Parliamentary questions
Maurice Golden
1,697 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
10 Aug 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many young offenders have been charged with three or more offences in each local authority in each of the last five years.
Answer · James Wolffe QC: The number of young people aged 18 or under reported with three or more charges in a single case to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, in each of the last five years, is detailed on the following table. This information is not available at local …
10 Aug 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many young offenders have been arrested for offences while awaiting trial in each local authority in each of the last five years.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: This information is not held centrally. The Scottish Government does not hold information on the number of arrests made by the police.
6 Aug 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much has been provided to each local authority in each of the last five years to collect absorbent hygiene products.
Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: Our delivery partner, Zero Waste Scotland, ran a pilot for Absorbent Hygiene Product collection in 2012-13 that provided funding to four Councils. Since then there has been no funding specifically for Absorbent Hygiene Product collection, although we are work…
6 Aug 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what measures it is taking to reduce the number of absorbent hygiene products going to landfill or incineration.
Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: There is no specific funding to reduce the number of Absorbent Hygiene Products going to landfill or incineration. Our work is focussed on reducing all waste and helping Scotland implement a ban on biodegradable municipal waste (that includes Absorbent Hygien…
2 Aug 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what preparations it is making to increase non-landfill treatment capacity in order to comply with the ban on the disposal of biodegradable municipal waste starting in January 2021.
Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: An additional 795kt incineration capacity, over and above that which currently exists, will be operational in Scotland by the start of 2021. A further 385kt is expected to become operational in the year following the ban. We continue to keep developments in t…
2 Aug 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government (a) how many and (b) what proportion of procurements through its frameworks in each of the last five years incorporated whole-life (i) carbon footprinting and (ii) costing.
Answer · Derek Mackay: The Scottish Government does not hold information in relation to requirements for whole-life carbon footprinting or costing that are included in call off contracts from its framework agreements. The framework public body calling off from the framework agreeme…
2 Aug 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government (a) how many and (b) what proportion of its assets use condition-based monitoring and maintenance.
Answer · Derek Mackay: The Scottish Government (SG) utilises condition based monitoring and maintenance in all its buildings. There are 72 core property assets on its estate. Of these, 17 are owned and 55 are held on lease or occupancy agreements. All major ICT infrastructure and …
2 Aug 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government (a) how many and (b) what proportion of its assets have end-of-life or adaptability plans.
Answer · Derek Mackay: The following information is held for the Scottish Government’s core property assets. Zero assets have end-of-life or adaptability plans. Assets out with the core property estate are a matter for individual public bodies. This information is not held central…
2 Aug 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government (a) how many and (b) what proportion of its assets have climate change adaptation plans.
Answer · Derek Mackay: The Scottish Government and public bodies listed as “Major Players” under the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 publish information on Adaptation in their Public Bodies Climate Change Reports which are available here:- https://sustainablescotlandnetwork.org…
23 Jul 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what measures it takes to monitor the performance of local authorities in enforcing the Control of Dogs (Scotland) Act 2010.
Answer · Ash Denham: While the use of powers contained within the Control of Dogs (Scotland) Act 2010 is an operational matter for local authorities, the Scottish Government collects data on the use of dog control notices by local authorities under the 2010 Act. A table has bee…
23 Jul 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has any plans to review legislation on the control of dogs.
Answer · Ash Denham: On 28 June 2018, the Public Audit and Post-Legislative Scrutiny Committee launched a call for evidence as part of their post-legislative scrutiny of the Control of Dogs (Scotland) Act 2010. The Committee's call for evidence closes on ? 5 October and can be fo…
20 Jul 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many applications have been (a) received, (b) approved and (c) rejected by the Circular Economy Investment Fund since it was launched.
Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: Zero Waste Scotland has received 284 Stage 1 applications. 111 have been approved to Stage 2 Application stage, 26 are still being assessed or clarified and 147 have been rejected. In addition, 69 Stage 2 ‘Full Applications’ have been received. 18 have been a…
20 Jul 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much reused waste can be attributed to Community Resources Network Scotland in each of the last five years.
Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: This information is not held centrally.
20 Jul 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much funding it has given Community Resources Network Scotland since 2011.
Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: Since April 2013 Zero Waste Scotland has made £766,800 available to Community Resources Network Scotland to cover core activities such as the running of regional forums, themed events, policy consultations, representation and research. Further funding, of £28…
20 Jul 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what metrics it records to measure the impact of the Circular Economy Investment Fund.
Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The metrics that are monitored to measure the impact of the Circular Economy Investment Fund (CEIF) include:Greenhouse gas reduction;low-carbon investment levered into Scotland by Private and institutional investors;and employment in low-carbon sector in Scot…
20 Jul 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assurances it can provide that the full value of the Circular Economy Investment Fund will be contracted and paid by December 2019, and what plans it has for funds that remain unallocated after December 2019.
Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The spend profile for the CEIF is forecast to be £4.58m this year. Spend against profile will be monitored on a regular basis.
20 Jul 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what it expects to achieve by 2020 from investments made through the Circular Economy Investment Fund regarding (a) jobs created, (b) gross value added, (c) annual identified carbon savings, (d) lifetime identified carbon savings, which is defined as the benefit from one year of activity…
Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: Zero Waste Scotland’s Circular Economy Operations within its Resource Efficient Circular Economy Programme 2014-20, which includes the Circular Economy Investment Fund and supporting activities, has targets for the following:Annual identified carbon savings (…
20 Jul 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what measures it is taking to promote the uptake of the Circular Economy Investment Fund, and how many individual companies and organisations it has engaged with.
Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: Zero Waste Scotland promotes the Circular Economy Investment Fund through a range of channels. These include:marketing initiatives targeting specific opportunities in partnership with industry associations and membership groups;a team of sector managers who w…
20 Jul 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what decrease in food waste arisings it expects to achieve by 2025 from projects funded by Zero Waste Scotland.
Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The Scottish Food Waste Reduction Target aims to reduce food waste by 33% by 2025. We are working on an action plan which will provide greater detail on measures to be taken in Scotland which we expect to publish by the end of the year. This will include furt…
20 Jul 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the planned spending profile for the Circular Economy Investment Fund is in line with expectations.
Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The spending profile for the Circular Economy Investment Fund (CEIF) is in line with the agreed Zero Waste Scotland budget for 2018-2019. The spend profile for the CEIF is forecast to be £4.58 this year.
20 May 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to encourage more women to take part in walking football.
Answer · Aileen Campbell: We are working with Walking Football Scotland to encourage more women to take up the sport. Most of the walking football sessions across Scotland welcome men and women, and there are also many female-only sessions. The Walking Football Festival being held in …
20 May 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what support it provides to walking football (a) nationally and (b) in communities.
Answer · Aileen Campbell: The Scottish Government funds Paths for All to deliver against national physical activity priorities, including walking for health. Paths for All, Age Scotland and other partners initially developed walking football in Scotland to establish the Scottish Walki…
16 May 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on allowing local authorities to designate particular greenbelt sites that would be exempt from development application appeals to the Planning and Environmental Appeals Division.
Answer · Kevin Stewart: We have no plans to enable planning authorities to designate areas where an applicant’s right of appeal against a planning decision by the authority would be removed.
1 May 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5O-01938 by Derek Mackay on 28 March 2018 (Official Report, c. 2), how many appeals there were against the 2017 business rates revaluation in each local authority area, also broken down by how many have been resolved.
Answer · Derek Mackay: Further to the answer provided to question S5O-01938 by Derek Mackay on 28 March 2018, the following table presents the total number of appeals received and number of appeals resolved against the 2017 business rates revaluation, broken down by local authority…
27 Apr 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what additional resources it will make available to NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde to sustain increased treatment capacity for patients with chronic pain in order to meet the 18-week referral to treatment target.
Answer · Aileen Campbell: It is the role of Scottish Government to to provide policies, frameworks and resources to NHS Boards to support them to deliver services that meet the needs of their local populations. Within this context, the actual provision of healthcare services is the re…
20 Apr 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with animal welfare organisations regarding its plans to increase prison sentences for animal cruelty offences.
Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The Scottish Government has regular contact with its major animal welfare stakeholders. Scottish Government officials have discussed, and corresponded on, an increase to the penalties for animal cruelty offences with a number of animal welfare organisations, …
2 Apr 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on rolling out the drug, Orkambi, routinely for the treatment of cystic fibrosis.
Answer · Shona Robison: I wrote to Vertex Pharmaceuticals last year to encourage them to take forward discussions with National Procurement colleagues in NHS National Services Scotland (NSS). National Procurement have advised that these confidential talks are ongoing and we hope tha…
25 Mar 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it will engage with the Energy UK consultation on industry infrastructure standards for smart charging of battery-powered vehicles.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: As a national Government we would not typically respond to such consultations. The Scottish Government agrees that smart charging and related technologies will help ensure that we capture in full the benefits of ultra-low emission vehicles. We are taking a co…
20 Mar 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-15046 by Roseanna Cunningham on 16 March 2018, how much plastic, by weight, is disposed of by farmers using drum incinerators.
Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The information requested is not held centrally.
12 Mar 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the potential impact on public trust in the planning process of connecting newly-built homes at Maidenhill in East Renfrewshire to the sewer network before flooding and discharge mitigation work commences.
Answer · Kevin Stewart: Responsibility for dealing with planning matters is primarily for the local planning authority and it would be inappropriate for Scottish Government to comment on the details of individual cases. Improving public trust in planning is a vital element of our p…