Questions and answers

Question reference: S6F-00604

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 13 December 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 16 December 2021

To ask the First Minister whether the Scottish Government will set up a commission on preventing violence against women and girls, in light of reports that one in five teenage girls have been sexually assaulted.

Question reference: S6O-00467

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 November 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 1 December 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what action it has taken to ensure a just transition for the Highlands and Islands.

Question reference: S6W-04042

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 November 2021
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 22 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Joint Nature Conservation Committee’s seventh quinquennial review of schedules 5 and 8 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, what assessment it has made of the potential removal of schedule 5 legal protection for (a) pine martens, (b) adders, (c) basking sharks and (d) other wildlife species in Scotland that (i) have not had a relevant International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN) assessment and (ii) are in decline but have had a relevant IUCN assessment that did not signal imminent threat of national extinction, and whether it would support a recommendation to remove schedule 5 protection for any of these species.

The Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) published a stakeholder consultation , including a list of provisional recommendations regarding the addition, retention, regrading or removal of each species on 8 November 2021. Those proposed recommendations do not include the removal of schedule 5 legal protection for pine martens, adders or basking sharks.

We will carefully consider the findings of the JNCC seventh Quinquennial review prior to implementing any recommendations. Before making any changes regarding species removal from schedule 5 we would have to be satisfied that there would be no detrimental impact to the individual species or to the wider biodiversity and environmental landscape in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-04176

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 05 November 2021
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 19 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that green incentives and loans for renewable energy efficiency measures for domestic properties are easy to understand and apply for, and that members of the public have access to the help and support they need to ensure that the application process itself is not a barrier to the assistance available.

The Scottish Government provides loans with cashback grants to enable households in all parts of Scotland to install renewables and energy efficiency measures. Funding is delivered through Home Energy Scotland and managed, on behalf of Scottish Government, by the Energy Saving Trust,

To further support households in understanding the application process, Home Energy Scotland provides:

free, impartial, bespoke advice through Home Energy Scotland, including specialist home renewables advice;
the Green Homes Network which allows households to find out about the experience of others who have already installed renewables measures; and
the Renewable Installer Finder Tool which helps households find installers and suppliers in their area.

Going forward, and following the recent publication of the Heat in Buildings Strategy, we are developing a bespoke public engagement strategy for heat in buildings. This builds on the objectives and guiding principles of our Public Engagement Strategy for Climate Change, as well as our existing support and advice programmes.

We are investing in growing our advice services so that they continue to meet people's needs and this includes improving our digital presence and continuing to provide in-depth support for installing zero emissions heating systems.

Question reference: S6W-04044

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 01 November 2021
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 18 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the legal purpose of section 9 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, as amended, is not only to prevent the national extinction of species, but also to maintain the species good ecological status.

The legal purpose of section 9 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 is the protection of certain wild animals.

Tackling biodiversity loss is a key priority for the Scottish Government and as outlined in our 2021-22 Programme for Government, we are committed to preventing any further extinctions of wildlife and halting declines by 2030, and making significant progress in restoring Scotland’s natural environment by 2045.

Question reference: S6W-04179

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 05 November 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 18 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to introducing free travel for under 22s on internal ferries, in line with free bus travel commitments; what distance under 22s travel on average on internal ferries per year, and what assessment has been made of the costs that under 22s would save per year under a system of free internal ferry travel for that age group.

The new statutory scheme is for bus travel only and does not extend to ferry travel. The soon to be published Island Communities Impact Assessment will discuss this in more detail and ferry fares are being reviewed as part of the forthcoming Islands Connectivity Plan.

We are also committed to taking forward our Fair Fares Review to ensure a sustainable and integrated approach to public transport fares, looking at the range of discounts and concessionary schemes which are available on all modes including bus, rail and ferry. The review will look at both cost and availability of services.

Internal ferries, including the setting of fares and holding information about services and travellers, is wholly the responsibility of the local authority. However, recognising the challenges this brings, the Scottish Government has provided over £50m to local authorities in the last four years on top of the local government settlement to support internal ferries.

Question reference: S6W-04046

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 November 2021
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 18 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Joint Nature Conservation Committee’s seventh quinquennial review of schedules 5 and 8 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, what assessment it has made of the potential removal of schedule 5 legal protection for mountain hares, and whether it would support such a recommendation.

The Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) published stakeholders consultation https://consult.defra.gov.uk/joint-nature-conservation-committee/911c8988/ , including a list of provisional recommendations regarding the addition, retention, regrading or removal of each species on 08 November 2021. Those proposed recommendations do not include the removal of schedule 5 legal protection for mountain hares.

We will carefully consider the JNCC recommendations of the seventh Quinquennial Review. Before making any recommendations regarding species removal from schedule 5, we must be satisfied that there would be no detrimental impact to the individual species or to the wider biodiversity and environmental landscape in Scotland.

Mountain hares are now a protected species following the passage of the Animals and Wildlife (Penalties, Protections and Powers) Act in June 2020. The protection came into force on 1 March 2021, meaning that the species can no longer be taken for sporting or recreational purposes. We will also continue to work with several partner organisations to continue to improve our understanding of mountain hare populations across Scotland, along with other work, to support the conservation status of this iconic species.

Question reference: S6O-00430

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 November 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 24 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how its Housing Strategy supports social landlords to ensure ageing properties meet current energy efficient standards.

Question reference: S6W-04043

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 01 November 2021
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 16 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it supports the proposed reforms to the methodology for designating animal and plant species with legal protection under Schedules 5 and 8 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, as outlined by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) in the information pack for its 7th Quinquennial Review of the Schedules 5 and 8, which was published on 1 July 2021.

Section 24 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 places an obligation on conservation bodies to review every five years Schedules 5 and 8 and advise Scottish Ministers whether, in their opinion: (a) any animal should be added to, or removed from, Schedule 5; (b) any plant should be added to, or removed from, Schedule 8.

Revised criteria for the review process were agreed by the Chief Scientist Group representing the three statutory nature conservation organisations, including NatureScot. It is not for the Scottish Government to approve the method by which the review mentioned above is undertaken.

Question reference: S6W-03848

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 16 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on (a) the resumption of work on its Fuel Poverty Strategy and (b) the appointment of the statutory Fuel Poverty Advisory Panel.

Chamber and committees