Chamber and committees

Scottish Government is working on delivering a solution at pace for individuals whom have received 2 doses of differing approved vaccines. Clinicians are fully sighted and conversant with recommendations.

From 4 October, fully vaccinated travellers who have received mixed doses of authorised vaccines under the International Travel Regime across the four nations and are returning from non-Red list countries will not be required to self-isolate for 10 days. This is consistent with the approach taken across the UK.

There are many nuanced circumstances regarding how and where vaccinations can be delivered, particularly with international travel and military deployment. We will be updating guidance via NHS Inform and a FAQ to advise that UK vaccines administered abroad to MOD personnel and other UK national stationed abroad will be treated in the same way as those administered elsewhere the UK.

FLS takes an evidence-led approach to its deer management activities. On the National Forests and Land (NFL), FLS has a target of not incurring more than 10% deer damage to young trees. In 2020 the 3 year rolling average of deer damage impacts was 18% for the leaders on young trees, i.e. trees planted for 1 year in the ground. This is well above the FLS target. The regional variation for damage impacts ranged from 7% to 38% in 2020. Results at site level in 2020 ranged from 0% to 100% damage of young trees.

Along with monitoring deer impacts on biodiversity, FLS also monitors deer populations (densities). Over the past 5 years approximately one third of NFL have been surveyed as part of a rolling programme. The mean average deer density in these survey areas have ranged from 4.2 deer per km2 to 64.7 deer per km2. The FLS target range as published in the FLS deer management strategy in 2014 is between 2 and 7 deer per km2. Of the land surveyed in the last five years, 89% has deer density well above this widely accepted.

FLS works in partnership with neighbouring land managers with similar management objectives and FLS operatives therefore do, in specific locations or project areas carry out collaborative deer management operations on neighbouring ground. FLS data will therefore reflect this. Occasionally an FLS operative may make a simple numerical error when inputting a grid reference into the Wildlife Management System.

FLS takes an holistic approach to its management of land, forests and deer on NFL. It manages around 630,000 ha of land (9% of Scotland), of which approximately one third is open ground including open hill. Its aim is to protect a wide range of habitats and environments across NFL whether forested, riparian or open hill in order to deliver Scottish Government land-use priorities such as climate change mitigation, carbon capture through growing trees, peatland restoration, ecosystem services and biodiversity enhancement, all of which have added immediacy, impetus and focus to our deer management operation. FLS therefore has a very clear need to use Out of Season authorisations on the open hill as well as in forest and woodland areas. FLS always aims to achieve the highest standards of animal welfare when undertaking all deer culling operations, in line with best industry practice; i.e. when culling adult female deer prior to the start of the official open season all efforts should be made to cull associated juveniles first, if in any doubt about leaving a dependant young then the adult should not be culled.

The Scottish Government provided Scotland’s local authorities with an additional £1.2 billion in direct support during 2020-21 through the local government finance settlement – over and above their regular grant payments to combat COVID-19. Taken together with the additional £259 million confirmed for this year, this brings the value of the overall COVID-19 support package for councils up to over £1.5 billion.

£10 million of funding was announced on 3 August to enable local authorities to undertake CO2 monitoring to assess the ventilation levels in all learning, teaching and play spaces by the October break.

Further to initial recommendations from the Short Life Working Group on Ventilation, funding of up to £25million to support businesses with ventilation was announced on 28 September. Due to be open for applications in November, further details will be available in due course.

All data collected associated with deer culled on National Forests and Land (NFL) is recorded in FLS Wildlife Management System (WMS) database. The following table is derived from this database. This is managed by robust supervision of cullers and checks to match the juvenile GPS data to the adult female GPS data; however there are many factors that may influence the ratio demonstrated in the following below.

The valuation of all non-domestic property is a matter for the independent assessors, who follow applicable statute and case law in making their decisions on non-domestic property valuations. The 2020 Supreme Court ruling for England and Wales is not binding in Scots law, although I am aware that dialogue is ongoing between assessors and agents regarding the rating of ATM sites following that decision.

The Scottish Government provides the most generous non-domestic rates regime in the UK, and in 2021-22 delivered an unprecedented reduction in the poundage mid-revaluation; returning it to pre-COVID levels, which saves Scottish Businesses over £120 million compared with a standard inflationary increase.

The Scottish Government have continued to ensure that the sites of standalone ATMs in rural areas are exempt from rating. Other ATMs may benefit from as much as a 100% rates relief through the Small Business Bonus Scheme.

Under the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015, each local Council has wide-raging powers to create rates reliefs to reflect local needs. This may apply to a sole business, sector or area. The relief may be an adaptation of an existing national relief scheme or a unique standalone scheme.

We are taking forward a number of recommendations made by the Short Life Working Group on Ventilation in order to improve airflow in settings where transmission of Covid-19 is most likely to occur. As the First Minister stated when she announced this £25 million package of funding, the support will focus on the hospitality and leisure sectors although the specific sectors and premises that will be eligible for financial support through this fund is still being determined and community halls are being actively considered as part of this process.

Forestry and Land Scotland’s (FLS), deer culling operatives are qualified and trained, are registered ‘Fit and Competent’, have Deer Stalking Certificates 1&2 and hold ‘Trained Hunter’ status.

FLS’s culling activities are robustly supervised and monitored and all operatives are briefed that, if there is any possibility of orphaning a dependant calf that a shot must not be taken, all dependant calves must be culled before the mother.

Due to Covid-19, the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) have a backlog of Power of Attorney deeds awaiting registration. The Scottish Government has provided funding of £238,000 to the Office of the Public Guardian to fund the power of attorney Covid recovery plan.

As we stated when we published our response to the independent Grouse Moor Management Group report (the ‘Werritty Review’) in November 2020 we recognise the important contribution grouse shooting makes to the rural economy.

Alongside the Werritty review, the Scottish Government commissioned Scotland’s Rural College and the James Hutton Institute to undertake extensive research into the biodiversity and economic Impacts of grouse moors to address some of the knowledge gaps regarding Scottish driven grouse moor management.

The research was carried out in two phases and the reports, which were published in 2019 and 2020 can found on the Scottish Government website at Socioeconomic and biodiversity impacts of driven grouse moors in Scotland | SEFARI

and

Phase 2 Grouse Research - Socioeconomic and biodiversity impacts of driven grouse moors and the employment rights of gamekeepers | SEFARI

The findings of this research, alongside other available evidence were taken into account when we developed our response to the Werritty review.

The Scottish Government recognises that well-managed grouse moors can produce favourable habitats for certain species such as curlews and that land managers have an important role to play in enhancing biodiversity.

As I set out in my response to question S6W-03211 on 20 October 2021 the Scottish Government commissioned Scotland’s Rural College and the James Hutton Institute to undertake extensive research into the biodiversity and economic Impacts of grouse moors and the findings of this research were taken into account when we developed our response to the Werritty review. The research found that whilst some land management actions undertaken on grouse moors could enhance biodiversity, the findings were clear that there could also be a negative impact resulting in species decline.

Our Statement of Intent on biodiversity notes that Scotland’s land delivers multiple benefits to people, providing homes and water supplies, producing food, timber and space for leisure, as well as supporting biodiversity. We have a distinctively strong connection between people, place and nature which makes Scotland special in terms of landscape and access. All landowners and managers have an important role to play in helping to improve the state of nature.

All of these factors will be taken into account when we publish our new biodiversity strategy in Autumn 2022 followed by an underpinning 5 year delivery plan, including changes in the way we use and manage land and our approach to protecting habitats and ecosystems. We have also announced that we will introduce a Natural Environment Bill in year 3 or the current session, which will include statutory, enforceable targets for nature restoration, and actions to deliver on our ambitious voluntary commitment to protect 30% of Scotland’s land and seas by 2030, with 10% highly protected. We will invest at least £500 million in the natural economy over the course of this Parliament, including £150 Million for forestry, ongoing investment in peatland restoration and multi-year funding for the Nature Restoration Fund.

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers