Parliamentary questions
Maurice Golden
1,697 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
31 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what estimate it has made of capacity in the rescue sector to accommodate any increase in XL Bully-type dogs given up by owners who cannot meet the conditions of the restrictions.
Answer · Siobhian Brown: Following the recent Scottish Government announcement on XL Bully dog safeguards, Scottish Government officials are continuing to engage regularly with various stakeholders about the impact of the new safeguards on XL Bully dogs on kennels and re-homing centr…
31 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it next plans to meet the British Veterinary Association to discuss its decision to replicate regulations introduced in England and Wales in relation to XL Bully-type dogs.
Answer · Siobhian Brown: The British Veterinary Association are members of the Dog Control Coalition. I last met with the Dog Control Coalition to 8 February 2024 to discuss the new safeguards in relation to XL Bully dogs, and I committed to further regular engagement with the Dog Co…
31 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what deadlines it will set for compliance with the restrictions on XL Bully-type dogs; what process it will undertake to set these deadlines, and whether the process for setting any deadlines will take into account (a) animal welfare, (b) the number of dogs affected, (c) police capacity,…
Answer · Siobhian Brown: The Scottish Government has met and continues to meet with a range of stakeholders to help to inform our policy approach on XL Bully dogs and consider any issues or possible barriers to implementation in relation to the new safeguards on XL Bully dogs. We eng…
31 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Police Scotland regarding the capacity of divisional forces to meet the enforcement requirements for the restrictions placed on XL Bully-type dogs.
Answer · Siobhian Brown: The Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs and I have both held discussions with Police Scotland this year to discuss implementation of the new safeguards on XL Bully dogs. Further Ministerial engagement is planned. Scottish Government officials are a…
31 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-24479 by Siobhian Brown on 24 January 2024, what steps it will take to provide a more accurate estimate of the number of XL Bully-type dogs in Scotland.
Answer · Siobhian Brown: As I stated in response to question S6W-24479, there is a significant degree of uncertainty across the UK as to the size of the population of XL Bully dogs. It is clear from the number of applications received from XL Bully owners in England and Wales seeking…
31 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will follow the same conformation standard for XL Bully-type dogs as that set out for England and Wales.
Answer · Siobhian Brown: Yes, the definition used for an XL Bully dog will be the same as the UK Government set out for England and Wales. Helpful and practical support and guidance has been published on the Scottish Government website to ensure owners are made aware of how to compl…
31 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government which stakeholders it plans to consult regarding any potential changes to the Control of Dogs (Scotland) Act 2010.
Answer · Siobhian Brown: My statement to Parliament on 18 January 2024 reiterated the Scottish Government’s commitment to ‘deed not breed’, and committed to work with key stakeholders and interested parties to look at any improvements that could be made to the Control of Dogs (Scotla…
30 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Review of the 2019 Food Waste Reduction Action Plan, whether it will provide an update on what its position is regarding the feasibility of its target of reducing food waste by 33% by 2025.
Answer · Lorna Slater: As noted in the recently published Draft Circular Economy and Waste Route Map , Scotland is highly unlikely to meet its target to reduce food waste by 33% by 2025. To accelerate our rate of progress, the Scottish Government has committed to reset its approach…
30 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government which plastic waste initiatives it has funded since 2013; how much each initiative cost, and what (a) plastic waste and (b) carbon impact reduction each initiative achieved.
Answer · Lorna Slater: The Scottish Government is committed to tackling plastic waste by focusing on a wide range of initiatives aimed at reducing its use, improving recycling and reducing plastic waste going to landfill. The Recycling Improvement Fund (RIF), while not specifically…
30 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government which food waste initiatives it has funded since 2013; how much each initiative cost, and what (a) food waste and (b) carbon impact reduction each initiative achieved.
Answer · Lorna Slater: The Scottish Government funds Zero Waste Scotland (ZWS) to deliver action on waste, including food waste. I refer the member to ZWS who may be able to provide this information. ZWS can be contacted via email at: PolicySupport@[email protected] .
30 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the 2021 estimate for food waste, whether it will provide an updated estimate of the cost to households of unnecessary food and drink purchases, as set out in the report, Household food and drink waste in Scotland 2014.
Answer · Lorna Slater: The report on Household food and drink waste in Scotland 2014 was published by Zero Waste Scotland (ZWS). ZWS does not have current plans to update the estimate set out in this report.
30 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much food has been redistributed through the Food Redistribution Matchmaking Service since 2020.
Answer · Lorna Slater: As set out in the Food Waste Reduction Action Plan (2019), the Food Redistribution Matchmaking Service was intended to support linking up redistributors, producers, retailers, and wholesalers to access food surpluses and redistribute. The matchmaking service…
30 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much funding it allocated to support food redistribution projects in (a) 2022-23 and (b) 2023-24.
Answer · Lorna Slater: Scottish Government has provided FareShare with the following funding to support food redistribution:2022 - 2023: £463,000 ; and2023 – 2024: £315,000. Scottish Government also indirectly funds Zero Waste Scotland which supports a range of food waste redistri…
30 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much public funding has been spent on communications related to food waste reduction in each year since 2016.
Answer · Lorna Slater: There was Scottish Government marketing spend in the below years. Figures are provided, along with links to the full published reports, for the Member’s ease.2018 – 2019: £303,516.65 - https://www.gov.scot/publications/marketing-spend-2018-2019/ ;2019 – 202…
30 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many food redistribution services are currently available in each local authority area, and how much food was redistributed in each area in the most recent year for which data is available.
Answer · Lorna Slater: The information requested is not held by the Scottish Government.
30 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much food waste has been produced by its operations in Scotland in each year since 2016.
Answer · Lorna Slater: This information is published annually in the Scottish Government’s Climate Change Reports (available at: https://sustainablescotlandnetwork.org/reports/the-scottish-government and are provided below:2016 - 2017: 127 tonnes;2017 - 2018: 352 tonnes;2018 - 20…
30 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the status is of the food waste project being developed for secondary schools, as set out in the document, Review of the 2019 Food Waste Reduction Action Plan.
Answer · Lorna Slater: Zero Waste Scotland (ZWS) supported this project which was led by Developing Young Workforce (DYW) Dundee & Angus, in partnership with the Food and Drink Federation Scotland and the Food & Drink Team at Abertay University.Despite schools being provided with r…
30 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the status is of the schools food waste pilot that began in autumn 2021, and what progress has been made on establishing a baseline for school food waste.
Answer · Lorna Slater: Zero Waste Scotland supported Glasgow City Council Education Services to run a food waste pilot across five schools in 2021. However, due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic and the cost of living crisis, operational priorities shifted towards cost of livi…
30 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many food waste champions have been appointed since 2019, broken down by (a) the sector they represented, (b) any monetary reimbursement they received and (c) their engagement impact, as set out in the 2019 Food Waste Reduction Plan.
Answer · Lorna Slater: This detail is not available at sector-level. There was no remuneration for Food Waste champions. Between 2019 and 2022 (inclusive), 245 workshops were held with 2,952 attendees in total. This engagement would have contributed to recent food waste levels as o…
30 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to use the data gathered in the 2021 Scottish Food Waste Estimate to estimate the (a) quantity and (b) carbon impact of food waste attributable to the (i) education and (ii) health sector.
Answer · Lorna Slater: The information requested is not held by the Scottish Government. I refer the Member to Zero Waste Scotland (ZWS) who may be able to provide this information. ZWS can be contacted via email at: [email protected] .
30 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, at the time of it announcing its food waste reduction target in 2016, what estimate it had made of what the level of food waste would need to be in 2021 for it to be on track to meet its 2025 target.
Answer · Lorna Slater: No estimate of food waste targets was set in 2016. The intention was for the Food Waste Reduction Action Plan to be reviewed in 2021, to set out progress on tackling food waste. The Review was delayed due to COVID-19 and was published in January 2024 ( https…
30 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the (a) tonnage, (b) carbon impact and (c) increase from the baseline is of food waste attributable to the public sector in the data gathered in the 2021 Scottish Food Waste Estimate.
Answer · Lorna Slater: The information requested is not held by the Scottish Government. Zero Waste Scotland (ZWS) may be able to provide some of this information. ZWS can be contacted via email at: [email protected] .
30 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what work it is doing to review the proportion of contamination in food waste collections.
Answer · Lorna Slater: Local authorities remain responsible for household waste collections, which includes addressing contamination in food waste collections. However, as part of the Waste Route Map and as set out in the Circular Economy Bill, we will be co-designing a new statut…
19 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-24240 by Fiona Hyslop on 19 January 2024, what assessment has been made of the potential impact that heavier electric vehicles will have on the vehicle carrying capacity of CalMac's ferry fleet.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: In follow up to parliamentary question S6W-24240 answered on 19 January 2024. CalMac Ferries Limited have not carried out any assessment of the potential impact that heavier electric vehicles will have on the vehicle carrying capacity of the fleet. I understa…
16 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many cases of animal cruelty have been reported to the police in each of the last 10 years, and, of these cases, how many resulted in a (a) prosecution and (b) conviction.
Answer · Angela Constance: There is no single crime of animal cruelty and such crimes are identified differently in the annual National Statistics publications on Recorded Crime in Scotland and Criminal Proceedings in Scotland . These publications are based on separate and unlinked…
16 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many people have been banned from keeping animals in each of the last 10 years.
Answer · Gillian Martin: The information used to publish the Scottish Government Justice Analytical Services Criminal Disposals Dashboard only contains data from April 2017. Accordingly, we are unable to extract the number of case-accused convicted for the financial years prior to 20…
12 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-23922 by Mairi McAllan on 12 January 2024, when Scottish Water's process of "developing options appraisals for resolving deficits" is expected to conclude, and whether the results of this process will be published.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: As this is an operational matter for Scottish Water, I have asked them to respond. Their reply is as follows: Scottish Water develops appraisals on an ongoing basis, prioritising based on the risks to water supply. Scottish Water currently has plans to appra…
12 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-23921 by Mairi McAllan on 11 January 2024, whether it can provide a breakdown of what climate risk factors were used in determining Scottish Water's target leakage level of 408ML/d.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: As this is an operational matter for Scottish Water, I have asked them to respond. Their reply is as follows: Scottish Water has used an economic assessment that balances the cost of supplying the water with the cost of finding and fixing leaks to determine …
12 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of Scottish Water’s leakage rate, as a proportion of the water put into supply, in each year since 2007.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: As this is an operational matter for Scottish Water, and the Scottish Government does not hold this information, I have asked them to respond. Their reply is as follows: The following table gives the leakage levels as a proportion of the water put into suppl…
12 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-23886 by Mairi McAllan on 12 January 2024, whether it still plans to gather sufficient data to establish a marine plastic pollution baseline.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: Yes, the Scottish Government annual surveys continue to gather data, in order to support future assessments on microplastics in surface water. Although there is currently no internationally agreed baseline for microplastics in surface water, as referenced in …