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: S6W-16909

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 5 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what engagement with local authorities it (a) has had and (b) plans to have in the next six months, in relation to the Deposit Return Scheme.

We are supporting local authorities to prepare for the introduction of the scheme. Our scheme will mean that local authorities will have less waste to handle, as well as reduce litter and associated clean-up costs, which is good for residents and council budgets. The Scottish Government is supporting Scottish councils to modernise recycling services, and align with our forthcoming deposit return scheme.

The Scottish Government has met regularly with representatives of local authority waste management via the DRS System-Wide Assurance Group that met 13 times since February 2022. Local authorities remain a key partner and will continue to be part of the programme management structures.

Question reference: S6W-17190

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 5 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any potential impact of the Deposit Return Scheme on the packaging recovery note system.

The Scottish Government is clear that deposit return schemes (DRS) are a form of extended producer responsibility (EPR). Therefore, producers will not have to purchase Packaging Waste Recycling Notes (PRNs) or Packaging Waste Export Recycling Notes (PERNs), or pay producer fees under packaging EPR once that is operational, for containers collected through our DRS. We are working with the other UK administrations to legislate to give effect to this position.

Question reference: S6W-17184

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Elena Whitham on 4 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what measures it has put in place to reduce the substance abuse of nitrous oxide, particularly among young people.

The most recent survey of young people about substance use shows the vast majority of teenagers do not take drugs. Similarly the 2021 Scottish Health Survey ( ) provides general information on substance use and indicates that use of nitrous oxide remains low in Scotland.

Nonetheless, we are taking forward substance use education work in our schools through Curriculum for Excellence. Children and young people learn about a variety of substances including alcohol, medicines, drugs, tobacco and solvents. They will explore the impact risk taking behaviour has on life choices and health.

We hope by educating children and young people about substance use and the impact it can have on their life and health, this will prevent them making unhealthy choices.

Question reference: S6W-16911

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 4 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) ministers, (b) civil servants and (c) Special Advisers travelled overseas to learn more about how deposit return schemes operate in other countries; how much this cost for each of the individuals who travelled, broken down by (i) flights, (ii) accommodation and (iii) other costs, and how any knowledge gathered was disseminated more broadly to support the implementation of its Deposit Return Scheme.

Question reference: S6W-16912

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 4 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that English craft beer is being labelled as “not for sale in Scotland” due to concerns over the Deposit Return Scheme.

It is for individual businesses to determine whether or not they wish to sell products in Scotland following the launch of Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme (DRS).

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that businesses of all sizes can participate in our DRS. As part of this I announced on Thursday 20 April 2023 in Parliament that changes are to be made to the DRS Regulations so that any product which sells less than 5,000 articles a year in Scotland will no longer have to place a deposit on the product. This change was asked for by business and will apply to producers of all sizes. However, it will particularly help small producers and hospitality businesses.

Question reference: S6O-02222

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 May 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is, regarding any implications for its Water Safety Action Plan, on future lifeboat provision in Arbroath, in light of reported concerns expressed by the local community about the service.

Question reference: S6W-17308

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 3 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether dog trainers will be in scope for the upcoming consultation on the expansion of the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (Scotland) Regulations 2021, following the Scottish Animal Welfare Commission’s observation in the Report on the use of handheld remote-controlled training devices (e-collars) in dog training that "professional trainers and behaviourists, are unregulated and are not legally required to have understanding of or training in animal welfare, learning theory or the harm/benefit analysis of e-collar use".

Question reference: S6W-17188

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 3 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any potential prevalence of modern slavery in Scotland's waste management sector.

The Scottish Government condemns all forms of human trafficking or exploitation.

The Scottish Government has not assessed the potential prevalence of modern slavery in Scotland's waste management sector. Police Scotland monitor trafficking and exploitation trends in Scotland and the wider UK closely in order to tackle serious and organised crime effectively, including the potential for trafficking in the waste management sector.

The Scottish Government has provided grants to the Scottish Waste Industry Training, Competency, Health and Safety (SWITCH) Forum. As part of this grant funding, SWITCH has organised monthly webinars covering a range of issues, including modern slavery in the waste industry. The SWITCH webinars are available here: .

Question reference: S6W-16932

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 2 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to inform individuals and businesses how to identify textiles fit for reuse, before recycling.

Zero Waste Scotland seeks to raise awareness of the benefits of responsible consumption by promoting the benefits of reuse. This is regularly done through communications campaigns promoting the Revolve programme, actions such as Pass It On Week and European Week for Waste Reduction, and encouraging individuals to reuse items and choose second-hand. Its recent carbon metric publication highlighted the impact of textiles waste.

Zero Waste Scotland is working to support businesses in understanding the benefits of circular business models which support the waste hierarchy, including hosting an upcoming textiles specific webinar.

Question reference: S6W-17185

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 2 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to reduce the health and safety risk of nitrous oxide canisters being found in Material Recycling Facilities and Energy from Waste plants.

The Waste Industry Safety and Health (WISH) Forum develops and promotes health and safety guidance for the waste management industry with input from industry experts and other bodies, such as the Health and Safety Executive.

Existing WISH guidance offers advice on eliminating or reducing the risk of serious injury associated with the handling, storage and disposal of unwanted or unidentifiable gas cylinders (‘orphaned’ cylinders) that may appear in the waste stream.

WISH has also advised that it is developing new guidance on how Material Recovery Facilities can address the dangers of gas cylinder and aerosol explosions.

Following discussion at the Waste and Resources Sector Forum, waste sector stakeholders are considering any other actions that could be taken to address key fire safety risks. We will continue to work closely with the sector to consider any further actions required to ensure safe recycling and disposal of nitrous oxide canisters.