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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: S5W-32092

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 28 September 2020
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 9 October 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether the St Kilda Management Plan takes into account the signatories' responsibilities under the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006.

St Kilda is one of six World Heritage Sites in Scotland and the only site which has mixed status as being of both natural and cultural value.

The islands of St Kilda are owned by the National Trust for Scotland, which has overall responsibility for management of the archipelago. The current Management Plan for St Kilda was developed, agreed and signed by the National Trust for Scotland and four other key partners who have a role in the management of the site (namely, Historic Scotland (now Historic Environment Scotland), Scottish Natural Heritage (now NatureScot), Comhairle nan Eilean Siar and the Ministry of Defence).

This question is therefore a matter for the National Trust for Scotland and other signatories, who will be better placed to advise on the Plan’s interaction with the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006.

Question reference: S5W-32061

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 25 September 2020
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 5 October 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take to reverse the decline in the number of woodland birds.

The long term trend for woodland birds in Scotland is increasing, in contrast to the situation across the whole of the United Kingdom. The Index of Abundance for Scottish Terrestrial Breeding Birds, 1994 to 2018 (an Official Statistic for Scotland, accessible via the following link: https://www.nature.scot/information-hub/official-statistics/
official-statistics-terrestrial-breeding-birds ) shows that while there is a large amount of inter-annual variation, with sometimes abrupt decreases and increases between individual years, the woodland bird index trend increased by 58% from the start of the time series in 1994 to the most recent estimate in 2018.

Question reference: S5W-31622

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 07 September 2020
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 22 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what its policy is on the use of lead shot over wetlands.

Question reference: S5O-04582

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 September 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 16 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made on establishing the public inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the death of Sheku Bayoh.

Question reference: S5W-31357

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 21 August 2020
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 31 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what consultation it has had with community councils and tenants' and residents' associations regarding their ability to respond to statutory planning consultations while they are presently unable to meet in person.

The Scottish Government has been liaising with COSLA, Community Council Liaison Officers and the Improvement Service to better understand how community council activities have been affected nationally during the Covid-19 pandemic, including their ability to respond to planning consultations.

Tenants’ and residents’ associations are not subject to specific statutory consultation requirements in the planning application and development planning processes; though we recognise that they may be involved in, for example, early engagement on development plans, responding to plan consultations, pre-application consultation, or responding to consultations on individual applications.

Question reference: S5W-31355

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 21 August 2020
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 31 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether local authorities can suspend consideration of major planning developments if community councils or tenants' and residents' associations are unable to participate in community consultations.

It would be for a planning authority to consider in the individual circumstances of a case whether there was a reason to delay or suspend processing of an application. Where a planning authority does not process a validly made planning application for national or major development in accordance with statutory timescales, the applicant has a right of appeal to the Scottish Ministers on the grounds of non-determination.

The Scottish Government has published advice about the operation of the planning system during COVID-19 via a series of Chief Planner letters ( https://www.gov.scot/collections/chief-planner-letters/ ) and in the form of ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ (available on the Scottish Government website: https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-
development-management---frequently-asked-questions/ ).

The advice encourages planning authorities to continue to process applications as far as possible during the pandemic, whilst stressing the need to ensure there are opportunities for public engagement, and that parties should develop pragmatic approaches to such engagement and to the extension of consultation timescales when necessary.

Question reference: S5W-31356

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 21 August 2020
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 31 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance has been given to local authorities regarding public consultation on planning developments, while in-person meetings and exhibitions cannot presently take place.

The Scottish Government has published a number of pieces of guidance to planning authorities and others regarding the operation of the system during the pandemic.

The Scottish Government’s Chief Planner and I jointly issued letters on 3 April and 29 May indicating the importance of the continued function of the planning system during the pandemic and acknowledging the challenges for the various parties involved.

These letters highlight the importance of continued public engagement, and point to the use of online information and virtual meetings, and to the need for parties to adopt new engagement techniques and to take a pragmatic approach generally. The letter of 29 May includes a link to the ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ guidance mentioned in the answer to S5W-31355 on 31 August 2020. The letters are available on the Scottish Government website (3 April: https://www.gov.scot/publications/planning-procedures-and-covid-19/ ; and 29 May: https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19---planning-procedures---chief-planner-letter-may-2020/ ).

There is specific guidance on conducting pre-application consultation (PAC) on national and major developments during the pandemic, which is available on the Scottish Government website: https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-
planning-guidance-on-pre-application-consultations-for-public-events/ .

Advice is also available on development planning consultation and engagement during the pandemic. Again this can be viewed on the Scottish Government website: https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-
development-planning-consultation-and-engagement-advice---may-2020/.

We have also published examples of digital engagement and digital options regarding tools for consulting with the public. These can be viewed on the Scottish Government website: https://www.transformingplanning.scot/digital-planning/digital-engagement/ .

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx

Question reference: S5O-04532

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 August 2020
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 27 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how it is responding to the Tayside Mental Health Draft Action Plan.

A final version of Tayside’s Mental Health Action Plan was published on 6 August. I am pleased that even while facing Covid, taking action to improve mental health services has rightly remained a priority for Tayside.

In keeping with the announcement of a package of Scottish Government support in January, this Government remains committed to continuing to support NHS Tayside and its partners to address the findings of the Strang report. It is imperative that they do so. I wrote to Tayside’s Executive partners earlier this month to thank them for the action plan and to arrange a meeting to discuss it further, which is scheduled for next month. In particular, I will be looking for assurance that the Tayside partnership are continuing to ensure that transparency and accountability remain key priorities; and asking how they are ensuring that those with lived experience are authentically included, engaged and involved in Tayside’s mental health change programme.

I am sure that we are all looking to Tayside to demonstrate early progress and to work with partners to effect long–lasting change. This will require strong leadership and effective scrutiny at a local level.

Since January, we have offered a range of support to NHS Tayside to address service provision, clinical practice, organisational development and community led services. At our request, the Chair of the Independent Inquiry into mental health services in Tayside, Dr David Strang, has agreed to undertake an independent assessment of progress early next year. We have recently strengthened this commission, enabling Tayside to benefit from Dr Strang’s perspective as a ‘critical friend’ throughout the year.

We now look to Tayside to translate its plan into the tangible change and excellent mental health services that the people of Tayside deserve.

Question reference: S5O-04539

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 August 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 3 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what it considers an acceptable length of time for negotiations on planning conditions to conclude.

Question reference: S5F-04306

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 24 August 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 August 2020

To ask the First Minister whether adequate measures are in place in Scotland's university towns to prevent local COVID-19 outbreaks as students begin to return to campuses.