- Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 February 2025
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 19 February 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to its policies on land reform and
land use, what discussions the rural affairs secretary has had with
ministerial colleagues regarding any action that can be taken to
tackle land banking investment scams in the Highlands and Islands, in
light of the reported impact that such scams can have on the right of a
community to have more of a say in how the land that they live on is used.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 19 February 2025
- Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 January 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 29 January 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what support it is providing to the Scottish Prison Service to help give people in custody the best chance of reintegrating into the community at the end of their sentence.
Answer
The Scottish Government provides funding to local authorities and third sector delivery partners to provide throughcare support to people leaving custody to help them transition back into the community.
This includes over £3 million a year to support short-term prisoners address essential needs such as healthcare, social security payments, housing and employment opportunities. This support is available across the prison estate and begins 12 weeks before an individual is released.
We will be building on this existing support by funding a new national throughcare service for all short-term prisoners and those on remand, commencing in April 2025.
- Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 27 January 2025
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Current Status:
Initiated by the Scottish Government.
Answered by Jim Fairlie on 28 January 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to bring forward legislation to change the close season for female deer.
Answer
The Scottish Government consultation “Managing deer for Climate and Nature” proposed implementing the recommendation from the independent Deer Working Group’s report of January 2020, to make changes to the close season for female deer. These changes may be made by order under the Deer (Scotland) Act 1996. However, following consultation with stakeholders, I have concluded that, in most cases, the cull levels required to reduce the overall deer population to support nature and climate objectives can be achieved within existing deer seasons. Where it is necessary to cull outwith existing seasons, there will continue to be the ability to apply to NatureScot for authorisations. In coming to this decision, I have taken careful note of the potential distress caused to many stalkers by being required routinely to shoot heavily pregnant female deer and I have decided against any wider change to the timings of the female close season.
- Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 10 January 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Paul McLennan on 22 January 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether funding can be made available from its More Homes budget to support registered social landlords to bring Gypsy/Traveller sites up to standard.
Answer
The Scottish Government will take the necessary steps for funding for Gypsy/Traveller accommodation to be accessed alongside housing under the Affordable Housing Supply Programme (or a successor housing programme) from 2026-27 onwards.
- Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 10 January 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Paul McLennan on 22 January 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what funding is currently available for registered social landlords responsible for Gypsy/Traveller sites to bring sites up to standard.
Answer
Three Social Landlords, Clackmannanshire Council, Highland Council; and Perth and Kinross Council, have been allocated a total of £5,826,765 in 2024-25 from the Gypsy/Traveller Accommodation Fund to re-build their Gypsy/Traveller sites. Nearly £15 million of the Fund has been spent or allocated between 2021-22 and 2024-25 to allow a total of six Social Landlords to progress projects.
In addition, the formula for the Local Government block grant for 2024-25 included an element of £0.7 million that took account of the number and size of Gypsy/Traveller sites within each local authority. It is the responsibility of individual local authorities to manage their own budgets and to allocate the total financial resources available to them (including through the block grant in relation to Gypsy/Traveller sites), on the basis of local needs and priorities, having first fulfilled their statutory obligations and the jointly agreed set of national and local priorities.
- Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 16 December 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Paul McLennan on 9 January 2025
To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish the outcome of its review into its target to deliver 110,000 affordable homes by 2032.
Answer
Work to finalise the Affordable Housing Supply Programme (AHSP) Review is ongoing and at present no publication date has been set. The key purpose of the Review is to consider the responsiveness, impact, efficiency, value-for-money and deliverability of the AHSP. It is not a Review of the 110,000 affordable homes supply target. The Scottish Government remains committed to achievement of this target and we have increased the affordable housing budget by over £200m in 2025-26 to ensure we continue to deliver the homes Scotland needs.
- Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 January 2025
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 15 January 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it prioritised funding for affordable housing when drafting its Budget for 2025-26.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 15 January 2025
- Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 16 December 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 8 January 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-30510 by Gillian Martin on 18 October 2024, what specific scientific information will be provided to stakeholders in order for them to be able to meaningfully engage with the National Marine Plan 2 process.
Answer
The development of the National Marine Plan 2 (NMP2) is supported by an extensive programme of engagement as detailed in the Statement of Public Participation and Stakeholder Engagement Strategy.
Consultation on a Planning Position Statement (PPS) for NMP2 is currently open until 28 January 2025. The PPS was developed following 14 marine sector workshops held in 2024. Consultation on the PPS was supported through discussion at the National Marine Planning Forum, held 13 November 2024, with over 100 delegates from marine sectors, academia and government.
The NMP2 will be constructed using a robust and transparent evidence base informing the plan and its statutory Sustainability Appraisal, which encompasses environmental and socio-economic impact assessments. The primary evidence base for the strategic environmental assessment (SEA) is Scotland’s Marine Assessment 2020 (“SMA2020”).
The assessments are being supported by a steering group of relevant national organisations, who provide guidance and advice on additional relevant datasets. The assessments will form part of the public consultation on the draft NMP2, planned for Winter 2025.
- Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 16 December 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 19 December 2024
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-30508 by Gillian Martin on 18 October 2024, whether future regional marine plans, adopted under section 5 of the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010, will be required to set out detailed marine spatial plans for all economic and nature restoration activities within the relevant Scottish marine region.
Answer
The Marine (Scotland) Act 2010 requires that regional marine plans (RMPs) state policies for and in connection with the sustainable development of the area. RMPs must also set economic, social and marine ecosystem objectives and objectives relating to the mitigation of, and adaptation to, climate change. RMPs must be developed in accordance with any adopted National Marine Plan (NMP) and are subject to the agreement of Scottish Ministers.
Responsibility for regional marine planning is devolved to marine planning partnerships (MPPs). The current NMP provides guidance to support the development of regional marine plans but specifies that the precise approach and coverage of the regional plan, including the level to which certain activities are spatially represented, will be for MPPs to determine based on local priorities and alignment with other local plans.
- Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 December 2024
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 8 January 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its assessment of the potential impact of the UK Government’s decision to increase employer national insurance contributions on the culture sector.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 8 January 2025