Brian Whittle

3 Mar 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether permitted development rights for solar installation will be extended to at least 1MW, from the current 50kW, to match the approach in England and Wales.

Answer · Tom Arthur: The Scottish Government is currently, as part of its programme of planning reform, undertaking a review of permitted development rights (PDR) including those associated with energy generation. As part of the phased programme for review of PDR we will review …

3 Mar 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the reported decision of the UK Government to reduce business rates for renewable technologies, whether it has conducted any assessment of the potential impact of a similar policy intervention in Scotland.

Answer · Tom Arthur: Under the Valuation for Rating (Plant and Machinery) (Scotland) Regulations 2000, solar panels, wind turbines and storage batteries are already exempt from rating where they are used for the generation, storage, transformation or transmission of power, where …

3 Mar 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment of the potential for solar energy capacity in Scotland has been carried out since the publication of the Climate Change Committee 5th and 6th carbon budget reports, and whether any such assessment will be made publicly available.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government recognises the important role that energy generated from solar PV can play in contributing to the decarbonisation of Scotland’s energy supply and in securing a just transition to a net zero by 2045. In developing the vision for the fu…

1 Mar 2022 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to increase the number of jobs in offshore wind and the wider green economy.

16 Feb 2022 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to reduce any adverse effects of food waste on climate change.

31 Jan 2022 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government’s response is to recent reported criticism of its plans for its Deposit Return Scheme.

19 Jan 2022 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to mitigate the effect that reduced access to physical activity during lockdown has had on the health of young people.

12 Jan 2022 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment criteria it will use to determine whether the Access Bikes scheme represents good value for money.

10 Jan 2022 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what data the Scottish Government has collected on the number of people diagnosed with cancer, and the stage at which they were diagnosed, since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and how this compares with pre-pandemic data.

22 Dec 2021 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it gives, as part of its cross-government COVID-19 strategic reviews, to long-term strategies to mitigate the impact of the pandemic.

20 Dec 2021 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government is taking to ensure that vulnerable individuals are able to access support from charities and community groups over the festive period despite any required COVID-19 measures.

15 Dec 2021 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Scottish Fiscal Commission report, which anticipates a funding shortfall of £190 million in 2022-23 driven by slower growth in employment in Scotland compared to the UK.

8 Dec 2021 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government how its work with overseas partners is helping tackle COVID-19 and support global recovery.

24 Nov 2021 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure the school curriculum and courses delivered by higher and further education establishments are aligned with the needs of businesses as they transition to a net zero economy.

17 Nov 2021 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with festival organisers since the introduction of the COVID-19 vaccine certification scheme.

27 Oct 2021 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made on the commitments in its Programme for Government to tackle the consumption of tobacco, alcohol and unhealthy food and drinks.

26 Oct 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the cost is of designing and implementing the new SEPA registration system for its Deposit Return Scheme.

Answer · Lorna Slater: Capital and resource funding for SEPA’s programme to plan, track, and deliver the regulator function for Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme (DRS), including development and delivery of a digital producer registration service, is agreed between SEPA and the Scot…

26 Oct 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many retailers to date have applied for exemption as a return point as part of its Deposit Return Scheme.

Answer · Lorna Slater: As of 3 November 2021, the Scottish Ministers have received two applications for an exemption from the obligation to operate a return point under Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme.

26 Oct 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the number of online retailers that will be included within the scope of its Deposit Return Scheme.

Answer · Lorna Slater: Stakeholder mapping carried out in June 2021 on behalf of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency identified approximately 4,400 retailers selling drinks on the Scottish market. Of these, 2.6% were identified as selling exclusively online. Analysis was not…

26 Oct 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what resources it will make available to producers as part of its Deposit Return Scheme to make changes to third party online web shops and introduce the takeback service.

Answer · Lorna Slater: The Scottish Environment Protection Agency is developing guidance for businesses to help them meet their obligations under The Deposit and Return Scheme for Scotland Regulations 2020. This will include an online toolkit and example scenarios to support produc…

8 Sep 2021 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support businesses in relation to developing a sustainable green economy.

1 Sep 2021 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support the growth of social enterprises and other not-for-profit community enterprises.

24 Aug 2021 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the net zero secretary has had with ministerial colleagues regarding action to support small and medium-sized businesses to reduce their carbon emissions, as part of wider efforts to reach net zero targets.

14 Jul 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to eradicate the giant hogweed at the Tarbolton Moss landfill site, in light of concerns that these plants can produce seeds that remain viable for 10 years, which could spread along the course of the River Ayr. 

Answer · Mairi McAllan: I am pleased to report that work to remove giant hogweed from the site began on 22 July 2021. The Scottish Government has agreed to fund the first phase of work at the Tarbolton landfill site, which will begin to reduce the environmental and amenity impact o…

1 Jun 2021 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure the suitable long-term monitoring and management of Tarbolton Landfill.

1 Mar 2021 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government is taking to protect and strengthen social connection in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

1 Mar 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it supports the aims of World Obesity Day 2021, and whether it plans to tackle weight stigma as part of its obesity strategy, A healthier future: Scotland's diet and healthy weight delivery plan.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: We support the mission of World Obesity Day, which aligns with the five key outcomes set out in our 2018 Diet and Healthy Weight Delivery Plan: giving children the best start in life; creating a healthier food environment; better access to weight management s…

1 Mar 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the impact of COVID-19 on people diagnosed with obesity, what consideration it has given to publishing an updated obesity strategy.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: We are aware of evidence highlighting the impact obesity can have on the severity of COVID-19. We are learning more about the virus and its relationship to obesity and health inequalities all the time. This is why addressing overweight and obesity remains a p…

1 Mar 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of COVID-19 on the provision of weight management services.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: We are aware that the pandemic has impacted the delivery of weight management services across Scotland. Staff have been redeployed to acute COVID-19 response, which has resulted in the pausing of some in-person weight management services across Boards over th…

1 Mar 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of including obesity as one of the indicators of health inequalities as part of its annual monitoring of measures to reduce inequalities across the country.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The annual Diet and Healthy Weight Monitoring Report publishes official statistics on obesity, measured against the obesity indicator framework, with reference to wider health inequalities. The most recent publication can be found here: Diet and healthy weig…