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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: S6O-02580

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 September 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether equivalent measures in Scotland are needed to those introduced in England and Wales by the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Act 2023, in light of reports of a recent spate of thefts in the Scottish Borders.

Question reference: S6W-21250

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 11 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 20 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how it will ensure that the payments structure under the Agriculture Bill will be clear regarding (a) the conditionality attached to each proposed tier of support and (b) how funding would be delivered to each tier.

Question reference: S6W-20934

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 01 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 19 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether doubling the total amount of land under organic management will have a positive or negative impact on (a) greenhouse gas emissions and (b) Scotland’s reliance on food imports.

The Scottish Government is committed to doubling the land area devoted to organic farming by 2026 and supporting the growth of organic food production in Scotland, in recognition of the benefits of nature-friendly farming practices. The Scottish Government is also committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and supporting the transition to Net Zero.

Organic farming is a holistic approach and is not mutually exclusive with other practices such as agroforestry, for example. Several practices that may be undertaken through an organic approach can lead to a reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, such as reduced use of synthetic fertilisers.

The Scottish Government commissioned research in 2022, ‘The Potential for an Agroecological Approach in Scotland’, which included an exploration of organic practices. This linked these practices to a potential reduction in GHG emissions at farm-level. Evidence gaps remain on the impact on overall emissions, as these practices are likely to result in lower yields while increasing farm resilience and contributing to yield stability.

The study notes that any impacts of organic farming practices on greenhouse gas emissions and Scotland’s reliance on food imports are highly reliant on factors such as geographical location, the farming system, and the time since the transition from conventional to organic production. Therefore, the impact on emissions and food imports is influenced by several factors. We have commissioned further research on this issue to explore it in greater depth.

Question reference: S6W-20933

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 01 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 19 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has made of any benefits of gene editing for the Scottish agriculture and horticultural sectors in terms of Scotland's dependence on imports of plant proteins.

Question reference: S6W-20930

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 01 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 19 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has made of any benefits of gene editing for the Scottish agriculture and horticultural sectors in terms of improving the sector's efficiency and profitability.

Question reference: S6W-20935

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 01 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 19 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to award compensation to people who undertook Asulox treatments legally before the emergency authorisation was refused in June 2023.

Scottish Ministers agreed to HSE refusing the 2023 emergency authorisation application for the use of the herbicide Asulox, to control bracken, because of the risks it poses to the environment and human health.

There is no reason to suggest compensation for previous users would be necessary. Asulox has been withdrawn in the UK for over 15 years. For the last 10 years it has been approved annually as part of an emergency authorisation, for limited and controlled use each season. HSE consider each application on a case-by-case basis against the legislative requirements, and this year considered that it did not meet the regulatory requirements for authorisation. There is no obligation to grant an emergency authorisation and it is the responsibility of the applicant to provide all relevant information to justify the need for emergency use.

Support for bracken control through the Agri-Environment Climate Scheme (AECS) has continued for 2023. Contracts for chemical and mechanical bracken control were issued from the 2022 round of AECS which commenced in 2023. Where contract holders had intended to undertake chemical control, we have offered flexibility to allow mechanical or manual activity.

The Scottish Government recognises the role that Asulox has played in recent years in the control of bracken in Scotland. We recently held a bracken roundtable to work with stakeholders to identify priority actions to allow for the safe control of bracken, where land managers deem it necessary.

Question reference: S6W-20918

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 August 2023
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 19 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how the Energy Consents Unit assesses the potential impact on communities of battery storage sites that are to be built around them when approving or denying an application.

An applicant is expected to undertake pre application consultation prior to submission of an Electricity Act application for construction of a battery storage development. Such pre application allows local communities to have their say at an early stage, and the Scottish Ministers expect that a submitted application includes a report on how communities’ views have been taken into account through this process.

An application submitted for consideration by the Scottish Ministers must provide assessment of the potential impacts on the receiving environment and on local amenity and infrastructure. A public consultation is held, and members of the public are invited to make representations on the submitted application. Community councils in the vicinity of the proposal are consulted for their views on the potential impacts.

The application information, consultation responses and representations from members of the public are considered carefully before any decision is made on an application.

Question reference: S6W-20928

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 01 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 19 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has made of any benefits of gene editing for the Scottish agriculture and horticultural sectors in terms of reducing carbon emissions.

Question reference: S6W-20932

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 01 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 19 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has made of any benefits of gene editing for the Scottish agriculture and horticultural sectors in terms of food health and nutrition.

Question reference: S6W-20921

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 August 2023
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 19 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government on what grounds the Energy Consents Unit would reject an application to build a battery storage site.