Parliamentary questions
Maurice Golden
1,697 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
26 Feb 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is regarding the risks associated with the transportation and handling of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), particularly in relation to lithium-ion battery fire risks and persistent organic pollutant (POP) containing materials, and how it is engaging wit…
Answer · Gillian Martin: The Scottish Government engages regularly with the waste sector to discuss best practice around the transport and handling of WEEE, particularly in relation to the risk of lithium-ion battery fires and persistent organic pollutant (POP) containing materials.T…
26 Feb 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with local authorities regarding the retention of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) recycling in Scotland, and whether this engagement encourages the use of recycling facilities based in Scotland.
Answer · Gillian Martin: The Scottish Government conducts regular meetings with local authorities about waste recycling, including waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE). The retention of waste to be recycled in Scotland is a key policy objective in building towards a circu…
26 Feb 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it works with local authorities, producer compliance schemes and waste operators to improve the consistency, efficiency and scope of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) collection systems, so that domestic recycling sites can operate at full capacity and deliver maximum …
Answer · Gillian Martin: The Scottish Government works closely with local authorities, producer compliance schemes, and waste operators to improve WEEE collection systems, in order to maximise the efficient operation of domestic recycling sites.We are working with local authorities a…
13 Feb 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-43381 by Gillian Martin on 10 February 2026, whether it will provide the same figures for 2025.
Answer · Gillian Martin: The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) do not systematically record all of this information but reports that they are aware of the following:Recorded fire incidents where bin lorries/refuse trucks have been mentioned in the descriptionYearFires20256Fires…
9 Feb 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the total amount of business rate income received from onshore renewable energy installations was in (a) 2023-24 and (b) 2024-25, broken down by (i) technology type, including onshore wind, solar and battery energy storage systems, and (ii) local authority area.
Answer · Ivan McKee: Table 1 shows estimated non-domestic rates income from onshore electricity generators in 2023-2024, and Table 2 in 2024-2025.As we cannot reliably identify electricity generators, or specifically renewable electricity generators, Tables 1 and 2 do not present…
9 Feb 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the maximum planning fee applicable is for onshore renewable energy project applications, broken down by capacity of (a) under 50MW and (b) 50MW and over.
Answer · Gillian Martin: Onshore renewable energy projects under 50MW are determined under the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997 and are handled by the relevant planning authority. Fees are set by the Town and Country Planning (Fees for Applications) (Scotland) Regulation…
9 Feb 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of the business rate income received from onshore renewable energy installations in 2023-24 and 2024-25 was returned to each of the local authorities where the rates were collected.
Answer · Ivan McKee: Non-domestic rates income is notionally pooled at a national level in the Rating Account or ‘non-domestic rates pool,’ and redistributed to local councils. The Scottish Government guarantees the overall sum of non-domestic rates income and General…
6 Feb 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many onshore energy generation project applications are currently live and awaiting determination by the Energy Consents Unit, broken down by capacity of (a) under 50MW and (b) 50MW and over.
Answer · Ivan McKee: Consent from Scottish Ministers is required under the Electricity Act 1989 for electricity generating stations over 50MW. Developments below this threshold are determined under the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997 and are handled by the relevant …
6 Feb 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many Section 36 onshore energy generation project applications are currently live and awaiting determination by the Energy Consents Unit, broken down by (a) technology type, including onshore wind, solar and battery energy storage systems, and (b) local authority area.
Answer · Ivan McKee: Details of Section 36 applications in each local authority area currently live and awaiting determination by the Scottish Ministers are as follows:Local Planning AuthorityTechnology TypeTotal NumberAberdeenshireBattery Energy Storage System (BESS)1 Gas1A…
4 Feb 2026 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of recent changes to SQA policy permitting internet-enabled devices, such as Chromebooks, in exams, what action it is taking to ensure that pupils who rely on speech-to-text as their normal way of working are not, in practice, prevented from using this technology during exams.
3 Feb 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether procurement exercises for the migration of public EV charging infrastructure from ChargePlace Scotland required bidders to commit to tariff rates remaining at, or below, existing levels for any defined period, and, if so, whether it will specify the (a) duration and (b) condition…
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Charge points on the ChargePlace Scotland (CPS) network are owned by approximately 400 public, private and third sector organisations that are each responsible for determining the tariffs at the public EV charge points they own. The Scottish Government is not…
3 Feb 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how the £7 million committed from Transport Scotland’s Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Fund was allocated across the north of Scotland partnership responsible for migrating charging points, and whether it will provide a breakdown of the anticipated outcomes for each allocatio…
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The North of Scotland partnership was awarded over £7 million from Scottish Government’s £30 million EV Infrastructure Fund to enable Highland, Aberdeenshire, Aberdeen City and Moray Councils to work with the private sector to invest in and …
3 Feb 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what oversight it provides of EZO’s performance under its 20-year contract to adopt and manage public electric vehicle charging infrastructure in the north of Scotland, including in relation to service reliability, uptimes and response times for maintenance issues.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The regulation of public EV charging is a matter reserved to the UK Government. The Scottish Government is not responsible for performance or contract management of the contract between charge point operator EZO and Highland, Aberdeenshire, Aberdeen City and …
3 Feb 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown by local authority area of the companies awarded contracts to assume the administration of the public electric vehicle charging points previously operated under ChargePlace Scotland, and how many compliant bids were received for each contract.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Scottish Government currently funds the operation of ChargePlace Scotland (CPS) under a single supplier framework agreement, however, public charge points on the CPS network are not owned by the Scottish Government.Charge points on the ChargePlace Scotland ne…
3 Feb 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what evaluation has been undertaken of any anticipated (a) environmental and (b) economic benefits of installing 570 new charging points by 2028 across the north of Scotland EV charging infrastructure partnership, including any anticipated impact on local businesses and tourism.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: A partnership including Highland, Aberdeenshire, Aberdeen City and Moray councils are working with private charge point operator, EZO, to jointly invest in EV charging across the north of Scotland. This project is supported through the Scottish Government&rsq…
3 Feb 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many full-time equivalent (FTE) staff have been allocated to the development of management measures for inshore Marine Protected Areas, in each week since 2 September 2025.
Answer · Gillian Martin: The level of resource allocated to the inshore Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and Priority Marine Features (PMFs) workstream between 1 September 2025 and 6 February 2026 has varied in line with operational requirements. During this period, the dedicated core r…
3 Feb 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what area of Scotland's seabed located within the proposed Priority Marine Feature management area options, as published in September 2025, has been subject to towed bottom-contact gear, such as scallop dredging and trawling for nephrops, since the publication of the consultation on…
Answer · Gillian Martin: The following table sets out the area (in km2) within the proposed Priority Marine Feature (PMF) management areas (options 1 & 2) that have been subject to towed bottom-contacting fishing activity. These figures are drawn from the available dataset used t…
3 Feb 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether external consultants continue to be employed to assist with the development of management measures for inshore Marine Protected Areas, and, if so, when any such contracts run to.
Answer · Gillian Martin: Scottish Government currently employs one contractor to assist with the development of fisheries management measures. This contractor was engaged to carry out the socio-economic impact assessment, strategic environmental assessment, and the sustainability app…
3 Feb 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many full-time equivalent (FTE) staff have been allocated to the development of management measures for inshore Priority Marine Features, in each week since 2 September 2025.
Answer · Gillian Martin: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-43533 on 12 February 2026. 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-committ…
27 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what estimated tonnage of lithium has not been recovered from single-use vapes in each of the last three years for which data is available.
Answer · Gillian Martin: The Scottish Government does not hold exact data on the number of single-use vapes for which lithium has not been recovered due to the way those products and their waste are categorised. However, Zero Waste Scotland estimate that during the 52 weeks prior to …
27 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the ban on single-use vapes has been a success.
Answer · Gillian Martin: On 1 June 2025, the Scottish Government introduced a ban on the sale and supply of single-use vapes in the course of business in Scotland. This fulfilled our 2023 Programme for Government commitment to take measures to tackle the environmental impact of singl…
27 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many fires there were in (a) bin lorries and (b) waste facilities in (i) 2022, (ii) 2023 and (iii) 2024.
Answer · Gillian Martin: The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) do not systematically record all of this information but reports that they are aware of the following:Recorded fire incidents where bin lorries/refuse trucks have been mentioned in the descriptionYearFires2022920237…
27 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to divert lithium-ion batteries from the residual waste stream.
Answer · Gillian Martin: Lithium-ion batteries should not be disposed of in the residual waste stream and must clearly display markings relating to their disposal (the crossed out wheelie bin symbol). They are hazardous waste, pose safety risks due to fire, and result in valuable mat…
27 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to increase the collection of used cooking oil from households.
Answer · Gillian Martin: Used Cooking Oil (UCO) is classified as Controlled Waste under the Environmental Protection Act (1990). As a result, its storage, handling and transportation are subject to strict regulatory requirements.A priority action in the Scottish Government’s Ci…
27 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to increase domestic production of biofuels via used cooking oil.
Answer · Gillian Martin: The Scottish Government is clear that there is an important role for bioenergy, including biofuels, in reducing emissions and contributing to our circular economy ambitions.We are currently engaging with potential projects, particularly via the Grangemouth In…
18 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answers to questions S6W-31743 and S6W-31744 by Alasdair Allan on 6 and 5 December 2024, whether it will provide an update on the (a) location of the remaining populations of grey squirrels and (b) population of Scottish (i) grey and (ii) red squirrels.
Answer · Gillian Martin: Further to the answers which Alasdair Allan MSP provided to questions S6W-31744 and S6W-31743 on 5 and 6 December 2024, I can confirm that there has been no change to the estimated ranges given below.The most recent review of the population of British mammals…
14 Jan 2026 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what measures it has taken to address household food insecurity.
6 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-42464 by IvanMcKee on 23 December 2025, whether its decisions on non-domestic rates policyfor 2026-27 will take account of the request from the Scottish RetailConsortium, Aberdeen Inspired BID, and other business improvement districts,that…
Answer · Ivan McKee: The draft Budget ensures the estimated revenues raised from non-domestic rates in 2026-27 will be 6% lower in real terms measured by CPI than pre-COVID, despite the number of properties on the valuation roll increasing in that time, and introduces the lowest …
5 Dec 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the introduction of legislation in England and Wales to ban single-use wet wipes containing plastic, whether it will provide an update on its plans to introduce equivalent legislation in Scotland.
Answer · Gillian Martin: The Scottish Government has prioritised action on marine litter through the Marine Litter Strategy for Scotland. We published our refreshed Strategy in September 2022, which sets out a co-ordinated approach to address the amount of litter entering the marine …
26 Nov 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when the next meeting of the Onshore Wind Strategic Leadership Group will be held, and what will be discussed.
Answer · Gillian Martin: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-42174 on 9 December 2025. 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…