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-27899

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 11 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with (a) ScotRail and (b) Transport Scotland regarding the reported 12 extra services per day that would operate on the Aberdeen, Inverness and Elgin route and which have not been included in the new train timetables.

Question reference: S6W-27904

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 11 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish an analysis of its consultation on the implementation timescales for a new environmental quality standard (EQS) for emamectin benzoate, as used in fish farms, which closed on 24 July 2023.

Question reference: S6W-27905

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 11 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many fish farms have been allowed to continue using the pesticide, emamectin benzoate, at the level set by the 2017 environmental quality standard (EQS), in light of the subsequent interim EQS applying only to new and expanded fish farms.

All farms that discharge emamectin benzoate are being regulated against the previous environmental standard of 763 ng/kg of wet weight sediment or against the revised environmental standard recommended by UKTAG of 272 ng/kg of dry weight sediment.

Farms authorised to discharge emamectin benzoate
	No. farms	No. farms that have used emamectin benzoate at least once between 2017 and 2024
Regulated against previous environmental standard (763 ng/kg of wet weight sediment).	332	194
Regulated against updated environmental standard (272 ng/kg of dry weight sediment) recommended by UKTAG.	22	15

Question reference: S6W-27900

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 31 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 6 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with (a) Transport Scotland and (b) ScotRail regarding the delivery of hourly train services between Inverness and Aberdeen, as committed to in the first Strategic Transport Projects Review in 2009 and which has not been included in the new train timetables.

My officials at Transport Scotland meet with ScotRail and Scottish Rail Holdings regularly to discuss various matters. ScotRail keeps its services under constant review to ensure they best meet the passenger demand.

Since the publication of the 2009 Strategic Transport Projects Review, the Scottish Government has invested £330 million in delivering journey time improvements and greater connectivity for both passenger and freight services operating on the line between Aberdeen and Inverness. These works were undertaken as part of the Aberdeen – Inverness Rail Improvement Project.

Question reference: S6O-03574

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 June 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 13 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider increasing funding for empty homes officers, in light of the First Minister’s reported statement that empty homes are key to tackling the housing emergency.

Question reference: S6W-27803

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 4 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to assess the potential cumulative impact of the reported five new proposed developments for pumped storage hydro-electricity generation around Loch Ness in the Highlands, particularly in relation to endangered wild salmon populations and fragile native woodlands.

It would not be appropriate to comment on the merits or impacts of any specific renewable energy proposal.

National Planning Framework 4, approved by the Scottish Parliament in 2023, is making sure the planning system enables the sustainable growth of the renewable energy sector while continuing to protect our most valued natural assets and cultural heritage.

Potential impacts on biodiversity and woodlands, including the cumulative effects of developments, are important considerations in the decision-making process, with all applications being subject to site-specific assessments, including Environmental Impact Assessment where relevant.

Question reference: S6O-03487

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 May 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 29 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the issuing of licences for scallop dredging activities that may cause harm to priority marine habitats, in light of reports of harm being caused to such habitats, including the herring spawning grounds off North Erradale and Gairloch.

Question reference: S6O-03473

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 May 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 23 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the implementation of ferry travel measures contained in the Fair Fares Review, including free foot passenger travel on inter-island ferries and the extension of the existing National Ferry Concessionary Scheme for island residents under 22 years old.

Question reference: S6W-26607

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 April 2024
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 29 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what action has been taken since the publication of the Future Planners Project Report, which highlights the need for an additional 700 new planners over the next 10 to 15 years.

The Scottish Government has been working with Heads of Planning Scotland (HOPS), the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) and other partners to progress the short, medium and longer term recommendations of the Future Planners Project Report since its publication in July 2022, to increase the number of new entrants into planning authorities and other parts of the planning sector. The recommendations cover diverse areas of action including support for funded postgraduate opportunities; extending opportunities for students to gain relevant work experience; supporting universities to maintain the viability of RTPI-accredited planning courses and increasing the number of home students where possible; as well as exploring possibilities to retain more international students in the workforce.

In 2023 HOPS launched a campaign toolkit for use by local authorities, employability services, government departments and other planning associated organisations to give young people an insight into planning as a career option. The pack contains links to promotional videos, social media graphics and a downloadable leaflet for use at careers fairs.

The Scottish Government has also provided funding for ten RTPI bursaries for students undertaking post graduate planning degrees in Scottish planning schools in 2023/24. We intend to continue support for bursaries and will confirm arrangements as soon as possible.

RTPI and the Scottish Government have been promoting the case for a planning or practice-based planning degree and will continue to support delivery of such routes into the profession. I wrote to planning schools in October 2023 to encourage their continued support for higher education in this discipline. I will shortly be meeting colleagues from across the planning sector, including industry, at the University of Glasgow, to discuss potential practical initiatives to support planning education and routes into a career in planning.

Work to develop a planning skills strategy is underway, drawing on experience from the approach taken to developing a strategy for building standards. The new National Planning Improvement Framework will gather data on workforce and skills requirements which will help inform the strategy for Scotland as a whole.

Our Investing in Planning consultation provides a more detailed update on the Future Planners report recommendations and action in relation to skills, recruitment and retention within the planning sector. The consultation seeks views on prioritisation of actions already identified and any other measures with the potential to make a significant impact. The consultation is open until 31 May 2024.

Question reference: S6W-26889

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 April 2024
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 25 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what work it has done to assess any impact of salmon farm mass mortality events on the welfare of (a) salmon farm workers and (b) local communities, in light of the article published in Nature on 7 March 2024, which found that mass die-offs on salmon farms have reportedly been increasing over the last decade in every country where salmon farming operates, including Scotland.

The 7 March 2024 publication by Nature Scientific Reports concerning mass mortality events in salmon aquaculture focused on the community impacts in relation to specific catastrophic events in Chile. Similar impacts on communities have not been experienced in Scotland and the Scottish Government does not consider that speculative extrapolation between Chile and Scotland on community impacts or worker safety is appropriate given differences in circumstances and approaches including health and safety regimes.