- Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 May 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 14 May 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the potential impact of escaped farmed salmon on wild salmon populations in Scottish rivers and coastal waters.
Answer
The Scottish Government published its first national assessment of genetic introgression in wild salmon in 2021 using data collected under the National Electrofishing Programme for Scotland (NEPS) in 2018 and 2019, combined with targeted sampling in the vicinity of freshwater smolt rearing facilities: https://data.marine.gov.scot/dataset/national-assessment-influence-farmed-salmon-escapes-genetic-integrity-wild-scottish-atlantic
The research found evidence of introgression was concentrated in areas of marine aquaculture production on the west coast and areas with freshwater smolt rearing. Outside these areas, there was no strong evidence of introgression pressures. The results highlighted how important it is to reduce the risk of farmed fish escapes, to protect the integrity of wild salmon populations in areas of aquaculture production.
This was the first report of the National Introgression Programme for Scotland (NIPS) which is a nationwide project that is researching the link between fish farm escapes and introgression in wild salmon populations.
A larger number of sites were sampled in 2021 and 2023 as part of NEPS surveys (National Electrofishing Programme for Scotland). This should increase the spatial resolution of samples and confidence in the findings, while also allowing comparison across years. Analysis will be submitted shortly for peer review.
Following a large escape at one of its farms (Carradale) in 2020, Mowi funded a study to determine if introgression was occurring. No evidence of impact or introgression was found following the escape event. The report suggests that the effects of farm escapes can be complex depending on numbers of escapes, timing, status of wild stocks, and the maturation status of the escapees: https://www.gov.scot/publications/examination-levels-farm-wild-hybridisation-south-west-scotland-north-east-england-following-large-scale-farm-salmon-escape-event-2020/
- Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 02 May 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 13 May 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of the (a) number and (b) installed capacity of wind farms on Scottish Government owned land is community owned.
Answer
There are twenty-five operational windfarms on Scotland’s national forests and land, managed by Forestry and Land Scotland with an installed capacity of 1,386 MW. None of the windfarms are community owned in whole or part.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 02 May 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Ivan McKee on 13 May 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, regarding planning decisions in cases where aviation operators have objected to renewable energy developments, what discretion it has to ensure that financial contributions sought by aviation operators are justified, proportionate and based solely on actual incurred costs.
Answer
Depending on the circumstances of the case, financial contributions in connection with planning consent may be secured either by conditions or by planning obligations. The use of both planning conditions and obligations is subject to a series of tests: the former contained in Scottish Government Circular 4/1998; the latter in Circular 3/2012. In summary, the tests provide that any financial contributions must be necessary, relevant to planning, relevant to the proposed development, and reasonable in all other respects. These are matters of judgement for the relevant decision maker, whether the Scottish Government or local authority.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 02 May 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Alasdair Allan on 13 May 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding the upgrading of aviation radar systems to ensure that windfarm developments can proceed without objection, including how the costs incurred by aviation operators can be (a) independently verified and (b) appropriately split between (i) aviation operators and renewable developers and (ii) different renewable developers, as opposed to being only met by the initial developer.
Answer
Scottish Government officials are involved in a number of initiatives with UK Government focussed on the interaction between on and offshore windfarms and aviation radar systems.
Officials from the Scottish Government work with stakeholders, including the Ministry of Defence and industry representatives, through the Offshore Wind Industry Council (OWIC) Aviation and Radar sub-group. For offshore wind farms, the Ministry of Defence has launched Programme Njord to identify, procure and implement mitigation to resolve issues with military radar. The full costs of the long-term radar mitigation solutions identified by Programme Njord will be funded via an alternative route and the funding requirement is therefore removed from offshore wind developers.
The Scottish Government is also working with UK Government to ensure alignment between the Onshore Wind Sector Deal and the UK Government’s Onshore Wind Taskforce to help develop consistent and transparent aviation mitigation processes and deliver the deployment of onshore wind while ensuring safe aviation operations.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 01 May 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Neil Gray on 13 May 2025
To ask the Scottish Government when it will review and revise guidance to NHS boards on equality issues, in light of the Supreme Court ruling regarding For Women Scotland Ltd vs The Scottish Ministers.
Answer
The Scottish Government accepts the judgment of the Supreme Court. Work has already begun on implementation.
The Permanent Secretary was asked to stand up a Short Life Working Group to ensure support and consistency across Government.
Following publication of the EHRC’s update, we wrote to the EHRC to confirm that no public body, service provider or other association should issue specific guidance before the EHRC Code of Practice and guidance is finalised.
As the enforcer and regulator of the Equality Act all organisations must consider and comply with the EHRC revised Code of Practice and guidance to ensure there is a consistent and clear understanding of the correct application of the law for all involved in this complex area.
- Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 01 May 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Alasdair Allan on 13 May 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-29859 by Gillian Martin on 26 September 2024, and in light of the closure of its public consultation on the matter on 7 February 2025, when it plans to publish its revised policy statement on Ramsar sites.
Answer
The revised policy statement for the protection of natural features on Ramsar sites will be published on the Scottish Government web-site shortly.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 01 May 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 13 May 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether poor parental attitudes contribute to rising pupil indiscipline in schools, in light of reports that NASUWT members expressed such views at its recent annual conference.
Answer
The Behaviour in Scottish Schools Research, published in 2023, identified a range of factors that staff identified as contributing to the rise in challenging pupil behaviour, particularly following the COVID-19 pandemic. Among these factors included “wider societal changes such as a general lack of respect in society, the ubiquity of social media and changing approaches to parenting”. Staff suggested that greater engagement with parents could help to support staff’s efforts to promote positive relationships and behaviour.
We recognise the importance of schools and families working together to promote positive relationships and behaviour in schools. A strong partnership between home and school helps create a consistent, supportive environment where children feel safe, respected, and are better able to learn and thrive.
The relationships and behaviour in schools action plan 2024-27 emphasises the vital role of parents and carers in supporting positive behaviour. As part of the action plan, we are currently developing guidance on responding to behaviour in schools. The guidance will be available in the coming weeks and will include advice for schools on working with parents to support positive relationships and behaviour.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 01 May 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Ivan McKee on 13 May 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how many retired police officers have died before receiving pension payments, due to administrative delays, in the last five years.
Answer
I have asked Stephen Pathirana, Chief Executive of the Scottish Public Pensions Agency, to respond. His response is as follows:
No retired police officers have died before receiving pension payments.
From 1 October 2023, officers who had retired before that date became entitled to make a choice of pension scheme provision in respect of their pensionable service between 1 April 2015 and 31 March 2022, or their date of retirement if earlier.
This choice could be made after the provision of a remediable service statement, which were to be issued by 31 March 2025 or by such later day as the scheme manager considers reasonable in all the circumstances in the case of a particular member or a particular class of member.
In the last five years, three retired officers entitled to receive a remediable service statement died before making their choice. All three officers retired under the terms of their legacy final salary scheme.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 01 May 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 13 May 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has undertaken any economic disruption modelling in the event of an extreme flood in the Grangemouth petrochemical complex; if so, what level of economic disruption is projected, and how this has informed prioritisation of funding decisions.
Answer
The development and delivery of flood protection schemes is a local authority responsibility. As such, the business case for Grangemouth Flood Protection Scheme (GFPS) was prepared by Falkirk Council. This included an economic assessment of the costs and benefits of their proposed scheme.
SEPA carried out a prioritisation process for all the flood protection schemes put forward in the 2015 Flood Risk Management Plans. This prioritisation was largely based on the cost benefit ratios supplied by the relevant local authorities.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 01 May 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 13 May 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether any transgender prisoners with convictions for sex offences have been provided with gender-affirming items at public cost since 2021, and if so, how many.
Answer
I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:
The SPS seeks to be as open and transparent as possible, while also upholding our statutory obligation to protect the personal information of those in our care.
This information requested is not information held by the Scottish Prison Service.
