Maurice Golden

2 Sep 2025 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting entrepreneurship.

2 Sep 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will recognise podcasting and audio as a part of the creative sector.

Answer · Angus Robertson: The Scottish Government Statement on Creative Industries in 2019 did not include podcasting and audio as part of the Creative Industries sector.Since the publication of that statement it is clear that consumers are now using both a wider range of devices to a…

20 Aug 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of the number of dog thefts reported in each or the last five years, and how many of those dogs reported stolen were reunited with their owners.

Answer · Siobhian Brown: Information is not held centrally on the number of dog thefts in Scotland. When the theft of a dog is reported to the police, it may be recorded under a number of crimes, depending on the circumstances (for example theft, housebreaking or robbery). The data t…

23 Jul 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to introduce any further measures to reduce the impact of illicit trade of tobacco and nicotine vape products on businesses and communities in Scotland.

Answer · Jenni Minto: The illicit trade of tobacco and vapes falls largely under subject matters which are reserved to the UK Government.However, the Tobacco and Vapes retail register has been an asset to enforcement authorities in Scotland for over 15 years and a banning order ca…

23 Jul 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has conducted on the impact on (a) retail crime and (b) the safety of shop workers in Scotland of the proposals in the UK Tobacco and Vapes Bill.

Answer · Jenni Minto: The UK-wide impact assessment on the Tobacco and Vapes Bill noted that there is not sufficient evidence to be able to provide an estimate for how this policy may impact the number of incidences of violence or abuse towards retail workers or monetise the impac…

23 Jul 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what additional measures it plans to introduce to support cessation among smokers who wish to quit, in light of the proposed restrictions of nicotine vaping products set out in the UK Tobacco and Vapes Bill.

Answer · Jenni Minto: Our Tobacco and Vaping Framework renewed our commitment to cessation services as part of decisive action to reduce smoking rates to ensure we meet our 2034 Tobacco-Free Scotland target.The Scottish Government are continuing to implement the recommendations fr…

23 Jul 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the use of nicotine vaping products as a tool for adult smokers seeking to quit.

Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government’s position is that vapes and other nicotine products are part of a range of possible cessation tools available to existing smokers to help stop tobacco use. They are not without risk and should never be used by children or adult …

23 Jul 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding its implementation in Scotland, what engagement it has had with the UK Government regarding the UK Tobacco and Vapes Bill over the last 12 months.

Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government has had regular engagement with the UK Government regarding the UK Tobacco and Vapes Bill over the last 12 months. The Minister for Public Health and Women’s Health met with the former Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for P…

23 Jul 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with retailers in Scotland regarding the implementation of the measures set out in the UK Tobacco and Vapes Bill.

Answer · Jenni Minto: As part of our commitment to New Deal for Business, Scottish Government met with the Regulatory Review Group (RRG) on the Tobacco and Vapes Bill earlier this year to ensure that any impact of proposals on business is fully understood and that policy implement…

23 Jul 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what impact any delay to the completion of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill by the UK Parliament might have on the timeline of the implementation of vape and tobacco restrictions in Scotland.

Answer · Jenni Minto: The Tobacco and Vapes Bill is expected to complete its passage within the current UK Parliamentary session (2024-2025). The Bill provides that the changes to the age of sale for tobacco products will come into force on 1 January 2027 and that date would not b…

23 Jul 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the planned timeline of the implementation by it of the measures for Scotland set out in the UK Tobacco and Vapes Bill.

Answer · Jenni Minto: The Tobacco and Vapes Bill is expected to complete its passage within the current UK Parliamentary session (2024-2025). The Bill provides that the changes to the age of sale for tobacco products will come into force on 1 January 2027. When other parts of the …

23 Jul 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the implementation of the UK Tobacco and Vapes Bill in Scotland, what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding potential additional restrictions to nicotine vaping products that could be introduced through secondary legislation should the Bill be passed by the U…

Answer · Jenni Minto: The Tobacco and Vapes Bill is expected to complete its passage within the current UK Parliamentary session (2024/2025). The Bill explicitly states that the changes to the age of sale for tobacco products will come into force on 1 January 2027. Any changes to …

10 Jul 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it last met with representatives of the independent Scottish Animal Welfare Commission regarding the Commission's recommendation that the use of electric shock collars to train dogs should be banned.

Answer · Jim Fairlie: Scottish Government officials meet regularly with the Scottish Animal Welfare Commission to discuss a range of issues. Officials were invited to subgroup meetings during the development of SAWCs report on remote controlled static pulse training collars; howev…

10 Jul 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding its plans to consult on a proposal to ban the use of electric shock collars for training dogs, what information it holds on which animal welfare organisations (a) support and (b) oppose such a ban.

Answer · Jim Fairlie: We do not hold lists of organisations and their views on shock collars, and it would be inappropriate for us to comment on their views.

10 Jul 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish its consultation on the use of electric shock collars for training dogs.

Answer · Jim Fairlie: We are continuing to give the SAWC reports on remote control static pulse devices and other aversive training devices careful consideration, along with the findings of our review into whether further provisions for wearable static pulse training devices are r…

10 Jul 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding its plans to consult on a proposal to ban the use of electric shock collars for training dogs, what information it holds on which veterinary organisations (a) support and (b) oppose such a ban.

Answer · Jim Fairlie: We do not hold lists of organisations and their views on shock collars, and it would be inappropriate for us to comment on their views.

18 Jun 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-38270 by Fiona Hyslop on 17 June 2025, (a) how much and (b) what proportion of the total grant funding was provided to (i) public, (ii) private and (iii) third sector organisations.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: As detailed in the response to question S6W-38270, Scottish Government has awarded over £65m funding to support investment in the ChargePlace Scotland network since 2011.Of this, over £56 million (81.7%) has been provided through funding schemes f…

16 Jun 2025 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to reports that up to 100 truckloads of Scotland's waste will be moved each day to England as a result of the landfill ban on biodegradable waste.

10 Jun 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what public awareness campaigns it currently supports to educate the public on the correct way to dispose of wet wipes.

Answer · Gillian Martin: The Scottish Government has continually supported Scottish Water’s public awareness campaigns on the correct disposal of sanitary items, including wet wipes. Their current ‘Nature Calls’ campaign has a specific focus on binning and not flush…

10 Jun 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what (a) enforcement action can be taken against and (b) penalties can be imposed on any companies found to be making misleading claims about wet wipes being flushable.

Answer · Gillian Martin: There are no regulations in Scotland relating to the ‘flushability’ of wet wipes, therefore there can be no associated enforcement activities or penalties imposed upon companies. Our forthcoming regulations to restrict market access to wet wipes c…

10 Jun 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the estimated annual cost to Scottish Water is of removing wet wipes and related blockages from the sewer network.

Answer · Gillian Martin: 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 annual cost of blockages related to wet wipes and other items is some £7.5 milli…

10 Jun 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether wet wipes that are marketed and sold in Scotland can be branded as "flushable", in light of the “Fine to Flush” certification having been dropped by Water UK.

Answer · Gillian Martin: The Scottish Government supported the work of Water UK in developing and promoting the “Fine to Flush” certification while this scheme was in operation. The labelling of products, including that of sanitary items such as wet wipes, remains a reser…

10 Jun 2025 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it will support NHS Tayside to improve its physical infrastructure to help to deliver better health outcomes.

6 Jun 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-36825 by Gillian Martin on 8 May 2025, whether local authorities will be permitted to use funds from the extended producer responsibility scheme to cover payments to emissions trading schemes.

Answer · Gillian Martin: In line with the Verity House Agreement, funding resulting from extended producer responsibility for packaging (pEPR) will not be ring-fenced or directed, unless there is a clear joint understanding to do so. However, the purpose of the funding, to pay for th…

6 Jun 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether the cost of littered materials, which will beincluded in the upcoming deposit return scheme, will be used to calculate thetotal cost of litter to be included in the (packaging) extended producerresponsibility scheme.

Answer · Gillian Martin: The Scottish Government is committed that extended producer responsibility for packaging (pEPR) should cover the full net costs of both binned and ground litter cleanup and disposal, and to its introduction in regulations as soon as practicable. However, binn…

6 Jun 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of how the cost of litter collection will be calculated for inclusion in the costs chargeable under the (packaging) extended producer responsibility scheme.

Answer · Gillian Martin: The Scottish Government is committed that extended producer responsibility for packaging (pEPR) should cover the full net costs of both binned and ground litter cleanup and disposal, and to its introduction in regulations as soon as practicable. There is not …

4 Jun 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-37774 by Gillian Martin on 3 June 2025, what the estimated cost will be across all local authorities of introducing household collections for recyclable plastic film and flexible packaging.

Answer · Gillian Martin: Zero Waste Scotland undertook an options appraisal in 2024/25 to assess the impact of introducing kerbside collections for plastic film and flexibles in terms of recycling tonnage, carbon impacts and costs. This will be published later in 2025.At a national l…

4 Jun 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-37767 by Gillian Martin on 3 June 2025, what assessment has been made of the proportion of (a) public bodies, excluding local authorities, and (b) private sector businesses that are ready to comply with the ban on municipal biodegradable waste to la…

Answer · Gillian Martin: Scottish Government officials, supported by Zero Waste Scotland, are in regular contact with representatives of public agencies as well as private sector businesses to help ensure readiness for the forthcoming ban on landfilling biodegradable municipal waste.…

2 Jun 2025 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the implications and consequences of not achieving net zero by 2045 would be for Scotland, including the economy.

2 Jun 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what subsidies are provided to publicly operated electric vehicle (EV) charge points run by ChargePlace Scotland.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Since 2011 the Scottish Government has invested over £65 million to develop ChargePlace Scotland (CPS) with the aim of encouraging the uptake of electric vehicles (EV). To grow CPS, Scottish Ministers have provided grant funding to over 400 organisation…