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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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

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Question reference: S6F-01286

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 June 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 June 2022

To ask the First Minister whether the Scottish Government will respond to reported calls by the industry to establish a Gamekeeping Taskforce to tackle abuse of rural workers.

Question reference: S6W-09159

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jackson Carlaw (on behalf of the SPCB) on 23 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body, further to the answer to question S6W-04506 by Jackson Carlaw on 2 December 2021, whether it will provide an update on its considerations regarding the publication of all or part of the central register of interests held by the People and Culture Office.

The SPCB undertook to consider this and can advise that the central register of interests for SPCB staff who are members of the Parliament’s Leadership Group is now publicly available, as of this week. The register can be found here. The SPCB considers that publication of declared interests for Leadership Group members is in the public interest for reasons of transparency and maintaining trust and confidence. As before, Leadership Group members will be required, on an annual basis, to review their register of declared interests.

Question reference: S6O-01298

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 June 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 29 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve water quality in Scotland's rivers.

Question reference: S6T-00818

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 20 June 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 21 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reported warnings from a leading scientist that its opposition to gene-edited crops goes against the scientific consensus.

Question reference: S6W-08672

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 May 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 1 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many foxes there are in Scotland, and how the size of this population has changed annually since records began.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information.

A 2018 report by the Mammal Society under contract to Natural England, Natural Resources Wales and Scottish Natural Heritage, which reviewed the status of British mammal populations including the red fox, is the most recent survey to have been carried out.

The full report can be found at: http://publications.naturalengland.org.uk/publication/5636785878597632

Question reference: S6W-08598

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 May 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 26 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the results of the Scottish fisheries and climate change survey and any action it will take on this.

We launched the Fisheries Climate Change survey in November 2021 during COP 26 to assess the fishing sector’s readiness/ preparedness to respond to the climate change challenge. We said then that the results will be used to inform a stakeholder workshop in 2022.

The analysis is complete and we are now in the process of compiling a summary of the responses received and we will be publishing the summary shortly.

We are also in the process of planning the stakeholders workshop where we will present and discuss the results from the Fisheries Climate Change survey.

Question reference: S6W-08501

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 May 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 20 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has produced an interim assessment of the impact on (a) the local economy, (b) jobs, (c) cod spawning progress of the Firth of Clyde cod spawning closure for 2022-23.

The Firth of Clyde cod spawning closure took place from 14 February to 30 April. During my appearance at the RAINE Committee on 9 March I committed Marine Scotland officials to meet with stakeholders after the closure both to hear their thoughts on how it has worked from their perspective and for Marine Scotland to report on activities observed from their part and this meeting will take place in the coming weeks.

The Scottish Government continues to monitor the impact of policy decisions on the economy and the environment and in the spirit of co-management will work alongside all relevant stakeholders for a more sustainable West of Scotland cod stock.

Question reference: S6W-08370

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 May 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 13 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many Rural Payments and Services area offices are open for face-to-face appointments.

15 of the 16 Rural Payments and Inspections Division (RPID) Area Offices are currently open for face to face appointments. The exception is the Area Office based in Galashiels, which is currently closed due to building works. The RPID Area Offices have other customer support offers including phone calls, MS Teams calls, web chat or emails. Officials in Galashiels have also offered, in a very small number of specific of cases, to support the customer face to face in a location outwith the Galashiels Area Office.

Question reference: S6W-08309

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 May 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 12 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to the recent visit of the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and Islands to Catalonia, what the method of international travel was, and how any carbon emissions resulting from this travel were offset.

Myself and officials used a low cost carrier to travel from Scotland to Catalonia for the visit.

Travel is an essential part of official Government business and Ministers take their responsibility to travel sustainably very seriously and aim to use more sustainable forms of transport wherever possible.

A carbon emission levy is collected against air travel on a journey by journey basis. The levy aims to compensate for the carbon that our business travel generates. It raises funds that are put into projects that will remove the same amount of carbon from the atmosphere.

The carbon emissions levy is applied to all journeys undertaken by air as follows:

Domestic – £5 per journey

European – £6 per journey

International – £15 per journey

Question reference: S6W-08265

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 12 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the number of (a) trees and (b) hectares of woodland that have been lost as a result of Storms Arwen, Malik and Barra.

Using satellite data and computer modelling, Forest Research have recently issued a revised estimate of around 8,000 hectares of forests impacted by the winter storms. This equates to around 16 million trees that have been blown over or otherwise damaged.

After Storm Arwen at the end of November, Scottish Forestry and Confor brought together the industry to take a strategic and collective view and co-ordinate the recovery of the fallen wood so that it can get to market in a safe and timely manner. Many landowners are still clearing up and this will continue for months to come, and will continue to be supported in that work by the Scottish Government and its agencies.