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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-28472

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 July 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 30 July 2024

To ask the Scottish Government which forthcoming Bill will contain proposals to modernise deer management, in light of its Managing deer for climate and nature consultation.

The Scottish Government remains firmly committed to modernising deer management to tackle high deer numbers, specifically in order to help us to achieve our biodiversity and carbon objectives. We continue to pursue a wide range of actions to deliver this commitment.

The Scottish Government’s future legislative programme will be set out as part of the upcoming Programme for Government in due course.

Question reference: S6W-28471

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 July 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 30 July 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to bring forward the proposals set out in its Managing deer for climate and nature consultation.

The Scottish Government’s future legislative programme will be set out as part of the upcoming Programme for Government in due course.

In the meantime we are working on those Deer Working Group recommendations that do not require primary legislation through the Strategic Deer Board .

In addition to this, as set out in the Scottish Government’s Climate Change Action: Policy Package , we are developing a package of incentives schemes for deer management to pilot across Scotland. These local schemes will be implemented this year in different parts of Scotland to test different approaches to incentives and to better understand the barriers to deer management.

Question reference: S6W-28014

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 June 2024
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 14 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its current commitment is in relation to the Borderlands Inclusive Growth Deal; with specific regard to rural innovation and skills, whether it remains committed to the allocation of £7 million to local authorities, and whether it would support the allocation of this funding to regional colleges to ensure the future development and delivery of rural and land-based skills.

The Scottish Government is committed to delivering up to £85 million to support a range of projects across the south through the BorderlandsInclusive Growth Deal.

On rural innovation this includes £2.5 million towards six pilot projects which will harness the region’s natural capital to support economic growth and £4 million towards a dairy innovation centre at SRUC’s Barony campus in Dumfries. The Dairy Nexus will deliver state-of-the-art R&D infrastructure to support innovation in biorefinery and milk technology, and the UK’s first ‘digital twin’ of a dairy farm.

The Scottish Government has also committed £7 million through the Deal to develop the skills needed by the South of Scotland economy. We have encouraged the partners to work with the South of Scotland Education and Skills Strategic Coordination Group, a sub group of the South of Scotland Regional Economic Partnership, to develop proposals to utilise the skills funding focused on the needs of the region’s economy. The colleges are represented on that group alongside other relevant stakeholders.

We are currently awaiting proposals from the Borderlands Partnership for the skills element of the Borderlands Inclusive Growth Deal funding.

Question reference: S6O-03618

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S6W-27852

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 12 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to publish the rural support plan before summer recess.

Question reference: S6O-03560

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 June 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 12 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding any implications for its Budget and public sector finances, what assessment the finance secretary has made of how much revenue the visitor levy could generate for local authorities.

Question reference: S6W-27853

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 4 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the creation of a Scottish Veterinary Service.

Yes. Colleagues from across a range of sectors assisted us to scope out the case for the creation of a Scottish Veterinary Service. This identified that a new Scottish Veterinary Service (SVS) would deliver quality improvements and would be financially sustainable. However, the current financial climate and significant budget constraints mean that we are unable to progress with plans for the SVS, given the significant costs to create the new service.

Question reference: S6T-02015

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 May 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on plans to review the New Build Heat Standard.

Question reference: S6W-27586

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 28 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-26769 by Jim Fairlie on 29 April 2024, whether it will reallocate the remaining £473.1 million of the £500 million originally allocated to the Bus Partnership Fund, and, if so, when.

Budget is allocated on an annual basis, therefore the £500m long term investment in bus priority infrastructure was not allocated in one budget to the Bus Partnership Fund.

Capital budget is allocated to the Scottish Government as a total and then set against agreed priorities as part of the budget process on an annual basis. Future funding availability will be considered as part of annual budget setting processes and prioritisation exercises.

Question reference: S6W-27585

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 28 May 2024

The amount spent through the Bus Partnership Fund was £2.54 million in 2021-22, £9.93 million in 2022-23 and £8.03 million is expected to be spent in 2023-24 following the processing of final grant claims from Partnerships (consisting of local authorities, bus operators and other key stakeholders) in the coming months. This has delivered bus gates, enforcement cameras and traffic light equipment to help buses get through them more quickly in Aberdeen, North Ayrshire, Glasgow, Inverness, and Edinburgh. It has also made a number of temporary measures, such as bus lanes, permanent in Edinburgh and Glasgow.