Questions and answers

Question reference: S6W-14529

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 27 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 10 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the environmental impact of the improper disposal of vapes.

Question reference: S6W-14522

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 27 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 10 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting NHS Highland to provide 24/7 urgent care at Portree Hospital.

Since publication of the Independent External View of Skye, Lochalsh and South-West Ross Report in May 2018 by Sir Lewis Ritchie. Scottish Government officials have been in regular contact with NHS Highland to assess progress.

Sir Lewis Ritchie has made four review visits to Portree (in 2018, 2019 and twice in 2022). He also made an additional virtual meeting assessment of progress in 2020 during the height of the Covid-19 Pandemic.

Sir Lewis has met (virtually) with a number of clinicians on Skye on two occasions in January 2023. That engagement process continues and Sir Lewis plans to return to Skye, Lochalsh and South-West Ross for further in-person meetings later in 2023.

Question reference: S6W-14523

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 27 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 10 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with The Highland Council regarding the potential of a fixed link across the Corran Narrows.

The Scottish Government has engaged with The Highland Council during the previous appraisal work carried out by HITRANS, on behalf of the Council, which considered a range of options for the Corran Narrows. We are aware the Council is now pursuing an upgrade to the existing ferries, but maintain a longer term aspiration for a fixed link connection across Loch Linnhe.

The Highland Council was part of regional working group which helped to inform the second Strategic Transport Projects Review. During this time, the transport options for the Corran Narrows was raised by the Council. However, ferry services and their replacement were not within the scope of that national review.

Question reference: S6W-14531

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 27 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 9 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to a deposit return scheme for disposable vapes.

I have commissioned an urgent review of the environmental impacts and management of single-use vapes. Zero Waste Scotland will lead on the review, which will examine available evidence and consider potential options to tackle the issue, including the potential for single use vapes to be subject to a deposit return mechanism.

We will consider the evidence and expert advice and bring forward policy options in due course.

Question reference: S6W-14528

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 27 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 9 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to encourage the recycling of lithium in disposable vaping products.

I have commissioned an urgent review of the environmental impacts and management of single-use vapes. Zero Waste Scotland will lead on the review, which will examine available evidence and consider potential options to tackle the issue.

The review will consider of a range of approaches, including options to enhance the safe recycling of disposed products and device components, such as lithium batteries.

We will consider the evidence and expert advice and bring forward policy options in due course.

Question reference: S6W-14530

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 27 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 9 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to assess whether disposable vapes can be incorporated into recycling policies.

I have commissioned an urgent review of the environmental impacts and management of single-use vapes.

The review of the environmental impacts and management of single-use vapes will examine available evidence and consider potential options to improve the management of single use vapes and enhance the safe recycling of disposed products.

We will consider the evidence and expert advice and bring forward policy options in due course.

Question reference: S6W-14326

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 9 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the statement by the Deputy First Minister regarding the emergency budget review, on 2 November 2022, whether it remains its position that £1.7 billion has been eroded from the Scottish Budget 2022-23.

The calculation referred to in the question was made based on data on inflation available at the time. Using the updated GDP deflators the comparable figure is now around £800 million.

As the Scottish Fiscal Commission has noted, due to the way that the GDP deflator is calculated, it may not accurately capture the change in all costs incurred by government, and as result the above real-terms calculations may underestimate the true scale of inflationary pressure on some areas of Scottish Government resource spending.

Question reference: S6O-01869

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 February 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the Scottish COVID-19 Inquiry.

Question reference: S6O-01833

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 January 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how it will improve transport connectivity for Scotland’s islands.

Question reference: S6O-01786

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 January 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the comments by the Scottish Chambers of Commerce regarding the Budget 2023-24 that it represents “a clear disadvantage for Scotland’s businesses and workers”.

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