Parliamentary questions

Mark Ruskell

1,773 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

14 Mar 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has plans to include an options appraisal of how existing incinerators could be decarbonised, in the upcoming independent review on the role of incineration in the waste hierarchy, which is due to be published by Easter 2022.

Answer · Lorna Slater: As independent Chair of the review of the role of incineration in the waste hierarchy in Scotland, Dr Colin Church has determined the scope, process and timelines of the Review. In December 2020, Dr Church set out in a Call for Evidence his intention to co…

14 Mar 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether the Operational Assessment of Alternative Residual Waste Treatment Technologies report will be considered in the independent review on the role of incineration in the waste hierarchy, which is due to be published by Easter 2022.

Answer · Lorna Slater: Zero Waste Scotland have shared the draft of the Operational Assessment of Alternative Residual Waste Treatment Technologies report with the Review. It is for Dr Church, as independent Chair, to determine if and how this is incorporated into the Review. Dr C…

14 Mar 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when the findings of the Waste Route Map research will be published, and whether they will be considered in the independent review on the role of incineration in the waste hierarchy, which is due to be published by Easter 2022.

Answer · Lorna Slater: The Scottish Government have committed to publishing a Waste Route Map to achieving our waste and recycling targets. Dr Church, the independent Chair of the Review, has stated his aim is to submit the report by Easter 2022 and we will publish it as soon as p…

14 Mar 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the Zero Waste Scotland report on Operational Assessment of Alternative Residual Waste Treatment Technologies, (a) when it will be published and (b) whether it includes an independent peer review, and, if so, who the peer review was conducted by.

Answer · Lorna Slater: Zero Waste Scotland has advised that it intends to publish the Operational Assessment of Alternative Residual Waste Treatment Technologies Report in July this year. The Report will be peer reviewed. Zero Waste Scotland is currently finalising arrangements fo…

9 Mar 2022 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its work to address deaths and serious injuries in police custody or after police contact.

7 Mar 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the timescale for revising the Clean Air Act 1993 in coordination with local authorities and SEPA, as outlined in Cleaner Air for Scotland 2.

Answer · Mairi McAllan: Our new air quality strategy 'Cleaner Air for Scotland 2 - Towards a Better Place for Everyone' sets out a series of actions intended to deliver further air quality improvements over the period to 2026. Amongst these actions are several which focus on reducin…

28 Feb 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether there is a 70% recycling target for household waste, as set out in annex A, section 5.5, of Scotland's Zero Waste Plan.

Answer · Lorna Slater: The Zero Waste Plan sets out the 70% of all waste recycled target in the main section of the document. The suggestion of a 70% household specific waste recycling target in Annex A, section 5.5, is incorrect. Scotland’s target to recycle 70% of all waste by 2…

28 Feb 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what greenhouse gas emissions changes it estimates there would be from converting Scotland’s energy-from-waste plants to (a) combined heat and power systems and (b) carbon capture and storage systems, and when it anticipates any such changes will occur.

Answer · Lorna Slater: Zero Waste Scotland’s report on the Climate Impacts of Burning Municipal Waste in Scotland, published in 2021, considered how converting to combined heat and power systems may change the carbon intensity of electricity only energy from waste (EfW) plants that…

28 Feb 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answers to questions S6W-05516 and S6W-05517 by Lorna Slater on 24 January 2022, what emissions have been modelled for incineration with energy recovery as part of its Greenhouse Gas Inventory reports to date.

Answer · Lorna Slater: Emissions for incineration with energy recovery are not separately reported in Scottish Greenhouse Gas Statistics: 1990 – 2019 . These emissions are included under “Power stations” in the Greenhouse Gas Dataset, which is published as part of the statistics.…

28 Feb 2022 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body when it will proceed with the appointment of a new Scottish Parliamentary Pension Scheme trustee board.

Answer · Jackson Carlaw: Under Schedule 1, Part B, Rule 8(1) of the 2009 Act it is for the Parliament to appoint all trustees by resolution on nomination by the SPCB. The SPCB recently agreed to nominate Gordon MacDonald MSP, Murdo Fraser MSP and Mark Ballard (pensioner trustee) as …

23 Feb 2022 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how it is ensuring that the COVID-19 certification scheme records the vaccination status of people who received their vaccine outwith Scotland.

10 Feb 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it apportions and spends the revenue raised in Scotland from Vehicle Excise Duty.

Answer · Kate Forbes: Vehicle Excise Duty is reserved to the UK Government with a proportion of the funds raised allocated to Scotland through the Barnett Formula as part of the block grant. Revenues raised from vehicle excise duty are not hypothecated and are therefore part of th…

10 Feb 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it can introduce a Direct Vision Standard for HGVs in Scotland, and, if so, what consideration it has given to this.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: Vehicle safety standards, such as Direct Vision Standard to improve the sighting of vulnerable road users in the HGV and bus driving positions, is reserved to the UK Government. In the Scottish Government’s formal response dated November 2021 to the UK Gove…

6 Feb 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it (a) can take and (b) is taking to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from asthma inhalers.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Government recognises that certain inhalers have a particularly harmful impact on the environment. This is an area where rapid change is possible and reducing the environmental impact of inhalers must be a priority. Hydrofluorocarbons used as pr…

2 Feb 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the total energy generation capacity is in Scotland of (a) domestic rooftop solar installation, (b) commercial rooftop solar installation and (c) ground mounted solar PV schemes.

Answer · Michael Matheson: There is approximately 400MW of solar PV operational in Scotland, equating to 3% of total operational capacity. As of 2020, there are at least 60,000 domestic level solar PV installations in Scotland with a capacity of just over 200MW, and around 8000 solar …

2 Feb 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has assessed the impact that on-site solar generation can have on reducing household energy bills.

Answer · Michael Matheson: We have not assessed the impact that on-site solar generation can have on reducing household energy bills. However, we are currently undertaking research (due to published this year) to examine the extent to which building level storage technologies could hel…

2 Feb 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on limiting permitted development rights for rooftop solar PV at 50kW.

Answer · Michael Matheson: We recognise the importance of energy generated from solar PV in contributing to the decarbonisation of Scotland’s energy supply and contributing to the just transition to a net zero emissions society by 2045. ? ?The Scottish Government is currently carrying …

31 Jan 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the anticipated contribution will be of solar PV and solar thermal in meeting the heat network supply target of 6TWh by 2030.

Answer · Michael Matheson: There has been no specific evaluation of the contribution of solar thermal and solar PV to the heat network targets for 2027 and 2030. Our Heat in Building Strategy sets out that technologies, such as solar thermal and solar PV, can work well when used in co…

31 Jan 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the role of rooftop solar and storage in local electrical distribution networks, to support the electrification of heat and transport.

Answer · Michael Matheson: There has been no specific evaluation of the role of rooftop solar and storage in local electrical distribution networks to date. However, in the Bute House Agreement, the Scottish Government committed to set out a vision for the future of solar in Scotland, …

31 Jan 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has assessed the impact of energy-efficient storage systems, including thermal storage cylinders, electric batteries and thermal batteries, on the widespread deployment of low-carbon heating.

Answer · Patrick Harvie: In the Heat in Buildings Strategy, we committed to carry out research to understand the extent to which the deployment of secondary technologies alongside zero emissions heating systems could help to optimise operational performance, minimise energy consumpti…

28 Jan 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether individual licences to carry out control of certain generalist predator species should be issued to employees of landholdings, when the general licence allowing this same activity has been suspended by NatureScot.

Answer · Mairi McAllan: Decisions on licence applications are taken by NatureScot on a case-by-case basis taking into account all relevant information. The arrangements for restricting the use of General Licences are set out in detail on the NatureScot website. We consider these arr…

28 Jan 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in cases of restrictions of the use of general licences on certain land-holdings, where “the regulator has lost trust or confidence”, as stated by NatureScot, what its position is on how the regulator can regain enough trust and confidence to issue individual licences to employees of th…

Answer · Mairi McAllan: Individual Licences can be issued on land-holdings where General Licences have been restricted due to the level of control held by the licensing authority in the case of the former. General Licences by their nature require a higher degree of trust on the part…

26 Jan 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what recent correspondence (a) it and (b) Creative Scotland has had with BECTU and STUC regarding fair work practices at Horsecross Arts.

Answer · Neil Gray: There is an ongoing issue between BECTU and Horsecross Arts around exclusive Union Recognition that Scottish Government, Creative Scotland, BECTU and Horsecross Arts have been in communication about. This has included correspondence with both the Minister for…

26 Jan 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to whether it would be appropriate for consequences to be imposed on employers who have been proven to have contravened the Fair Work Convention Framework.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The Fair Work Convention’s Framework defines fair work and underpins our Fair Work policy, but it is not designed to be enforceable. Moreover, employment law is currently reserved to the UK Government, and in the absence of employment powers we continue to de…

26 Jan 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to the £749,000 funding allocation to Horsecross Arts, whether the working practices at Horsecross Arts were assessed using the Fair Work Convention Framework.

Answer · Neil Gray: The Scottish Government’s emergency Covid19 support to the performing arts sector during the pandemic, included an award of £749,000 to Horsecross Arts by Creative Scotland from the Performing Arts Venues Relief Fund (PAVR) which was announced on 5 August 202…

26 Jan 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration (a) it and (b) Creative Scotland gave to fair work practices as part of the £749,000 funding that was allocated to Horsecross Arts.

25 Jan 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether the new ScotRail operator, ScotRail Trains Ltd, will honour the commitment to staff, reportedly offered under the existing franchise agreement, to no compulsory redundancies until at least 2025.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: We absolutely remain committed to our policy position, which remains that public bodies should work with their staff representatives to negotiate no compulsory agreements for 2022-23 where it is practical to do so. For a new body like ScotRail Trains Ltd, wh…

25 Jan 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on when ScotRail’s response to the public consultation, Fit for the Future, will be published.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: ScotRail published their response to the Fit for the Future timetable consultation on 3 February 2022 and details of this can be found via the following link:- https://www.scotrail.co.uk/about-scotrail/fit-future

25 Jan 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how passengers will be involved in ScotRail’s governance board once it moves into public ownership.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: There is an existing ScotRail Stakeholder Advisory Panel on which passenger representatives sit, that will continue with the new company, and whose chair will attend the ScotRail Trains Limited Board in the same manner as they do presently. Passenger Focus, …

25 Jan 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what correspondence it has had with Avanti West Coast in the last 12 months regarding fair pay for Atalian Servest cleaners.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: Transport Scotland has not had any correspondence with Avanti West Coast in the last 12 months in relation to fair pay for Atalian Servest cleaners.