- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 May 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Lorna Slater on 30 May 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6O-02223 by Gillian Martin on 11 May 2023, how it calculated the figure of £1.3 billion.
Answer
The figure of £1.3 billion was included in the 2021 Green Finance Institute (GFI) report on the finance gap for nature related outcomes, and was for estimated woodland creation and maintenance costs up to 2031. Costs are calculated by multiplying the total target area of woodland to be created (as specified by the Climate Change Plan 2018 – 2032) with a unit cost per area for planting and, separately, subsequent maintenance. This figure is in line with estimates by Scottish Forestry, who were also represented on the project board for the GFI report. It should be noted that nature restoration costs can vary significantly between individual sites (the type and size of intervention, location and existing condition all being factors) and that a cost estimate for the whole of Scotland gives only a partial representation of restoration needs. The next Climate Change Plan will set out the costs and benefits of the policies it contains and will include details on financial costs of policies, including those in the forestry sector.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 11 May 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Kevin Stewart on 23 May 2023
To ask the Scottish Government how long the A9 Inverness to Perth road has been closed due to an accident in (a) one and (b) both direction(s) in each of the last five years, broken down by month.
Answer
The length of closures (in hours / minutes) of the A9 between Inverness and Perth due to an accident between 2018 and 2023 (to date), month by month are detailed in the following table:
Year/ Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
2018 | 16.11 | 02.00 | 05.40 | 03.25 | 05.30 | 07.10 | 21.40 | 10.15 | 0 | 14.00 | 07.10 | 03.20 |
2019 | 03.36 | 04,30 | 02.00 | 00.25 | 0 | 0 | 02.45 | 02.22 | 0 | 11.10 | 09.35 | 01.45 |
2020 | 06.50 | 00.40 | 03.55 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 06.50 | 05.45 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2021 | 0 | 09.35 | 0 | 0 | 00.35 | 0.50 | 06.05 | 13.40 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13.20 |
2022 | 0 | 0 | 01.30 | 11.45 | 01.40 | 00.50 | 15.00 | 15.30 | 06.35 | 22.05 | 06.20 | 05.55 |
2023 | 15.35 | 02.15 | 07.00 | 11.50 | | | | | | | | |
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 11 May 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Kevin Stewart on 23 May 2023
To ask the Scottish Government how many accident-related temporary closures of the A9 Inverness to Scrabster road have taken place in (a) one and (b) both direction(s) in each of the last five years, broken down by month.
Answer
Closures of the A9 between Inverness and Scrabster due to an accident between 2018 and 2023 (to date), month by month are detailed in the following table:
Year/ Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
2018 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
2019 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
2020 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
2021 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
2022 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
2023 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | | | | | | | |
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 11 May 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Kevin Stewart on 23 May 2023
To ask the Scottish Government how many accident-related temporary closures of the A9 Inverness to Perth road have taken place in (a) one and (b) both direction(s) in each of the last five years, broken down by month.
Answer
Closures of the A9 between Inverness and Perth due to an accident between 2018 and 2023 (to date), month by month are detailed in the following table:
Year/ Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
2018 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
2019 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
2020 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2021 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
2022 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
2023 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 4 | | | | | | | | |
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 12 May 2023
Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Current Status:
Answered by Siobhian Brown on 23 May 2023
To ask the Scottish Government how many Highland-based organisations have received support from its CashBack for Communities programme in (a) 2022-23 and (b) 2023-24 to date.
Answer
The CashBack for Communities fund is a unique programme that reinvests money recovered from the proceeds of crime to support young people across Scotland.
Phase 5 of the CashBack for Communities programme ran from 2020 to 2023. Twelve organisations received CashBack funding in the Highland area in 2022-23, with 11 of those organisations receiving Cashback support from organisations based elsewhere in Scotland.
Phase 6 of the CashBack programme runs from 2023 to 2026. Following a highly competitive funding round, one Highland-based organisation has been awarded CashBack funding to deliver projects over the three-year period. The project plans of three organisations out with the Highland area include plans to develop and deliver CashBack activities in partnership with Highland–based organisations.
Details of all the Phase 6 CashBack partners are available on the CashBack for Communities website: https://cashbackforcommunities.org/
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 11 May 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Kevin Stewart on 23 May 2023
To ask the Scottish Government how long the A9 Inverness to Scrabster road has been closed due to an accident in (a) one and (b) both direction(s) in each of the last five years, broken down by month.
Answer
The information extracted does not provide for the differentiation between a closure of the road in both directions or when the road is only closed in one direction and each incident has been recorded as a ‘road closure.’
The length of closures (in hours / minutes) of the A9 between Inverness and Scrabster due to an accident between 2018 and 2023 (to date), month by month are detailed in the following table:
Year/ Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
2018 | 02.15 | 07.00 | 05.25 | 0 | 01.35 | 07.20 | 0 | 0 | 09.05 | 0 | 00.55 | 0 |
2019 | 03.00 | 0 | 0 | 15.20 | 02.55 | 01.55 | 09.45 | 07.40 | 07.35 | 03.50 | 11.20 | 14.05 |
2020 | 04.00 | 13.50 | 07.05 | 0 | 0 | 11.00 | 00.55 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13.25 | 01.15 |
2021 | 10.25 | 0200 | 03.10 | 01.55 | 03.45 | 11.40 | 02.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10.40 | 0 |
2022 | 0 | 06.00 | 04.10 | 13.05 | 01.30 | 02.00 | 0 | 0 | 12.35 | 0 | 08.25 | 01.10 |
2023 | 07.00 | 08.17 | 0 | 0 | 04.16 | | | | | | | |
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 24 April 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 23 May 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what its commitment is to increasing forestry cover, including any timescales; whether any such commitment is tied to the fulfilment of any domestic or international climate action agreements; whether current policy towards extending tree cover meets the expectations of the Climate Change Committee; what annual budget is allocated to achieve its commitments on tree cover, and whether any such budget allocations for tree cover have been fully spent in each of the last three years.
Answer
Scotland’s Forestry Strategy has committed to increasing forest and woodland cover from around 18% to 21% of the total area of Scotland by 2032. To achieve this the Forestry Strategy Implementation Plan and Scottish Government’s Climate Change Plan both commit to increasing woodland creation to 18,000 hectares a year in 2024-25.
This commitment to increase forestry cover is an important part of Scotland’s response to the climate emergency and the international Paris Agreement, which set out Scotland’s ambition to reach net zero by 2045. The commitment sits within the range of scenarios described by the Climate Change Committee. It also contributes to Scottish Government’s pledge to plant 165,000 hectares of new woodland by 2030 as part of the international Bonn Challenge.
The following table shows the annual budget allocated to achieve the commitments on increasing tree cover, together with net spend (millions):
| 19-20 | 20-21 | 21-22 |
Woodland Grants | £51.0m | £55.3m | £61.8m |
EU Co-financing | £(20.8)m | £(26.9)m | £(10.5)m |
Net Budget | £30.2m | £28.4m | £51.3m |
Net spend | £27.9m | £17.6m | £31.8m |
The planting target increased from 10,000 hectares in 19-20 to 12,000 hectares in 20-21 in line with our net zero ambitions. Unfortunately due to the impact of the outbreak of Covid, EU exit and bad weather during the planting season only 10,660 hectares of woodland were created, resulting in an underspend of £10.8m. The planting target for 21-22 was increased to 13,500 hectares. Due to the influence of storms Arwen, Malik and Corrie and the availability of labour resources, particularly from Europe, 10,480 hectares of woodland were created. This resulted in an underspend of £19.5m.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 May 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Lorna Slater on 19 May 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to questions S6W-16435 and S6W-16430 by Lorna Slater on 25 April 2023, whether the ethical framework referred to as yet to be “agreed and approved” will be subject to open consultation prior to its agreement and approval; by whom the ethical framework will be approved, and how adherence to the framework will be (a) monitored and (b) reported.
Answer
The ethical framework will be approved and monitored by the project governance board. NatureScot will make available a draft version to interested parties on request to gather feedback.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 May 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Lorna Slater on 19 May 2023
To ask the Scottish Government how the figure of £2 billion of private investment, which is referred to by NatureScot as being available under the terms of the Memorandum of Understanding agreed between NatureScot and private financial interests, was calculated.
Answer
The £2 billion figure represents the current, combined investment appetite from the private partners. It is an indicative sum, subject to detailed negotiation of investment in specific projects. Detailed financial modelling and risk assessment will be undertaken for each investment before the investors make a firm financial commitment to each project. It is not a cap on investment through this partnership, nor an assessment of the total financing requirements of specific projects, rather it represents the current budget available.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 May 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Lorna Slater on 19 May 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-16430 by Lorna Slater on 25 April 2023, whether the project board envisaged will approve investment cases; what status any such approval will have; whether any investment cases approved by the project board will confer any beneficial status on investment cases approved, and when the first investment cases are expected to be completed.
Answer
The detailed workings of the project governance board and what role it will have in the approval of investment cases are still to be agreed. This will be agreed by the board later in 2023, prior to investment decisions being taken. Consideration of an investment case for the project in the Scottish Borders is aimed to take place in late 2023/early 2024.