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 MSPs 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

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Question reference: S6O-00867

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S6O-00844

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 March 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 10 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it is making towards the establishment of a Peace Institute by the end of 2022, as set out in its 2021-22 Programme for Government.

Question reference: S6W-05942

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 7 February 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether its Deposit Return Scheme will be expanded in a similar way to the Latvian scheme, to include standardised refillable bottles and containers for one-way recycling.

Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) will focus on non-refillable single-use drinks containers. Including refillables in the scheme would add a significant degree of complexity, with the need for industry to agree and operate standard bottle and collection crate designs and put in place bottle washing and refilling facilities in addition to the infrastructure already required for our DRS.

Once our DRS is operational we intend to consider options to expand the scope of the scheme. If there is a case for including refillable containers at this point then we can explore this as part of that work.

Scotland’s DRS will be ambitious by the standards of European schemes, including Latvia’s. I would note that Latvia’s scheme, unlike ours, is intended to exclude wine and spirits and that, while our scheme will reach 90% of containers collected for recycling by 2025, Latvia will not do so until 2030 for plastic and glass, and their target for aluminium is only 60%.

Question reference: S6W-05943

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 7 February 2022

To ask the Scottish Government which minister is responsible for the implementation of its Deposit Return Scheme.

Portfolio responsibility for Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) lies with me as Minister for Green Skills, Circular Economy and Biodiversity.

In line with the principle of extended producer responsibility and the polluter pays principle, the work to deliver DRS is being led and paid for by industry, in particular the scheme administrator, Circularity Scotland Ltd (CSL). I meet with CSL on a monthly basis to ensure that the agreed implementation timetable is maintained.

Question reference: S6O-00728

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 February 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 February 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what steps it is taking to improve the provision of services for NHS Tayside breast cancer patients.

Question reference: S6W-05152

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 1 February 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether its Climate Justice Fund is currently contributing to projects supporting international efforts to (a) tackle forest fires and (b) reforest the Amazon Basin and Indonesian provinces, and whether such projects will be eligible for funding in the future under the expanded fund.

The Climate Justice Fund does not currently contribute to projects tackling forest fires or reforestation in the Amazon Basin or Indonesia. The focus of the Fund is on actions to achieve climate justice, principally supporting communities most affected by climate change build a more resilient, inclusive and equal future. Projects in Scotland's three international development partner countries of Malawi, Rwanda and Zambia will remain the primary focus of the expanded Fund.

Question reference: S6T-00467

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 31 January 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 1 February 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take to support those communities affected by Storm Malik and Storm Corrie, including addressing the impact on the provision of services such as public transport.

Question reference: S6W-05459

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ash Regan on 28 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether its short life working group on tackling prostitution will include representation from sex worker-led organisations.

Lived experience will be captured within the short life working group’s membership as many of our third sector organisations work directly or indirectly with women involved in prostitution. The consultation on draft principles will also enable further voices to feed into this process.

In addition, recognising that prostitution may be experienced alongside other forms of gendered violence, we have agreed that a Reference Group is convened with opportunities to input into the development of the draft principles work. This membership spans across a number of Scottish Government portfolio areas, the wider public sector, third sector and those with direct lived experience.

We have also commissioned a central piece of national lived experience research which aims to understand current support service provision and the needs of service users better. This is being taken forward by an independent research team and is crucial in the forward look towards re-design of support services.

Question reference: S6W-05458

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ash Regan on 28 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether its short life working group on tackling prostitution will consider all options, including a decriminalisation model.

Question reference: S6W-05457

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ash Regan on 28 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether its short life working group on tackling prostitution will seek to develop (a) policies and (b) support services for sex workers in Scotland.

A short life working group, comprising of key public bodies and third sector representatives, has been established to consider the fundamental principles which will underpin a model for Scotland to effectively tackle and challenge men’s demand for prostitution. These principles will embed equality, human rights and support our efforts to tackle men’s violence against women. Draft principles will be consulted upon later this year.

As part of this work, the group are considering a range of issues which includes support services and how this will be reflected within the model’s principles.

A key aim of this work is to reduce stigma and criminalisation experienced by women involved in prostitution and improve access to services at local and national levels.

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