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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

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S6W-03982

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 01 November 2021
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 18 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the recent Court of Session judgement on beaver licences issued by NatureScot, what steps it is taking to ensure that all other species licences are legally compliant.

The Scottish Government and NatureScot are currently considering the wider implications of the Court of Session judgment in relation to licences issued for the purposes of beaver management.

Of the five complaints under consideration by the Court, four were rejected entirely. The fifth point, which was accepted by the Court, relates to the inclusion of a statement of reasons for licences issued. This finding will be reflected within licensing procedures going forward and reasons will now be published with all beaver and other European Protected Species licences issued.

Question reference: S6W-04139

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 November 2021
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 11 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to update COVID-19 guidance on international school trips.

Question reference: S6W-03817

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 18 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 4 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how many companies in the Highlands and Islands are currently accredited to carry out work to insulate homes.

As of 28 October 2021 the Scottish Government is aware of four companies based in the Highlands and Islands who are currently approved to carry out insulation work to the BSI retrofit standards.

These companies are certified to install insulation as per the British Standards Institution (BSI) Publically Available Specification (PAS) 2030. There are a larger number of companies accredited to BSI standards to install insulation that operate in the Highlands and Islands. For our example, our national fuel poverty scheme, Warmer Homes Scotland has 12 approved sub-contractors covering the Highlands and Islands.

The Scottish Government is working with industry to co-produce a new 'Heat in Buildings Supply Chain Delivery Plan' by Summer 2022 specifically focussed on strengthening the broad supply chains needed to deliver at the pace and scale we need.

Question reference: S6O-00295

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 October 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is considering a scheme to support and incentivise social housing providers and homeowners to retrofit and refurbish long-term empty homes and bring them back into use as zero emissions housing.

Question reference: S6W-03075

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 20 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 4 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how many responses were received to the Highlands and Islands Airports Limited (HIAL) consultation on the expansion of Inverness Airport, and, of these, how many were (a) supportive, (b) opposed and (c) neutral.

Question reference: S6W-02159

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 August 2021
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 1 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with community councils to inform its proposals for the National Planning Framework 4.

We are committed to encouraging interest and wide public involvement in the preparation of Scotland’s fourth National Planning Framework (NPF4). In preparing NPF4, we want to engage with a wide range of stakeholders in the community, public, voluntary and private sectors.

Our programme of engagement so far has provided opportunities for community councils to contribute, starting with the initial Call for Ideas. This was supported by a range of resources, including a roadshow visiting 13 communities around Scotland plus a community grant scheme. Subsequently we published the Position Statement in November 2020. Community Councils were among those responding to the Position Statement. We have also supported open discussion sessions targeted at communities to explore the issues raised in the position statement.

Question reference: S6W-01133

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 July 2021
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 11 August 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the Scottish National Party's manifesto commitment to provide an additional "£500 million in our natural economy", when this will be delivered, and whether it will include further targeted funding for countryside rangers.

Last year due to restrictions on international travel we saw an increased number of visitors and campers to the countryside. With restrictions ongoing, for this year only, we are supporting local authorities, National Parks and communities with an additional £2.75M to put in place temporary solutions for 2021, such as additional ranger posts, temporary car parks and toilets.

Our primary method in supporting sustainable tourism in rural areas remains the Rural Tourism Infrastructure Fund which was doubled to £6.2M this year, bringing our total investment to £15M. This has supported the development of car parks, toilets and motorhome waste facilities at some of Scotland’s most popular rural areas.

The Scottish Government is committed to investing £500M in our natural economy over the course of this Parliament to help tackle the biodiversity crisis. We will work with NatureScot, the National Parks, and local authorities to determine where our funding can have the most positive effect and deliver the best value for money.

Question reference: S6W-00946

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 21 June 2021
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 28 July 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how it will monitor the amended permitted development rights for aquaculture, under the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development and Use Classes) (Scotland) Amendment Order 2020, and what the environmental impact of the alterations will be.

Question reference: S6W-00947

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 21 June 2021
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 27 July 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will gauge public support for the amended permitted development rights for aquaculture under the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development and Use Classes) (Scotland) Amendment Order 2020, and for the environmental impact of the alterations.

We have no plans to gauge public support for this Order. Any environmental impact will be managed under the prior notification procedure.

Permitted development rights do not allow for increases in biomass, that process is regulated by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA). Increases in fish farm biomass require an application to be submitted by the operator to vary the Controlled Activities Regulations (CAR) licence. As part of the determination undertaken by SEPA the application would be advertised for consultation.

Question reference: S6W-01185

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 02 July 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 22 July 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what further steps it is taking to introduce additional resilience in the publicly-owned ferry network, given the lack of an agreement on the leasing of the MV Pentalina between Calmac and Pentland Ferries.

We have secured the short term charter of the MV Arrow to help provide additional sailings on the Stornoway Ullapool route during peak times in the busy summer season. This measure reflects our efforts to help the Western Isles recover from the impact of Covid and the outage of the MV Loch Seaforth earlier this year.

We are also exploring other measures to alleviate the pressures currently experienced in the ferry network.