ones is to compensate for any drinks containers purchased elsewhere in the UK where a deposit is not paid, but then returned in Scotland for a deposit.

CSL will actively monitor such returns and adjust the higher fee per individual product to reflect the number of such containers processed through its network that were purchased out with Scotland.

Question reference: S6O-01476

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 October 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 2 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how it will evaluate the progress made in achieving the intended outcomes of its Covid Recovery Strategy.

Question reference: S6W-11074

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 5 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether Highlands and Islands Enterprise has formally excluded companies or organisations that have complained about the award of loans or grants from receiving them.

Questions S6W-11074 - 77 are operational matters for Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) and I have asked Stuart Black, HIE’s Chief Executive to respond directly. I have also provided detail below which I hope the member will find helpful.

The agency's statutory functions are laid out under the Enterprise and New Towns (Scotland) Act 1990 (the Act). It fulfils a series of financial duties and other functions, under Section 24 of the Act. It also operates under a range of general and specific powers, set out in full in Section 8 of the Act.

HIE is required to follow guidance on the proper handling and reporting of public funds, as detailed in the Scottish Public Finance Manual (SPFM). This includes its duty to focus its activities to deliver Best Value. The SPFM is also clear that guidance in HM Treasury’s Green Book has been adopted by the Scottish Government and applies to all organisations to which the SPFM is directly applicable.

HIE operates a number of funding schemes for which companies and other organisations can apply. For one-off and bespoke support, HIE’s process is aligned to treasury appraisal principles with market failure being a key consideration for all funding decisions. Any support provided by the Scottish Government and its associated public bodies must be contingent upon completion of satisfactory due diligence as required by the Borrowing, Lending & Investment section of the SPFM. This would require a robust business case. Prior to any investment, all other avenues of finance should have been explored and the additionality of HIE’s intervention confirmed. This includes availability of other government schemes, financing options and private sector support. Any investment should also consider Government or public sector support already being provided to the business.

HIE does not exclude companies or organisations that have submitted complaints. Its funding is discretionary and decisions are supported by proportionate appraisal aligned to Treasury guidance and Best Value characteristics.

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