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-14858

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 23 February 2018
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 7 March 2018

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has or plans to introduce a national strategy for testing bowel cancer patients for Lynch syndrome.

It is current protocol for all NHS Scotland Health Boards to ensure appropriate referral and testing when Lynch syndrome occurs, and for all patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer before the age of 60.

In relation to the NICE guidelines recommendation to extend referral and testing for lynch syndrome to all patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer; the impacts of this recommendation are currently being reviewed by NHS Scotland’s Molecular Pathology Consortium (MPC).

Question reference: S5W-14723

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 19 February 2018
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 28 February 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of Argyll and Bute Council’s review of fees and charges for use of its harbours, what the associated cost will be for (a) CalMac Ferries Limited and (b) Argyll Ferries Limited, and whether any additional cost will be paid for by Transport Scotland or through increased fares.

Harbour dues are set by the statutory harbour authority and are collected for maintaining and improving infrastructure at piers and harbours within their jurisdiction. The review conducted by Argyll & Bute Council into the fees and charges for use of its harbours is a matter for the Council. Any increase in dues will be notified, in due course, to users of the harbour by the harbour authority.

The Public Service Ferry Contracts operated by CalMac Ferries Limited and Argyll Ferries Limited on behalf of Scottish Ministers, includes provision for an increase in subsidy to the operator as a consequence of increased harbour dues.

Fares on the subsidised ferry services are set by Scottish Ministers. Any change in harbour dues does not affect the level of fares.

Question reference: S5W-14174

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 January 2018
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 22 February 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the commitment by the UK Government in its policy paper, A Green Future: Our 25 Year Plan to Improve the Environment, to deliver an "ecosystem approach to fisheries management", whether it plans to adopt a similar approach and, if so, what changes in policy will be considered.

Question reference: S5W-14176

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 January 2018
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 22 February 2018

To ask the Scottish Government in light of the commitment by the UK Government in its policy paper, A Green Future: Our 25 Year Plan to Improve the Environment, to reverse " the loss of marine biodiversity and, where practicable, [restore] it", whether it plans to adopt a similar approach and, if so, what measures it will consider introducing to deliver this.

Question reference: S5W-14175

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 January 2018
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 22 February 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the commitment by the UK Government in its policy paper, A Green Future: Our 25 Year Plan to Improve the Environment, to increase "the proportion of protected and well-managed seas, and better managing existing protected sites", whether it plans to adopt a similar approach and, if so, whether improvements to the management of the current marine protected areas' (MPA) network will be considered.

Question reference: S5O-01794

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 February 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 21 February 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what future it sees for Scotland’s fishing sector.

Question reference: S5W-14203

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 January 2018
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 8 February 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding it plans to allocate to the Scottish Young Carers Festival for 2018-19.

Question reference: S5W-13012

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 12 December 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-12547 by Humza Yousaf on 22 November 2017, whether Transport Scotland has commissioned independent specialists to undertake a comprehensive appraisal to explore and assess the specification of the next Gourock-Dunoon service (a) contract and (b) fares structure.

The tender for the next Gourock-Dunoon service contract has been paused pending the outcome of the ongoing policy review on the future approach to the procurement of the Scottish Government’s lifeline ferry services. An interim report will be published shortly, setting out the implications for each of the ferry services including Gourock-Dunoon.

The outline specification for the paused Gourock-Dunoon tender described in the Contract Notice published in the Official Journal of the European Union on 13 July 2016 was informed by the MVA consultancy, in association with The Maritime Group (international) Limited, report on the Feasibility Study of a Future Passenger and Vehicle Service with the Vehicle Portion being non-Subsidised, published by Transport Scotland in July 2013.

Ferry fares for all of the Scottish Government’s lifeline ferry services are reviewed annually by the Scottish Ministers in conjunction with the ferry operators.

Further consideration will be given to the final specification and the fare structure for the next Gourock-Dunoon contract once the outcome of the policy review is known.

Question reference: S5W-12780

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 November 2017
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 4 December 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how many hectares of peatland have been (a) extracted and (b) damaged in each year since 2007.

Question reference: S5W-12779

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 November 2017
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 4 December 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how many hectares of peatland have been restored in each year since 2007.

The National Peatland Plan sets out the Scottish Government’s commitment to peatlands and work to help protect, manage and where required restore. The plan highlights that peatlands cover 1.8 million hectares and that it is estimated that 70% are in a poor condition. The National Peatland Plan’s Science and Monitoring sub group is considering how initiatives like remote sensing can be used to provide a better understanding of the state of peatlands across Scotland.

Information is not centrally held on hectares of peatland annually extracted. Individual planning authorities hold information relating to consents in their area.

Information is available on the amount of peatland restoration that has been supported through public funding. This is set out in the following table:

SNH Peatland Action

Year Area (ha)

2012-13 275

2013-14 1050

2014-15 5120

2015-16 3870

2016-17 245

Scottish Rural Development Programme

The 2007- 2013 Scottish Rural Development Programme (SRDP) supported upland management and restoration of peatlands under Rural Priorities. This was a 5 year commitment with land managers. The areas managed within each of the years was:

Scheme

Year Area (ha)

2009 106,036.27

2010 207,744.20

2011 282,180.56

2012 358,443.42

2013 494,029.73

2014 504,582.83

2015 391,067.03

2016 317,403.56

Peatland restoration is also supported through the current SRDP. This covers a number of actions that support peatland restoration rather than a single activity. The Scottish Government is currently developing a framework to capture these activities to support delivery of the Climate Change Plan.