Questions and answers

Question reference: S6W-26135

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 20 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether productive farmland is an ecosystem service provided by soils.

Question reference: S6W-26129

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 20 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to developing a more detailed national strategy and spatial plan for energy storage developments that identifies (a) peak energy demand times on the grid, (b) the locality of such demands on the grid and (c) the length of hold time required for the dispatchable power source.

Legislation and regulations relating to electricity networks are reserved to the UK Government, with National Grid Electricity System Operator (ESO) responsible for electricity system planning and electricity network planning across GB. As set out in the UK Transmission Acceleration Action Plan, the UK Government has committed to develop a Strategic Spatial Energy Plan, which will bridge the gap between government policy and infrastructure development plans across the whole energy system, land and sea, across Great Britain. The Scottish Government is broadly supportive of a more strategic approach to energy planning however, we are continuing to press the UK Government to ensure that the SSEP respects the devolved competencies of the Scottish Parliament.

Question reference: S6W-26130

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 19 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to replicating elements of the onshore wind sector deal, such as maintaining community benefit schemes and community shared ownership agreements as a condition of the sale or transfer, in other renewable technology sectors, such as battery energy storage systems.

Building on the success of our Good Practice Principles and our Community and Renewable Energy Scheme, the Onshore Wind Sector Deal represents a significant step forward in ensuring our journey to net zero benefits people across Scotland, and is part of a just transition. We are learning from these successes and will continue to work with industry to explore other avenues within our devolved powers to maximise the benefits flowing into communities.

We are also pressing the UK Government to explore mandating community benefits from onshore renewables as well as electricity transmission network infrastructure. It is critical that the UK Government continues to work with us as these proposals are developed to ensure they deliver the maximum benefits for the people of Scotland, and support our transition to a green economy in which no one is left behind.

Question reference: S6W-26133

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 18 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the preservation of farmland for future food security is in the public interest.

Question reference: S6O-03242

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 March 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 21 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Audit Scotland report, Decarbonising heat in homes, and the recent report by the Regulatory Review Group regarding the forthcoming Heat in Buildings Bill, what action it is taking to further assess and develop the supply chain for decarbonising buildings.

Question reference: S6W-25903

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 29 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 13 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to conduct a review into the effectiveness of Regional Land Use Partnerships in relation to their ability to address the climate and biodiversity crises.

Regional Land Use Partnerships (RLUPs) pilots have been asked to adopt a natural capital approach to their work. This allows the pilot regions to explore how regional opportunities and priorities for land use can enhance, protect, mitigate and adapt to areas of national importance such as biodiversity and climate change.

The Scottish Government is currently working with the RLUP pilot regions as we seek to understand and evaluate the progress of the pilot programme as a whole.

Question reference: S6W-25904

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 29 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 13 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether more effective utilisation of Regional Land Use Partnerships could achieve any of the policy outcomes it aims to achieve in its proposed Land Reform Bill.

The Scottish Government recognises land is one of our most valuable assets. That is why the Scottish Land Rights and Responsibilities Statement articulates the Scottish Government’s vision for the ownership, use and management of land, setting out how we see the balance between the rights of landowners, managers, local communities and society at large.

Moving forwards the legislative requirements, such as those set out in the proposals for the upcoming Land Reform Bill and other voluntary based measure such as the Scottish Land Commission’s Good Practice programme, will all play an important role in meeting our objectives for land reform. Whilst the Regional Land Use Partnership (RLUPs) pilots were established to test and explore locally appropriate approaches to land use, the scope of the pilots was not to consider or challenge matters of land ownership or rights and responsibilities.

Question reference: S6W-25905

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 29 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 13 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what role Regional Land Use Partnerships will play in its proposed Land Reform Bill.

The Scottish Government recognises land is one of our most valuable assets. That is why the Scottish Land Rights and Responsibilities Statement articulates the Scottish Government’s vision for the ownership, use and management of land, setting out how we see the balance between the rights of landowners, managers, local communities and society at large.

Moving forwards the legislative requirements, such as those set out in the proposals for the upcoming Land Reform Bill and other voluntary based measure such as the Scottish Land Commission’s Good Practice programme, will all play an important role in meeting our objectives for land reform. Whilst the Regional Land Use Partnership (RLUPs) pilots were established to test and explore locally appropriate approaches to land use, the scope of the pilots was not to consider or challenge matters of land ownership or rights and responsibilities.

Question reference: S6W-25462

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 09 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 7 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6O-03036 by Angela Constance on 31 January 2024, whether the Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs is aware of the reported correspondence between the recognised trade union at HMP Kilmarnock, Community, and the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), in which the union explicitly states its concerns, regarding the transfer of the prison, on behalf of its members, and whether the (a) cabinet secretary and (b) SPS has responded to these concerns.

Question reference: S6O-03210

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 March 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 14 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that Scotland’s further education sector is aligned with the needs of businesses within the renewables sector and other industries associated with the green economy.

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