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: S5W-00033

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 May 2016
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 24 May 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to meet its 2020 Aichi biodiversity targets and what its position is on whether the targets will be met.

Scotland's biodiversity strategy, Scotland's Biodiversity: It's in Your Hands, was published in 2004 and sets out how the government will conserve biodiversity for the health, enjoyment and wellbeing of the people of Scotland now and in the future. Scotland’s Biodiversity Strategy (SBS), the ‘2020 Challenge for Scotland’s Biodiversity’ was launched in 2013 and focuses on our desired outcomes for 2020. It is Scotland's response to the European Biodiversity Strategy for 2020 and the UN Convention on Biological Diversity 'Aichi' targets. It shows how the Scottish Government, its public agencies, Scottish businesses and others can contribute to the strategy's aims as well as supporting sustainable economic growth. It has adopted an ‘ecosystems approach’ which focusses on the need to protect ecosystems in order to support nature, wellbeing and a thriving economy.

In order to streamline effort, Scotland’s Biodiversity - a Route Map to 2020 was published in June 2015 to guide work towards the 2020 Aichi targets. The route map brings together the key work needed to deliver on the SBS, grouped under ‘Six Big Steps for Nature.’ Each of these steps include a range of actions that that are practical, delivered in partnership with others, and focus on delivering real improvements to biodiversity on the ground. There are 12 priority projects; 64 route map actions and 8 areas of supporting work in the route map. Both planning and implementation of the work in the route map has been through a cooperative approach with the Scottish Government, its agencies, environmental non-government organisations and others with a key role or interest in looking after Scotland’s biodiversity. Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) has a role in leading the delivery of the route map.

In order to monitor progress towards the Aichi targets SNH provides a six monthly update on progress with the SBS and route map. The most recent of these was published in December 2015 and it provided a selection of achievements in the first six months of route map action presented as Route Map Highlights.

These were:

Peatland restoration, ongoing on 5,580 ha through 107 agreements with land owners/managers.

National Peatland Plan published in August 2015.

Forestry Grant Scheme launched – first awards in November 2015.

INNS control ongoing in native woods in the National Forest Estate.

Physical restoration work ongoing on 14 water bodies across 5 catchments.

The Natural Capital Asset Index update presented to the World Forum on Natural Capital in November 2015.

The Outdoor Learning Directory was officially launched in September 2015 to provide a portal to services supporting outdoor learning provided by Scottish Government agencies with an environment and heritage remit.

The latest NHS greenspace demonstration project at Ailsa and Ayr hospital was formally opened in October 2015.

Doubled the number of citizen science and action projects being advertised from 40 - 80.

Five estates joined the ‘Heads Up for Hen Harriers’ project.

Volunteers being recruited to help deliver the wild cat monitoring programme.

Environmental Cooperation Action Fund launched in October 2015.

Final plans for management of 11 Marine Protected Areas and 10 Special Areas of Conservation published.

A further report on progress will be prepared for June 2016. With the support of SNH, the Scottish Government is closely monitoring progress towards the 2020 Aichi targets.

Question reference: S5W-00032

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 May 2016
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 24 May 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that Scotland's protected (a) land and (b) sea areas contribute to meeting the Aichi biodiversity target 11 and lead to an increase in the number of natural features that are recorded as being in a favourable condition.

The United Kingdom is party to the Convention on Biological Diversity which agreed the so-called ‘Aichi targets’ at its 10th conference of parties in Nagoya in 2010. Target 11 requires that at least 17 per cent of terrestrial and inland water areas and 10 per cent of coastal and marine areas, especially areas of particular importance for biodiversity and ecosystem services, are conserved through effectively and equitably managed, ecologically representative and well-connected systems of protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures, and integrated into the wider landscape and seascape.

Protected areas in Scotland already exceed this target, with some 18% of Scotland’s land-mass designated as either a Special Area of Conservation, Special Protection Area or Site of Special Scientific Interest under the EU Habitats and Birds Directives and the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004, respectively.

The Scottish Marine Protected Area network presently covers 20% of the marine environment and represents the range of biodiversity found in our seas. Each site has a strict level of protection though the marine licensing system, and there is an on-going programme to deliver requisite fisheries management measures across the network.

The Scottish Government’s national indicator to improve the condition of designated sites continues to show progress as provided in the recent official statistics publication for Scotland on the proportion of Scotland's protected sites in favourable condition. The main findings showed that of the more-than 5,000 Scottish natural features on protected nature sites, 80.4% are either in favourable condition, or unfavourable but recovering towards a favourable condition. This figure represents a 1.1 percentage points rise in the proportion of natural features in favourable or recovering condition between 2015 and 2016. There has been a nine percentage points increase since assessment reporting began in 2005.

Question reference: S5W-00042

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 May 2016
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 24 May 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how many European beaver autopsied since January 2016 were (a) pregnant and (b) lactating.

Question reference: S5W-00030

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 May 2016
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 24 May 2016

To ask the Scottish Government when it will announce its decision regarding extending the powers of the Scottish SPCA to tackle wildlife crime.

Question reference: S5W-00037

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 May 2016
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 20 May 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what meetings (a) ministers and (b) officials have had with (i) Judy Murray and (ii) organisations representing the interests of tennis at which development proposals at Park of Keir near Dunblane were discussed, broken down by (A) date and (B) location.

Question reference: S2W-32497

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 16 March 2007
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 28 March 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of carbon dioxide emission reductions from the manufacturing and construction sector between 1990 and 2004 can be attributed to (a) improved energy efficiency in the sector and (b) closures in heavy manufacturing industry, such as the closure of the Ravenscraig plant.

Information on the relative contributionof different factors, such as energy efficiency, to reductions in emissions fromthe manufacturing and construction sector is not held centrally.

However, as indicated in Greenhouse Gas Inventories for England,Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland 1990-2004,published by the National Environmental Technology Centre and available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 42395), emissions frommanufacturing industry and construction have declined over the period by 41%, mainlydue to the closure of the Ravenscraig Steel Plant.

Question reference: S2W-32498

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 16 March 2007
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 28 March 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive how the scale of carbon dioxide sinks from land use, land use change and forestry is calculated and whether the methodology for this calculation has changed since the baseline year of 1990.

Estimation methodologies are includedin Appendix 1 of Greenhouse Gas Inventories for England, Scotland,Wales and Northern Ireland published by the National EnvironmentalTechnology Centre. The latest available data, for the period 1990-2004, was publishedin 2006 and is available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number42395).

Since 1990, improvements to data collection and estimation techniqueshave resulted in revisions to the data and methods used to estimate emissions. Whereappropriate, revisions are made to historic data which means that it is not appropriateto make comparisons with previous inventory reports without taking account of changesto data and estimation techniques.

Question reference: S2O-12408

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 March 2007
Current Status: Answered by Sarah Boyack on 15 March 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it is making in consulting on amending the Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c.) Regulations 1994 in respect of ship-to-ship oil transfer in the Firth of Forth.

Question reference: S2W-31377

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 January 2007
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 5 February 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive when the Parliament will be given a progress report on the objectives presented in Changing Our Ways: Scotland’s Climate Change Programme, as outlined in Section 7.6 of that document, and when the Executive will propose that the Parliament debates the report.

Question reference: S2W-31376

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 January 2007
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 5 February 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive whether its Cabinet has received a report on the objectives presented in Changing Our Ways: Scotland’s Climate Change Programme, as outlined in Section 7.6 of that document, and, if not, when it will do so and discuss any progress.