Seòmar agus comataidhean

There are no proposals to rewrite or remove questions contained in the Health and Wellbeing Census.

I also refer the member to the answer given to S6W-04878 on 17 December 2021 regarding the appropriateness of the Census questions.

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

Scottish Forestry has published a breakdown, by local authority area, of new woodland creation planted in the last full financial year.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-04082 on 9 November 2021. 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.

Many dental procedures involve the use of an aerosol which, for the safety of both patients and staff, needs to be done under strict Infection Prevention and Control guidelines. This means that NHS dental teams are unable to see the same numbers of patients as before the start of the pandemic.

From February 2022, we will bring in new and increased fees for dentists for a range of treatments, supporting them in their efforts to clear the backlog which has built up during the pandemic. We have already provided £50 million of additional financial support (on top of the budget for General Dental Services), plus supplied £30-£35 million of free PPE, to ensure NHS dental services emerge well-placed to care for the oral health of everyone in Scotland.

The information requested is available from https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/factsheet/2020/02/health-and-wellbeing-census/documents/health-and-wellbeing-census-frequently-asked-questions/health-and-wellbeing-census-frequently-asked-questions/govscot%3Adocument/HWB%2BCensus%2B2021-22%2B-%2BQA%2Bdocument%2B-%2BAugust%2B2021.docx.

The detailed information requested is currently being collated and I will write to the member as soon as the information is available and a copy will be placed in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib number 63053).

The Scottish Government does not hold complete information on the number of birds killed by windfarm activity. Prior to consent, surveys are undertaken in relation to the impact any proposed windfarm would have on bird populations. The survey results then determine whether mitigation and/or further monitoring is required and a specific condition to that effect is included in the windfarm’s consent. The information gathered from this monitoring is provided to the relevant Planning Authority. Not all windfarms have significant levels of bird activity and therefore they are not all required to report collisions.

Since 2013 NatureScot has operated a voluntary reporting scheme via their website, and have received 51 collision reports.

Some collisions are recorded by the Scottish Agricultural Science Agency (SASA), and these reports are published quarterly on the SASA website and can be found here: https://www.sasa.gov.uk/wildlife-environment/wildlife-incident-investigation-scheme-wiis .

As stated in the answer to question S6W-04876 on 20 December 2021 we have committed to establishing an independent taskforce to consider investigatory powers of the Scottish SPCA. The taskforce’s remit will cover the Scottish SCPA’s role in investigating wildlife crime and will involve engaging with the Scottish SPCA, alongside other relevant stakeholders, as it conducts its review.

Furthermore, the Scottish Government has regular discussions with stakeholders, including the Scottish SPCA at both official and Ministerial level. We will continue to work closely with stakeholders as work on the taskforce develops.

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

It is not possible for the Scottish Government to quantify nor confirm the total mileage of all roads constructed anywhere and by anyone for these purposes in each of the last ten years. However, on Scotland’s national forests and land, Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) constructs roads for use on a multi-purpose basis e.g. timber transport, tree planting, environmental improvement works, recreational access. FLS does not hold data that ascribes a particular use to sections of forest road, nor does it hold specific data as to what lengths of road have been constructed by windfarm developers. Over the past ten years levels of forest road construction by FLS have been as follows:

2012: 46 Miles

2013: 52 Miles

2014: 43 Miles

2015: 34 Miles

2016: 37 Miles

2017: 37 Miles

2018: 44 Miles

2019: 32 Miles

2020: 27 Miles

2021: 24 Miles

We set out our commitment to establish an independent taskforce to consider whether the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Scottish SPCA) should be given extra powers to investigate wildlife crime in both the 2021-22 Programme for Government and in our Scottish Government and Scottish Green Party Shared Policy Programme.

The taskforce’s role will include due consideration of the potential implications of any proposed changes to the powers of the Scottish SPCA. The taskforce will report back by the end of 2022.

We will set out the remit of the taskforce in more detail in due course.