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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: S6W-15045

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 13 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 23 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made in delivering the recommendations set out in Beyond the Glen: a strategy for the Scottish Venison Sector to 2030.

“Beyond the Glen” is an industry-led strategy and therefore responsibility for delivery does not lie with Scottish Government. We work to support the industry in development of the sector, including through delivery of the strategy, and we have provided additional funding where possible.

The Scottish Venison Association (SVA) is proposing that a review of the strategy should be undertaken in 2023. Part of this activity will include an internal review of the SVA.

Question reference: S6W-15044

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 13 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 23 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-06730 by Mairi Gougeon on 8 March 2022, how many new local chill and processing units have been established through the £80,000 Covid Recovery Opportunities Fund.

Three pilot projects are being supported through this fund. These are located in North Argyll, Moray, and South West Scotland. All three have seen estimated costs increase significantly since the original funding offers were made and have had to adapt plans and budgets accordingly. Subject to planning consent in one instance, work is anticipated to commence within the next few weeks.

An announcement will be made as soon as all three projects get underway. A programme of open days and knowledge transfer is an important element of this project.

Question reference: S6O-01930

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 February 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 23 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the possible extension of the Borders Railway through Hawick to Carlisle.

Question reference: S6W-14543

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 30 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 15 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance it issues to its executive agencies regarding the criteria for risk assessments conducted which may allow transgender individuals to access single sex spaces.

The Scottish Government does not issue guidance on the Equality Act 2010. Legal responsibility for this lies with the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC). On 4 April 2022 the EHRC published a practical guide to law on single sex spaces. This guidance is available on the EHRC website here: Guidance published for providers of single-sex services | Equality and Human Rights Commission (equalityhumanrights.com)

Question reference: S6W-14337

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 7 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on pilot schemes to fast-track applications for blue badges for disabled parking for people with motor neurone disease.

Following the successful completion of a two-year Scotland-wide pilot in 2022, the new fast-track Prescribed Blue Badge model for people with motor neurone disease (MND) was launched on 9 May 2022 via the provision of updated guidance for local authorities.

MND specialist nurses in Scotland now have the power to prescribe a Blue Badge for people with an MND diagnosis should their MND specialist nurse deem them as meeting the eligibility criteria. This means that such applicants can bypass the Local Authority assessment process and experience significantly shorter waiting times.

Question reference: S6W-14178

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 20 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 30 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish the findings of the Agriculture Bill consultation, Delivering our Vision for Scottish Agriculture, which closed on 21 November 2022.

The public consultation on proposals for a new Agriculture Bill, “Delivering our Vision for Scottish Agriculture” opened from 29 August 2022 until 5 December 2022. We received a good response to the consultation, including wide-ranging attendance at the 14 public consultation events held, and will be giving careful consideration to the diverse range of views received. The Scottish Government aims to publish a report on the findings of the Agriculture Bill consultation in Spring 2023.

Question reference: S6O-01855

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 January 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 2 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to tackle bullying in schools.

Question reference: S6W-13915

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 13 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 24 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the roll-out of the new Core Operating Solutions developed for Police Scotland and any difficulties it has encountered in the implementation.

The rollout of transformational IT projects are a matter for Police Scotland. However, as outlined at the Scottish Police Authority’s Audit and Risk Committee on 17 January, the second phase of Core Operating Solutions is being implemented as expected and within the anticipated timescales.

The Scottish Government has invested £11.6 billion in policing since the creation of Police Scotland in 2013, with a further £1.45 billion to be invested in 2023-24, an increase of 6.3%.

Question reference: S6W-13022

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 21 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (Incorporation) (Scotland) Bill.

The Scottish Government remains absolutely committed to incorporating the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child into Scots law, as far as possible within devolved competence.

Our intention is to bring the Bill back to Parliament for Reconsideration Stage. Preparations for that are well underway and include engagement with the UK Government to try assess whether they are broadly content that the amendments bring with the Bill within legislative competence and to reduce the risk of another referral to the Supreme Court.

We will lodge the motion to reconsider the Bill and publish the amendments to the Bill as soon as possible but cannot yet confirm a timetable.

Question reference: S6W-12745

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 05 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 16 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will make an assessment of whether rewilding on deep peat caused by a lack of management risks reducing (a) carbon sequestration and (b) populations of ground nesting bird species.

There are different forms of active management of vegetation on deep peat including muirburn, cutting and grazing.

As far as muirburn is concerned, NatureScot published research earlier this year which reviewed the evidence on the impacts of muirburn on wildfire prevention, carbon storage and biodiversity: NatureScot Research Report 1302 - Reviewing, assessing and critiquing the evidence base on the impacts of muirburn on wildfire prevention, carbon storage and biodiversity | NatureScot

Following on from the research, the NatureScot Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) have been asked to provide advice on the circumstances under which muirburn, including muirburn on peat could be permitted under licence, and where it would not be appropriate.

The Scottish Government will take in to account evidence from the NatureScot research and the SAC advice alongside information provided by stakeholders.

Further information on impacts of grazing and cutting are available in NatureScot guidance:

https://www.nature.scot/doc/peatland-action-peatland-management-guidance-grazing-and-muirburn

https://www.nature.scot/doc/guidance-muirburn-code#Cutting