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Current Status:
Withdrawn
- Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 December 2023
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 10 January 2024
To ask the Scottish Government how much it spent on the UCI World Cycling Championships in Glasgow in 2023.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 10 January 2024
- Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 04 December 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 18 December 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what the eligibility criteria are for slurry storage grants under the new Agri-Environment Climate Scheme, which is due to open in early 2024, in light of reports that if a holding or farm has been in receipt of a grant in the past then it is ineligible.
Answer
Final decisions for AECS 2024 will be made available once the full details of the SG budget allocations for financial year 2024-25 is available.
- Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 December 2023
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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.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 21 December 2023
- Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 30 November 2023
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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.
Answer
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.
- Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 November 2023
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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.
Answer
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.
- Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 November 2023
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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.
Answer
100%. NatureScot deliver all their peatland restoration works via Peatland Action projects.
- Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 November 2023
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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.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-23371 on 11 December 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
- Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 November 2023
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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.
Answer
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.
- Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 November 2023
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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.
Answer
Peatland ACTION has spent £56,800 towards physical restoration costs on projects within Dumfries and Galloway in this financial year. The total capital budget (not spend as that will be available once we complete the planned activities in this financial year) for Peatland Action in current financial year is £23m, so this spend is approximately 0.24% of overall budget.