Maurice Golden

15 Sep 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much new incineration capacity has become operational since June 2022.

Answer · Gillian Martin: Two incineration facilities, both of which already held planning permission at the time of the incineration review, have become operational since June 2022.These facilities have permitted capacities of 270,000 and 150,000 tonnes per annum but their operationa…

13 Sep 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-29351 by Gillian Martin on 12 September 2024, what measures (a) it has taken to expand the provision of reuse options at household waste recycling centres and (b) will be taken forward as part of the Circular Economy (Scotland) Act 2024 to expand th…

Answer · Gillian Martin: Local authorities are responsible for service provision at household waste recycling centres, and for any decisions regarding any expansion of reuse options. The Scottish Government has, through the Recycling Improvement Fund, supported projects led by Aberde…

10 Sep 2024 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the levels of funding for tertiary education are adequate to support a thriving sector.

6 Sep 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it sought advice from the Climate Change Committee before reducing Net Zero and Energy funding by £23.4 million.

Answer · Gillian Martin: The Climate Change Committee were not consulted in advance of the savings in Net Zero and Energy portfolio set out in the Fiscal Statement on 3 September 2024. There is no legislative requirement for Ministers to seek such advice and it is not common practice…

6 Sep 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to publish an impact assessment of its decision to reduce Net Zero and Energy funding by £23.4 million.

Answer · Gillian Martin: Details of impact assessments in relation to the measures set out in the Fiscal Statement will be published in the coming weeks on the Scottish Government’s website.

6 Sep 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of any new measures put in place to respond to storm damage in Angus and across the North East as a result of lessons learned from severe storm damage in 2023. 

Answer · Gillian Martin: The primary responsibility for flood resilience rests with the individual property owner, and then it is for Local Authorities to develop Local Flood Risk Management Plans. Effective mechanisms to support response and recovery during and after extreme weather…

4 Sep 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether Scottish Water is on track to complete the installation of 1,000 new combined sewer overflows (CSO) by the end of 2024.

Answer · Gillian Martin: At the end of August 2024 Scottish Water had installed over 900 new CSO monitors, and is on track to deliver on its commitment.

2 Sep 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of new solar developments approved in the last five years have been (a) ground and (b) non-ground mounted.

Answer · Alasdair Allan: Solar energy developments with a capacity over 50MW are considered by Scottish Ministers under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989. All solar developments approved by Scottish Ministers in the last five years have been ground mounted.Solar energy developme…

27 Aug 2024 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to fund any pay increases for local government employees.

26 Aug 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what measures are being implemented to support the recovery of (a) potassium, (b) nitrogen, (c) sulphur, (d) phosphorus, (e) magnesium, (f) calcium and (g) any other nutrients from waste water.

Answer · Gillian Martin: Recovering these nutrients from wastewater is expensive and the income generated from the sale of recovered resources does not cover the costs of recovery – as a result it is not widely done by Scottish Water. For this reason, in our recent consultation…

26 Aug 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what measures are being implemented to apply the waste hierarchy to waste wood.

Answer · Gillian Martin: The Scottish Government is committed to supporting the application of the waste hierarchy to reduce waste and maximise the value of any waste that is generated in order to encourage the sustainable use of our limited resources and help reduce emissions.There …

26 Aug 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the recent report from the Design Council, Design Economy: The Green Design Skills Gap, what work is being conducted to ensure that environmental impact is at the heart of the design process in Scotland.

Answer · Angus Robertson: Creative Scotland, in its role of supporting the growth of sustainable creative businesses in Scotland, has an explicit focus on environmental sustainability. This is detailed in their 2022 A Climate Emergency and Sustainability Plan for Creative Scotland | C…

17 Aug 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the actionable steps outlined in the Zero Waste Scotland report, Scotland’s Circular Economy Practices Ecosystem: Barriers to businesses being more circular.

Answer · Gillian Martin: I welcome this report from Zero Waste Scotland, alongside its ongoing circular economy business support service. It is vital that we understand and tackle the barriers Scottish businesses face in adopting more circular operating models, ensuring we value mate…

21 Jul 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment has been made of any impact on small businesses of the introduction of restricted pavement parking.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: During the development of the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019, which brought in the ban on pavement parking, Transport Scotland convened a Parking Standards Group to seek views on the policy. This group comprised of a wide range of key stakeholders, including t…

15 Jul 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-28234 by Gillian Martin on 5 July 2024, whether it will provide the information requested regarding for what reason the timeframe for the (a) Nitrogen Impacts on the Natural Environment (NINE) project and (b) assessment of potential costs for implem…

Answer · Gillian Martin: Cleaner Air for Scotland 2 (CAFS2) was published in July 2021 with two actions on the topic of nitrogen deposition. At the time of publication these actions were assigned a medium term timescale for delivery by 2024. In April 2022 the Nitrogen Impacts on the…

2 Jul 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the reported number of NHS buildings containing asbestos, and how many have had asbestos removed in each of the last three years, broken down by NHS board.

Answer · Neil Gray: This information is not held centrally by the Scottish Government as it is a matter for local Health Boards. Health boards carry out annual asbestos monitoring surveys and asbestos management plans are in place across the NHS estate.

2 Jul 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the reported number of school buildings containing asbestos, and how many have had asbestos removed in each of the last three years, broken down by local authority.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The Scottish Government does not hold information regarding how many schools have had asbestos removed in the last three years. Local authorities have statutory responsibility for the control and management of asbestos within their schools. Although health a…

2 Jul 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding it has provided to remove asbestos from public buildings in each of the last three years.

Answer · Paul McLennan: The Scottish Government recognises the hazard of asbestos and the risks to health that it poses. However, asbestos is only dangerous when disturbed and advice from the Health and Safety Executive is that asbestos should remain in-situ providing it is in “Good…

28 Jun 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of food allergy training initiatives that it has funded for (a) nursery, (b) primary school and (c) secondary school staff in each of the past three years.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The Scottish Government is providing record funding of over £14 billion to local authorities in the 2024-25 financial year, including £600.6 million of additional revenue funding for day to day services. It should be noted that the vast majority of funding a…

28 Jun 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment has been made of teaching staff at all levels with food allergy awareness training.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The responsibility for staff training in schools is a matter for local authorities. The Scottish Government has published guidance on supporting children and young people with healthcare needs in schools. Annex B of this guidance focuses upon UK-wide Regulat…

26 Jun 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether any further official data on incidents of dog theft have been collated since Police Scotland produced the document, Recorded Theft of Dogs in Scotland April 2019 – March 2021, in June 2021.

Answer · Angela Constance: The Recorded Theft of Dogs in Scotland April 2019 - March 2021 was published by Police Scotland in response to queries they were receiving relating to dog theft. The data published revealed once ownership disputes arising over dogs were excluded from the da…

26 Jun 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps have been taken to enable Police Scotland to record and retrieve information on incidents of pet theft more easily.

Answer · Angela Constance: The recording and retrieving of information by Police Scotland on incidents of pet theft is an operational matter for Police Scotland. Any query in relation to the Police Scotland operational approach in this area would therefore best be directed to Police Sc…

20 Jun 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many applications for funding of (a) under £5 million, (b) £5-25 million, (c) £25-50 million and (d) more than £50 million have been (i) received, (ii) declined and (iii) approved by the Scottish National Investment Bank in each year of its operation.

Answer · Kate Forbes: The Scottish National Investment Bank does not consider ‘applications for funding’. Rather, it makes commercial debt and equity investments to deliver on the three Missions set for it by Scottish Ministers. The Bank is operationally independent of Government …

20 Jun 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what unspent funding the Scottish National Investment Bank currently has available to issue to applicants.

Answer · Kate Forbes: The Scottish National Investment Bank is operationally independent of Government. It makes commercial debt and equity investments to deliver on the three Missions set for it by Scottish Ministers. The Scottish Government will provide the Bank with £174m of bu…

20 Jun 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what funding the Scottish National Investment Bank has (a) received and (b) issued to applicants in each year of its operation.

Answer · Kate Forbes: The Bank receives funding through Grant in Aid which it uses to cover operating costs and fund its investments. From launch in November 2020 to the end of March 2023, the Bank received a total of £325m and has invested £304m. The annual breakdown is detailed …

17 Jun 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of the outstanding medium-term Cleaner Air for Scotland 2 (CAFS2) recommendations that are not due to be completed until after 2024, as listed in the Cleaner Air for Scotland 2 - Towards a Better Place for Everyone: 2023/24 Progress Report, including f…

Answer · Gillian Martin: The Scottish Government published the annual Cleaner Air for Scotland 2 progress report on 17 June 2024, providing an update on progress on delivering the actions. Of the twenty medium term actions, the timeframe for completing three of these actions has bee…

13 Jun 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the investment and support landscape for Web 3.0 development in Scotland, and what gaps it has identified that need addressing through either private or public sector action.

Answer · Kate Forbes: We recognise the pioneering research and private investment in Web 3.0 technologies across Scotland. Nevertheless, our focus in applying digital technologies for Public Service Reform is based on an understanding of end-to-end services and user needs, rather …

13 Jun 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to help coordinate communication and support for Web 3.0 research, development and commercialisation between academia, industry, regulators and the public sector.

Answer · Tom Arthur: We recognise the pioneering research and private investment in Web 3.0 technologies across Scotland. Nevertheless, our focus in applying digital technologies for Public Service Reform is based on an understanding of end-to-end services and user needs, rather …

13 Jun 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to attract investment and start-ups in Web 3.0 technology from non-UK sources.

Answer · Tom Arthur: Scottish Government's CivTech Programme, has invested in diverse technologies that include Web 3.0, and has attracted over 90% of its participants from innovative start ups and SMEs, including participants from the USA, India, Finland, Greece, Italy and Spain…

12 Jun 2024 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the housing minister has had with ministerial colleagues regarding support available for veterans at risk of homelessness.