Asked by: Baillie, Jackie (Scottish Labour - Dumbarton)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether Scottish Enterprise consulted it when making its recently reported decision not to provide grant funding to Rolls-Royce Submarines.
Answered by Forbes, Kate - Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Gaelic
This was an operational decision for Scottish Enterprise in the context of the Scottish Government’s long-standing policy position of not using public funding to support the manufacture of munitions. Although no formal application for support was received, Scottish Enterprise discussed its assessment of the proposal against that policy with Scottish Government officials.
Asked by: Cole-Hamilton, Alex (Scottish Liberal Democrats - Edinburgh Western)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it currently oversees the work of non-departmental public bodies, also known as quangos; how they are held accountable for their decision-making, and whether it plans to review any such arrangements.
Answered by McKee, Ivan - Minister for Public Finance
The Scottish Public Finance Manual (SPFM) sets out the lines of accountability for public bodies. Executive NDPBs are directly accountable to Ministers, and through Ministers to Parliament. The Chief Executive is designated as the Accountable Officer (AO) responsible for the use of resources. However, Ministers remain accountable to the Parliament for the allocation of public funds. A Board holds the Chief Executive to account and the relationship between Ministers, SG and the NDPB is set out in the relevant legislation and the Framework Document for the public body. Sponsorship also plays a crucial role in ensuring that public bodies are contributing as fully as possible to delivering the Government’s targets and National Performance Framework national outcomes.
Further information can be found in the written submission to the SPCB Supported Bodies Landscape Review Committee which can be viewed on the Parliament’s website.
Asked by: Baillie, Jackie (Scottish Labour - Dumbarton)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much funding it has allocated to defence-related projects in each of the last five financial years, broken down by the (a) value of each allocation, (b) organisation that received the funding and (c) purpose of the project.
Answered by Forbes, Kate - Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Gaelic
The Scottish Government’s Enterprise Agencies have a key role in promoting economic and business growth in Scotland. As this is an operational matter, I have asked each of their Chief Executives to write to you with a full response.
Asked by: Kerr, Stephen (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party - Central Scotland)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has instructed the Care Inspectorate to suspend any guidance referencing LGBT Youth Scotland pending a formal review.
Answered by Arthur, Tom - Minister for Employment and Investment
As the Care Inspectorate is an independent non-departmental public body, it operates at arm’s length from Government. The Care Inspectorate therefore issues its own guidance independently from the Scottish Government to maintain its role as an impartial and objective regulator.
Asked by: Baker, Claire (Scottish Labour - Mid Scotland and Fife)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the Scottish Medicines Consortium guidance on the use of ritlecitinib for alopecia areata is in alignment with the guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), which states that living with severe alopecia areata can have a profound impact on psychosocial health.
Answered by Minto, Jenni - Minister for Public Health and Women's Health
Following a full submission from Pfizer Ltd, in advice published on 8 April 2024, the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) accepted ritlecitinib (Litfulo®) for use in the National Health Service (NHS) in Scotland for the treatment of severe alopecia areata in adults and adolescents aged 12 years and over. The detailed advice is available on the SMC’s website:
https://scottishmedicines.org.uk/medicines-advice/ritlecitinib-litfulo-full-smc2610/
The SMC and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) utilise different processes and methodologies, particularly in terms of scope and timelines and therefore, it would not be appropriate to comment on whether their guidance aligns.
Asked by: Dowey, Sharon (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party - South Scotland)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what lessons have been learned from the Tarbolton Moss case to inform future policy on the management and remediation of abandoned landfill sites.
Answered by Martin, Gillian - Acting Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy
There are provisions in the Pollution Prevention and Control (Scotland) Regulations 2012 and the Landfill (Scotland) Regulations 2003 to require companies to make adequate financial provisions for landfill aftercare and this requirement is also included in the Environmental Authorisations (Scotland) Amendments Regulations 2025. However, in the case of Tarbolton Moss the company was dissolved without any such funds remaining.
Officials continue to work with SEPA to understand how this occurred to ensure that the risk for similar future scenarios is minimised.
Furthermore, to minimise risk of further site abandonment, we will continue to work closely with local authorities and commercial operators to examine challenges faced before the commencement of the ban on landfilling biodegradable municipal waste on 31 December 2025.
Asked by: Golden, Maurice (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party - North East Scotland)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of how the cost of litter collection will be calculated for inclusion in the costs chargeable under the (packaging) extended producer responsibility scheme.
Answered by Martin, Gillian - Acting Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy
The Scottish Government is committed that extended producer responsibility for packaging (pEPR) should cover the full net costs of both binned and ground litter cleanup and disposal, and to its introduction in regulations as soon as practicable. There is not yet the availability of the data which would allow accurate cost recovery calculations to be made for litter costs in year two of the scheme.
PackUK, the scheme administrator for pEPR, will fund public information campaigns focused on the reduction of littered packaging, and report on items of packaging commonly littered or disposed of in street bins. We will continue to engage with local authorities, producers, and waste management companies as a costing model is developed and the underpinning data becomes available.
Asked by: Kerr, Stephen (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party - Central Scotland)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to strengthen collaboration with UK counterparts to promote growth, jobs and productivity.
Answered by Forbes, Kate - Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Gaelic
The Scottish Government regularly meets with UK Government counterparts at official and ministerial levels and on a bilateral and multilateral basis, to discuss shared priorities, including economic growth. The Scottish Government continues to build on this dialogue to deliver joint action and deeper collaboration in this space. For example, the Scottish Business Growth Group, a cross-government forum jointly chaired by the Minister for Business, and Secretary of State for Scotland brings together ministers from both governments alongside business representatives. I have also recently written to the Chancellor of the Exchequer and UK Secretaries of State on the importance of deepening cooperation including aligning devolved and reserved powers to accelerate delivery and maximise the impact of economic growth for Scotland and the UK
Asked by: Wishart, Beatrice (Scottish Liberal Democrats - Shetland Islands)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government, regarding drinking water and public health in Scotland, what its response is to reports that the United States Environmental Protection Agency includes asbestos-cement pipes in its overall assessment of asbestos as a hazardous material, in light of reported studies showing that asbestos fibres can penetrate the digestive tract and that there is an association between asbestos exposure and gastrointestinal cancer.
Answered by Martin, Gillian - Acting Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy
The Scottish Government takes the quality of Scotland’s drinking water very seriously, with drinking water standards prescribed in the Public Water Supplies (Scotland) Regulations 2014, as amended. These Regulations reflect the standards set out in the EU’s recast Drinking Water Directive which follows the public health advice from the World Health Organisation (WHO).
As the WHO has concluded that there is no need to establish a health-based guideline value for asbestos in drinking water, there are no prescribed limits in the Regulations. Should that advice be amended, the Scottish Government will review its position.
Asked by: Golden, Maurice (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party - North East Scotland)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the cost of littered materials, which will be included in the upcoming deposit return scheme, will be used to calculate the total cost of litter to be included in the (packaging) extended producer responsibility scheme.
Answered by Martin, Gillian - Acting Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy
The Scottish Government is committed that extended producer responsibility for packaging (pEPR) should cover the full net costs of both binned and ground litter cleanup and disposal, and to its introduction in regulations as soon as practicable. However, binned and ground littered household packaging cleanup and disposal costs are not yet included in disposal cost fees producers are obligated to pay under the pEPR scheme.
PackUK, the scheme administrator for pEPR, will fund public information campaigns focused on the reduction of littered packaging, and report on items of packaging commonly littered or disposed of in street bins. Items covered by the upcoming deposit return scheme (drink containers made of PET plastic, aluminum, and steel) are excluded from disposal cost fees under pEPR.