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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-15410

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 13 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what budgetary considerations it has given to ensure that biosecurity concerns are properly resourced within its biodiversity strategy and planning of the biodiversity delivery plan.

The Biodiversity Strategy is not the primary vehicle for addressing biosecurity issues, although clearly there are related issues and impacts which stress the need to mainstream biodiversity across the full range of Scottish Government policy.

The Biodiversity Strategy sets out a long-term, high-level ambition and Vision for 2045. Delivering that Vision is supported by a series of Outcomes across a range of overlapping ecosystems and land use types.

The Strategy also includes 33 Priority Actions which include, of relevance to the question:

Implement Scottish Plan for INNS surveillance, prevention and control, and secure wider support measures to enable effective INNS removal
Support surveillance and monitoring to support managing risks around pathogens and disease in wild bird populations
Develop a Biodiversity Investment Plan to direct how we address the Finance Gap for nature
Maintain and seek to increase investment in nature restoration through our £65 million Nature Restoration Fund.

A Delivery Plan is now being developed jointly by Scottish Government and NatureScot officials, drawing on engagement from key policy areas and across a wider network which includes expert academic input alongside significant stakeholder engagement.

Each iteration of the Delivery Plan will include estimated costs and will be reviewed in light of monitoring data to demonstrate the impact of actions taken so far.

The Biodiversity Investment Plan will direct how we address the finance gap for nature. It will ensure that investment is strategic, planned and focused on agreed priorities and will assist in securing responsible private investment in Scotland’s natural capital funding.

Question reference: S6W-15412

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 9 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-14294 by Lorna Slater on 7 February 2023, in relation to each local authority, for which specific year was the last full year of data available prior to modelling, and, in cases where such data was not available, what period was used instead.

Question reference: S6W-14630

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 9 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a list of civil and criminal remedies available to SEPA to prosecute those that are non-compliant with the Deposit Return Scheme.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) already has a range of civil sanctions, such as fixed monetary penalties or enforcement undertakings, which it can impose as part of its enforcement of a wider range of existing environmental legislation.

Civil sanctions mean that SEPA has a flexible range of enforcement tools available to deal with any breach of environmental legislation. The Lord Advocate has issued guidance to SEPA on its use of civil sanctions which can be found at Lord Advocates guidelines to SEPA: use of enforcement measures under the regulatory reform (Scotland) act 2014.

In terms of criminal remedies, SEPA would refer such instances to Police Scotland or the relevant police service elsewhere in the UK.

Question reference: S6W-15413

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 9 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-14295 by Lorna Slater on 7 February 2023, what the (a) median and (b) average financial loss for all local authorities is anticipated to be between the launch of the Deposit Return Scheme in August 2023 and when the anticipated 90% capture of single use drinks containers is achieved by 2025.

Question reference: S6W-14631

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 9 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reported concerns that Circularity Scotland has not given any indication of when its portal will reopen, following initial registration, for producers to make amendments to the stock-keeping units, dimensions or weights of their products, in order to remain in compliance should their product range change.

The producer registration remains open for producers to register ( https://circularityscotland.com/producers/registration/ ).

Any producers who have not yet registered are encouraged to do so and can upload product details as part of the registration process.

Producers who have already completed the registration process will be able to add or amend product details using a self-service portal which will be available late Spring, well in advance of the scheme start date. This portal will remain open to allow producers to amend product details going forward.

Question reference: S6O-02001

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 March 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 15 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the rural affairs secretary has had with ministerial colleagues regarding how it will ensure that the needs of the rural economy are considered in its plans for the decarbonisation of transport.

Question reference: S6W-15415

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 8 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration has been given to biosecurity concerns beyond avian populations, such as conifers seeding into peatlands, grey squirrel expansion into the Highlands, and ash dieback in forests.

Scottish Government gives very serious consideration to the maintenance of plant and animal health and welfare through a range of biosecurity measures that aim to prevent the introduction and spread of harmful organisms.

On Plant health Scotland’s Chief Plant Officer for Scotland provides advice to Scottish Ministers and ensures strategic and tactical leadership, across forestry, crops and the natural environment, to minimise the risk and impact of plant health biosecurity threats in Scotland. The CPHOS works closely with UK Plant Health service colleagues to co-ordinate the Scottish Government’s plant health response in terms of policy, inspections and surveillance activities. Scotland’s Plant Health Centre of Expertise provides rapid call down evidence to inform policy and SG invests £50 million a year into a portfolio of strategic research.

On animal health and welfare, in both wild and farmed populations, SG funds ongoing disease surveillance and risk communication work through the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) and SRUC, as well as working with the other UK Administrations to collate data on current threats through International Disease Monitoring and Veterinary Risk Groups. Outputs from these groups inform policy decision making, both with regards to our borders and within Scotland. In addition the EPIC Centre of Expertise on Animal Disease Outbreaks is funded to provide epidemiological advice which informs actions to protect health and welfare.

On the specific examples, ash dieback is present across Scotland and management efforts are now focused on mitigating safety risks from diseased trees. Scottish forestry recently published advice for forest managers, Scottish Forestry - Ash dieback in Scotland . The Scottish Government provides funding through its Forestry Grant Scheme to control grey squirrels, Sustainable Management of Forests – Species Conservation – Grey Squirrel Control (ruralpayments.org) where they are a threat to the red squirrel population. The Forestry Grant Scheme also grant aids removal of regeneration, Seedling Tree Removal (Mechanical) (ruralpayments.org) where it will affect the hydrology of a raised bog or blanket bog, and hinder the recovery of the open bog habitat.

Question reference: S6W-14628

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 7 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reported concerns that continued uncertainty over the detail of producer agreements could compromise the enforceability of the Deposit Return Scheme.

Question reference: S6W-15411

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 7 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-13127 by Patrick Harvie on 9 January 2023, when it expects to release the annual reports for the (a) Scottish House Condition Survey for (i) 2020, (ii) 2021 and (iii) 2022 and (b) Scottish Household Survey for (A) 2021 and (B) 2022.

There will be no Scottish House Condition Survey 2020 annual report. Following the suspension of face-to-face interviewing in March 2020, due to COVID-19, there was no further Scottish House Condition Survey data collection in 2020. The 2021 results will be published in May 2023, and the 2022 results in early 2024.

The Scottish Household Survey results for 2021 will be published in April 2023, and the 2022 results will be published in late 2023 / early 2024.

Question reference: S6W-14617

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 7 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that large numbers of small businesses are still not aware of the requirements of the Deposit Return Scheme due to a lack of effective marketing and engagement within the food and drink sector.

Any business with questions or concerns about registration should contact Circularity Scotland (CSL) for advice and guidance. They can do this via their website or their dedicated helpline.

CSL has ongoing communications with businesses to raise awareness and help them understand their obligations as part of the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) and what they need to do to comply. This includes a recent series of information workshops across the country for businesses affected by DRS.

I also meet regularly with industry stakeholders to discuss their concerns and to help them prepare for the scheme’s launch in August.