Parliamentary questions
Stephen Kerr
2,595 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
9 Nov 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much it has spent on media promotions relating to COP26.
Answer · Michael Matheson: To date, the Scottish Government has spent £722,580.08 on media promotions relating to COP26 within domestic and international campaigns. The purpose of the domestic campaign is to encourage individual behaviour change to reduce carbon emissions and to increa…
9 Nov 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the estimated spend per student will be on the Saltire Scholarship scheme for EU students.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: Scotland welcomes international students and recognises the important and valuable contribution they make to institutions, the economy and Scottish society. Hundreds of EU students will be supported to study in Scotland through the new £2.25 million scholarsh…
5 Nov 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what support it has given to beef farmers since 2018, to ensure their farms continue to prosper alongside any moves in the market towards meat-free alternatives.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: This Government has a proud record of supporting our rural and land based industries, including our beef producers. From 2018 to now we have supported the industry with a number of schemes including: The Scottish Suckler Beef Support Scheme has provided tota…
5 Nov 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what research it has undertaken to further its understanding of the (a) environmental benefits and (b) costs of aquaponics.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Scottish Government is not currently undertaking research into aquaponics, however, we are very supportive of technological innovations and we are aware of recent aquaponics developments in Scotland.
5 Nov 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much it has spent on supporting aquaponics in each year since 2018.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: In 2020-2021 The Aquaponics Garden in Fife was awarded a £50,000 grant through the Pre-Seed and Early Stage Growth Challenge Fund. This was part of a £38 million package of early stage investment support, managed by Scottish Enterprise as part of the Scottish…
5 Nov 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what research it has undertaken on the impact of vertical farming on local food production.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: In order to understand the role of vertical farming in the context of local food production, the Scottish Government is currently gathering views within our Local Food Strategy consultation. This is due to close on the 2nd of December 2021. Our next steps for…
5 Nov 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much it has spent on supporting vertical farming, in each year since 2018.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Scottish Government is contributing up to £2m to the development of the Advanced Plant Growth Centre (APGC) at the James Hutton Institute through the Tay Cities Region Deal. The APGC will include vertical growth facilities and perform research on controll…
5 Nov 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much it has spent on researching the (a) benefits and (b) costs of gene editing, in each year since 2016.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: In 2021, the Scottish Government commissioned a study from the Plant Health Centre on the implications of gene editing for plant health, including environmental impacts, at a cost of £18,441 to date. Otherwise no funding has been committed specifically to re…
5 Nov 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether there is a date in place for the introduction of gene editing.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: Scotland’s policy on GMOs has not changed. We are aware of current debate around novel genomic techniques such as gene editing and how these relate to existing GM legislation, and we note in particular the consideration of this at EU level. The Scottish Gover…
5 Nov 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has commissioned a study into the environmental benefits of gene editing.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: The Scottish Government has commissioned a study from the Plant Health Centre on the implications of gene editing for plant health, including environmental impacts. The Scottish Government has access to a wealth of expertise in its advisors, including the Ch…
5 Nov 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding gene editing.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: Scottish Ministers received updates on Defra’s public consultation on changes to the regulation of genetic technologies in England at the Inter-Ministerial Group for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, on 28 June 2021 and 13 September 2021. You may view the …
1 Nov 2021 · First Minister's Question
To ask the First Minister whether Scotland is on track to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2045.
29 Oct 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it is considering a frequent flyer levy, which would incrementally increase the cost of flights if a passenger takes multiple flights in a 12-month period.
Answer · Tom Arthur: APD is currently set by the UK Government, with introduction of ADT in Scotland deferred to allow the issues raised in relation to the Highlands and Islands exemption to be resolved. The Scottish Government has no plans to introduce a frequent-flier levy. Th…
28 Oct 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government by what date it plans to introduce a deposit return scheme.
Answer · Lorna Slater: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-03193 on 4 October 2021. 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-committe…
28 Oct 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding the interoperability of any future deposit return schemes.
Answer · Lorna Slater: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-35206 on 23 February 2021. Scottish Government officials engage regularly with representatives of the other UK administrations to understand their intentions regarding the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS). We are op…
28 Oct 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with businesses regarding the introduction of a deposit return scheme.
Answer · Lorna Slater: Scottish Government officials have been engaging, and continue to engage, closely with a range of businesses to reach an implementation timetable for Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) that is both ambitious and deliverable.
28 Oct 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding deposit return schemes.
Answer · Lorna Slater: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-35206 on 23 February 2021. Scottish Government officials engage regularly with representatives of the other UK administrations to understand their intentions regarding the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS). All answ…
27 Oct 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to increase the percentage of non-electrical heat demand that is met by renewable technologies.
Answer · Patrick Harvie: The Heat in Buildings Strategy (7 October) sets out an ambitious policy package to deliver the transition to zero emissions heating, including at least £1.8 billion investment over the course of this parliament to kick-start market growth and support those le…
27 Oct 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the Scotch whisky industry regarding its contribution to the economy and how to support its further growth.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Scottish Government recognises the importance of Scotch Whisky to the Scottish economy and to wider society. Scottish Ministers meet regularly with the whisky sector and the Scotch Whisky Association to discuss issues of interest, including the economy an…
19 Oct 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what programmes it has in place to support the retraining of workers so that they can access new sectors.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: There are a number of Scottish Government programmes that offer a diverse range of training opportunities for people to train, reskill or upskill and access new sectors:Employability Fund - offers employability and skills training for unemployed individuals a…
19 Oct 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what incentives it provides to encourage businesses to invest in training and retraining for their staff.
Answer · Lorna Slater: As part of our Future Skills Action Plan, we will provide more opportunities for the current workforce to upskill and retrain. To support this, we increased our investment in workforce development to £20m per annum from ? 2020-21. The Flexible workforce Deve…
19 Oct 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had regarding the environmental impact of the First Minister's use of international flights, and how it offsets the CO2 emissions of such ministerial flights.
Answer · Graeme Dey: The First Minister travels for a range of reasons including ensuring that the people of Scotland are effectively represented and ensuring that Scotland’s voice is heard on important issues. Before arranging to travel on official business, Scottish Government…
28 Sep 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many websites it has launched in each year since 2016.
Answer · Kate Forbes: There have been 88 public facing Scottish Government websites launched since 2016, 15 were launched in 2016, 16 were launched in 2017, 13 were launched in 2018, 9 were launched in 2019, 29 were launched in 2020 and 6 were launched in 2021.
28 Sep 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many websites it operates.
Answer · Kate Forbes: The Scottish Government operates 144 public facing websites.
28 Sep 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what guidance it provides to NHS boards to protect vulnerable patients from catching COVID-19 while they are waiting to receive their vaccine at a vaccination facility.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: Health Boards lead on the local delivery of the vaccination programme. Local Health Boards are following Public Health Scotland (PHS) Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) guidance. We continue to provide advice and support to those who are at highest risk …
27 Sep 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether any funding has been given to (a) BP, (b) Shell and (c) Siccar Point Energy through the Net Zero Technology Centre.
Answer · Kate Forbes: The Net Zero Technology Centre has not provided any funding directly for the benefit of any of the three Operators in question. The Net Zero Technology Centre model provides funding for developers with a prerequisite that the project has industry support in…
27 Sep 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to tackle the health, social and environmental impacts of food.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Scottish Government recognises that the food we produce and consume has wide-ranging impacts in many areas of life. Our ambition is for Scotland to be a Good Food Nation where people from every walk of life take pride and pleasure in, and benefit from, th…
24 Sep 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many police drivers are trained in standard response driving, and what proportion of the force this represents.
Answer · Keith Brown: The information requested is not held by the Scottish Government. The training and development of Police Officers is a matter for the Chief Constable, with oversight by the Scottish Police Authority.
24 Sep 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what annual data it collects on attacks and/or assaults on police officers, and how this is broken down.
Answer · Keith Brown: The Scottish Government collects and publishes annual information on Common assault of emergency workers within two National Statistics bulletins. The first is Recorded Crime in Scotland [1] . Table A8 of the Recorded Crime in Scotland, 2020-21 National St…
24 Sep 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when police officer base operational levels in C Division were last reviewed.
Answer · Keith Brown: The information requested is not held by the Scottish Government. The operational deployment of Police Officers is a matter for the Chief Constable, with oversight by the Scottish Police Authority.