Parliamentary questions
Monica Lennon
3,484 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
10 Aug 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the STUC Women's Committee campaign that calls for universal, free school meals to be expanded to all nursery, primary and secondary school pupils.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Scottish Government recognises how important healthy meals are for boosting children’s energy, concentration and behaviour which, in turn, leads to improvements in academic attainment. All children in primaries 1 to 3 have benefitted from access to free …
10 Aug 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that patients in NHS Lanarkshire are unable to access ear irrigation services, what the reasons are for any such issues, and whether any individuals who have had to pay for private treatment will be reimbursed.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: How to treat ear wax is a clinical decision: ear syringing is not the current preferred procedure and is no longer routinely provided by clinicians. NHS Lanarkshire has continued to provide services to patients throughout the pandemic. However, due to the pr…
10 Aug 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the current guidance is on NHS ear irrigation services, when it was introduced, and how it was communicated to patients.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: Current guidance for ear irrigation services is that patients should speak to their pharmacist for minor problems and patients with particularly troublesome symptoms should contact their GP to discuss the most suitable treatment. This guidance is available on…
10 Aug 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when the Minister for Community Safety last met with the Fire Brigades Union, and what issues were discussed.
Answer · Ash Denham: I regularly meet with the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) to discuss a range of issues. The most recent liaison meeting took place on 16 September 2020 via MS Teams and the next meeting is scheduled to take place on 15 September 2021. At the meeting in September 2…
10 Aug 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when the Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero, Energy and Transport last met with Stop Climate Chaos Scotland and what was discussed.
Answer · Michael Matheson: I have not met with Stop Climate Chaos Scotland representatives since I came into post. Mr Lochhead, Minister for Just Transition, Employment and Fair Work was scheduled to meet Tom Ballantine, chair of SCCS on 26 August.
9 Aug 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the (a) warnings in the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's sixth assessment report on climate change and (b) UN Secretary-General's calls for an end to all new fossil fuel exploration and development and “immediate, strong, rapid and sustained” action …
Answer · Michael Matheson: The scientific report published on 9 August by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change makes absolutely clear the severe threat and heightened risk the climate emergency poses to the planet. However, it also shows that with immediate, concerted inter…
28 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the scope will be of its review of the role of incineration in the national waste hierarchy, and by what date it will (a) begin, (b) conclude and (c) publish the findings of its review.
Answer · Michael Matheson: Our commitment to tackling the climate emergency and transitioning to a net-zero society by 2045 is unwavering. The Scottish Government is committed to review the role that incineration plays in Scotland’s waste hierarchy, and are considering options to take…
28 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it achieved its plan to complete the development of 12,000 hectares of woodland in 2020-21.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: National statistics (UK) released on 17 June show that 10,660 hectares of new woodland was created in Scotland in 2020/21, the equivalent of over 21 million trees in the ground and around 80% of all trees planted across the UK However COVID restrictions, com…
28 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government by what date it will carry out the review of nature-based, green and blue interventions that were referred to in its Air Quality Strategy.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: The Scottish Government's new air quality 'Cleaner Air for Scotland 2 - Towards a Better Place for Everyone' is accompanied by a Delivery Plan which summarises the strategy actions, the dates by when they will be achieved and the organisations responsible for…
28 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether taxi operators are routinely included in its consultations with public transport bodies, and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.
Answer · Graeme Dey: Transport Scotland engages and consults with taxi operators on an ongoing basis through various strands of the agency’s work. Taxi operators are key consultees for matters related to rail station access and operators have participated in national Low Emission…
28 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many people with an annual income of (a) £20,000 or under, (b) £20,001 to £30,000, (c) £30,001 to £40,000, (d) £40,001 to £50,000, (e) £50,001 to £60,000, (f) £60,001 to £80,000, (g) £80,000 to £100,000 and (h) £100,001 or higher have received electric vehicle loans.
Answer · Graeme Dey: Scottish Government through Energy Saving Trust provided loans through the Local Carbon Transport Loan to households on the following incomes: A) £20,000 or under - 167 loans B) £20,001 - £30,000 - 587 loans C) £30,001 - £40,000 - 531 loans D) £40,001 - £…
28 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many people with an annual income of (a) £20,000 or under, (b) £20,001 to £30,000, (c) £30,001 to £40,000, (d) £40,001 to £50,000, (e) £50,001 to £60,000, (f) £60,001 to £80,000, (g) £80,000 to £100,000 and (h) £100,001 or higher have received renewable and energy efficiency (i) gran…
Answer · Michael Matheson: The figures provided are for the Home Energy Scotland (HES) Loan and Cashback scheme and relate to financial years 2017-18 to 2020/21 inclusive. The Scottish Government launched the HES Loan scheme in 2017-18, merging the previous HEEPS Loan and Home Renewab…
28 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to ensure that the ScotWind Leasing process leads to the establishment of more jobs, including in the manufacturing supply chain.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The current ScotWind Leasing Round (the first to be administered by Crown Estate Scotland) is targeting 10GW of further offshore wind capacity, and offers significant inward investment opportunities in Scotland’s domestic supply chain, alongside the creation …
28 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to ensure diversity in its Environmental Champions.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: The First Minister’s Environmental Council encompass a diverse range of global experts. The group’s membership and remit was announced on the 22 nd of August (details here ). Appointments were made in line with the guidance and requirements set out in the S…
28 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what impact the cyber-attack on SEPA might have on the delivery of its Clean Air Delivery Plan.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: SEPA's cyber-attack will not affect SEPA’s ability to deliver the CAFS2 actions assigned to them.
28 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the budget is of the National Transition Training Fund; how many applications to this have (a) been approved, (b) been rejected and (c) are yet to be processed, and whether it will provide a breakdown of the sectors for which training opportunities have been granted.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: The National Transition Training Fund (NTTF) had a committed budget of £25m for 2020-21. Delivery of Year 1 projects completed at the end of July 2021 and a report on outcomes will be published later this year. The First Minister announced a further £20m of …
28 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what financial support will be provided to local authorities seeking to use the Place Standard Tool with an air-quality focus.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: The Scottish Government’s air quality grant scheme supports local authorities to deliver any measure that could be included in a local authority air quality action plan. Local authorities seeking financial support to use the Place Standard Tool with an air qu…
28 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the use of air-quality monitoring outside schools as part of its Clean Air Delivery Plan.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: Reviewing and assessing air quality in the vicinity of schools is the responsibility of the relevant local authorities and can take a variety of forms. The Scottish Government is supportive of such monitoring from a data acquisition perspective, the valuable …
28 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what key metrics will be used to measure the impact of its national campaign to raise awareness of the climate crisis.
Answer · Michael Matheson: Our 2021 campaign to raise awareness of the climate crisis is a core part of our approach to engagement, as set out in the draft Public Engagement Strategy (PES). As with all marketing activity, the Scottish Government has set objectives and evaluation plans …
28 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government by what date the Green Jobs Workforce Academy will take on its first students/trainees.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: As a priority action within our Climate Emergency Skills Action Plan and as a 100 Day Manifesto Commitment, the Green Jobs Workforce Academy will be launched in August 2021. This reflects the Scottish Government’s commitment to ensuring Scotland’s workforce h…
22 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to a recent Transport Scotland report, which suggests that electric car charging points may cease to be free of charge, and how this aligns with its targets of phasing out new petrol and diesel cars.
Answer · Graeme Dey: Transport Scotland is an executive agency within the Scottish Government. This report, informed by extensive stakeholder engagement, which we have jointly developed and published with the Scottish Futures Trust, sets out the opportunities to support the growt…
20 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the latest Modelling the Pandemic report, which claims that the true scale of COVID-19 infections is being underreported in official figures, and warns that virus prevalence in recent wastewater sampling "significantly exceeded levels suggested by case rates".
Answer · Humza Yousaf: Changes in patterns of mixing, adherence to restrictions, levels of asymptomatic infections and school holidays all impact on cases numbers and will influence the recent drop in positive cases. Waste-water Covid-19 levels continue to exceed case rates. Howeve…
16 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what implications the proposed Cambo oil field would have for its ability to meet its climate targets, and what action it is taking to ensure that Scotland is on track to achieve its target of net-zero emissions by 2045.
Answer · Michael Matheson: Scotland’s devolved statutory climate targets are based on reporting through the Scottish component of the UK greenhouse gas emissions inventory, which is compiled in line with UN scientific reporting guidelines. Within the UK-wide inventory, emissions arisin…
16 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is, regarding the potential impact on Scotland, on the Cambo oil field application, in light of reported International Energy Agency views that no new investments were needed in oil and gas.
Answer · Michael Matheson: We are wholly committed to becoming a net-zero economy by 2045 and, whilst oil and gas licensing is ultimately a reserved area, any Scottish Government support for oil and gas businesses operating in the North Sea is conditional upon them contributing to a su…
16 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is, regarding the potential impact on Scotland, on calls to reject the proposed Cambo oil field project.
Answer · Michael Matheson: Oil & gas, and wider energy policy is reserved to UK Government, including the licensing of exploration and extraction of offshore reserves. While tax and regulation powers over offshore oil and gas are reserved to Westminster, any Scottish Government support…
16 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what (a) consultation and (b) discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding the potential climate impact of the proposed Cambo oil field.
Answer · Michael Matheson: Oil & gas, and wider energy policy is reserved to UK Government, including the licensing of exploration and extraction of offshore reserves. UK Government did not consult with Scottish Government prior to issuing the licence for Cambo. On the 12 August, the F…
16 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to make the full Native Woodland Survey of Scotland dataset available, given its usefulness for forestry professionals, and if so, when.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: The full Native Woodland Survey of Scotland (NWSS) data set has been available for free download from the Scottish Forestry open data web pages since January 2020. Prior to that it has been available on the Forestry Commission Scotland web pages since 201…
16 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what progress it is making to enhance the ecological condition of native woodlands.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: NatureScot and Scottish Forestry and are jointly working to enhance the ecological condition of native woodlands by improving woodland features currently in unfavourable condition. Scottish Forestry offer incentives to land owners through the Forestry Grant S…
16 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to prevent outbreaks of the larger eight-toothed European spruce bark beetle (Ips typographus), a destructive pest of spruce trees.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: Scottish Government places a high priority on monitoring and mitigating the threats to Scotland’s forests and woodlands. Ongoing monitoring for Ips typographus in Scotland’s forests includes a network of pheromone lures situated across Scotland and field che…
16 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to protect and restore Scotland’s ancient and long-established woodlands in light of the report, State of the UK's Woods and Trees 2021,which found that these woods are important carbon stores and are shown to hold, on average, 31% more carbon per hectare compare…
Answer · Mairi McAllan: The Scottish Government takes the protection of its ancient woodlands seriously and there are several existing areas of legislation and policies in place to provide that protection. NatureScot use the planning system to protect ancient woodland through their…