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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-28822

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 01 May 2020
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 4 June 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-28306 by John Swinney on 29 April 2020, what steps it will take to collect data from local authorities on the use of critical provision for school and early learning during the COVID-19 outbreak.

The Scottish Government has been collecting daily information from local authorities in relation to the provision of support for children and young people through hubs since March 2020. The Vulnerable Children Report, published on 15 May, contained some of the information gathered through these returns from the 27th of March until 14 May. The report is available from https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/research-and-analysis/2020/05/vulnerable-children-report-15-may-2020-scottish-government-and-solace/documents/vulnerable-children-report/vulnerable-children-report/govscot%3Adocument/vulnerable-children-report.pdf .

It is intended that beginning next week, further information from these returns in relation to the provision of support through hubs will be published on a weekly basis.

Question reference: S5W-29318

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 May 2020
Current Status: Answered by Christina McKelvie on 3 June 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what it considers to be the implications for women’s equality of the COVID-19 outbreak.

We know that COVID-19 and our response to the pandemic is, in some aspects, disproportionately impacting on women. This is particularly so in relation to the labour market and the provision of unpaid care, with women disproportionately absorbing additional childcare as a result of school and nursery closures, impacting on their ability to undertake paid work. Women are also more likely to be in precarious work which is less resilient to economic disruption, more likely to be on zero hours contracts and in lower paid or part time work.

The Scottish Government recognises that implications for women's equality as a result of COVID-19 are potentially significant, though not immutable. Embedding a gendered analysis and equality considerations into our decisions and actions will be critical to ensure that we mitigate impacts on women, including in relation to longer-term economic recovery.

Question reference: S5W-29081

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 18 May 2020
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 3 June 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how many licences for the lethal control of beavers were issued by Scottish Natural Heritage for the calendar year 2019; how many were returned by licensees in compliance with the conditions set out, and how many beavers were reported as being killed under these.

Scottish Natural Heritage issued 40 licences for the lethal control of beavers in 2019. One of the lethal control licences was revoked before any action was undertaken because mitigation was subsequently installed at that site which removed the need for any other action. Licence returns have been received for all the licences issued in 2019 (as is a requirement of the licence).

Of the 39 active licences for lethal control, beavers were shot under 16 of these licenses. The returns detail that a total of 87 beavers were killed in 2019. Of the licences issued which permitted lethal control, 60% were not used for that purpose.

Question reference: S5W-29092

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 18 May 2020
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 2 June 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how many beavers were translocated from Tayside from 1 May 2019 to 31 December 2019.

15 beavers were trapped and translocated under licence (between 1st May and 31st December 2019). Scottish Natural Heritage plans to work with licence holders to see what more can be done to make this option practicable as an alternative to lethal control.

Further details of the beaver translocations carried out in 2019 are provided in the Scottish Natural Heritage Beaver Licensing Summary report which was published on 28 May 2020 and is available on their website at https://www.nature.scot/snh-beaver-licensing-summary-1st-may-31st-december-2019 .

Question reference: S5W-29095

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 18 May 2020
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 2 June 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to revise the policy of precluding translocation of beavers beyond the Knapdale trial site and to allow the authorised movement of the animals to areas of suitable habitat where land owners are willing to receive them in order to help widen any biodiversity benefits brought by the species and reduce the need for any licensed killing where they occupy habitat in prime agricultural land.

Question reference: S5W-29084

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 18 May 2020
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 2 June 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether Scottish Natural Heritage has imposed date restrictions regarding the timing of authorised interventions when issuing all licences permitting the disturbance or lethal control of beavers since 1 May 2019.

Scottish Natural Heritage licences which permit the use of lethal control specify as a condition that ‘Lethal control or removal of mature dams (over 2 weeks old) during the Kit Dependency Period (1 April to 16 August) must only be carried out in exceptional circumstances i.e where there is an imminent threat of serious damage or to public health or to a public interest’.

The Scottish Natural Heritage licensing team must also be notified within 7 days of the action being undertaken.

Question reference: S5W-29091

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 18 May 2020
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 2 June 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how many spot-checks of licensees for the lethal control of beavers were carried out in the calendar year, 2019.

Scottish Natural Heritage has not carried out spot checks on beaver licence compliance, but continues to work with those in receipt of licences. Compliance checks are made as part of checking licence returns.

Those carrying out lethal control are required to be accredited to ensure best practice is followed and that accredited controllers are familiar with beaver ecology. Scottish Natural Heritage ran a series of training events to ensure that practitioners have the correct skills and knowledge to undertake any lethal control humanely.

Question reference: S5W-29088

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 18 May 2020
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 2 June 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how many beavers were killed under licenced lethal control measures in the calendar year 2019, also broken down by what information it has regarding the (a) date of each incident, (b) number of family groups of beavers that were killed and how many were in each group and (c) sex and age of the beavers, and how many of the beavers were subject a post-mortem by the agency or its agents to verify that there was compliance with the appropriate animal welfare regulations.

87 beavers were killed under licensed lethal control measures in 2019.

a) All the records of beaver control have a date.

b) The controller return data obtained does not currently allow a comprehensive answer to be provided on the size of family groups and the numbers of beavers killed in each group. Scottish Natural Heritage has cross-referenced the licence returns with the territories established in the 2017-18 survey. This indicates that lethal control or live-trapping has taken place within around 13% of territories. In addition , lethal control was carried out in two territories not previously recorded in this survey.

c) 56 of 87 records have a classification as adult, sub-adult or kit. The sex of the animal was not included on the template due to the difficulty of determining this in the field. The carcases of two beavers shot under licence have been provided by licence-holders and subjected to a post-mortem examination.

Question reference: S5W-29089

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 18 May 2020
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 2 June 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether Scottish Natural Heritage has discussed with the Scottish SPCA any concerns regarding the (a) licence process for the lethal control of beavers, including the process for the verification of whether killings under licence are carried out humanely and (b) the charity’s willingness and ability to assist in post-mortem examination of beavers killed under licence.

Question reference: S5W-29083

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 18 May 2020
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 2 June 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what estimate Scottish Natural Heritage has made of the number of beavers that were (a) killed and (b) suspected of being killed in the calendar year 2019 because the person responsible (i) did not have an appropriate and (ii) failed to comply with the terms of their lethal control licence.