Questions and answers

Chamber and committees

Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for ��˿�� to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S5W-08029

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 23 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on the impact that reductions in street cleanliness have on the (a) environment and (b) tourism industry.

The Scottish Government does not hold the information requested.

Litter and flytipping have no place within the circular economy that we want to move towards. It is also important for tourism that Scotland is always presented at its best.

Our National Litter Strategy sets out how Scotland can significantly reduce litter and flytipping, and support cleaner, safer communities. Its focus is on encouraging personal responsibility to prevent the problems in the first place.

Question reference: S5W-07938

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 22 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on the scheme, Zero Waste Zones, and whether it will publish any reports regarding this.

The Zero Waste Zones initiative was a pilot developed by Zero Waste Scotland in 2011-12 to provide an award framework for communities, schools or workplaces taking action to reduce waste. Sixteen pilot projects were developed.

Learning from the pilots was taken forward into the business-focused Resource Efficiency Pledge scheme, launched in 2014. Around 200 organisations have progressed through the Resource Efficiency Pledge scheme.

Question reference: S5W-07937

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 22 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on supporting "design" within a circular economy, and whether it will publish any reports regarding this.

Question reference: S5W-07936

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 22 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding Zero Waste Scotland has provided for (a) reuse education and awareness campaigns and organisations involved in reuse, (b) circular economy education, (c) circular economy skills and training and (d) circular economy design in each year since 2011.

The Scottish Government does not hold information in this format.

The Scottish Government takes a strategic and integrated approach to delivering a more circular economy, and turning the concept into meaningful, mainstreamed action. Zero Waste Scotland’s activities therefore span all the different elements of the circular economy, and are specifically designed to bring together activities and organisations from across sectors in a holistic way, and integrate them into day-to-day business.

Question reference: S5W-07615

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 14 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to ensure that sites designated under the EU Habitats Directive for Scotland's Celtic Rainforest have favourable conservation status.

The term Celtic Rainforest has no official designated status. The Scottish Government has established the Delivering Favourable Condition Partnership to target resources, through an Action Plan, to improve the condition of designated areas, including designated Sessile Oak Woods. The aim is that improvements will be achieved within 3 years of an area’s inclusion in the Action Plan. The partnership is led by Scottish Natural Heritage and includes involvement from the public and private sector.

Question reference: S5W-07614

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 14 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what the principal drivers are of unfavourable conservation status in sites designated under the EU Habitats Directive for Scotland's Celtic Rainforest.

Question reference: S5W-07617

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 14 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of sites designated under the EU Habitats Directive for Scotland's Celtic Rainforest that have unfavourable conservation status will be targeted for financial support under the forthcoming national approach for rhododendron control.

Question reference: S5W-07613

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 14 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government (a) how many and (b) what proportion of Special Areas for Conservation, which are designated under the EU Habitats Directive for Scotland's Celtic Rainforest with habitat code 91A0 as a primary feature, have an unfavourable conservation status, and how many of these are unfavourable and (i) unchanged and (ii) deteriorating.

The term Celtic Rainforest has no official designated status. The Habitat Code 91A0 refers to Sessile Oak Woods. There are a total of twenty six woodland features associated with this habitat in Special Areas of Conservation. Of these features five or 19% are considered as Unfavourable, and 9 or 35% are identified as Unfavourable Declining.

The principle causes of unfavourable condition in these Sessile Oak Woods (Habitat Code 91A0) are herbivore overgrazing, invasive non-native species such as rhododendron and invasive native species such as bracken.

Question reference: S5W-07616

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 14 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will ensure there is financial support for rhododendron control in sites designated under the EU Habitats Directive for Scotland's Celtic Rainforest and, if so, how.

Question reference: S5W-07181

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 13 February 2017
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 7 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that its landfill tax policy is compliant with the EU waste framework directive’s waste management hierarchy with regard to non-hazardous contaminated soils attracting the lower rate of landfill.

Scottish Landfill Tax is designed to reduce landfill volumes and move material up the waste hierarchy in line with the terms of the EU waste framework directive. Sub-soils contaminated with material not present in, The Scottish Landfill Tax (Qualifying Materials) Order 2016, do not qualify at the lower rate of tax.

The Scottish Government is satisfied that all aspects of Scottish Landfill Tax are compliant with EU and domestic law, and are consistent with Scottish Government waste management policy.