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: S4W-16775

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 August 2013
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 12 September 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is regarding the use of electronic shock collars on (a) dogs and (b) other animals.

The Scottish Government is aware of concerns about the use of electronic shock collars on dogs and other animals and will work with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the industry to produce improved guidance on the proper use of these training aids. The misuse of shock collars or any other training aids in a way that causes unnecessary suffering would be an offence under the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006.

Question reference: S4W-17016

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 06 September 2013
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 12 September 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how many responses it received to its recent consultation on local air quality management and how many called for a Scottish air quality action plan.

Question reference: S4W-16779

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 August 2013
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 11 September 2013

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish its annual report on wildlife crime for 2012.

Question reference: S4W-16790

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 August 2013
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 10 September 2013

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-15500 by Richard Lochhead on 14 June 2013, in light of figures from the National Fallen Stock Company suggesting that, in the last year, there has been a 50% increase in fallen stock recorded on farms in Scotland, what additional measures and resources it will deploy.

This year’s severe winter weather resulted in a significant number of livestock deaths across Scotland. The Scottish Government has made £6.5 million compensation available to farmers, with more than £730,000 going directly to over 4,000 farmers for fallen stock collection costs.

The Scottish Government continues to ensure that the welfare needs of livestock in Scotland are met and continues to encourage pro-active farm health planning and best practice.

Question reference: S4O-02374

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 September 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 12 September 2013

To ask the Scottish Government when it is meeting Cluff Natural Resources and what matters will be discussed.

Question reference: S4W-16263

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 July 2013
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 9 August 2013

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to ban the commercial extraction of peat by 2020.

The commercial extraction of peat is permitted only where planning permission has been granted. There are no current plans to put in place an absolute ban on commercial extraction of peat, but we are aware of calls by Scottish Environment LINK to do so. Local development plans should protect areas of peatland and permit extraction only in areas which have been significantly damaged by human activity and where the ecological impact is low.

The main target of Scottish Government policy is to reduce the demand for peat, e.g. by developing and promoting alternatives as growing media. This should ultimately reduce the number of extraction sites.

The current Scottish Planning Policy states:

“230. Commercial peat cutting raises particular environmental concerns, and will only be acceptable in areas of degraded peatland which has been significantly damaged by human activity and where the conservation value is low and restoration is not possible. All areas of peatland that retain a high level of natural heritage conservation interest, archaeological interest or are of value as carbon stores should be protected through development plans and development management decisions”. The Scottish Government will continue to monitor the health of Scotland’s peatland and has announced proposals to restore up to 21,000 hectares of peatland per annum over the period up to 2027. This action will be supported by development of the peatland plan in partnership with stakeholders.

Question reference: S4W-16266

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 July 2013
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 6 August 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on meat from cattle that has tested positive for bovine tuberculosis being sold for human consumption.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has advised me that the risk to consumers from eating meat from tuberculosis reactor animals is very low. Both the Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Food and the European Food Safety Authority support this view following their own risk assessments in 2010, 2003 and 2013 respectively.

Cooking the meat would be an additional safety step, but the FSA emphasises that the risk even before cooking is very low. The FSA is not aware of any documented human case of bovine tuberculosis which has been acquired through the consumption of meat.

Question reference: S4W-16265

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 July 2013
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 6 August 2013

To ask the Scottish Government whether any meat from cattle that tested positive for bovine tuberculosis has been sold for human consumption.

Question reference: S4W-16264

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 July 2013
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 6 August 2013

To ask the Scottish Government when it first became aware that meat from cattle that tested positive for bovine tuberculosis was being sold for human consumption.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) informs me that it has been a long standing practice for tuberculosis reactor cattle to be slaughtered for human consumption.

This arrangement has been repeatedly assessed as low risk by a number of expert committees and further the FSA is not aware of any recorded case of human infection being acquired from the consumption of meat. Detailed inspection and control measures are set out in the relevant EU legislation.

Question reference: S4W-16170

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 28 June 2013
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 30 July 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what meetings the (a) Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment and (b) Minister for Environment and Climate Change has had with (i) his officials, (ii) the First Minister and his officials, (iii) the Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure, Investment and Cities and her officials, (iv) the Minister for Transport and Veterans and his officials, (v) the Minister for Housing and Welfare and her officials, (vi) the Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Employment and Sustainable Growth and his officials, (vii) the Minister for Energy, Enterprise and Tourism and his officials, (viii) the Minister for Local Government and Planning and his officials and (ix) the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment and his officials since 26 March 2013 regarding Low Carbon Scotland: Meeting our Emissions Reduction Targets 2013-2027 - The Second Report on Proposals and Policies and what was discussed.

In terms of meetings since 26 March 2013, the Minister for Environment and Climate Change met with officials on 26 March, 23 May, 4, 12 and 27 June 2013 and held a teleconference on 15 April 2013 to discuss the development and publication of Low Carbon Scotland: Meeting our Emissions Reduction Targets 2013-2027 - The Second Report on Proposals and Policies (RPP2).

On 12 June 2013 the Minister for Environment and Climate Change met with the Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Employment and Sustainable Growth to discuss RPP2.

On 18 June 2013, the First Minister, Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure, Investment and Cities, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment, Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Employment and Sustainable Growth, Cabinet Secretary for Justice, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing, Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning, Minister for Parliamentary Business, Minister for Youth Employment and the Minister for External Affairs and International Development, discussed RPP2 and agreed to allocate further low carbon investment in the 2014/15 budget.

In addition, the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment and the Minister for Environment and Climate Change met with senior officials on a fortnightly basis at which progress on a range of portfolio issues including the RPP was reviewed. This complemented the work between officials in the RPP2 project team and counterparts within key portfolios on portfolio aspects of RPP2, and stakeholder consultation.

Furthermore, the Minister for Environment and Climate Change discussed RPP2 related issues regarding wood fuel for biomass, tree planting rates and use of timber in construction with the Minister for Energy, Enterprise and Tourism on 23 May 2013.

The Minister for Environment and Climate Change also discussed RPP2 on several occasions with fellow ministers at weekly Ministerial meetings and has had informal discussions with colleagues on a number of occasions.

RPP2 was regularly discussed at fortnightly meetings between the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment, Minister for Environment and Climate Change, Parliamentary Liaison Officer and Special Adviser.