Questions and answers

Question reference: S6W-43170

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 19 January 2026
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 2 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will introduce mandatory publication of site-level cull numbers, alongside mortality figures, within a fixed reporting timeframe at salmon farms.

The Scottish Government has no plans to introduce further mandatory reporting and publication of losses of farmed salmon as the data already available are sufficient for regulatory purposes.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-43168 on 2 February 2026. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

Question reference: S6W-43168

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 19 January 2026
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 2 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it collects complete data on the number of fish culled on salmon farms and, if so, (a) where and (b) how such figures are published in relation to mortality data.

The Scottish Government does not collect complete data on the number of fish culled at salmon farms as this information is primarily a result of commercial decisions and is not required for the Fish Health Inspectorate’s surveillance programme for aquatic animal disease. Some information relating to culled fish is provided through the voluntary mortality reporting mechanism and it may be collected during Fish Health Inspectorate visits. Culling stock may be required under the Aquatic Animal Health (Scotland) Regulations 2009, such as in response to the confirmation of a listed disease

The Scottish Government’s Scottish Finfish Production Survey collects and publishes information on farmed salmon production losses as part of official statistics. It reports data on survival to harvest, representing the proportion of fish harvested for human consumption from the original input population. The proportion not harvested for human consumption are recorded as aggregate losses, which includes fish culled.

Question reference: S6O-05470

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 January 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 5 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether voluntary reporting of mortality data in the salmon farming industry provides sufficient transparency and animal welfare protection.

Question reference: S6W-43231

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 January 2026
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 28 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider the case for providing financial support for horse-logging as a low-carbon, low-impact timber harvesting method, and what assessment it has made of any potential environmental benefits, including the protection of rivers, burns and biodiversity, arising from expanding its use on sensitive forestry sites.

The UK Forest Standard (UKFS) defines the requirements and guidelines on how to practice Sustainable Forest Management in the UK, and ensures the protection of water, soil and biodiversity. It also promotes the benefit of low-impact harvesting to protect sensitive sites. Approval for a felling permission from Scottish Forestry is subject to planned operations being UKFS compliant on the specific site.

Those applying for a felling permission can decide which UKFS compliant harvesting option they use. They may choose to use horse logging, where it supports their management objectives, and contributes to the delivery of the approved grant scheme option. There is no financial support offered for different harvesting methods in the grant scheme. Scottish Government have not specifically assessed the benefits of an expansion in use of horse logging.

Question reference: S6W-43180

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 January 2026
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 28 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-40703 by Mairi Gougeon on 1 October 2025, what proportion of the Forestry Grant Scheme funding allocated to native woodlands has been spent on (a) native woodland planting and (b) restoration of existing native woodlands, in each year since 2021-22.

The Forestry Grant Scheme has committed £69.8 million of support, in the period 2021-22 to 2024-25, for native woodland creation and native woodland management. £64.6 million of this funding has been provided to create new native woodland, with £5.2 million provided for the management of native woodland. The annual breakdown of this funding is show in the following table.

	FGS Commitment for Native Woodland Creation and Management (£ millions)	FGS Commitments for Native Woodland Creation (£ millions) (%)	FGS Commitment for Native Woodland Management (£ millions) (%)
2021-22	£14.9	£13.4 (90%)	£1.5 (10%)
2022-23	£12.5	£11.3 (90%)	£1.2 (10%)
2023-24	£23.4	£21.9 (94%)	£1.5 (6%)
2024-25	£19.0	£18.0 (95%)	£1.0 (5%)
Total	£69.8	£64.6 (93%)	£5.2 (7%)

Question reference: S6W-43173

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 19 January 2026
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 28 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the transfer of funds from the General Fund into the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) Fund, when it anticipates that Part 6, Section 78 of the Housing Act (Scotland) 2025 will come into effect, and under what circumstances local authorities will be permitted to transfer funds.

The Scottish Statutory Instrument for the commencement for the removal of the requirement for local authorities to gain Ministerial consent before transferring funds to HRA came into force 12 January 2026.

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ssi/2025/408/made

It will be for individual councils to set their policy on the transfer and use of contributions from the General Fund to the Housing Revenue Account.

The Chief Finance Officer, as the proper (section 95) officer with responsibility for managing the financial affairs of the authority, must be satisfied that the transfer and use of contributions from the General Fund to the Housing Revenue Account is prudent, affordable and sustainable.

Question reference: S6W-43179

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 January 2026
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 28 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-40703 by Mairi Gougeon on 1 October 2025, how much money from the Forestry Grant Scheme has been spent on (a) natural regeneration of native woodlands and (b) invasive species control, in each year since 2021-22.

The Forestry Grant Scheme has committed the following sums, in each complete financial year since 2021-22, for the natural regeneration of native woodlands and invasive species control.

	FGS Commitments for Natural Regeneration of Native Woodland (£ millions)	FGS Commitments for Invasive Species Control (£ millions)
2021-22	£0.125	£0.892
2022-23	£0.084	£0.891
2023-24	£0.131	£1.038
2024-25	£0.251	£0.471
Total	£0.591	£3.292

Question reference: S6W-43175

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 19 January 2026
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 27 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what criteria are used during the evidence report gate check process for Local Development Plans, and how these criteria are weighted when assessing the adequacy of proposed housing land targets.

The criteria used in the evidence report gate check process for Local Development Plans are set out in relevant legislation and Scottish Government guidance. These include the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997 as amended by the Planning (Scotland) Act 2019, the Town and Country Planning (Development Planning) (Scotland) Regulations 2023, National Planning Framework 4 (February 2023), and the Scottish Government’s Local Development Planning Guidance (May 2023).

Each gate check submission is different and the reporter’s role is to consider the evidence before them. As a result, whilst each reporter undertakes the gate check assessment using the same criteria, some differences in the content of decision reports/letters are to be expected.

In relation to assessing proposed housing land targets, the guidance advises that the appointed reporter is expected to consider whether there is sufficient information to establish the indicative Local Housing Land Requirement (LHLR), and whether the evidence provided is presented in a transparent and understandable way.

Pages 62–64 of the LDP guidance outline the types of evidence that planning authorities may wish to present when proposing an indicative LHLR. This can include:

Minimum All-Tenure Housing Land Requirements (MATHLR) set out in National Planning Framework 4;
Any more recent Housing Needs and Demand Assessment (HNDA);
The Local Housing Strategy;
Evidence on ineffective stock or windfall assumptions; and
Any other up-to-date evidence or policy considerations.

The reporter considers the sufficiency and clarity of the methodology and figures used, as well as any stakeholder comments, rather than applying any fixed weighting to individual criteria. Where the evidence is not sufficient or clearly explained, the return of the evidence report to the authority allows issues to be addressed before decisions are taken on housing land allocation in the proposed plan.

Question reference: S6W-43174

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 19 January 2026
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 27 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what feedback it has received from planning authorities regarding the clarity and consistency of the evidence report gate check process for Local Development Plans.

The Scottish Government has received a range of feedback from planning authorities on the clarity and consistency of the evidence report gate check process for Local Development Plans. Planning authorities have raised concerns which have been shared directly with Planning Officials and me, about perceived contradictions and a lack of clarity in the various sources of guidance. Planning authorities are unclear what constitutes sufficient evidence which causes uncertainty and makes evidence report preparation more resource intensive and time-consuming than expected. These issues were highlighted both through ongoing engagement with Heads of Planning Scotland (HOPS) and in discussions with individual councils.

I took part in the gate check summit on 8 December, during which planning authorities reiterated these concerns and noted that aspects of guidance produced by PARD and the Planning and Environmental Appeals Division (DPEA) appeared unclear or inconsistent. This feedback has informed subsequent work to produce updated and clearer guidance for authorities, and I continue to engage with Planning Officials on this matter.

From the DPEA perspective, having a small, dedicated team of reporters contributes to consistency in assessments. DPEA has also adapted the format of gate check reports and letters to improve clarity and focus on key issues. Pre-submission meetings have been offered to all authorities which allow those working on evidence reports to seek guidance on matters of uncertainty. Additionally, follow-up meetings have been held with authorities after the return of evidence reports to support understanding and next steps.

Question reference: S6W-43176

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 19 January 2026
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 27 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how many Local Development Plans have been rejected during the evidence report gate check stage to date, and for what reasons.

The following table lists the 12 insufficient evidence reports that have been returned to date.

Case Reference	Authority	Case Reporter	Date of Decision	Decision Description
GATE-400-1	West Lothian Council	Katrina Rice	07-Nov-25	Evidence Report Insufficient
GATE-200-2	East Dunbartonshire Council	Alison Kirkwood	05-Nov-25	Evidence Report Insufficient
GATE-100-1	Aberdeen City Council	Claire Milne	23-Oct-25	Evidence Report Insufficient
GATE-330-1	Orkney Islands Council	Stephen Hall	30-Sep-25	Evidence Report Insufficient
GATE-110-1	Aberdeenshire Council	Allison Coard	23-Sep-25	Evidence Report Insufficient
GATE-250-2	Fife Council	Allison Coard	18-Sep-25	Evidence Report Insufficient
GATE-280-1	Inverclyde Council	Claire Milne	17-Jul-25	Evidence Report Insufficient
GATE-340-1	Perth and Kinross Council	Stephen Hall	08-Jul-25	Evidence Report Insufficient
GATE-210-2	East Lothian Council	Katrina Rice	01-Apr-25	Evidence Report Insufficient
GATE-170-1	Dumfries and Galloway Council	Alison Kirkwood	01-Apr-25	Evidence Report Insufficient
GATE-260-1	Glasgow City Council	Alison Kirkwood	19-Sep-24	Evidence Report Insufficient
GATE-250-1	Fife Council	Allison Coard	19-Jul-24	Evidence Report Insufficient

Links to the decision notice and reporters recommendations detailing full reasons for all insufficient gate checks can be found on the Scottish Government’s Planning and Environmental Appeals Division webpage at: Scottish Government - Planning and Environmental Appeals Division (DPEA) by searching on the case reference number.

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