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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: S6O-02918

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 December 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 21 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the small business minister has had with ministerial colleagues regarding an assessment of the total number of self-catering properties in Scotland since the introduction of its short-term let licensing scheme.

Question reference: S6W-23467

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 12 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made to identify an alternative to using Asulox as a method of bracken control.

A number of alternative methods of control are available to aid bracken management depending on the intended outcome of a control strategy and the challenges that could be encountered.

The Scottish Government will continue to support stakeholders by working with NatureScot to progress priorities that were identified at the stakeholder roundtable in August. These include delivery of best practice guidance, to be in place for June 2024, and development of a bracken framework which will help land managers consider where bracken control is needed, how it could be undertaken and the intensity of any control.

The Scottish Government takes the use of chemicals very seriously. Pesticide products are only authorised where data demonstrates that the proposed use will not have unacceptable effects on human health or the environment.

Question reference: S6W-23370

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 11 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how much Peatland ACTION spent within Dumfries and Galloway in the current financial year, expressed both in monetary terms and as a percentage of overall spend.

Question reference: S6W-23368

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 11 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to Peatland ACTION projects, for what reason the prior information notice (PIN) process is used rather than the contract notice and contract award notice process.

The Prior Information Notice (PIN) process is used to give advance notice of projects to the sector and then this is followed by the contract notice and contract award notice process. Publishing a PIN is not a mandatory requirement, but it can alert the market that there is an opportunity coming up within the next 12 months, allowing bidders to research and start to prepare your bid. It can also make it possible for the procurement officer to reduce the timescales needed to complete the procurement exercise.

Question reference: S6W-23372

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 11 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what criteria Peatland ACTION uses to vet the design of peatland restoration plans.

Question reference: S6W-23373

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 11 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what criteria Peatland ACTION uses for selecting contractors in relation to peatland restoration.

Question reference: S6W-23369

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 11 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of NatureScot's budget attributed to peatland restoration is delivered via Peatland ACTION projects.

Question reference: S6W-23371

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 11 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what process Peatland ACTION follows when vetting applicants for funding.

The Scottish Government funds five direct delivery partners to carry out peatland restoration projects through the Peatland ACTION partnership - NatureScot, Forestry and Land Scotland, Cairngorms National Park Authority, Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority and Scottish Water.

Operational and delivery aspects of the programme, such as vetting of individual applications seeking funding for their projects, are a matter for each respective delivery partner and I would refer the MSP to those organisations for further information.

Question reference: S6O-02883

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S6W-23172

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 4 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on when the ripening and spawning season for razor clams takes place in Scottish waters.

As part of the scientific trial on electrofishing for razor clams, the Scottish Government has collected biological information related to the species. This has included live samples of razor clams which have been analysed to determine sex, stage of maturity, spawning time and length-weight relationships.

Scottish Government has worked closely with fishers to identify spawning season through first-hand experience and knowledge gathered through fishing. Annual progress reports are published online: 2018-2019 , 2019-2020 , 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 ).