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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-24713

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 22 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 30 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will work with the UK Government to pause, review and improve the Shared Rural Network programme through consulting with rural communities across the Highlands to (a) establish their digital connectivity needs, (b) avoid construction of new access tracks unless no other method is possible, (c) avoid construction in the Highlands' designated and other environmentally sensitive wild areas and (d) ensure that mobile operators share mast infrastructure, rather than building adjacent masts.

The Scottish Government has no formal role in the Shared Rural Network (SRN) programme. SRN is a joint venture between the UK Government and the UK's four main mobile network operators. Equally, telecommunications policy is currently reserved to the UK Government.

Scottish Government officials continue to engage with the UK Government and the mobile network operators on SRN delivery and to encourage them to prioritise community and stakeholder engagement.

The Scottish Government recently completed the delivery of the Scottish 4G Infill programme, which deployed 55 masts in rural and island communities. Lessons learned from the programme have been shared with the SRN programme team, focusing in particular on the importance of thorough local stakeholder engagement at the mast site selection and acquisition stage. We will continue to facilitate discussions between UK Government and key stakeholders and to push for as much transparency as possible on the locations of masts and the rationale for why these have been chosen.

Question reference: S6W-23916

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 18 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the potential impact on the fishing sector in Scotland, what representations it has made to the UK Government regarding a review of the English language requirements for fishing crew who enter the UK on a skilled worker visa.

The Scottish Government is strongly opposed to the current UK Government’s approach to immigration, which has failed to meet Scotland’s needs. The recent changes to the immigration rules are unacceptable. Increasing the Skilled Worker salary threshold by a third to £38,700 will limit the seafood and other sector’s ability to access the labour they require to grow and succeed.

We have consistently called for changes to Skilled Worker Visa provision to be made to ensure that route is genuinely proportionate and accessible to all parts of the fishing fleet. That includes ensuring that English language requirements – and associated costs for testing - are proportionate, whilst also recognising the importance of appropriate English language abilities to ensuring vessel safety and to reducing the risk of worker exploitation.

Question reference: S6O-02934

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 December 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 10 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether GEOAmey, the prisoner escort service provider, has offered any assurances that it will tackle the reported staffing challenges that currently mean that islanders acting as witnesses have to travel to jury trials on the mainland.

Question reference: S6W-23474

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 11 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-17336 by Màiri McAllan on 4 May 2023, what area in km2 of Scotland’s inshore waters is, on a year-round basis, open to creeling while not open to scallop dredging or enphrops trawling.

Question reference: S6W-23245

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Angus Robertson on 8 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its ongoing discussions with the Screen Machine to ensure the funding of a new mobile cinema, in light of its reported importance to rural and islands communities.

The Scottish Government is continuing to engage with Screen Scotland and other parties to explore all avenues for supporting the future of the Screen Machine.

We recognise the huge importance of the Screen Machine’s unique cultural, educational, and wellbeing benefits to communities across Scotland, particularly for those who otherwise would struggle to visit the cinema.

We welcome the funding provided by Screen Scotland earlier this year, which allowed Screen Machine to lease a temporary replacement cinema until April 2024.

Question reference: S6W-22506

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 6 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is considering alternatives to the current methods of tagging fish, which involve inserting tags into them.

The Scottish Government uses a range of techniques to monitor and study fish populations which is critical to inform the management actions put in place to protect species. Internal tagging is used when there is no appropriate alternative method available to answer the specific question being addressed. It is a regulated procedure covered by the Animals (Scientific procedures) Act 1986 and is performed under licence from the Home Office. Alternatives to this method are examined and adopted where possible by the Scottish Government following the principles of the 3Rs (replacement, reduction and refinement) embedded in the act.

Question reference: S6W-23003

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 17 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 4 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what the most recent figures are, based on local authority records, for the number of short-term let applications that have been received in each local authority area.

The Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 (Licensing of Short-term Lets) Order 2022 requires licensing authorities to maintain and publish a public register of short-term let licences on their website, or other website established for that purpose. The register is required to include a note of the kind and terms of each licence granted by the licensing authority, as well as other information set out in paragraph 13 of Schedule 2 of the Licensing Order.

Licensing authorities are also required to share content of their public register with the Scottish Government on a quarterly basis for statistical analysis purposes. The Scottish Government publishes a quarterly statistical return on short-term let licensing applications. The first return was published on 31 August 2023 covering the period from 1 October 2022 to 31 March 2023. The second return for the period 1 April 2023 to 30 June 2023 was published on 20 November 2023. We expect the return covering the period up to and including 30 September 2023 will be published in early 2024.

Question reference: S6W-22882

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 13 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 27 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will ask SEPA to provide advice to local authorities on the screening criteria for air quality impact assessments in relation to any whisky storage facility planning applications, in light of the final report, Review of the Human Health and Environmental Impacts of Non-Methane Volatile Organic Compound Emissions from Malt Whisky Maturation in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-22881

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 13 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 27 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the recommendations in the final report, Review of the Human Health and Environmental Impacts of Non-Methane Volatile Organic Compound Emissions from Malt Whisky Maturation in Scotland, in light of the evidence that it provides on impacts on human health and the environment.

Question reference: S6W-22438

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 10 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the potential impact on the marine environment in Scotland, what its position is on the reported response from the Marine Management Organisation, to a Freedom of Information request from the World Cetacean Alliance, stating that it only holds bycatch data on the only UK-registered super trawler, not on foreign-owned super trawlers, in light of it being a requirement for all vessels operating in UK waters to report all incidences of marine mammal bycatch.

All vessels authorised to operate in Scottish waters do so under the appropriate licences, and are obliged to follow Scottish domestic management rules. This includes a mandatory requirement for all vessels, including EU vessels, operating in UK waters to report any incidental injury or mortality (bycatch) of marine mammal to the Marine Management Organisation.

We take any infringements of fishing vessel licence conditions seriously, including those relating the reporting of marine mammal bycatch. We continue to remind masters of their obligation to record and report incidental mortality and serious injury (bycatch) of marine mammals in accordance with their licence condition and will investigate any reports where there is evidence which suggests this condition is not complied with.

While the management of Scottish waters is an area of devolved competency, the Scottish Government continues to work with the UK Government and other devolved administrations through the delivery of the Marine Wildlife Bycatch Mitigation Initiative (BMI) which is a joint plan for tackling bycatch across the UK with the aim of minimising, and where possible eliminating, bycatch of sensitive marine species.