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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: S5W-03875

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 October 2016
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 4 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government, following the announcement by the Chancellor on 3 October 2016 regarding the continuation of European structural and investment funding beyond the 2016 Autumn Statement, whether its portion of funding for CAP Pillar 2 and other Scottish Rural Development Fund schemes will be upheld and delivered as planned up to 2020.

The Scottish Government recognises that uncertainty has been created as a result of the EU referendum outcome, not just around funding opportunities or investment decisions but also concerning people’s jobs.

The Chancellor made an announcement on 3 October confirming the UK Government’s position to guarantee funding for EU funded projects up to the point at which the UK departs the EU. This provides some certainty for the immediate future, but we still have significant concerns about the longer term funding position for projects in Scotland. The Scottish Government will continue to engage with the UK Government to obtain the additional clarity that our fishermen, farmers and communities across Scotland need.

The EU Referendum result does not reduce our ability – nor our desire – to protect the environment and rural economy. We will continue to work together to create a sustainable future for Scotland.

Question reference: S5W-04345

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 31 October 2016
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 4 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will list the 18 marine protected areas that the Programme for Government states will be designated by the end of 2017.

Three of these sites have already been designated. The Inner Hebrides and Minches Special Area of Conservation, the Iona I Historic Marine Protected Area, and the Fair Isle Demonstration and Research Marine Protected Area. The other fifteen are the proposed Special Protection Areas which are presently subject to public consultation and analysis processes. A decision on whether these sites meet the scientific criteria for designation will be taken in 2017.

Question reference: S5W-03770

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 October 2016
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 3 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government whether all public sector tenders that it has responsibility for must comply with the REACH (registration, evaluation, authorisation and restriction of chemicals) regulations where there is a need for the use of protective equipment or clothing and, if not, what its position is on introducing such a requirement.

Scottish Government’s public contracts are subject to all relevant legislation, including environmental law.

The Scottish public procurement Regulations which came into effect on 18 April 2016 contain provisions to enable the exclusion of a bidder from tendering for public contracts where it can be demonstrated it has breached social, environmental or labour laws.

The Regulations also permits a contract not to be awarded to a bidder where it can be shown that its bid does not comply with applicable obligations in the fields of social, environmental and labour law and to reject a bid that has been established as abnormally low because it does not comply with relevant social, environmental or labour law.

Furthermore, Scottish Government’s standard Terms and Conditions have been updated to allow for contract termination in the event of the contractor’s failure to comply with such laws in the performance of a contract.

Question reference: S5O-00303

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 November 2016
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what support it provides to third sector organisations that seek to build a case for the reopening of rail lines and stations.

Question reference: S5W-03679

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 October 2016
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 1 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish details of its updated strategy on diet and obesity, and how will this align with its commitment to a Good Food Nation Bill.

Question reference: S5W-03697

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 October 2016
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 1 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how much it has allocated to flood prevention schemes in each local authority since April 2016.

Question reference: S5W-03695

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 October 2016
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 1 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of the 42 formal flood protection schemes or engineering works referred to in the Floor Risk Management Plan for Scotland, which were planned to start between 2016 and 2021.

Question reference: S5W-03698

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 October 2016
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 1 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-28860 by Aileen McLeod on 5 January 2016, what funding it has allocated to (a) the natural flood management (i) studies and (ii) ground works since April 2016 and (b) its “research to better understand how actions such as wetland creation, re-meandering and woodland planting can contribute to slowing and storing flood waters and help alleviate flooding to communities downstream", and who will deliver this research.

Question reference: S5W-03694

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 October 2016
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 1 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what support it offers to local authorities to make property-level protection products available at an affordable price to properties at risk of flooding.

On 18 July the First Minister announced the agreement with COSLA of a 10 year flood funding strategy, with the local authority capital settlement, to deliver priorities identified in the Flood Risk Strategies published in December 2015. The agreed funding will amount to a minimum of £42 million per year with any underspends in one year being re-profiled within the next years allocation. 80% of the annual funding will support delivery of the flood protection schemes identified in the Flood Risk Strategies; a full list of these can be found at http://www.sepa.org.uk/media/163528/42-flood-protection-schemes.pdf.

The allocations to individual local authorities in 2016-17 for flood protection schemes are set out in the following table; funding for future years will reflect progress with design and development of the scheme.

Flooding capital grant - Funding Allocations for Flood Protection Schemes 2016-17.

Council	Allocation for Flood Prevention Schemes
£m
Aberdeenshire	6.919
Angus	2.003
Argyll & Bute	0.080
Dumfries & Galloway	1.536
Dundee City	5.699
East Ayrshire	0.880
East Dunbartonshire	0.080
East Lothian	0.696
Eilan Siar	0.320
Falkirk	1.782
Fife	0.000
Glasgow	0.560
Highland	2.593
Inverclyde	0.372
Moray	1.480
North Ayrshire	1.680
Orkney	1.388
Perth & Kinross	0.813
Scottish Borders	1.342
Stirling	1.156
Scotland	31.379

The remaining funding is distributed amongst all Scottish local authorities based on their share of properties at risk of flooding. How this money is allocated is a matter for individual local authorities but it is expected that it would be used to support actions identified in the strategies such as property level protection and natural flood management works and studies. In addition local authorities are able to use their wider funding allocation to support flood risk management where they consider this to be a local priority.

In addition to support through the local authority settlement the Scottish Government provides support and tools to responsible authorities. For example the Scottish Government has provided funding to the Tweed Forum (working with Dundee University) to support the Eddleston Water research project which will assess the flood risk, water quality and habitat benefits of working with the natural environment across the catchment. This financial year we are committing £200,000 to the project. These funds are used to engage with land managers in the catchment, carry out natural flood management works and collect scientific evidence through an extensive monitoring programme. The Eddleston Water project is now part of the EU Interreg North Sea Region Building with Nature project and will receive funds of up to 400,000 over the next 4 years.

Question reference: S5W-03700

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 October 2016
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 1 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding the availability and affordability of flood insurance.

Insurance is a reserved matter, and the Scottish Government is working in co-operation with the UK Government and the other devolved administrations to ensure flood insurance remains widely available and affordable. As a result of this work, the flood reinsurance scheme, known as “Flood Re”, was launched on 4 April 2016 and should ensure that flood insurance remains affordable to those who need it.