- Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 07 October 2019
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Current Status:
Answered by Fergus Ewing on 24 October 2019
To ask the Scottish Government what contribution shooting has made to the economy in each of the last five years.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not hold this information. The Scottish Government commissioned research into socio-economic and biodiversity impacts of driven grouse moor shooting estates in Scotland. The first phase of this work was completed by researchers at Scotland’s Rural College and the James Hutton Institute, and was published in March 2019. This report showed that the grouse shooting industry accounts for around £23-£50 million Gross Value Added (GVA) per year.
Public and Corporate Economic Consultants (PACEC) published “The Value of Shooting – The economic, environment and social contribution of shooting sports to the UK” in 2014. This report estimated that the shooting industry contributes approximately £200m to Scotland’s economy and provides the equivalent of 11,000 jobs.
- Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 26 August 2019
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 24 September 2019
To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to consider holding an inquiry into the 2018 fire at the Glasgow School of Art.
Answer
As noted in my response to the Culture, Tourism, Europe and External Affairs Committee’s report on the 2018 fire at the Glasgow School of Art, the Scottish Government is keen to ensure that we learn from the terrible events of last June and that we do what we can to help prevent similar events occurring in the future. However, we also believe that we should all await the outcome of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service’s investigations before we consider in detail what actions we might take to this end.
- Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 September 2019
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 23 September 2019
To ask the Scottish Government what support it provides to the owners of properties that are accessed by a ford river crossing to ensure that they are connected to the road network.
Answer
Local authorities have a duty under the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984 to manage and maintain local roads in their area, including ford river crossings, and duties under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 to secure the expeditious, convenient and safe movement of traffic. Access to properties would therefore be a matter for each local authority.
Scottish Ministers are responsible for the strategic trunk road network including motorways. There are no ford river crossings on the trunk road network.
- Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 September 2019
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 23 September 2019
To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has carried out of the environmental impact of (a) building and (b) upgrading ford river crossings.
Answer
Local authorities have a duty under the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984 to manage and maintain local roads in their area, including ford river crossings, and duties under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 to secure the expeditious, convenient and safe movement of traffic. It would therefore be a matter for the relevant local authority to undertake any necessary EIAs.
Scottish Ministers are responsible for the strategic trunk road network including motorways. There are no ford river crossings on the trunk road network.
- Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 September 2019
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 23 September 2019
To ask the Scottish Government what it is position is on the (a) safety and (b) cost effectiveness of fords as river crossings.
Answer
Local authorities have a duty under the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984 to manage and maintain local roads, including ford river crossings, in their area and duties under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 to secure the expeditious, convenient and safe movement of traffic.
Scottish Ministers are responsible for the strategic trunk road network including motorways. There are no ford river crossings on the trunk road network.
- Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 September 2019
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 23 September 2019
To ask the Scottish Government what support it gives to local authorities to ensure that ford river crossings are maintained or, if they are deemed unsafe, replaced with suitable alternatives.
Answer
Local authorities have a duty under the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984 to manage and maintain local roads in their area and duties under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 to secure the expeditious, convenient and safe movement of traffic. This includes any ford river crossings on the local road network.
Scottish Ministers are responsible for the strategic trunk road network including motorways.
In 2019-20 the Scottish Government is delivering a funding package of £11.2 billion for local authorities, a real terms increase of £310 million or 2.9 per cent for essential public services in Scotland.
It is the responsibility of each local authority to allocate the total financial resources available to it on the basis of local needs and priorities having first fulfilled its statutory obligations and the jointly agreed set of national and local priorities including the Scottish Government’s key strategic objectives.
- Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 06 September 2019
Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Current Status:
Answered by Kate Forbes on 23 September 2019
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has undertaken an assessment of which local authorities are expected to introduce a transient visitor levy when they have the power to do so and, if so, which they are.
Answer
It will be for individual local authorities to decide whether or not to apply a levy if they consider it appropriate for local circumstances.
- Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 26 August 2019
Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 23 September 2019
To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to support the tourism sector as a career option.
Answer
The Scottish Government invested £100,000 to develop a campaign to promote tourism as a career of choice, to be launched in 2020, building on Skills Development Scotland's Tourism Skills Investment Plan, that aims to address existing and future skills challenges across the sector, particularly those arising due to EU exit. Our new Programme for Government also commits us to encouraging more fair work practices, including payment of the Real Living Wage, which will support the promotion of careers in the sector. We are also working on the Tourism Sector Deal proposals to support careers in the sector.
- Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 06 September 2019
Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Current Status:
Answered by Kate Forbes on 19 September 2019
To ask the Scottish Government, aside from the public consultation, which industry leaders, trade bodies and other stakeholders it consulted before it made the decision to introduce its Transient Visitor Levy Bill to the Parliament.
Answer
We have not as yet introduced a Transient Levy Bill to Parliament.
A number of businesses and business representative organisations participated in and contributed to the Scottish Government’s National Discussion on Tourist Taxes, held at the end of 2018, both by attending round table discussions and providing written contributions.
We are currently consulting publicly on the principles of a Transient Visitor Levy Bill and welcome responses from industry leaders, trade bodies and other stakeholders.
- Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 06 September 2019
Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Current Status:
Answered by Kate Forbes on 19 September 2019
To ask the Scottish Government when it expects its Transient Visitor Levy Bill to be introduced to the Parliament.
Answer
The Scottish Government has committed in its Programme for Government to introduce the Transient Visitor Levy Bill this parliamentary year.