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-33329

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 2 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it (a) is aware of and (b) had any role in the UK Government’s review into how gamebird releases on or near European protected sites are managed, the conclusion of which was announced by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 30 October 2020.

Question reference: S5W-33328

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 2 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it plans to take to address the negative effects of gamebird releases within (a) European protected sites and (b) a 500m buffer zone around European protected sites, and (a) when and (b) how it will amend section 14(2A) of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 as amended for Scotland.

Section 14 (2A) of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 permits common pheasant and red-legged partridge to be released from captivity for shooting purposes. The Scottish Government has no plans to amend section 14(2A).

Gamebird releases within European protected sites are controlled through the Operations Requiring Consent (ORC) list. This means that land managers need to apply to NatureScot for consent to release gamebirds within the boundaries of Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs), where this may have an impact on the special features of nature conservation interest on the site. If the SSSI overlaps with a Natura site (which can be either a Special Protection Area or a Special Area of Conservation), NatureScot must carry out a Habitats Regulations Appraisal before consent can be given.

At present there is little evidence to show that gamebirds are causing damage to European sites in Scotland, however NatureScot will continue to monitor the situation closely.

Question reference: S5T-02565

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 30 November 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 1 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its involvement with BiFab, following reported comments from the company’s owner that ministers’ statements had been “inaccurate or untruthful”.

Question reference: S5O-04817

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 November 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 3 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what changes to taxation it can make to address the reported widening inequality between small retail businesses and large corporations as a result of COVID-19.

Question reference: S5W-33325

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 23 November 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what actions it is taking to support the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

The Scottish Government has a long-standing policy of opposition to the possession, threat and use of nuclear weapons. Nuclear weapons are morally, strategically and economically wrong. They are indiscriminate and devastating in their impacts; their use would bring unspeakable humanitarian suffering and widespread environmental damage.

While the Scottish Government is unable to become a Party to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, we strongly support the principles of the Treaty. I have congratulated Ireland on their leadership in the development and ratification of the Treaty and the Scottish Government thanks and congratulates all the states which have ratified the Treaty. An independent Scotland would be a keen signatory of the Treaty and we hope the day we can do that is not far off.

Question reference: S5W-33326

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 23 November 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what implications the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons coming into effect on 22 January 2020 will have for Scotland.

The UK Government has not ratified the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, and has indicated that it has no intention of doing so. This is an extremely disappointing position; the Scottish Government is firmly opposed to the possession, threat and use of nuclear weapons and we are committed to pursuing the safe and the complete withdrawal of all nuclear weapons from Scotland.

We look forward to the Treaty coming in to force and will monitor developments with interest.

Question reference: S5W-33327

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 23 November 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding the recent ratification of the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

The Scottish Government has called repeatedly on the UK Government to cancel its plans for the Dreadnought Programme (the Trident Successor Programme) as nuclear weapons do not provide a meaningful deterrent to modern day threats such as terrorist attacks, and there are no realistic short or medium term threats which justify the possession, the costs or the potential use of Trident and its successor. The UK Government has not discussed its decision to not sign or ratify the Treaty with the Scottish Government, however we will continue to raise our firm opposition to nuclear weapons with the UK Government.

Question reference: S5W-32685

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 October 2020
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 16 November 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether the exemptions in the Single Use Carrier Bags Charge (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2020 have expired or been extended, and what review process has taken place on the impact of this policy.

Question reference: S5W-33036

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 12 November 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of means-testing the Self-Isolation Support Grant on its effectiveness in encouraging and enabling people to self-isolate.

The Self-Isolation Support Grant provides a payment of £500 to workers who would otherwise face a loss of income when they self-isolate. Many people will be able to work from home and should continue to be paid as normal by their employer while they are doing so. Some people who cannot work from home will face a significant loss of income as a result of self-isolation.

Research undertaken for SAGE indicates that while willingness to self-isolate is high among all income groups, the self-reported ability to do so is three times lower in those with incomes less than £20,000.

Whilst not all workers will be eligible for the Self-Isolation Support Grant, within the resources available, we are ensuring that support is targeted at the people who are at the highest risk of losing income, and for whom loss of income is most likely to be a barrier to self-isolation.

We expect to publish management information on the early operation of the Grant in early December.

Question reference: S5O-04770

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 November 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 19 November 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how the provisions in its proposed EU Continuity Bill will stay aligned with EU principles on animal sentience.