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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-11367

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 October 2022
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 25 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on whether it is the case that the Deposit Return Scheme will include glass.

Question reference: S6O-01468

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 October 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on whether it anticipates meeting its target to have over 50% of buses running on hydrogen or electric by the end of 2023.

Question reference: S6O-01435

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 September 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how its housing strategy will support action to deliver the target of one million homes to be retrofitted with zero carbon heating systems by 2030.

Question reference: S6O-01390

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 September 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many projects and what total value of loans the Scottish National Investment Bank has supported.

Question reference: S6F-01360

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 September 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 22 September 2022

To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government is taking to support the transition to net zero heating in rural homes.

Question reference: S6W-09400

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 15 July 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether any proposals for a regulatory solution for seaweed aquaculture will be developed in consultation with the wide range of non-seaweed industries that make economic use of Scotland's waters.

The seaweed sector is being considered as part of our broader regulatory review on aquaculture, beginning with the independent report by Professor Russel Griggs published earlier this year. As a next step and in response to the recommendations set out by Professor Griggs, I have set up and Chair the Scottish Aquaculture Council, which represents a range of stakeholders interested in the aquaculture sector and its environmental, economic and social impacts.

Question reference: S6W-09402

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 15 July 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to bring seaweed aquaculture into the planning process, in line with existing practice for finfish aquaculture, in order that competing community interests in Scotland's inshore waters can be represented.

Question reference: S6W-09399

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 15 July 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to produce proposals for a regulatory solution for seaweed aquaculture, in line with the recommendations made by Professor Griggs earlier in 2022, and, if so, when.

The Scottish Government recognises the emerging seaweed cultivation industry as an important part of the Scottish aquaculture sector. We are committed to taking action on aquaculture regulatory reform, which will include the seaweed sector. I have welcomed Professor Griggs’ independent report and accepted his recommendations in principle. His report recognises the unique challenges and opportunities of the seaweed sector and recommends that a separate regulatory framework is developed for the sector alongside frameworks for finfish and shellfish. It also stresses the need for these regulatory solutions to be informed by a government-led Vision for aquaculture, which is in progress and due to be published at the end of this year.

Question reference: S6W-09401

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 15 July 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether any proposals for a regulatory solution for seaweed aquaculture will draw on external research expertise in order to ensure that Scotland's future seaweed cultivation industry develops in a sustainable manner.

As Scotland’s seaweed cultivation industry grows, we must ensure we manage this in a sustainable manner, addressing and mitigating any impact on the natural environment. Research will be key to better understanding the sustainability aspects of growing seaweed cultivation, and as part of our next steps of the aquaculture regulatory review, I have approached the Scottish Science Advisory Council to examine the use and communication of science in aquaculture consenting.

Question reference: S6W-09394

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 13 July 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made on the commitment in its Programme for Government to "put in place measures to seek to double the amount of land used for organic farming by 2026".

The Agri Environment Climate Scheme (AECS) has supported the conversion of over 34,000 Ha of land to organic standards over the life of the Scheme and the total area under management in 2022 is 85,077 Ha. To date a total of 495 organics contracts have been approved, with £28.8m committed. Historically very few applications for organic conversion have been denied where they meet the eligibility criteria, and approvals from the 2021 round in particular have seen the area of organic land receiving support increase by a fifth from the previous year.

Applications for organic conversion support in the AECS 2022 round are currently being assessed and no approval decisions have been made, however I can confirm that SG received applications from 34 businesses. Once assessed, this has the potential to put more than 8,000 Ha into organic conversion from 2023, across all land type options under the Scheme.

We are committed to extending AECS up to the end of the period of stability in 2024. This will continue to underpin the ambition for organic farming set out Programme for Government 2021-22, alongside a suite of other measures aimed at promoting low carbon farming and protecting the environment. We also will seek new opportunities to prioritise local and organic produce in public sector menus, and we are committed to seeing more organic farming and organic produce for sale in Scotland. We will work with the sector to establish a new Organic Food and Farming Action Plan.