Questions and answers

Question reference: S6W-07645

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 March 2022
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 25 April 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how its Programme for Government commitment on delivering local nature networks will be delivered and resourced; what timeframes are associated with these, and how they will be coordinated with the National Planning Framework, new Scottish Biodiversity Strategy, Regional Land Use Partnerships and other inter-related policy areas.

The Scottish Government is committed to the creation and improvement of Nature Networks across Scotland.

Nature Networks will be developed and delivered through local partnerships, and will support ecological connectivity within and between National Parks, Protected Areas, and other biodiversity-rich areas through the creation of habitat corridors and ‘stepping stones’. To be effective, Nature Networks will require development and management over the long term. We are therefore working with NatureScot and other delivery partners to develop a co-design and delivery process.

Nature Networks will be a crucial mechanism to deliver the vision set out in our new Scottish Biodiversity Strategy and will form a key plank of the associated Delivery Plan. Our approach will take into account the wider policy framework at national, regional and local levels. Regional Land Use Partnerships are being piloted across five areas of Scotland to test inclusive approaches that facilitate collaboration at a regional level. They are looking to take a natural capital approach to maximising the contribution that our land makes in addressing the twin nature and climate crises. In developing our approach to nature networks we are considering how RLUPs can form a part of delivery. Nature networks have been embedded within the draft NPF4, to ensure that nature has the space to adapt to Scotland’s changing climate through linking areas which are important for biodiversity in urban, peri-urban and rural settings.

Question reference: S6O-01018

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 April 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 April 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many incidents of dog theft there have been in the last five years.

Question reference: S6W-07551

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 March 2022
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 20 April 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis has been carried out of the cost of introducing a digital deposit return scheme, following the launch of the proposed Deposit Return Scheme.

Question reference: S6W-07553

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 March 2022
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 20 April 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to the inclusion of Tetrapak in the Deposit Return Scheme.

Question reference: S6W-07552

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 March 2022
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 20 April 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis has been carried out of the cost of retrofitting an expanded range of materials such as Tetrapak, following the launch of a Deposit Return Scheme.

Question reference: S6W-07786

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 04 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 19 April 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether every local authority it provided funding to for implementing Frank's Law in 2019 was advised by its officials that such funding was to be ring-fenced for the specific purpose of providing people aged under 65 with free personal care where there was an assessed need.

Question reference: S6W-07244

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 11 March 2022
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 25 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether Zero Waste Scotland developed a communications strategy for the proposed Deposit Return Scheme before the appointment of a scheme administrator, and, if not, what the current status of that work is.

During the development phase of Deposit Return Scheme (DRS), Zero Waste Scotland developed a dedicated DRS microsite ( https://depositreturnscheme.zerowastescotland.org.uk/ ) and targeted communications with a range of sectors involved in the scheme.

As recommended in the independent Gateway Review ( https://www.gov.scot/publications/deposit-return-scheme-gateway-review-report-june-2021/ ), Zero Waste Scotland is now leading on the development of a co-ordinated engagement and communications strategy in liaison with Circularity Scotland Ltd, SEPA and the Scottish Government.

Question reference: S6W-07245

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 11 March 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 18 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the Dogs Trust's recommendation that border checks of animals must include a visual check to ensure that the animal is the same as listed on the passport, is the age stated and is being transported in acceptable conditions, and what plans it has to implement such checks at Scottish border points.

At present no assessment has been made by the Scottish Government in relation to the Dog’s Trust recommendations.

However, it should be noted that the Scottish Government, in conjunction with the Animal Health Protection Agency (APHA), UK Government and other devolved administrations already operates a robust pet travel checking regime for animals entering the country. All non-commercial dogs, cats and ferrets entering Scotland currently under the Pet Travel rules have to undergo 100% documentary and identity checks by authorised pet checkers.

Scotland’s authorised pet checkers are trained by APHA prior to being granted approval, and receive annual audits of their checking and processing to ensure they uphold the requirements of the Pet Travel rules. They also receive regular training and work as part of a wider APHA network to identify trends in non-compliance and additional training requirements.

Pet checkers will refuse travel or share intelligence with the APHA who can intercept at the port/border if non-compliance is suspected.

Question reference: S6W-07205

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 March 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 17 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of grant support options for SME hospitality businesses seeking to fund expansion and growth projects.

Hospitality businesses, like all other businesses, may seek advice on SME funding sources from the Business Gateway ( https://www.bgateway.com/ ) who have a network of offices across Scotland and will tailor the advice dependant on the particular business needs and location. This could include advice on possible grant support in areas such as Research and Development to help bring new ideas to market, on technical and commercial feasibility studies, or on knowledge transfer partnerships with educational institutions. Hospitality businesses can also search the ‘FindBusinessSupport’ portal ( https://findbusinesssupport.gov.scot/ ) which lists all the main sources of advice, training and funding – including the loans and equity funds under the Scottish Growth Scheme - for businesses in any sector.

Question reference: S6W-06851

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 25 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by George Adam on 10 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it records when special advisers are asked to comment on freedom of information requests and, if (a) so, how many times this happened in each of the last three years and (b) not, what the reasons are for its position on this matter.

Our decision-making criteria agreed between the Scottish Government and the Scottish Information Commissioner defines the roles and responsibilities of different parties in relation to FOI request handling, including the role of Special Advisers in providing views and comments and is available here .

Documentation for all FOI requests is held in individual case files. We do not keep a collated record of all cases on which Special Advisers have been asked to comment, since we have no business need to do so.

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