Zero Waste Scotland and Skills Development Scotland are currently exploring the scope for a circular economy and resource management skills academy. A stakeholder workshop was held in March to explore the skills needed to support this transformation.

The primary responsibility for the operation of the planning system lies with strategic planning authorities, and local and national park authorities. It is for these authorities, through their development plans, to set out a spatial strategy and policies that direct the right development to the right place, designating a green belt where appropriate, and to determine planning applications in accordance with the development plan unless material considerations indicate otherwise.

We have no current plans to review or regulate land purchasing. The Scottish planning system is currently under review and the recent consultation paper proposes creating stronger development plans based more strongly on place and prepared with the involvement of local people.

The Scottish Government values the substantial contribution of the house building industry and is working with Homes for Scotland and others to support the sector. In 2015 we commissioned Homes for Scotland to undertake research into mainstreaming more efficient offsite Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) in house building in Scotland. It found that MMC had the potential to offer greater efficiencies, including scope to reduce waste within the traditional construction model. The research report can be found at: http://www.homesforscotland.com/Portals/HomesForScotland/Policy/Projects/MMC%20Report/HFS%20Offsite%20MMC%20Report_SCREEN_Version.pdf

Through Zero Waste Scotland we are working with the construction industry to design out waste and help to ensure buildings can make the best use of materials, water and energy during construction and over the lifetime of built assets. The Designing out construction waste guide can be found at: http://www.resourceefficientscotland.com/sites/default/files/ZWS%20Designing%20Out%20Construction%20Waste%20Guide%20Feb17.pdf

Yes. Timber value co-products will be one of the three main feedstock areas to have a feasibility study as part of delivering on our commitment in The Biorefinery Roadmap for Scotland.

The information specific to the request is not held centrally. Scottish Planning Policy encourages electric vehicle charging points to be considered as part of any new development and provided where appropriate. Planning authorities should make decisions based upon the provisions and policies within their development plans. It is therefore for them to discuss and agree provisions for electric vehicles in new developments on a case by case basis with developers.

However we do know that the Our ChargePlace Scotland network has expanded from a limited base just five years ago to over 600 charging points and 1,200 charging bays across Scotland. This includes over 150 ‘rapid’ charge points, one of the most comprehensive networks in Europe. Transport Scotland also provides grants to EV owners to enable them to have a charge point installed at home with figures at October 2016 showing that over 870 domestic units have been installed.

Provision for electric vehicle charging points will be one element considered in the forthcoming review of building standards in Scotland, as proposed in the draft Climate Change Plan 2017.

The Scottish Government has not carried out the modelling specifically referred to in the question, however, European Directive 2002/91/EC on the energy performance of buildings required:

“For new buildings with a total useful floor area over 1000 m², Member States shall ensure that the technical, environmental and economic feasibility of alternative systems such as:

- decentralised energy supply systems based on renewable energy,

- combined heat and power,

- district or block heating or cooling, if available,

- heat pumps, under certain conditions,

is considered and is taken into account before construction starts.”

A similar requirement is maintained with the current recast Directive (2010/31/EU).

In order for Scotland to meet these requirements for new buildings (including new housing), research was carried out in 2005 by the Building Research Establishment, which recommended the approach for low and zero carbon technologies (of which solar is one) to be considered and recognised through building regulations. The subsequent report ‘Low and Zero Carbon Technologies in the Scottish Building Standards’ is no longer available on the Scottish Government website, however a copy is available upon request from officials in the Building Standards Division.

The Scottish Ministers announced, on 4 October 2016, that it would undertake a full review of the penalties under existing animal health and welfare legislation. As I announced, in response to S5W-06556 on 3 February 2017, initial communication has taken place with key stakeholders and enforcement agencies with a view to consulting in due course on proposed amendments to aid deterrence of offences, and to provide for better enforcement and prosecution of any offences committed.

All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx

The following table sets out the number of trips undertaken by all Scottish registered fishing vessels in the specified period against the recorded number of trips undertaken by the vessels participating in the Fully Documented Fishing Schemes in the each year. The number of individual hauls is not recorded.

Remote Electronic Monitoring equipment is not deployed for compliance purposes. Participation in the Fully Documented Fisheries scheme is voluntary and primarily focused on scientific data gathering in collaboration with Masters and crew.

Of a total of 5,368 designated features of Sites of Special Scientific Interest and Natura sites across Scotland, 556 have been included in a Delivering Favourable Condition Partnership Action Plan. After three years of these features being included in an Action Plan:

i) 183 (32.9%%) have improved in condition;

ii) 201 (36.2%) have not yet improved from an unfavourable condition; and

iii) 58 (10.4%) have declined in condition.

In addition, 114 features (20.5%) have retained their ‘favourable’ status or their ‘unfavourable recovering due to management’ status by renewing arrangements to support sympathetic management, where failure to take this action would result in the features slipping into unfavourable condition.

Up to 4 trawlers are anticipated to participate in the 2017 Saithe and Monkfish FDF scheme, which will run between April 2017 and December 2017. Up to 10 scallop boats may also participate in a separate FDF scheme scheduled to run between June and December.