 The next item of business is portfolio questions, and today's portfolio is environment, climate change and land reform. I remind members that questions 1 and 3 will be grouped together. Question 1 is Neil Findlay. To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve air quality. Roseanna Cunningham. A cleaner air for Scotland strategy set out a series of actions to further reduce air pollution across Scotland. An independent review of the strategy is currently under and will identify priorities for additional action. We are also working closely with local authorities to deliver low-emission zones across Scotland's four biggest cities by 2020, with Scotland's first LEZ already introduced in Glasgow in December 2018. We provide £2.5 million of funding annually for local authorities and have set objectives for particular matter, which are more than twice as stringent as those set by the EU. Neil Findlay. Vehicle missions have a major role to play in improving air quality. At the moment, electric vehicles are very, very expensive. The cheapest one is around £21,000, and most of the smaller ones are between £25,000 and over. Currently, there is great success with the cycle-to-work scheme. Does the Government have any plans to expand subsidy to individuals who want to buy electric bikes? Roseanna Cunningham. I think that, in all honesty, that is a question that might be better applied to my colleague, who is the transport minister. I hear where the member is coming from and I certainly would be sympathetic to the direction of travel, and I do not mean that as a deliberate pun. I think that we are all of us going to be having to look at ideas like this in the future. I will direct my colleague, Michael Matheson, to the question, and I hope that he will be in direct contact with Mr Findlay. Question 3, Johann Lamont. To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve air quality and reduce pollution in the Glasgow area. Roseanna Cunningham. Glasgow City Council has produced an action plan containing a number of measures to improve air quality. The Scottish Government is working closely with the council as it implements the measures contained in the plan and is providing practical and financial assistance to monitor air quality and support delivery of measures to improve air quality. Glasgow was the first city in Scotland to put in place a low emission zone following the announcement in the 2017-18 programme for government. That will contribute to improving air quality in the city alongside the measures outlined in the action plan. Johann Lamont. Given the report from the World Health Organization that Glasgow is one of the most polluted cities in the UK, I am sure that the cabinet secretary agrees that working to improve air quality in Glasgow must be a priority and a shared responsibility at all levels. I wonder if the cabinet secretary agrees that that responsibility should include transport providers such as First Bus Glasgow, which should not put forward any successful bids for Scottish Government funding to improve pollution levels from their fleet of over 900 buses. Does the cabinet secretary agree that this is not good enough? Will the cabinet secretary discuss with her colleague the transport secretary the urgent need to work together to discuss with First Bus Glasgow how it can play a full role in improving air quality in Glasgow? The latest air quality monitoring data confirms that air pollution levels are continuing to decline across Glasgow, a trend that is also seen at most locations throughout Scotland. However, I am aware of the situation with bus operators in respect of Glasgow. The member may be reassured to know that I have not just discussed this already with my colleague the transport secretary, but also with the convener and Glasgow council, because it is a matter of some concern as they try to move forward into the low emission zone. It has been unfortunate that some operators may have created a challenge for themselves to be able to meet the yearly target set for buses by Glasgow City Council by failing to bid for the money that was available for that. It is an on-going matter of discussion, however, and I will make sure that the member is kept updated. Can I remind members that supplementary questions should really just be one question and not a whole series of questions? That has taken up quite a long time and stops other supplementaries. To ask the Scottish Government what its position is in the work of society zero, which is a Glasgow-based social enterprise that provides zero waste and plastic-free food produce and products, and how it supports the establishment of such startups. The Scottish Government welcomes the continued innovative approach that is taken by SMEs and charities to develop a variety of zero waste initiatives across Scotland. We provide funding to Zero Waste Scotland, which can distribute grants to zero waste shops and other organisations through the Zero Waste Town Development Fund and the Waste Prevention Implementation Fund. Zero Waste Scotland is also running workshops for zero waste shops and advising them on the support that they can receive both from them and other agencies. Scotland is right at the forefront of exciting circular economy developments, but we all need to work harder to lower our waste output. Can the cabinet secretary outline what steps are being taken to drive behaviour change and encourage the public to choose sustainable packaging over plastic packaging and convenience? We are a signatory to the UK plastics pact, led by the charity RAP, and set up in partnership with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. That is a coalition whose members cover the entire plastics value change. It has ambitious targets running to 2025 for plastic packaging that includes working towards 100 per cent of packing to be reusable, recyclable or compostable, 70 per cent of plastic packaging to be effectively recycled and 30 per cent average recycled content across all plastic packaging. Of course, we work closely with RAP through Zero Waste Scotland to support consumer messaging and behaviour change initiatives to help citizens to make sustainable consumer choices. To ask the Scottish Government how it is responding to the latest unplanned flaring at the ExxonMobil plant at Mossmorran. The recent flaring event at Mossmorran has created significant disruption for local residents and it is essential that the operators take steps to minimise the frequency and impact of flaring. The plant is subject to regulation by SEPA, which has announced a formal investigation into the latest incident. As part of a regulatory requirement imposed by SEPA, ExxonMobil has now submitted an evaluation of the best available techniques available to reduce and, where practicable, prevent the impacts associated with flaring. SEPA is now considering that and we will continue to monitor developments closely. Alexander Stewart I thank the cabinet secretary for that response, with hundreds of angry residents submitting complaints on the social and health impacts that are being faced by the recent flaring. Can I ask what the cabinet secretary is planning to do to address the long-term environment social impacts for the operation at Mossmorran? Roseanna Cunningham I have been advised that, at the moment, because of the on-going investigation by SEPA, I need to be very careful about making further commitments. I am very conscious, however, of the issues that have arisen. I suspect that Mr Stewart may not be the only one who wants to raise the issue this afternoon. I do not want to prejudice the formal investigation that is currently taking place. I believe that the immediate priority should be to progress that. However, I am also concerned to make sure that SEPA and ExxonMobil communicate to keep the community itself updated. I know that there is a meeting, I think, that I am right in saying in the near future that has been organised in that regard. If I can have quick supplementaries and responses where possible, I will get all the supplementaries in here. Annabelle Ewing Thank you, Presiding Officer. I know what the cabinet secretary has said, and I would argue that a comprehensive inquiry should indeed not be ruled out and must rather remain on the table, which is what my long-suffering constituents want. If it is the case that the already-lawn SEPA investigation into this recent unplanned flaring incident should take its course in the first instance, surely that investigation must be expedited and proceed as a matter of urgency and must include an examination of the impacts on public health, as I have already called on SEPA to do. Roseanna Cunning As I have already said, SEPA's on-going investigation does need to be allowed to make progress before any further independent inquiries are considered. As with all investigations of this nature, I would encourage swift progress, of course, while recognising that that must also be done thoroughly and is likely to involve a degree of technical complexity. In the meantime, SEPA is sharing their latest information with the independent air quality review group, Fife Council, NHS Fife and Health Protection Scotland. Roseanna Cunning As quickly as possible, please. Matt Ruskell and then Willie Rennie. Matt Ruskell There are no clear signs that the plant operators are prepared to make a level of investment needed to secure long-term environmental compliance or indeed to meet Scotland's climate targets. Will the cabinet secretary agree with me that we need to learn the lessons from Longannet and start planning now for the long-term closure of Mossmorran? Does she believe that there is a role here potentially for the Just Transition Commission to ensure that no worker is left behind in that transition? Roseanna Cunning I would hope that the Government would always seek to learn long-term lessons, and if the Just Transition Commission feels that there is a role to play, they are, of course, able to play it. I do not want to add further to what I have already said, some of what I would respond to Matt Ruskell would be simply repeating what has already been said. Willie Rennie I know myself that local tolerance of Mossmorran has plummeted. The life of the plant has already been extended, so if it breaks down this often, how much longer can it last? Roseanna Cunningham That is a technical question that I am going to admit that I am absolutely not qualified to answer. It is something that SIPA will have, I expect, an eye to when it is undertaking all of its investigations, but there are huge issues that are raised by the notion of the closure of something like Mossmorran, as I am sure that the member understands, and they go far beyond the immediate issue that we are facing at the moment. Question 5, Oliver Mundell To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that levels of wild salmon in Scotland are at their lowest levels since records began. Roseanna Cunningham The decline in reported catches of wild salmon is of great concern. We are determined to safeguard the future of this important species, but we recognise that the problem is a result of a range of complex factors. We have identified 12 high-level groups of pressures on salmon, and in this international year of the salmon we will continue to work within Scotland and beyond with our key partners such as Fisheries Management Scotland, district salmon fishery boards and fishery trusts to better understand and tackle all of those, taking into account affordability and practicality. Oliver Mundell I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer. Fisheries Management Scotland has called on the Scottish Government to make salmon conservation a national priority. In that context, what specific measures will the Government introduce to ensure that existing man-made pressures on our iconic salmon populations are reduced and new pressures are avoided? Roseanna Cunningham We are continually assessing and taking action. We are already working across a range of projects to address the various pressures on salmon and with a number of key partners that I have already listed, such as SNH and SEPA. In March last year, we committed £500 million to help fund research and projects to better quantify and mitigate the pressures on Scotland's salmon stocks. In addition, SEPA is leading on work to remove or ease redundant barriers and rivers, utilising around £5 million of annual funding from the Scottish Government into the Water Environment Fund. There is no quick fix on that. I need to say this now. Action on any single one of the pressures that we have identified is not a panacea that will resolve all of the challenges. Claudia Beamish As a follow-on to the serious concerns about the decline of the iconic species, will the cabinet secretary consider committing to taking action to ensure that the conservation status of salmon is fully taken into account in all regulatory decisions of relevance, including not just planning but SEPA on controlled activity regulations and licensing decisions by Marine Scotland licensing operation teams and SNH? As I have indicated, there are a huge range of pressures on wild salmon, not just here in Scotland but right across the North Atlantic and in other countries. Any one or two things that we might be able to think about here in Scotland will not address the problem overall. We have really got to look at it in a much bigger way. In actual fact, the Government has been doing so over the past number of years, as we have done with the recategorisation of a number of rivers, which is not always welcome, of course, by anglers, but the figures that we have seen published recently are perhaps a clearer exposition of why that has been necessary. Question 6, Stuart McMillan. Thank you, Presiding Officer, to ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to eliminate using single-use plastic packaging. Roseanna Cunningham. Yesterday, I announced ambitious plans for a deposit return scheme for single-use drinks containers. That scheme is going to play an important role in our efforts to increase the amount of packaging, including plastic packaging, which is recycled. I look forward to working with partners on its implementation. There is an on-going UK-wide consultation on packaging producer responsibility and that is another important development. That consultation includes proposals to incentivise the use of easier to recycle packaging by businesses across the UK. We also have an expert panel on environmental charging, which has an important role to play in shaping future plans, and we look forward to receiving its recommendations in the summer. Stuart McMillan. I thank the current secretary for that reply. Does she agree with me that, following the First Minister declaring a climate emergency that supermarkets need to do more, an act immediately to stop selling fruit and vegetables in plastic packaging, as well as using packaging that should be recycled on its own brand products? As I indicated, we are already consulting on this UK-wide basis. I should say that all of the UK Governments are involved in that consultation. That is on reform of packaging producer responsibility arrangements. Under the principle of extended producer responsibility, those businesses who place packaging on the market should be required to meet the costs associated with management of that packaging at the end of its life. The consultation commenced on 18 February and runs until 13 May. We would encourage anyone with an interest to submit a response. Supermarkets are a key part of any future solution, and we are engaging directly with them on packaging reform, whilst also ensuring that the food waste agenda is considered as part of the equation. Short supplementaries, please, from Mordisgold and then Eileen Smith. Data on single-use plastics in Scotland has been in short supply. For example, last year, the cabinet secretary confirmed that it was not known how many plastic straws were being used when the announcement was made. What steps has been taken since then to ensure reliable data is available to inform policy? I will ask the expert panel to look at that and get back to the member. That is a kind of short and snappy answer, Eileen Smith. Thank you for reading, officer. We know that communities across Scotland have been working to reduce single-use plastics, but can the cabinet secretary tell me how many communities have applied for funds to the action on plastic zero waste towns initiative, which she announced nearly a year ago and how much of the £500,000 fund has been allocated to debt? Checking quickly through my briefing, I cannot see it straight away. I undertake to get back to the member with those figures. To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that environmental safety standards are met in landfill sites. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency is responsible for regulating the environmental impacts of landfill sites within the framework that is set by legislation. Can I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer? However, I have raised the issue of the Tarbolten landfill site going into her administration before the Scottish Government, and given that both site pumps and flaring ceased at this point when the subsequent contamination is leachet and gas emissions, I am yet to establish which organisation is responsible for the clear-up of the contamination and making the site safe, as despite meeting with SEPA local councils. Could you get your question, please? Could the cabinet secretary please clear the matter up of accountability and how can she bring pressure to the bayer to have this site cleared? Roseanna Cunningham. As I have indicated, SEPA is the regulatory authority, and they are actively involved in the situation at Tarbolten, which is extremely unfortunate. There is a complicated legal scenario at the moment, which is not easy to resolve, but SEPA is looking at that. As soon as there is a way forward, we will communicate that. There is a role to play, however. I think that councils, local councils, should be thinking about the role that they can play, too. I know that there is a bit of uncertainty around the readiness of some councils to help in regard to that kind of issue, so I hope that that can also be looked at. There is an official receiver appointed, and at the moment, legally, the environmental obligations of the site really fall to the official receiver, but that is a changing scenario. Short supplementary, please. Thank you, Presiding Officer. The cabinet secretary mentioned their local authorities. How long have local authorities had to prepare for the implementation of the ban, and where can those local authorities feel that they may not be meeting their obligations to access appropriate advice and support? Roseanna Cunningham. The member is probably referring to the ban on landfill, which is scheduled to come in 2012. Sorry, the set of legislation in 2012. I feel as if I am on a time warp. There has been significant time to repair, so it is disappointing at the moment that there are not solutions in place in all councils. 14 local authorities do have long-term solutions. Some other authorities have interim solutions in place. We are focused at the moment on working with authorities who do not have a solution in place so that we can try to move them forward into a place where they can comply with the ban as soon as possible. There is extensive engagement going on in that regard. Very quickly, please. Lewis Macdonald. The Scottish Government on what grounds a local authority can refuse to provide a grant for the replacement or improvement of a private water supply where there is no access to mains water? A local authority can refuse an application for grant under the private water supply's grants regulations, where the applicant is not an eligible person, is a public body or office holder, if the premises are in new building or if the proposed work has already begun or has finished before the application was submitted. An application can also be refused if the premises are subject to certain orders or notices under housing and building legislation or do not meet the tolerable standard. Lewis Macdonald. I am grateful to the cabinet secretary. I noticed that there was no mention of requiring a shared supply in circumstances where one property is still occupied and the other is not. Private water supplies are often in areas of rural depopulation. Does she agree that councils should act in such a way as to stem rural depopulation in making such grant decisions? Roseanna Cunningham. The member is probably dealing with a very particular case that is in this particular circumstance. Local authorities consider each case on its own merits. Given the costs of upgrading private water supplies, ideally you would be looking at a joint approach by householders where possible, rather than the idea that each residence would have to have its own single water supply. That would become extremely expensive, and I think that councils have got to manage that when they are looking at grants for private water supplies. That concludes portfolio questions, and we will move on to the next item of business. If people could move quickly, please.