Questions and answers

Question reference: S6W-03472

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 04 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 3 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to extend the application deadline for the Pig Producers Fund.

The Pig Producers Hardship Support Scheme was set up to compensate pig producers who were paid £15 less per pig by Quality Pork Processors at Brechin, between 8 February and 31 March 2021. It opened for applications on 30 August and closed on 26 September, and eligible applicants will now have received their payments. We will not be extending the Scheme at this time.

Following the announcement from Defra on a Private Storage Aid scheme and positive ongoing discussions with our pig industry we are putting in place our own Private Storage Aid scheme in Scotland to further aid the industry. This will help to alleviate the backlog of pigs on farms, and reduce any potential welfare issues. In addition the levy bodies in Scotland and England are providing the pig sector with a levy holiday for the whole of November.

Question reference: S6W-03498

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 2 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of Ofgem's price cap increase, and the £500 million fund announced by the UK Government to support vulnerable households, whether it will provide a similar household support fund in order to alleviate fuel poverty.

The Scottish Government recognise that the recent rises in energy prices, and the increase in the price cap authorised by Ofgem, can only have a negative impact on fuel poor households.

While energy markets are a reserved matter, we are taking action, within our powers, to support people who are struggling with their heating bills through the winter. On Friday 29 October we announced a £10 million Fuel Insecurity Fund to provide direct support with fuel costs for low income households. This funding will be delivered through a range of organisations including registered social landlords, Advice Direct Scotland and the Fuel Bank Foundation. It is part of a wider £41 million package of funding designed to help people on low incomes who are facing financial insecurity over the winter.

Question reference: S6O-00300

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 28 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that people across the Scottish Borders receive their COVID-19 booster vaccinations.

The primary objective of the Autumn and Winter vaccination programme is to maintain protection against severe COVID-19 and seasonal flu, specifically reducing the risk of hospitalisation and deaths, by protecting the most vulnerable.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) provided final advice on COVID-19 vaccination boosters on the 14 th of September with the first doses being administered from the following week. Which are being delivered alongside primary vaccinations for
‎ 12 to 15 year olds and many others.

The Member will be aware that delivery of booster vaccinations will run alongside our seasonal flu vaccination programme, which is the largest seasonal flu programme ever delivered in Scotland. Based on JCVI advice, we are working from the highest risk to lower risk groups and we are aiming, wherever possible, to offer both booster and flu jabs in a single appointment. This may mean that some lower risk groups (for example someone aged 64) may hear about their flu appointment from late October and be called to an appointment in November, which is a little later than would have been the case for a traditional flu only appointment. This is still ahead of the risk period and means that, wherever possible, people need only to come to one appointment for both vaccines.

While we have made a good start to the flu and booster vaccinations with over 686,248 flu delivered up to October 17th , 539,832 boosters and 8.2 million primary doses delivered as at October 26 th . But we continue to explore all avenues to accelerate our vaccinations activity as a matter of urgency.

For Covid-19 boosters - We are currently offering vaccination to those in older adult care homes; those who have the highest health risks (clinically extremely vulnerable); those age 70 years and over; frontline health and social are staff.

NHS Borders are utilising the National Vaccine Scheduling Service (NVSS) to schedule appointments for vaccination. NHS Borders like other health boards commenced from the week of the 20th of September, their Covid-19 boosters. From this week we are starting to send out invites for those in the next groups, which are those age 60-69 year and those 16+ years with underlying health conditions. before opening up a public portal in mid-November for everyone else who is eligible.

Question reference: S6F-00377

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 25 October 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 October 2021

To ask the First Minister, in light of COP26, what action the Scottish Government is taking to showcase the role that Scottish agriculture can play in reducing carbon emissions.

Question reference: S6W-03564

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 25 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government when it will revise the guidance on face coverings in places of worship.

The Scottish Government is required by law to regularly review all protective measures that are currently in place, such as the mandatory requirement for the wearing of face coverings in most indoor settings, including places of worship. This measure will continue to be monitored and reviewed in relation to evidence on the four harms : the direct impact of COVID-19, other health impacts, societal impacts, and economic impacts.

After a recent review, during which there was careful consideration of all of the current evidence as well as the options available, Ministers determined that the regulations on face coverings remain proportionate and should not change for the present.

At this stage of the pandemic many of the more intrusive restrictions have been lifted, but the virus and the harms that it causes have not gone away. We still continue to see hospital admissions and deaths as a result of COVID and the impacts of long COVID can be significant. That is why it remains important to maximise the use of the remaining measures such as face coverings.

While the vaccination has significantly weakened the link between new cases and serious health harms, it has not been completely broken. It is therefore important that places of worship, along with many other indoor settings, continue their good practice to reduce the spread of the virus.

We are grateful to faith and belief communities for their important role in protecting their congregations and enabling everyone, particularly those at higher risk, to access worship safely.

Question reference: S6W-03470

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 04 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 21 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how much money it has been allocated by the UK Government in relation to Brexit, also broken down by how much of this it has now spent.

From 2017 to the end of 2021 we have received a total of £194.8m in EU Exit preparation consequentials.

Spend, both in preparation and post-EU Exit, has been on staff supporting activities such as legislative preparations, and supporting stakeholders and partners, including businesses, cultural bodies, higher education institutes, local government and the third sector.

We have consistently targeted our spending responsibly and appropriately to mitigate against the negative impacts of exiting the EU and we have allocated our spend to deal with the concurrent impacts of Covid and EU exit.

Question reference: S6W-03421

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 15 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-03183 by Mairi Gougeon on 28 September 2021, whether it will publish a timetable covering the current parliamentary session for the reform of crofting law.

Question reference: S6W-02915

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 12 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what action is being taken to ensure that people's COVID-19 vaccination records are accurate and display the appropriate information.

The Scottish Government and National Services Scotland are working to ensure that COVID-19 records, in terms of vaccinations show complete accuracy.

This will be assisted by the digital application to record the COVID-19 vaccine, which will be available from 1 October.

Any suspected errors in a person’s COVID-19 vaccination record should be reported to the vaccinations status helpline on 0808 196 8565. The helpline can only resolve issues in relation to vaccinations administered in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-02914

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 8 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) deer and (b) pregnant hinds have been shot on Forestry and Land Scotland land in each of the last five years, also broken down by how many were shot (i) at night and (ii) outside of the closed season.

The total number of deer shot on Scotland’s national forests and land in the last five years is as follows:

Year Shot	(a) Deer Culled	(i) Shot at Night	(ii) Shot Out of Season	Shot at Night & Out of Season
(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)	(5)
2016	31,684	12,888	13,601	6,278
2017	37,129	14,557	16,747	7,234
2018	34,785	13,850	15,385	6,878
2019	32,846	12,439	14,923	6,229
2020	30,005	10,792	13,959	5,461

To assist with understanding the figures presented in the above table:

? Column 2 is the total number of deer culled on Scotland's national forests and land in each year. The figure is for all deer species (i.e. roe, red, sika and fallow) shot in and out of season, during the day or at night.

? Column 3 is the total figure culled for all deer species shot at night (i.e. in 2016 - 12,888 of the 31,684 deer (male and female) were shot at night.

? Column 4 is the total figure culled for all deer species shot out of season (i.e. in 2016 - 13,601 of the 31,684 deer (male and female) were shot out of season.

? Out of Season timings vary for species and sex (i.e. Roe buck are out of season between 21/10 - 31/03) any Roe buck shot during this period will be recorded as out of season.

The total number of pregnant Red deer hinds shot on Scotland’s national forests and land in the last five years is as follows:

Year Shot	(b) Pregnant Red Deer Hinds Culled	(i) Pregnant Red Deer Hinds Shot at Night	(ii) Pregnant Red Deer Hinds Shot Out of Season	Pregnant Red Deer Hinds Shot at Night & Out of Season
(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)	(5)
2016	2,131	755	670	223
2017	2,717	885	891	232
2018	2,433	856	878	290
2019	2,349	802	840	214
2020	2,268	596	771	194

To assist with understanding of the figures presented in the above table:

? Forestry and Land Scotland requires that all those culling deer on Scotland's national forests and land record the presence of embryos at all times of the year.

? Red deer hinds are commonly pregnant following the rutting season (i.e. September/October) through to calving in May/June

? Open season for Red deer hinds in Scotland is 21/10 - 15/02; this means that hinds shot from 01/09 - 20/10 and from 16/02 - 31/03 will be classed as out of season.

Question reference: S6W-03181

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 5 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what support it is offering to the pork processing industry.

We fully support the pig sector in Scotland and understand the difficulties created by Covid-19 and the knock-on impact this has had on exports to China. The Scottish Government are running a £715k Pig Producers Hardship Support Scheme to support the sector by assisting the producers who supplied the abattoir between 8 February and 31 March. I recognise the strain that the loss of the export licence to China in particular has placed on the sector as a whole. While we are doing what we can to push for relisting, the decision to relist UK sites for exports is ultimately a decision for the Chinese government.

Chamber and committees