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: S5O-02596

Asked by: Gail Ross, MSP for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 November 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 22 November 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how many abattoirs there are.

Question reference: S5O-02561

Asked by: Gail Ross, MSP for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 November 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 15 November 2018

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its involvement with The Highland Council regarding the Stromeferry bypass in Wester Ross.

Question reference: S5W-19651

Asked by: Gail Ross, MSP for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 29 October 2018
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Fergus Ewing on 30 October 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it is making in appointing a chief executive to its new Forestry and Land Scotland executive agency.

Following an open competition overseen by the Civil Service Commission, Simon Hodgson, currently Chief Executive of Forest Enterprise England, has been appointed as Chief Executive designate of Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS), which will be established in April 2019 as an agency of the Scottish Government. This appointment represents another milestone in the process to complete the devolution of forestry in Scotland.

Mr Hodgson is expected to take up post in January 2019. With the agreement of the Forestry Commissioners, he will be seconded to the Forestry Commission as Chief Executive of Forest Enterprise Scotland from then until FLS is established. This will help ensure a smooth transfer of functions and staff to FLS from Forest Enterprise Scotland, the Forestry Commission agency that FLS will replace.

Question reference: S5W-19134

Asked by: Gail Ross, MSP for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 01 October 2018
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 15 October 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what assistance and encouragement it gives farmers to use greener forms of farm machinery, and what investment in, and development of, new technologies it is making in this regard.

The Scottish Government (SG) has and will continue to support our agricultural sector as we look to promote and encourage a shift towards low carbon farming practices.

Our flagship Farming For A Better Climate initiative supports farmers as the look to reduce their carbon footprint and increase their profitability. Through this initiative we have embraced innovate new approaches including the role of machinery, for example purchasing and trailing a hydrogen fuel supplement system, demonstrating the value of controlled traffic systems and the benefits of the effective use of thermostats, time clocks and motion sensors.

The SG supported Farm Advisory Service continues to provide advice and information in this area for example issuing practical guides on adjusting tire pressures to reduce risks of compaction, integrating renewable energy production into your farm and the benefits to be gained through ensuring machinery/equipment is properly calibrated before use.

The SG also continues to provide backing for industry led projects such as QMS/AHDB Monitor Farm Network, the Soil Association Scotland’s Future Farming Programme and the Wholesome Pigs Ltd: ‘Pig Production Efficiency’ project through our Knowledge Transfer and Innovation Fund (KTIF) as we look ensure the long term sustainability of Scottish agriculture in both environmental and economic contexts .

Question reference: S5W-19094

Asked by: Gail Ross, MSP for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 September 2018
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 28 September 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it plans to take on the future of civil partnership in Scotland, following the recent decision of the UK Supreme Court in this area.

The Scottish Government has given this matter careful consideration. The Supreme Court made it clear that the Civil Partnership Act 2004 is not compatible with the European Convention on Human Rights as civil partnership is open to same sex couples only whereas marriage is open to both opposite sex couples and same sex couples. The judgment of the Supreme Court relates specifically to England and Wales but the facts and circumstances in Scotland are very similar.

Given this, I am launching today a consultation on the future of civil partnership in Scotland. This consultation outlines two potential options: making provision so that no new civil partnerships could be registered in Scotland in future or extending civil partnership to opposite sex couples. The consultation asks for views on the arguments for and against these two options. The Scottish Government will consider the views expressed in response to this consultation, along with other available evidence, to help inform the decision on which option should be taken.

The consultation is available at https://consult.gov.scot/family-law/the-future-of-civil-partnership-in-scotland/ The closing date for responses is 21 December 2018.

Once the responses have been analysed, the Scottish Government will take a decision on the way ahead and will legislate.

Question reference: S5W-18869

Asked by: Gail Ross, MSP for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 September 2018
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 25 September 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to assess and tackle decreases in wild salmon stocks.

The Scottish Government is working with stakeholders across a range of measures to help conserve our iconic wild salmon. In 2016 we introduced new regulations which, amongst other things, introduced a prohibition on the retention of salmon caught in coastal waters, as well as detailing those rivers where mandatory catch and release of salmon should apply. The conservation status of stocks is reviewed annually.

In March of this year we announced a funding package of £700,000 for wild fisheries. Some £500,000 of this funding is helping Fisheries Management Scotland and its members to deliver a number of projects to help better understand and address the complex range of pressures impacting Scottish salmon stocks. These pressures include predation by birds and seals, barriers to the migration of salmon and wider coastal and marine issues including commercial fisheries and the development of energy projects.

In July we launched a national juvenile electro-fishing project across 27 regions of Scotland. This will provide an estimate of numbers of young salmon across Scottish rivers, while also providing fisheries trusts and boards with valuable information to supplement extensive local surveys, which many have conducted for decades. The aim ultimately is to apply complementary adult and juvenile assessment methods concurrently to set the conservation status of rivers.

We have also launched an independently chaired salmon interactions workstream to provide advice on existing and potential future arrangements to mitigate the high level pressures on wild salmon. An initial working group will look specifically at the issue of interactions between wild and farmed salmon.

Question reference: S5W-18870

Asked by: Gail Ross, MSP for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 September 2018
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 25 September 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that an increase in mackerel stock in the North Atlantic is the most serious risk to wild salmon, including the comment by a former scientist at Institute of Marine Research in Bergen that "super shoals" are impacting on young and juvenile salmon migrating from Scottish rivers.

The Scottish Government participates in annual negotiations on setting appropriate catch levels, which are agreed in line with robust scientific evidence and the advice provided by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES). There are regular calls for increased fishing quotas and we are aware of the reported views of Dr Holst with regard to increased shoals of mackerel and their potential impact on salmon stocks. Officials hope to meet with Dr Holst this month to discuss his views.

Question reference: S5W-19008

Asked by: Gail Ross, MSP for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 24 September 2018
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 25 September 2018

To ask the Scottish Government when it will tender the next Northern Isles Ferry Services contract.

The Contract Notice for the Northern Isles Ferry Services was submitted today for publication on Public Contracts Scotland and in the Official Journal of the European Union. This is the first step in taking forward the competition for the next Northern Isles Ferry Services contract. The Contract Notice invites potential operators to provide evidence of their suitability to participate in the tender for the public service contract to operate the ferry services for a period of up to eight years, effective from 31 October 2019.

Question reference: S5O-02327

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S5W-17752

Asked by: Gail Ross, MSP for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 July 2018
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 29 August 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what the contribution has been of Highland games and shows to the economy in each of the last five years.