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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: S6W-02241

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 August 2021
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 9 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of its current forestry targets, in light of the specific recommendations in the report, Farming for 1.5C: From here to 2045.

In December 2020, the Scottish Government published an Update to the Climate Change Plan 2018-2032, which sets out the Scottish Government's pathway to our new and ambitious targets set by the Climate Change Act 2019 . In the development of this update, the Scottish Government reviewed its woodland creation targets and, as a result, increased them, committing to a new target of 18,000 hectares per annum by 2024-25.

The Scottish Government is grateful to the Farming for 1.5C Inquiry for contributing to the discussion about how we collectively reach our climate change targets. We will consider the recommendations of the report as policies and implementation mechanisms in this area are developed.

These will build on the range of policies and initiatives that the Scottish Government has in place to support this ambition and to help farmers, crofters and land managers to become more aware of the multiple benefits that woodland creation can have for their businesses. For example, working with partners, the Scottish Government currently supports advisory visits to farms to identify opportunities for farm and croft woodlands and agroforestry.

Question reference: S6W-02239

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 August 2021
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 9 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will implement recommendation 11 in the report, Farming for 1.5C: From here to 2045, which states that "There should be a public interest test applied if more than 50% of a holding is planned to be afforested".

Scotland already has robust assessment processes in place to support decisions regarding woodland creation proposals on agricultural land. This approach is based on the findings of The Woodland Expansion Advisory Group (WEAG). This group was established to provide advice to ministers on which types of land are best for tree planting in Scotland and its membership included the National Farmers Union and the National Sheep Association. Key to the WEAG recommendations and the current decision-making process are the principles that the focus of woodland expansion should be away from prime agricultural land, and that while grazing land has significant potential for the creation of high quality and high value woodlands, woodland creation should avoid adverse impacts on local patterns of agriculture.

Under the Environmental Impact Assessment (Scotland) (Forestry) 2017 regulations, all woodland creation cases above the threshold size of 20 hectares, are required to be screened. Screening assesses the likelihood of a significant impact on the environment (including any potential impacts on land-use) and whether a full environmental assessment is required. For sensitive areas, no threshold size applies. Where a full assessment is required, before Scottish Forestry reaches a decision on whether or not to grant consent, the applicant must prepare an environmental report, which is subject to public consultation.

As such, the Scottish Government currently has no plans to implement recommendation 11 of the Farming for 1.5C report, that “There should be a public interest test applied if more than 50% of a holding is planned to be afforested”.

Question reference: S6O-00155

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 September 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 16 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how it supports schools in delivering high-quality education for children with additional support needs.

Question reference: S6W-02245

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 August 2021
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 7 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide details of its biodiversity targets.

The Scottish Government is committed to action to protect biodiversity and to the effective monitoring of progress towards this goal. We are working to meet the commitments set out within the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy, 2004 - 2020, and are aligned to the international Aichi biodiversity targets as set out in the Strategic Plan for biodiversity 2011-2020.

The final report against the Aichi targets published in 2021 showed that Scotland achieved 9 out of the 20 targets and another 11 are progressing. This compares favourably to the global picture, where the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) reports that good progress as being made on only 4 of the targets, and with the UK as a whole, which met only 5 targets. The CBD reports that there is no country in the world that has fully met the Aichi Biodiversity targets.

The 2020 Statement of Intent on Biodiversity included a commitment to protect 30% of our land for nature by 2030 And assess whether we could go further given that we have already achieved 37% protection of Scotland’s marine environment. We also recently added a new single high level indicator to the National Performance Framework which measures trends in marine and terrestrial biodiversity in Scotland.

Looking forward, we will publish a new biodiversity strategy in October 2022. This will set out how we will deliver our overall ambition of preventing any further extinctions of wildlife and halting declines by 2030, and making significant progress in restoring Scotland’s natural environment by 2045. This will lay the foundation for a new A Natural Environment Bill which will include legislation for new nature recovery targets.

Question reference: S6W-02546

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 August 2021
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 7 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the 2018 report by the Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee, Salmon Farming in Scotland, which states "that if the industry is to grow, the 'status quo' in terms of regulation and enforcement is not acceptable" and that "urgent and meaningful action needs to be taken to address regulatory deficiencies as well as fish health and environmental issues before the industry can expand", and the potential delay in addressing such concerns due to the commencement of the external review of the regulatory process involved in fish farming, to be conducted by Professor Russel Griggs, whether it will give immediate consideration to halting any further expansion of salmon farming until a satisfactory new regulatory regime is in place.

We do not support the halting of further expansion of salmon farming. The 2018 report by the Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee, Salmon Farming in Scotland , noted calls for a moratorium on new salmon farm developments and expansion of existing sides, but considered that there was insufficient evidence to support this. The Scottish Government agreed with the Committee’s recommendations that the status quo was not an option.

Since then, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency’s new finfish regulatory framework has launched and, through the Farmed Fish Health Framework, we have delivered a strengthened farmed fish sea lice compliance regime, including sea lice reporting legislation which came into force in May.

We are also committed to taking forward an immediate programme of work to better protect wildlife and the environment, including a response to the Salmon Interactions Working Group in September 2021; consultation on a spatially adaptive sea lice risk assessment framework for fish farms by the end of the year; and strengthened controls on sea lice, wrasse and fish escapes in the course of 2021-22. There are no grounds to support a moratorium.

Question reference: S6O-00115

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 September 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what support it can offer the Borderlands region with its bid to be UK City of Culture 2025.

Question reference: S6W-02243

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 August 2021
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 31 August 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on providing more funding opportunities for young farmers and new entrants, in light of the recommendations in the report, Farming for 1.5C: From here to 2045.

We recognise that Scottish agriculture will continue to need skilled and innovative young new entrant farmers. Pathways to entry will remain available through our Farming Opportunities for New Entrants programme and our Land Matching Service. Whilst the National Reserve (Young Farmer and New Entrant) categories will continue providing farmers and crofters with the opportunity to receive an allocation of payment entitlements under the Basic Payment Scheme as well as the young farmers Basic Payment top-up.

In line with our manifesto commitment, we also plan further support through a separate new entrants fund.

Question reference: S6W-02076

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 August 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 31 August 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of electric alternatives to the (a) current and (b) future ferry network.

The Scottish Government and Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd have investigated the options for utilising zero emission electric propulsion systems and found that the current commercially available technology is best suited to the smaller vessels. The Small Vessels Replacement Programme will see up to 7 of the existing ‘Loch’ Class ferries replaced as part of Phase 1 with low or zero emission vessels. These will join the 3 diesel electric hybrid ferries already in service and help the Scottish Government achieve its target of 30% of the ferries it owns being low or zero emission by 2032.

https://www.cmassets.co.uk/project/svrp/

Going forward the Islands Connectivity Plan will investigate further the available and emerging opportunities and technologies available to the maritime sector and set out pathways towards the decarbonisation of ferry services. in support of the Scottish Government’s climate change commitments.

Question reference: S6W-02077

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 August 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 31 August 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made with the Ernst & Young (EY) review of (a) the ferry network and (b) whether the tripartite transport policy infrastructure for ferries is fit for purpose, and by what date the findings will be published.

Question reference: S6W-02120

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 09 August 2021
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 27 August 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to introduce a statutory ban on the use of snares.