Questions and answers

Question reference: S6W-22178

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 27 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 9 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, pending the outcome of the judicial review of the decision of the UK Secretary of State for Scotland to issue an order under section 35 of the Scotland Act 1998 in respect of the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill, whether it plans to implement a gender self-identification policy across the entire public sector.

It is for individual organisations to create their own policies in accordance with the Equality Act 2010. The Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill does not modify the Equality Act 2010. The Scottish Parliament’s power to legislate on equality is limited as equal opportunities are reserved to the Westminster Government. Responsibility for oversight of compliance with the 2010 Act rests with the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) which has issued guidance on how the Regulations should be applied in practice. The Scottish Government expects all relevant organisations to comply with the requirements of the 2010 Act and with the relevant codes of practice and other guidance published by the EHRC.

Question reference: S6W-22184

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 9 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many women currently waiting for a diagnosis of endometriosis have been waiting more than (a) one year, (b) five years and (c) 10 years.

Question reference: S6O-02716

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 November 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 15 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what plans it has to restore a reported £6.6 million reduction in funding to Creative Scotland for 2024-25.

Question reference: S6W-22461

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 8 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish its analysis of the consultation responses on Highly Protected Marine Areas, which was launched in December 2022.

Question reference: S6W-22114

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 09 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 8 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what work it has undertaken to establish a threshold for tapering agricultural payments under provisions in the Agriculture and Rural Communities (Scotland) Bill.

Question reference: S6W-22257

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 3 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will explore the establishment of a marine innovation site.

The Scottish Government seeks to support the adoption of innovative aquaculture practices and recognises the role which legislative frameworks and other incentives play in fostering innovation. A recent example is the reduction of SEPA’s CAR licence fees by 50% for sites which plan to utilise innovative waste capture technologies.

The potential for a Scottish marine aquaculture innovation site was explored by the previous Aquaculture Industry Leadership Group. The Scottish Government remains open to discussing the purpose and aims of a marine innovation site further with stakeholders.

Question reference: S6W-22255

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 3 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to any potential applicability in Scotland of the approaches taken in Norway to aquaculture consenting and innovation, in light of its recent participation at Aqua Nor in Trondheim.

The Aqua Nor Conference in Trondheim was a fantastic opportunity to showcase the innovation, technology and research of Scottish aquaculture to an international audience.

A new Consenting Task Group has been formed to take forward and pilot key recommendations from last year’s independent review of aquaculture regulation. Good progress is being made to inform a new process for managing fish farm applications and the group is working towards piloting new arrangements which will be deployed in two local authority areas later this year.

On Scottish Government’s approach to aquaculture innovation, I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-22256 on 31 October 2023.

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-22258

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 3 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether its recently published Innovation Strategy will encourage and facilitate the establishment of a marine innovation site.

I refer the member to the answer to S6W-22257 on 3 November 2023.

The National Innovation Strategy addresses the challenges and actions we need to take to ensure we deliver across the entire range of innovation activity in Scotland, and how we can best utilise innovation as a driver to grow our economy, create jobs and deliver priority outcomes for all of Scotland's citizens. The Strategy sets out ambitious and transformational programmes on cluster building, investment, productivity, and commercialisation.

The National Innovation Strategy will take a cluster approach to our innovation priorities, and this approach will be a national, regional and local approach. We will work with industry, academia and the public sector to evaluate individual needs to address barriers and opportunities, and providing phased tailored packages of support in each priority area to further stimulate growth and innovation.

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-22183

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 3 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many farmers its ministers spoke with regarding the Agriculture and Rural Communities (Scotland) Bill prior to its introduction.

Information on those who engaged with the consultation, the findings of this extended engagement and total number that attend the events can be found at this link: https://www.gov.scot/publications/agriculture-bill-analysis-consultation-responses .

Engagement on the Bill, on the Bill proposals, and on the wider Agriculture Reform Programme is constant and extensive. A full list of the roadshow dates can be found at https://www.ruralpayments.org/news-events/agriculture-reform-programme--arp--roadshow-dates-2023.html

Information on the ARIOB and the meetings can be found at https://www.gov.scot/groups/agriculture-reform-implementation-oversight-board/

Further information on previous Ministerial engagements can be found at this link: https://www.gov.scot/collections/ministerial-engagements-travel-and-gifts/

The Scottish Government is calling on the agriculture sector to help shape the detail of future support and how it is delivered. This initiative is open to everyone and we would encourage anyone with an interest to register on the Rural Payments website so that their views are represented and they can help influence how future support is delivered.

The Agricultural Reform Route Map sets out the proposed timescales for information and interaction with the agricultural industry.

Question reference: S6W-22256

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 16 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 31 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to promote innovation in Scotland’s aquaculture sector.

The Scottish Government recognises the crucial role that innovation plays in enabling the sustainable development of Scottish aquaculture. We will continue to work with our enterprise agencies, innovation centres, and other relevant stakeholders to find ways that encourage innovation that helps the industry address its most pressing challenges while creating opportunities for Scottish businesses.

For example, the Scottish Government recently sponsored Scotland's Pavilion at Aqua Nor 2023, the world's largest aquaculture technology and trade exhibition, providing £85,000 from the Marine Fund Scotland to allow Scottish businesses to locate together, demonstrate their innovation and science capabilities and make an impact.

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