Ross Greer

15 Feb 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what role trade unions and environmental groups will have in designing the bidding process for the two freeports in Scotland.

Answer · Ivan McKee: The Scottish Government has had a number of discussions with trade unions and other groups on its green ports model since the publication of an illustrative draft prospectus in March 2021. Those discussions built on our earlier consultation on place-based eco…

31 Jan 2022 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister how the Scottish Government is working with local authorities to reduce air pollution.

7 Jan 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it recommends that school and early years staff wear a face covering of FFP2 quality or above. 

Answer · Humza Yousaf: Face coverings are recommended in schools for adults and children aged 12 and over. Mitigations to reduce risks in schools and Early Learning Childcare settings including face covering measures, are kept under regular review by the Scottish Government’s Advis…

7 Jan 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how many teachers currently have long COVID.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Scottish Government does not hold this information. We recognise the negative impact that long COVID can have on the health and wellbeing of those affected. We are taking action to ensure that people are supported in the most appropriate way possible. T…

30 Nov 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when the sectoral Just Transition plan for the nuclear sector will be produced, and what role (a) the workforce, (b) its unions and (c) local communities will have in this.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: Our draft Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan, to be published next year, will provide a roadmap for the future of Scotland’s energy system. We will co-design this Plan with the workers, businesses and communities most impacted by the net zero transition…

16 Nov 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what role it will have in deciding how the £2 million of funding that it has committed to addressing climate-related loss and damage will be allocated.

Answer · Mairi McAllan: The £2 million committed to Loss and Damage will be financed through Scottish Government’s Climate Justice Fund. £1 million has been allocated to a grant partnership with the Climate Justice Resilience Fund to help some of the world’s most vulnerable communit…

16 Nov 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether projects located in the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic are eligible to apply for funding through its Climate Justice Fund.

Answer · Mairi McAllan: The eligibility criteria for the new round of Climate Justice Fund will be set before programming starts from April 2022. It is likely that the focus of the Fund for programmes run by the Scottish Government will be on Scotland’s three partner countries of Ma…

16 Nov 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is, regarding any action it will take on the matter, to the reported vote in the UK Parliament in favour of a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics on human rights grounds.

Answer · Maree Todd: The Scottish Government continues to be deeply concerned by reports of serious, widespread and systemic human rights abuses committed against members of the Uyghur and other minority ethnic communities in Xinjiang, as well as by China’s overall record of huma…

16 Nov 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to engage with the organisers of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics ahead of or during the games.

Answer · Maree Todd: The participation of competitors, including Scottish competitors, at the Olympics and Paralympics is a matter for the British Olympic Association and British Paralympic Association, which are required to operate independently of Government under International…

12 Nov 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether Siemens Gamesa has been contracted to provide any services to it or any bodies for which it is responsible.

Answer · Ivan McKee: No. Siemens Gamesa is a manufacturer of onshore and offshore wind turbines. Any contract would therefore be between them and Onshore and Offshore Wind Developers and companies in the related supply chain.

12 Nov 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what (a) financial and (b) other support (i) it, (ii) enterprise agencies and (iii) its other bodies and agencies have offered to Siemens Gamesa.

Answer · Ivan McKee: Scottish Government and its agencies have no agreements in place to provide financial or other support to Siemens Gamesa.

12 Nov 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it has taken to work with universities and student associations to resolve any accommodation shortages that impacted students at the start of the 2021-22 academic year.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: Scottish Government officials met with representatives from the National Union of Students (NUS) Scotland on 14 October to discuss the shortage of available student accommodation this academic year. The matter was also discussed at the meetings of the Covid R…

1 Nov 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to allowing for early years centres to adopt a system of year group-based transition between stages, as an alternative to what is understood to be the current policy of age-based transition.

Answer · Clare Haughey: All children and young people have an entitlement to a learning journey which they experience as a coherent whole, with smooth and well-paced progression to best support their individual experience and outcomes. There is no national guidance which states the …

27 Oct 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with (a) Renfrewshire Council, (b) Inverclyde Council and (c) other stakeholders regarding proposals to extend the Clyde Coastal Path along the banks of the River Clyde from Parklea in Inverclyde to Langbank in Renfrewshire.

Answer · Graeme Dey: The Scottish Government through Transport Scotland has engaged with Renfrewshire Council to discuss and agree the design of Transport Scotland’s proposals for upgrading the existing path alongside the A8 from West Ferry to Langbank and how this will integrate…

5 Oct 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide (a) an update on how much of the funding allocated to the improvement of ventilation in school buildings has been spent, (b) a breakdown of how this funding was allocated by local authority, including a summary of how each local authority spent its allocation and …

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: I intend to write to the Education, Children and Young People’s Committee later in October with a fuller update on local authority progress with regard to CO2 monitoring and ventilation in school buildings. At this point in time, I can confirm the following: …

30 Sep 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether the finding by the Equality and Human Rights Commission that the SQA was not meeting its responsibilities under the Public Sector Equality Duty will be taken into account when a final decision is made on appeals that are awaiting a decision following the 2020 National Qualific…

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: Following previous calls from stakeholders, I carefully considered the position and concluded that there was no way to reopen, or widen out grounds for appeal for the 2020 appeals process in a fair and equitable manner to all learners. This decision was anno…

27 Jul 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what (a) Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance (STAG) appraisals and (b) other transport studies that directly affect the (i) Westerton-Milngavie, (ii) Ardrossan South Beach-Largs, (iii) Dumbreck-Paisley Canal and (iv) Dumbarton Central- (A) Helensburgh Central and (B) Balloch railway li…

Answer · Graeme Dey: The Scottish Strategic Rail Study, published in 2003 by the Scottish Executive, was undertaken with the purpose of identifying the costs and benefits of potential improvements to passenger rail services in Central and North East Scotland and to outline the st…

26 Jul 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-00982 by Graeme Dey on 8 July 2021, how much of the £5 million budget referred to was spent on the platform extension project at Milngavie railway station; what the total cost was of the platform extension project, and where additional funds were so…

Answer · Graeme Dey: Of the £5M budget available in FY 20-21, £4.8M was spent on the Milngavie platform works. The total cost of the works was £5.55M. The additional funding was provided by Scottish Ministers through funding allocated to Network Rail in Control Period 6.

26 Jul 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether emissions from (a) the Valaris drillships currently at Hunterston and (b) other drillships moored in Scottish ports are included when calculating national greenhouse gas emissions.

Answer · Michael Matheson: Emissions associated with vessel activities while in Scottish ports, as well as those associated with travelling between domestic ports and any subsequent outbound journeys from those ports are included in the Scottish greenhouse gas inventory. This treatment…

19 Jul 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-00982 by Graeme Dey on 8 July 2021, what the estimated additional ongoing operational costs are for (a) additional rolling stock, (b) train crew and (c) any other requirements that have been incurred as a result of the platform extension at Milngavi…

Answer · Graeme Dey: Net costs, that is costs less revenue receipts, falling due to ScotRail are being met by the Scottish Ministers under the terms of the Emergency Measurements Agreement. We do not hold details of the attribution of costs to individual locations or routes.

19 Jul 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-00982 by Graeme Dey on 8 July 2021, for what reason the electrification of the routes referred to could not have been funded by existing funds.

Answer · Graeme Dey: Sufficient funding was available to carry out the electrification of the routes referred to. The works at Milngavie were not included in Network Rail’s delivery plans for Control Period 6 therefore no funding was previously allocated to carry out these works.

6 Jul 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-00728 by Jamie Hepburn on 5 July 2021, for what reason it is pursuing a pilot quarantine scheme for these international students, and what consideration it gave to introducing a comprehensive scheme for all students arriving from outwith the Common …

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: The option to take part in the pilot scheme was open to all Scotland’s universities. Discussions are continuing with all universities in Scotland about ways to increase the available supply of suitable quarantine accommodation for international students from …

6 Jul 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether international students who are required to use hotel quarantine facilities on arrival for the 2021-22 academic year will be charged the £1,750 fee typically associated with these facilities.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: International students who undertake managed isolation in a quarantine hotel are required to pay the £1,750 fee on the same basis as other travellers entering the country. The Coronavirus Discretionary Fund is available to support students (including interna…

6 Jul 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-00728 by Jamie Hepburn on 5 July 2021, whether the international students required to quarantine in accommodation provided by their university through the pilot scheme will be required to pay an additional charge.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: The Scottish Government continues to work closely with universities and colleges to support the safe return of students for the next academic year. Recovery of additional costs for the provision of quarantine facilities in student accommodation for internatio…

6 Jul 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of the countries of origin of the estimated 60,000 students from outwith the Common Travel Area who enrolled at university for the 2019-20 academic year.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: The data requested is published by HESA in their Open Data Student release available here: HE Student Data | HESA

6 Jul 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-00730 by Humza Yousaf on 1 July 2021, by what date it will publish its plans for the vaccination of these international students.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: confirmed on 11 June 2021 that all international students in Scotland will be included in the national coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination programme. Universities and colleges are already encouraging students to get vaccinated as soon as possible so they wil…

5 Jul 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether increased tourism in northerly latitudes, increased crop yields and a reduced level of dependency on other nations are potential economic and environmental benefits of climate change.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government is guided by the best available scientific evidence in our response to the global climate emergency. That evidence is absolutely clear, climate change is one of the greatest threats facing the world’s population. The latest independen…

30 Jun 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of Non-Methane Volatile Organic Compounds (NMVOC) contributing to PM2.5 (particulate matter) air pollution and such emissions being outside the scope of the industrial emissions directive, what measures it is taking to (a) reduce and (b) regulate particulate matter emissions fr…

Answer · Mairi McAllan: Under the Environment Act 1995 and associated regulations all Scottish local authorities are required to regularly assess air quality in their areas against objectives for several pollutants of concern for human health, including PM2.5 particulate matter. If …

30 Jun 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the report published in June 2020 from the Air Quality Expert Group to DEFRA, Non-methane Volatile Organic Compounds in the UK, which showed that ethanol emissions are the largest category of Non-Methane Volatile Organic Compounds (NMVOC) air pollutants in the UK, what propo…

Answer · Mairi McAllan: Emissions from casking, distillation, fermentation, other maturation and spent grain drying are not disaggregated by spirit type, due to the very low levels involved. Collectively for all spirit manufacture in Scotland, these processes contributed approximate…

30 Jun 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government by what date it will regulate emissions from maturation losses in the Scotch whisky industry as a means to support energy and emission reduction, and what measures will be proposed to mitigate the impact of any harmful air pollutant emissions from the maturation process.

Answer · Mairi McAllan: The main release to air from Scotch whisky maturation is the fugitive emission of ethanol, which disperses very quickly in the atmosphere and is not considered to be harmful to human health through this exposure route. Whilst emissions from maturation of Sco…