Chamber and committees

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-11985

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S6W-11339

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 October 2022
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 25 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting Comhairle nan Eilean Siar’s care services, in light of the reported loss of 30 staff since the start of 2022.

There are more than 1,200 social care providers across Scotland, with local authorities responsible for providing or commissioning services. Local authorities and Health and Social Care Partnerships will wish to ensure that, in providing a range of services, their workforce planning arrangements take full account of the need to have safe and sustainable numbers of staff.

To maximise capacity to meet demand, and maintain integrated health and social care services throughout autumn and winter, our winter plan highlights the additional funding of £528 million allocated directly to Health and Social Care Partnerships for 2022 23. This funding was aimed at the following social care measures:

• £124 million to enhance care at home

• £144 million to support the December 2021 uplift to £10.02, as well as a further -

• £200 million to increase the minimum hourly rate of pay in adult social care

• £20 million to support interim care arrangements

• £40 million to enhance multi-disciplinary teams

• Waiving fees for mandatory PVG checks for new entrants to social care

• Extension of the Social Care Staff Support Fund to 31 March 2023, to ensure that social care workers absent with Covid-19 receive their full pay

Alongside this, SG have established a social care winter planning working group, to consider a number of potential/feasible options to ease the current pressures in the Adult Social Care Sector in advance of the winter period 2022-23. Local government are among those represented on this group.

To help alleviate the current pressures in social care, we are working with partners to scope out and design localised support with recruitment for the winter period. This will include marketing assets which can be adapted to meet local needs, and providing more in-depth support with recruitment where capacity to recruit is a barrier. This work is being taken forward in collaboration with key stakeholders representing the sector.

Question reference: S6W-11056

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 30 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of the (a) pelagic, (b) scallop dredge, (c) demersal fleets and (d) vessels with an overall length of 12 meters and under are currently fitted with (i) a vessel monitoring system, (ii) an electronic logbook and (iii) a remote electronic monitoring system with cameras, sensors and GPS, capable of independent monitoring and reporting of catch size, vessel size, time at sea, and types of gear used.

It is a requirement for all UK and EU fishing vessels with an overall length of 12 metres and over to be fitted with a Vessel Monitoring System and an electronic logbook, regardless of whether the vessel is involved in pelagic, scallop or demersal fishing operations.

Fishing vessels with an overall length less than 12 metres are not currently required carry a vessel monitoring system and electronic logbook.

The Scottish Government’s consultation on the introduction of Remote Electronic Monitoring (REM) to key fishing fleet segments closed on 7 June 2022. The responses submitted are currently being analysed. The consultation prioritised the mandatory rollout of REM to scallop dredge vessels and large pelagic vessels, along with consideration of further rollout to large demersal vessels. These proposals will place Scotland in a leadership position amongst other fishing nations operating in the North Sea and Europe, going further and faster than others including the European Union.

As set out in the consultation, REM is considered to be the use of imagery, sensors, and Global Positioning System (GPS) to independently monitor fishing operations, effort, and/or catch. The technology offers a range of benefits, which differ between different fishing fleets and therefore the Scottish Government is tailoring its use to match the nature and profile of our fishing fleets. As explained, this will likely result in simplified REM systems for some fleets (or fleet segments) that do not necessarily feature all the components (imagery, sensors and GPS). In line with these definitions, the following table shows the proportion of Scottish vessels installed with REM (minimum of GPS and sensor/s).

	Vessel Monitoring System	Electronic Logbook	Remote electronic monitoring system (minimum of GPS and sensor/s)
Over 12 m Pelagic	100%	100%	0%
Over 12m Scallop Dredge	100%	100%	98%
Over 12m Demersal	100%	100%	0%
12m & Under	0%	0%	3%

Question reference: S6O-01431

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 September 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how it will overcome reported significant skills and supply chain shortages in the Highlands and Islands to deliver 11,000 rural and island homes by 2032.

Question reference: S6W-10518

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 21 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to ensure that sufficient accommodation is available for students with conditional offers.

The Scottish Government has no direct role in the provision of student accommodation. However, we are aware of the ongoing difficulties faced by students in accessing accommodation this academic year.

We are currently undertaking a review of Purpose Built Student Accommodation (PBSA) which will look at a number of issues, including affordability and supply and the findings from this report, along with findings from the New Deal for Tenants Report which considered similar issues in the private rented sector, will inform a student accommodation strategy for Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-10505

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 6 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many acres of Scotland’s land are currently in community ownership.

The area of land in community ownership was estimated to be 191,261 hectares as of 31 December 2020. This figure has been taken from the Official Statistics publication Community Ownership in Scotland 2020 which is available at: https://www.gov.scot/publications/community-ownership-scotland-2020/ . The next update to this publication will be published 27 September 2022 and will include information on any further assets brought into community ownership up to
‎ 31 December 2021.

Question reference: S6W-10506

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 2 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many farm holdings in Scotland are over (a) 3,000 ha, (b) 2,000 ha, (c) 1,000 ha and (d) 500 ha, also broken down by region and also given as a percentage of total farm holdings.

The June 2021 Agricultural Census reported 50,231 agricultural holdings in Scotland. Of these 285 holdings were over 3,000 hectares in size, 433 over 2,000 hectares in size, 874 over 1000 hectares in size and 1,794 over 500 hectares in size. Please see the following table for figures relating to number of holdings by area size and region.

Number of holdings by area size and region
June Agricultural Census 2021

	Number of holdings				Percentage of holdings				Total Holdings
	> 3,000 ha	> 2,000 ha	> 1,000 ha	> 500 ha	> 3,000 ha	> 2,000 ha	> 1,000 ha	> 500 ha
North West	169	219	350	547	0.9%	1.1%	1.8%	2.8%	19,518
North East	20	34	64	147	0.2%	0.4%	0.8%	1.7%	8,507
South East	40	84	200	493	0.4%	0.9%	2.2%	5.4%	9,069
South West	56	96	260	607	0.4%	0.7%	2.0%	4.6%	13,137
Total	285	433	874	1,794	0.6%	0.9%	1.7%	3.6%	50,231

Question reference: S6W-09411

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 25 July 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to a Low Emission Zone (LEZ) in Inverness, in light of its approval of LEZ plans for Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Dundee.

The need for Low Emission Zones (LEZs) is for individual local authorities to consider based on specific air quality parameters within their respective areas. To date no LEZ proposals have been submitted for Ministerial approval by Highland Council.

Any local authority considering the introduction of a LEZ would undertake an assessment in accordance with the National Low Emission Framework (NLEF).

Highland Council carried out an NLEF assessment in 2020 and concluded that existing measures contained within their Air Quality Action Plan (AQAP), along with other local measures, would be sufficient to improve air quality within Inverness.

Question reference: S6O-01296

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 June 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 29 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how it will ensure that the future development of renewable energy involves communities meaningfully.

Question reference: S6W-08986

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 21 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to review the licensing process for mountain hare control.

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.

NatureScot is currently reviewing the guidance on the licensing process for mountain hare control and has been consulting stakeholders including Scottish Environment LINK and Rural Environment Land Management (RELM) in order to inform this review. NatureScot intend to publish revised guidance later this summer.