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: S6W-02245

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 August 2021
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 7 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide details of its biodiversity targets.

The Scottish Government is committed to action to protect biodiversity and to the effective monitoring of progress towards this goal. We are working to meet the commitments set out within the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy, 2004 - 2020, and are aligned to the international Aichi biodiversity targets as set out in the Strategic Plan for biodiversity 2011-2020.

The final report against the Aichi targets published in 2021 showed that Scotland achieved 9 out of the 20 targets and another 11 are progressing. This compares favourably to the global picture, where the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) reports that good progress as being made on only 4 of the targets, and with the UK as a whole, which met only 5 targets. The CBD reports that there is no country in the world that has fully met the Aichi Biodiversity targets.

The 2020 Statement of Intent on Biodiversity included a commitment to protect 30% of our land for nature by 2030 And assess whether we could go further given that we have already achieved 37% protection of Scotland’s marine environment. We also recently added a new single high level indicator to the National Performance Framework which measures trends in marine and terrestrial biodiversity in Scotland.

Looking forward, we will publish a new biodiversity strategy in October 2022. This will set out how we will deliver our overall ambition of preventing any further extinctions of wildlife and halting declines by 2030, and making significant progress in restoring Scotland’s natural environment by 2045. This will lay the foundation for a new A Natural Environment Bill which will include legislation for new nature recovery targets.

Question reference: S6O-00115

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 September 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what support it can offer the Borderlands region with its bid to be UK City of Culture 2025.

Question reference: S6W-02076

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 August 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 31 August 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of electric alternatives to the (a) current and (b) future ferry network.

The Scottish Government and Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd have investigated the options for utilising zero emission electric propulsion systems and found that the current commercially available technology is best suited to the smaller vessels. The Small Vessels Replacement Programme will see up to 7 of the existing ‘Loch’ Class ferries replaced as part of Phase 1 with low or zero emission vessels. These will join the 3 diesel electric hybrid ferries already in service and help the Scottish Government achieve its target of 30% of the ferries it owns being low or zero emission by 2032.

https://www.cmassets.co.uk/project/svrp/

Going forward the Islands Connectivity Plan will investigate further the available and emerging opportunities and technologies available to the maritime sector and set out pathways towards the decarbonisation of ferry services. in support of the Scottish Government’s climate change commitments.

Question reference: S6W-02077

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 August 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 31 August 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made with the Ernst & Young (EY) review of (a) the ferry network and (b) whether the tripartite transport policy infrastructure for ferries is fit for purpose, and by what date the findings will be published.

Question reference: S6W-02243

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 August 2021
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 31 August 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on providing more funding opportunities for young farmers and new entrants, in light of the recommendations in the report, Farming for 1.5C: From here to 2045.

We recognise that Scottish agriculture will continue to need skilled and innovative young new entrant farmers. Pathways to entry will remain available through our Farming Opportunities for New Entrants programme and our Land Matching Service. Whilst the National Reserve (Young Farmer and New Entrant) categories will continue providing farmers and crofters with the opportunity to receive an allocation of payment entitlements under the Basic Payment Scheme as well as the young farmers Basic Payment top-up.

In line with our manifesto commitment, we also plan further support through a separate new entrants fund.

Question reference: S6W-02120

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 09 August 2021
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 27 August 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to introduce a statutory ban on the use of snares.

Question reference: S6W-02084

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 August 2021
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 27 August 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to update the Soil Monitoring Action Plan to establish national baseline data for future testing and monitoring.

Question reference: S6W-01925

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 July 2021
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 26 August 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on progress regarding its peatland restoration targets.

Question reference: S6W-02083

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 August 2021
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 25 August 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to develop an updated Scottish Organic Action Plan, to build upon that set out for 2016-20.

We are supportive of ensuring the organics sector, as part of the wider Scottish agriculture industry, contributes fully to our Ambition 2030 strategy to grow our food and drink industry.

We have committed to doubling the amount of land used for organic farming, doubling the amount of organic produce that comes from Scotland and are focussing on more organic produce being used in public sector food procurement. We are considering how best to build upon the Scottish Organic Action Plan and will be meeting with the Scottish Organic Stakeholder Group to hear their views.

Question reference: S6W-01901

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 July 2021
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 20 August 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, further to its business and regulatory impact assessment (BRIA) for its short-term let licensing scheme, how it calculated the average indicative fee for processing a short-term let licence application to be between £223 and £377.

The assumptions behind, and calculations of, the average indicative fees for a short-term lets licence are set out in section F and Annex A of the draft Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment published for consultation on 25 June 2021. These fees are Scotland-wide average fees for application for a three year licence; the actual fees charged for any given application may be higher or lower, depending on the way each local authority implements its licensing scheme and the circumstances of the application. The total revenue from fees must not exceed the costs of the scheme in each local authority. Chapter 4 of our draft guidance for licensing authorities, letting agencies and platforms provides further detail on setting licence fees:

Short term lets - licensing scheme part 2: supplementary guidance for licensing authorities, letting agencies and platforms - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)