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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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

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Question reference: S5W-32304

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 05 October 2020
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 30 October 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how Ministers have taken account of the Salmon and Trout Conservation Scotland and Sustainable Inshore Fisheries Trust report, The Economic Contribution of Open Cage Salmon Aquaculture to Scotland.

Understanding the economic impact of any key marine sector is an important piece of evidence for marine policy makers and the Scottish Government considers evidence from many different sources in formulating policy. All evidence has a value and the Scottish Government are engaged on a number of research projects and working groups to improve the sustainability of Scottish aquaculture, to mitigate potential environmental impact and to support further blue economy developments. Our recently published research undertaken by Biggar Economics (2020) into the estimation of the wider economic impact of aquaculture found the sector and its wider supply chain is worth around £880 million in GVA and supports 11,700 jobs across the Scottish economy and is yet another key piece of evidence amongst that wider, and expanding, evidence base.

Question reference: S5W-32245

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 02 October 2020
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 30 October 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how many beavers have been translocated from the River Tay catchment since the end of the kit dependency period, on 16 August 2020, to destinations in (a) Scotland and (b) England to assist with flood resilience and biodiversity enhancement projects.

Between 25 August 2020 and 5 September 2020, 16 beavers have been trapped in Tayside under licence from NatureScot.

(a) One animal was re-released locally (relating to a licence to protect public infrastructure).

(b) Eleven have been released at five different projects in England. A further four animals are currently at a holding facility until trapping of the family group is completed. Following this, the families will be moved to another release project in England.

The projects in England include biodiversity enhancement, flood resilience and science, research and education.

Question reference: S5W-32090

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 28 September 2020
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 21 October 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how many cycle spaces are allocated on Highland Main Line rail services, broken down by (a) rolling stock set type and (b) service.

Question reference: S5W-32091

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 28 September 2020
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 21 October 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether ScotRail is meeting its franchise requirements in relation to cycle carriage.

Question reference: S5W-32283

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 05 October 2020
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 16 October 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the “decision-making framework”, described by the Cabinet Secretary for the Constitution, Europe and External Affairs at the Finance and Constitution Committee on 9 September 2020, when this framework will be published; what plans it has for (a) public and (b) stakeholder consultation on a draft version of the framework, and whether the Parliament has a role in its approval.

If the Parliament indicates its support for the general principles of the UK Withdrawal from the European Union (Continuity) (Scotland) Bill at Stage 1, then, as I set out to the Finance and Constitution Committee, I will be very happy to engage with the Parliament to explore the framework within which decisions about how the power in section 1 of that Bill to make regulations corresponding to EU law might be used. I expect that such a framework will be the product of agreement with the Parliament, and would be happy that as part of that agreement we seek the views of others.

Question reference: S5W-32092

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 28 September 2020
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 9 October 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether the St Kilda Management Plan takes into account the signatories' responsibilities under the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006.

St Kilda is one of six World Heritage Sites in Scotland and the only site which has mixed status as being of both natural and cultural value.

The islands of St Kilda are owned by the National Trust for Scotland, which has overall responsibility for management of the archipelago. The current Management Plan for St Kilda was developed, agreed and signed by the National Trust for Scotland and four other key partners who have a role in the management of the site (namely, Historic Scotland (now Historic Environment Scotland), Scottish Natural Heritage (now NatureScot), Comhairle nan Eilean Siar and the Ministry of Defence).

This question is therefore a matter for the National Trust for Scotland and other signatories, who will be better placed to advise on the Plan’s interaction with the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006.

Question reference: S5W-32061

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 25 September 2020
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 5 October 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take to reverse the decline in the number of woodland birds.

The long term trend for woodland birds in Scotland is increasing, in contrast to the situation across the whole of the United Kingdom. The Index of Abundance for Scottish Terrestrial Breeding Birds, 1994 to 2018 (an Official Statistic for Scotland, accessible via the following link: https://www.nature.scot/information-hub/official-statistics/
official-statistics-terrestrial-breeding-birds ) shows that while there is a large amount of inter-annual variation, with sometimes abrupt decreases and increases between individual years, the woodland bird index trend increased by 58% from the start of the time series in 1994 to the most recent estimate in 2018.

Question reference: S5W-31622

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 07 September 2020
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 22 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what its policy is on the use of lead shot over wetlands.

Question reference: S5O-04582

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 September 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 16 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made on establishing the public inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the death of Sheku Bayoh.

Question reference: S5W-31357

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 21 August 2020
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 31 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what consultation it has had with community councils and tenants' and residents' associations regarding their ability to respond to statutory planning consultations while they are presently unable to meet in person.

The Scottish Government has been liaising with COSLA, Community Council Liaison Officers and the Improvement Service to better understand how community council activities have been affected nationally during the Covid-19 pandemic, including their ability to respond to planning consultations.

Tenants’ and residents’ associations are not subject to specific statutory consultation requirements in the planning application and development planning processes; though we recognise that they may be involved in, for example, early engagement on development plans, responding to plan consultations, pre-application consultation, or responding to consultations on individual applications.