Parliamentary questions
Maurice Golden
1,697 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
28 Nov 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made on developing ecosystem health indicators subsequent to those introduced in 2017, as referenced in one of the supporting documents to the 2018 document, Developing an Environment Strategy for Scotland: Discussion Paper, which states that "work is underway to dev…
Answer · Mairi McAllan: There is now a suite of 15 ecosystem health indicators relating to condition, function and resilience of ecosystems, available on Scotland’s Environment Web at: https://www.environment.gov.scot/our-environment/state-of-the-environment/ecosystem-health-indica…
17 Nov 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide details of any ministerial meetings that have taken place with Zero Waste Scotland since February 2021.
Answer · Lorna Slater: Zero Waste Scotland officials have met twice with Scottish Government Ministers in the period February 2021 to present. Details of both occasions are outlined below and include: meeting date, meeting purpose, location and a list of attendees. 19 Aug 21 - In…
14 Nov 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-04048 by Lorna Slater on 12 November 2021, what its position is on whether sufficient data exists to apply the carbon metric to municipal waste collected by local authorities, and how their recycling performance compares between carbon and weight-ba…
Answer · Lorna Slater: Zero Waste Scotland’s report The Carbon Footprint of Scotland's Household Waste summarises the carbon impacts of Scotland’s household waste using the latest Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) published waste data. This report provides information o…
13 Nov 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what information it has regarding the (a) weight and (b) carbon impact of the single-use (i) plastic cutlery, (ii) plastic plates, (iii) plastic straws, (iv) plastic beverage stirrers and balloon sticks, (v) food containers made of expanded polystyrene and (vi) cups and other beverage co…
Answer · Lorna Slater: The Scottish Government commissioned an Environmental Report as part of a comprehensive consultation process prior to the creation of the Single-use Plastic Regulations recently laid before the Scottish Parliament. This report is published on the Scottish Go…
6 Nov 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it will support public bodies to encourage suppliers to end single-packed items where possible and reduce packaging overall.
Answer · Ivan McKee: We are working with the other administrations on the introduction of an extended producer responsibility system for packaging that will require producers to cover the full net cost of their packaging when it becomes waste. This will encourage producers to red…
5 Nov 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what records it maintains on the (a) return and (b) disposal of unused prescribed medicines.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: No data is collected on the return or disposal of medicines due to the difficult nature of quantifying and recording this information. Health Boards are responsible for ensuring unused medicines are safely disposed of, though are not required to record this d…
5 Nov 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it encourages the public to return unused medicines to pharmacies, and what effect these measures have had on quantities of returned medicines.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: It is the responsibility of Health Boards to ensure they provide patients with a service for the return and disposal of medicines. Patients should return any unused medicines to a community pharmacy or dispensing doctor to ensure they can be safely and approp…
29 Oct 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to supporting the development of an electric arc furnace.
Answer · Ivan McKee: We are considering a range of options on how to take the steel sector forward in light of our net zero ambitions, including electric arc furnaces. These are large-scale ambitions that need large-scale solutions and will require significant private sector inve…
29 Oct 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish a comprehensive timescale for the (a) consultation on and (b) publication of a circular economy bill.
Answer · Lorna Slater: I refer the member to the answer to question S6O-00181 on 22 September 2021, when I said that The Programme for Government outlines our commitment to introducing a Circular Economy Bill this Parliamentary session. Legislative plans will be set out in future …
29 Oct 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made on the procurement of (a) vending machines and (b) other resources required for a deposit return scheme.
Answer · Lorna Slater: Development and implementation of the IT systems required to deliver Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) is a matter for the individual organisations that will play a role in delivering DRS, including the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), Circ…
29 Oct 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made on (a) building and (b) testing the IT system required for a deposit return scheme.
Answer · Lorna Slater: Development and implementation of the IT systems required to deliver Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) is a matter for the individual organisations that will play a role in delivering DRS, including the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), Circ…
29 Oct 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of the outstanding practical implementation steps that are required to introduce a deposit return scheme.
Answer · Lorna Slater: The Scottish Government is working intensively to develop and agree a plan to deliver the scheme that the Scottish Government, the industry and stakeholders can have confidence in. As my statement set out once a timeline is agreed, clear milestones for delive…
29 Oct 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when the Steel Sector Round Table will next meet.
Answer · Ivan McKee: My predecessor chaired the Scottish Steel Sector Round Table (SSRT) on a biannual basis. The SSRT completed the work on a report into the state of the steel sector in Scotland at its last meeting on 2 November 2020. The main concern for the steel industry co…
29 Oct 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether strategic consideration has been given to how the decommissioning of wind turbines can be conducted to ensure that materials (a) remain in Scotland and (b) are recycled.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government launched a consultation for a refreshed Onshore Wind Policy Statement on 28th October 2021 which sets out our ambition for an additional 8-12 gigawatts of installed capacity by 2030. The policy statement also references the potential f…
29 Oct 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to the material impact of its (a) policy portfolio in general, (b) Heat in Buildings Strategy, (c) Hydrogen Action Plan, (d) low-carbon infrastructure investment plans and (e) other policies announced in the most recent Programme for Government that have l…
Answer · Michael Matheson: In the 2021 Programme for Government, the Scottish Government committed to publishing our first Just Transition Plan as part of the forthcoming Scottish Energy Strategy. The draft Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan, due for publication and consultation …
29 Oct 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how the (a) research and (b) findings from Zero Waste Scotland's report on biostablisation will be incorporated into its incineration review.
Answer · Lorna Slater: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-04100 on 15 November 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-commi…
29 Oct 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish the latest (a) modelling and (b) data on (i) waste arising and (ii) incineration capacity projections in order to allow public scrutiny as its incineration review is conducted.
Answer · Lorna Slater: In April 2019, we published the Waste Markets Study which assessed the treatment options for Scottish biodegradable municipal waste. The study is available here: https://www.gov.scot/publications/waste-markets-study-full-report/ We have also commissioned w…
29 Oct 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how the ongoing findings of Zero Waste Scotland's energy efficient route map work are being incorporated into its incineration review.
Answer · Lorna Slater: The review of the role of incineration in the waste hierarchy in Scotland will be led by an independent chair who will determine the detailed scope and process of the review. As such, decisions regarding the process of gathering and selecting evidence that is…
27 Oct 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-03690 by Lorna Slater on 27 October 2021, whether it will provide funding to the additional 21 local authorities that have signed up to the Household Waste Charter to help them to become fully aligned with it, and if so, whether the funding will be …
Answer · Lorna Slater: As set out in our 2021-22 Programme for Government, this year we will make our first investments from the £70m Recycling Improvement Fund. This will support local authorities in improving recycling infrastructure and help with aligning recycling collections t…
26 Oct 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it established the task and finish group on developing a carbon metric, as set out in Scotland's Zero Waste Plan; what the composition of the group is, and what the timeline is for the work to be carried out by the group.
Answer · Lorna Slater: As previously set out, the Scottish Government and Zero Waste Scotland introduced a Carbon Metric for waste from 2011, making Scotland the first country to measure the carbon impact of its waste in this way, and delivering on our commitment set out in Scotlan…
26 Oct 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-03555 by Lorna Slater on 25 October 2021, whether it will provide the information requested, and whether it plans to introduce domestic targets for waste that are based on the carbon metric rather than on weight, as set out in Scotland's Zero Waste …
Answer · Lorna Slater: The Scottish Government and Zero Waste Scotland introduced a Carbon Metric for waste from 2011, making Scotland the first country to measure the carbon impact of its waste in this way, and delivering on our commitment set out in Scotland’s Zero Waste Plan. Th…
26 Oct 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-01360 by Graeme Dey on 16 August 2021, how many petrol and diesel-fuelled vehicles were bought for use across the public sector fleet in each year from 2014, and at what cost.
Answer · Graeme Dey: Scottish Government only hold procurement records for its own fleet. A breakdown of purchases of petrol and diesel fuelled vehicles is provided in the following table. Year Number of diesel vehicles Number of petrol vehicles Total cost 2014 5 0 £98,29…
26 Oct 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-01360 by Graeme Dey on 16 August 2021, in relation to the vehicles purchased through the £47 million investment, whether it will (a) provide a breakdown by each public body’s vehicle fleet and (b) confirm the number of vehicles that are still in ser…
Answer · Graeme Dey: As referenced in the answer to question S6W-01360, we had invested £47M since 2014 to assist with the decarbonisation of public fleet vehicles. We have continued to support public sector fleet decarbonisation and the value of support provided is now over £50 …
26 Oct 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much grant funding it has provided to each local authority to purchase and/or lease zero emission vehicles in each year from 2014.
Answer · Graeme Dey: We have provided over £33 million of grant funding directly to local authorities since 2014 to enable procurement of zero and ultra-low emission vehicles and associated charging and refuelling infrastructure. The following table provides the detail of funding…
22 Oct 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-03450 by Lorna Slater on 21 October 2021, whether it will provide detail of estimates of the amount of re-used materials from second-hand stores, and the (a) number of jobs and (b) economic value associated with that activity, in each year since the…
Answer · Lorna Slater: Under Zero Waste Scotland’s Revolve certification scheme the number of stores reporting fluctuates year on year which leads to variations in data collated. Zero Waste Scotland do not receive data from all certified stores in a given year. The data is self-re…
21 Oct 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-03394 by Michael Matheson on 19 October 2021, whether it will provide a breakdown of the source control measures that (a) are currently being used and (b) will be used in future.
Answer · Michael Matheson: As previously stated, pharmaceuticals are considered ‘contaminants of emerging concern’, so research and monitoring to understand trends in the level and impact of pharmaceuticals in the environment - and form an evidence base for future policy including incr…
9 Oct 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-02428 by Lorna Slater on 8 September 2021, whether it will provide a breakdown of how much of the £8 million funding that was allocated through Zero Waste Scotland was spent by each local authority.
Answer · Lorna Slater: The breakdown of Scottish Government funding through Zero Waste Scotland, to support Local Authorities aligning their services with the Household Recycling Charter, is outlined in the following table: Local Authority Spend Fife £408,486.13 Perth & Kinros…
9 Oct 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of the (a) money allocated and (b) costs incurred by the Perinatal and Infant Mental Health Programme Board since March 2019.
Answer · Kevin Stewart: In 2019, the First Minister announced a programme of investment over 4 years to improve perinatal and infant mental health services across Scotland. The Perinatal and Infant Mental Health Programme Board was established to drive forward this work by providin…
7 Oct 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question SW6-02439 by Tom Arthur on 14 September 2021, whether it has ever reviewed how local authorities manage those parts of their budgets that are market driven, for example, material sales.
Answer · Tom Arthur: How local authorities manage market driven budgets are a matter for individual local authorities who are autonomous bodies, responsible for managing their own day to day business and answerable to their electorates. In view of this it would not be appropriate…
6 Oct 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has carried out of the causes of varying recycling performance between local authorities, and when any such analysis will be published.
Answer · Lorna Slater: We are working with industry, local government and environmental groups to develop a route map to deliver our waste and recycling targets for 2025 and beyond. As part of this work, local variation in recycling performance and its causes are being carefully co…