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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-14177

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 20 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 30 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the timeframe for implementation of the Air Departure Tax.

As outlined in the Scottish Budget 2023-24, the Scottish Government remains committed to introducing Air Departure Tax when a solution to the Highlands and Islands exemption issue has been found. The Scottish Government is carefully considering the implications for this of the UK subsidy control regime that was introduced in January 2023.

Until Air Departure Tax is introduced, the UK Government will maintain the application of Air Passenger Duty in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-14198

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 20 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 30 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when the Agriculture Reform Implementation Oversight Board will report on its findings and proposals.

Question reference: S6W-14199

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 20 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 30 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the Climate Change Committee’s assessment in its Progress in reducing emissions in Scotland – 2022 Report to Parliament that "Agroforestry and hedgerows offer the opportunity to increase carbon stocks on farms while allowing agricultural production to continue", and whether it will commit to producing (a) targets and (b) delivery reports for agroforestry and hedgerows.

We agree that agroforestry and hedgerows can be incorporated throughout agriculturally productive land, offering carbon sequestration and biodiversity benefits. We support this through grants and the initiatives such as the Integrating Trees Network. The Agri-Environment Climate Scheme (AECS) is the Scottish Government’s mechanism for providing targeted support to land managers to undertake specific actions on environmental management. Inclusive of contracts issued through the 2022 round of AECS, to date the scheme will have committed over £14.5 million to support the planting or replanting of over 678,000 metres of hedgerows.

In the Climate Change Plan update (CCPu), we committed to ambitious targets for tree planting, rising to 18,000 hectares per year by 2024-25. A range of different types of tree planting, including agroforestry and farm woodlands, contribute to this target which has reporting arrangements in place through the CCPu.

We are aiming to introduce a Natural Environment Bill in year three of this parliamentary session which will contain provisions to put in place statutory targets for nature restoration and a framework for setting, monitoring, enforcing and reporting on those targets.

Question reference: S6O-01863

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 January 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 2 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the work of the ferries task force with Orkney Islands Council.

Question reference: S6W-13112

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 12 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 6 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how much of the £32 million Local Bridge Maintenance Fund was distributed, broken down by each (a) local authority and (b) successful application.

Question reference: S6W-13111

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 12 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 5 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what financial support is available for local bridge and causeway maintenance.

The vast majority of funding available to councils is provided by means of a block grant from the Scottish Government. It is then the responsibility of individual local authorities to manage their own budgets and to allocate the total financial resources available to them, including on maintenance of local roads and bridges, on the basis of local needs and priorities, having first fulfilled their statutory obligations and the jointly agreed set of national and local priorities.

The Scottish Government has provided an additional £570 million to local government in 2023-24, however it is for locally elected representatives to manage the allocation of resources and the level of services that are delivered to their local communities.

Question reference: S6W-13113

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 12 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 5 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has plans to reopen the Local Bridge Maintenance Fund.

While there are not any plans to reopen the Local Bridge Maintenance Fund at this time, the Scottish Government will continue to meet with COSLA and individual local authorities on a regular basis to discuss the issues affecting local government.

The Scottish Government has increased funding to local government by over £570 million in 2023-24, including an additional £147 million of capital funding.

Question reference: S6W-13120

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 12 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 21 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to make use of carbon credits to meet its net zero targets, and, if so, what proportion of its targets it aims to achieve through the use of carbon credits.

Question reference: S6W-13121

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 12 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 21 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will update its interim greenhouse gas emissions targets in line with the latest advice from the Climate Change Committee, and, if so, whether it will seek advice on future target levels in order to avoid changes in estimation methodologies affecting the achievability of the targets.

The Scottish Government is considering the Climate Change Committee’s (CCC) latest advice on greenhouse gas emissions targets and will respond as soon as possible. Under the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009, the CCC’s advice on future target levels must be sought at least every five years to ensure they are still in line with, among other things, current international carbon reporting practice.

Question reference: S6W-12800

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 05 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 19 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answers to questions S5W-16968 by Humza Yousaf on 12 June 2018 and S6W-11891 by Jenny Gilruth on 22 November 2022, for what reason it is no longer able to provide a breakdown of operating subsidies on an airport-by-airport basis.