Questions and answers

Question reference: S6O-02457

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 August 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what further discussions it plans to have with the UK Government regarding lifting the 100KW deployment cap on its Feed-In Tariffs Scheme for renewable energy generation from community and farm-owned micro-hydro schemes in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-20666

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 August 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 29 August 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what representations it has made to the UK Government regarding any need for greater transparency on bycatch from supertrawlers, in light of reports of hundreds of dolphins being killed in UK waters every year.

While the management of Scottish waters is an area of devolved competency, the Scottish Government continues to work with the UK Government and other devolved administrations through the delivery of the Marine Wildlife Bycatch Mitigation Initiative (BMI) which is a joint plan for tackling bycatch across the UK to minimise, and where possible eliminate, bycatch of sensitive marine species.

It is important to note that all vessels authorised to operate in Scottish waters do so under the appropriate licences, and are obliged to follow Scottish domestic management rules. This includes a mandatory requirement for all vessels (including EU vessels) operating in UK waters to report all incidences of marine mammal bycatch to the Marine Management Organisation.

Sustainability, support for biodiversity, and consideration of the wider ecosystem is at the heart of how we manage Scotland’s fisheries and protect our marine environment. For this reason, actions contained within both Scotland Fisheries Management Strategy and in the Blue Economy Vision for Scotland, sets out our ambition for the sustainable management and shared stewardship of Scotland’s seas and coasts.

Question reference: S6W-20832

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 August 2023
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Paul McLennan on 24 August 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on progress with delivering the Bute House Agreement commitment to ensure that community housing trusts are adequately funded so that they can support the delivery of enhanced rural home building plans.

I am pleased to announce a package of support, co-funded with Nationwide Foundation, of up to £960,000 over the next three years. It will support the staff capacity and expertise within Communities Housing Trust and South of Scotland Community Housing to bring forward the projects in their pipeline to delivery.

This commitment will form part of the Remote, Rural and Islands Housing Action Plan that will be published in the Autumn.

Question reference: S6W-20327

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 August 2023
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 22 August 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what action Migdale Smolt Ltd has taken to comply with the planning condition associated with its section 42 application (reference 18/01202/S42) to monitor for wild fish impacts and escapes since the condition was imposed in 2018.

Monitoring compliance with conditions attached to planning permissions is a matter for the relevant planning authority. Planning authorities have a range of enforcement powers, and a general discretion under the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997 to take enforcement action against any breach of planning control if they consider such action to be in the public interest and proportionate to the scale of the breach, having regard to the provisions of the development plan and any other material considerations. The Scottish Government and Scottish Ministers have no remit under planning legislation to intervene in or comment on individual cases.

Question reference: S6W-20328

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 August 2023
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 22 August 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether Migdale Smolt Ltd is currently operating in compliance with the conditions associated with its section 42 application (reference 18/01202/S42) to monitor for wild fish impacts and escapes.

Monitoring compliance with conditions attached to planning permissions is a matter for the relevant planning authority. Planning authorities have a range of enforcement powers, and a general discretion under the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997 to take enforcement action against any breach of planning control if they consider such action to be in the public interest and proportionate to the scale of the breach, having regard to the provisions of the development plan and any other material considerations. The Scottish Government and Scottish Ministers have no remit under planning legislation to intervene in or comment on individual cases.

Question reference: S6W-20329

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 August 2023
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 22 August 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether any company that fails to meet any planning conditions over a prolonged period should be permitted to continue to operate.

Under planning legislation a failure to comply with a condition of planning consent constitutes a breach of planning control. Monitoring compliance with conditions attached to planning permissions is a matter for the relevant planning authority.

Planning authorities have a range of enforcement powers, and a general discretion under planning legislation to take enforcement action against any breach of planning control if they consider such action to be in the public interest and proportionate to the scale of the breach, having regard to the provisions of the development plan and any other material considerations.

Question reference: S6W-20250

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 July 2023
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 21 August 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment has been made of the discharge levels from open loop scrubbers, also known as exhaust gas cleaning systems, in Scottish ports, and whether it will consider implementing a prohibition on such discharges in Scottish ports, as has been the case in the Forth and Tay ports since 2019.

The Scottish Government has not conducted an assessment regarding discharge levels from Exhaust Gas Cleaning Systems (EGCS) in Scottish ports. Whilst statutory port authorities have individual powers to regulate vessel activities within their harbour limits, the responsibility for shipping emission regulations is reserved to the UK Government. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency is responsible for enforcing all shipping regulations in UK waters, to ensure vessels are meeting UK and international safety and environmental regulations.

Question reference: S6W-20330

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 August 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 18 August 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what action has been taken to address any current levels of genetic introgression from farmed salmon in Scotland, since the publication of the report by the Salmon Interactions Working Group.

In October 2021 we published our response to the Salmon Interactions Working Group (SIWG) report, and we are continuing to progress delivery of those commitments, which include action to minimise the escape of farmed fish to help protect Scotland’s wild salmonid populations.

Alongside our response to the report of the SIWG, the Marine Directorate published its first assessment of genetic introgression in wild salmon in 2021: A national assessment of the influence of farmed salmon escapes on the genetic integrity of wild Scottish Atlantic salmon populations | Marine Scotland Data Publications.

This was the first report as part of the National Introgression Programme for Scotland (NIPS) and based on sampling undertaken in 2018/2019. NIPS is an ongoing nationwide project that is researching the link between fish farm escapes and introgression in wild salmon populations.

In 2021 a second NIPS survey was conducted across the country with samples and data from this is currently being analysed. A further NIPS survey was also initiated in 2023 and sample collection is now underway. Analysis of the NIPS surveys from multiple sampling years will provide a picture of temporal changes in levels of introgression.

Question reference: S6W-20332

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 August 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 18 August 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, specifically in relation to production of salmon smolts in open net pens in Scottish freshwater lochs, what progress has been made to ensure that robust conditions to safeguard wild salmonids, based on an adaptive management approach, are contained within a licence rather than through planning consent and apply to existing, as well as new, fish farms, as set out in the Scottish Government response, dated October 2021, to the Salmon Interactions Working Group report.

As set out in the Bute House Agreement, and our response to the Salmon Interactions Working Group report, we are committed to improving the regulatory framework which applies to fish farm containment and escapes. We note calls in the Salmon Interactions Working Group report for escapes to be regulated by licence. We will consider this in forming our policy options, including how the Technical Standard for Scottish Finfish Aquaculture would fit within or alongside any enforcement regime. The publication and introduction of a new technical standard is our immediate priority.

Question reference: S6W-20331

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 August 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 18 August 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it remains committed to further strengthening the regulatory framework that applies to containment and escapes, including, but not limited to, how to introduce proportionate penalties for fish farm escapes, as set out in the Scottish Government response, dated October 2021, to the Salmon Interactions Working Group report.

Chamber and committees