Questions and answers

Question reference: S6O-01111

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 May 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 19 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support a town centre first approach to the development of new housing.

Question reference: S6O-01110

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 May 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 19 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on which of the key recommendations it is looking to progress from the report State of The Nation: Heart Valve Disease in Scotland by Heart Valve Voice, which was released in December 2021.

Question reference: S6W-08028

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 11 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how much of its budget has been allocated to support cooperatively-owned (a) onshore and (b) offshore wind energy projects in each of the last 10 years.

Through the Community and Renewable Energy Scheme (CARES) delivered by Local Energy Scotland on the Scottish Government’s behalf, £14.48 million has been invested since 2011 to support 197 community, locally owned and shared ownership onshore wind projects. The applicant data recorded for the scheme does not allow a straightforward assessment of applicants' organisational structure. However, based on their experience working to support the community energy sector, Local Energy Scotland estimate that the number of projects owned by a bona-fide cooperative is likely to be a very small percentage of the total.

Through the Energy Investment Fund (EIF), delivered by Scottish Enterprise, on the Scottish Government’s behalf £23.1 million has been invested in community, locally owned and shared ownership of onshore wind projects. No cooperatively owned onshore wind projects have been supported through EIF. The Fund closed on the 31 March 2022.

There has been no investment through CARES or EIF in cooperatively owned offshore wind energy projects.

Question reference: S6W-08027

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 11 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how much of its budget has been allocated to support community ownership development of (a) onshore and (b) offshore wind energy projects in each of the last 10 years.

Community Ownership : For the purposes of answering this question Community Ownership is where a community develops owns and operates the renewable energy asset.

CARES Funding : The Scottish Government’s main mechanism for supporting community energy projects is the Community and Renewable Energy Scheme (CARES) which provides loan and grant funding to assist community groups in developing renewable energy projects which support the growth of community and locally owned energy in Scotland.

Funding for wind energy projects in the last ten years under CARES is as follows:

Community Energy Projects	Value of funding
On-Shore Wind	£7,427.752.92
Off-Shore Wind	nil

EIF Funding: The Scottish Governments Energy Investment Fund (EIF), which closed on 31 March 2022, provided commercial funding for renewable and low carbon energy solutions including support for community owned renewable energy projects and was managed on behalf of the Scottish Government by the Scottish Investment Bank, which is part of Scottish Enterprise.

Funding for wind energy projects provided through EIF in the last ten years is as follows:

Community Energy Projects	Value of funding
On-Shore Wind	£16,267,792.05
Off-Shore Wind	nil

Question reference: S6W-08023

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 11 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) onshore and (b) offshore wind energy projects are owned by companies that are headquartered in Scotland.

Crown Estate Scotland manage leasing of the Scottish seabed, and we will ask their Chief Executive to write to you directly with this information.

This information is not held centrally for onshore wind projects however the Scottish Government continue to be encouraged by the onshore and offshore wind industries' commitment to developing on Scottish land and in Scottish waters and are aware of some developers establishing headquarters and/or additional offices located in Scotland.

Scottish Renewables, as the renewable industry representative body in Scotland, hold a directory of their members, which may be useful in collating this information. The Scottish Government would also suggest that further detail could be obtained by contacting Scottish Renewables directly.

Question reference: S6W-08029

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 11 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide the names of the (a) owner and (b) operator of each of Scotland’s (i) onshore and (ii) offshore wind energy projects.

Crown Estate Scotland manage leasing of the Scottish seabed, and we will ask their Chief Executive to write to you directly with this information.

The Scottish Government are aware of the UK Government Renewable Energy Planning Database which will hold information on the operator of individual sites across the UK. This information can be accessed via https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/renewable-energy-planning-database-monthly-extract and the most recent update took place in December 2021.

Scottish Renewables, as the renewable industry representative body in Scotland, hold a directory of their members which may be useful in collating this information. The Scottish Government would also suggest that further detail could be obtained by contacting Scottish Renewables directly.

Question reference: S6W-08030

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 11 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on the average percentage of any profits that are paid out as community benefit from (a) onshore and (b) offshore wind energy projects.

The Scottish Government does not hold information on the percentage of profits that are paid out from community benefits from onshore or offshore wind energy projects.

Our updated Good Practice Principles for Community Benefits from Onshore Renewable Energy Developments (2019) continues to promote community benefits at a national level, equivalent to £5k per installed MW per annum index linked for the operational lifetime of the development.

To aid transparency in the community benefits process, the Scottish Government established a voluntary Community Benefits Register, maintained by Local Energy Scotland. According to the Register, as at March end 2022:

Offshore Wind Community Benefits over the previous 12 months was £149,999.80, representing 0.7% of the total sum of Community Benefits paid across all renewable technology projects and;
Onshore Wind Community Benefits over the previous 12 months was £22,412,274.49, representing 98% of the total sum of Community Benefits across all renewable technology projects.

Question reference: S6W-08231

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 11 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what research it has (a) undertaken and (b) considered to utilise vermiculture processes to convert organic waste to a sustainable circular alternative to chemical fertiliser.

We have not funded research on vermiculture in the current Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture Strategic Research Programme (2022-7), nor in its previous programme, (2015-22).

In the previous programme however Scottish Government did fund research on green manure and municipal waste compost as part of a programme to monitor soil and plant nutrients, sustainable soil, and water management, as well as in research projects on alternative approaches to sustainable land management.

The Scottish Government’s Farm Advisory Service (FAS) is available to help support farmers, crofters and land-managers realise their potential through quality, innovative, and largely free advice, and we would encourage businesses to get in touch.

The Scottish Government’s Vision for Agriculture was published on 2 March 2022. The vision outlines our aim to transform how we support farming and food production in Scotland to become a global leader in sustainable and regenerative agriculture.

We see opportunities to include more nitrogen-fixing crops in our pasture and arable rotations to reduce our requirements for nitrogen fertilisers and we will be considering how to encourage wider use of nitrogen-fixing crops as we continue to develop the National Test Programme. We would urge all farmers to take up the Programme’s support for soil sampling and analysis under the first phase of Track 1, ‘Preparing for Sustainable Farming,’ which aims to help farmers and crofters to prepare their farms to meet the conditions of future agriculture policy and support and is open to all. Further information on PSF is available on the Scottish Government website , including comprehensive guidance for those seeking to get involved.

Question reference: S6W-08232

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 11 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what work it is undertaking to increase the recycling rate for absorbent hygiene products.

In line with the waste hierarchy, the Scottish Government’s focus is on measures to promote reusable alternatives. For example, in 2019, Zero Waste Scotland launched its “Trial Period” behaviour change campaign to raise awareness of the benefits and encourage uptake of reusable alternatives to menstrual products. Further information on the campaign can be found here: Trial Period | Zero Waste Scotland .

As part of Scotland’s Baby Boxes initiative, a voucher is included in all boxes to encourage new parents to try reusable nappies. The voucher can be used for a free reusable nappy and a pack of liners.

In terms of recycling absorbent hygiene products, the Scottish Government’s £70 million Recycling Improvement Fund is open. The Fund aims to accelerate progress towards 2025 waste and recycling targets by strengthening and improving local authority recycling infrastructure resulting in improvements to the quality and quantity of material collected. This fund provides scope for local authorities to improve collection of problematic materials, including absorbent hygiene products.

Question reference: S6W-08230

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 11 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a list of any reports procured by Zero Waste Scotland since 2011 that are not published on the Zero Waste Scotland website.

The information in this response has been provided by Zero Waste Scotland (ZWS).

The reports listed in the following table are currently being assessed to determine if further quality assurance/peer review is required to ensure data remains valid and useful. This assessment includes liaising with any relevant partner organisations

REPORT TITLE	DATE OF COMPLETION
RES Advice & Support Service and Energy Efficiency Business Support Service impact evaluations	2018-19; 2019-20 & 2020-21
Scoping Study for a household waste tagging and weighing trial	March 2019
Embodied Carbon of Natural Stone in Scotland: A Methodology	December 2020
Creating a circular economy for tyres: development and appraisal of policy options	Q1 2021
St. Sophia's Circular Refurbishment – as a case study	February 2021
Report on project to raise awareness about the links between circular economy and planning delivered by PAS in partnership with Zero Waste Scotland	July 2021
Resource Efficient Housing for 2020: The Seven years on Evaluation from The Resource Efficient House 2013	Initially April 2020 – new summary document currently in development
Characterising Fish processing by-products	Initially April 2020, currently being revised alongside new summary document

The following reports are currently published on partner websites and Zero Waste Scotland is looking to link to/directly publish on relevant pages on www.zerowastescotland.org.uk

The Circular Economy in Glasgow	November 2021 – while not published on the Zero Waste Scotland website is available on OECD website.
Circular Bioeconomy Opportunities Valorising Agricultural Wastes and Co-Products	April 2022 – while not on Zero Waste Scotland website available on SEFARI webpages

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