- Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 July 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi McAllan on 16 August 2022
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the reported impact of the avian influenza outbreak, whether it will support risk assessments for non-native gamebird releases.
Answer
NatureScot has advised that there is no evidence of spread of avian influenza from poultry or gamebirds to wild birds within the UK. There is no evidence to support further disease control measures on game bird operation activities beyond those already in place, which includes a ban on releasing game birds in all disease control zones. We are closely monitoring the situation and will review disease control measures as appropriate.
- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 July 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 16 August 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the volume of carbon emissions associated with the electrification of Scotland's rail network, as set out on page 8 of the Rail Services Decarbonisation Action Plan, by 2035.
Answer
Savings in carbon emissions from replacement of Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU) rolling stock are calculated using emission rates from the DfT’s TAG Databook A3.3 (November 2021). This is undertaken when each individual project or line of route reaches the Outline Business Case stage of development.
- Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 July 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Patrick Harvie on 16 August 2022
To ask the Scottish Government when data will be gathered from local authorities on park home residential licences.
Answer
The Scottish Government plans to gather information on implementation of the Site Licencing Scheme from Local Authorities in due course, to inform a review of the Scheme before the end of this Parliament.
- Asked by: Emma Harper, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 August 2022
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Current Status:
Initiated by the Scottish Government.
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 16 August 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what action NHS Scotland is taking to help tackle the climate emergency.
Answer
The Scottish Government and NHS Scotland Assure have prepared the NHS Scotland Climate Emergency and Sustainability Strategy 2022 to 2026 setting out actions for NHS Scotland to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions, adapt to climate change and improve its environmental impact. The strategy includes a commitment to achieving a net-zero health service by 2040.
- Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 July 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 16 August 2022
To ask the Scottish Government how many properties have received funding to date from the £500,000 it allocated to meet the cost of installing interlinked fire alarm systems; what the average cost has been per property of those that received funding to have interlinked fire alarms installed, and how many of the systems that have been funded were connected to the mains electricity supply by a qualified electrician.
Answer
In 2021-22, total funding of £1.1 million has been provided to Care & Repair (C&R). This was, in addition to the £1 million allocated to Scottish Fire & Rescue Service (SFRS) for its Home Fire Safety Visit programme to install interlinked fire alarms in the homes of those at highest risk.
Our funding for Care and Repair has enabled them to fit interlinked fire alarms to 2,421 households, with a further 1,466 households still to be completed. C&R average costs for a supply and fit of the battery operated fire alarms for a typical 3 bedroom home was £300.
The Scottish Government funding was for battery-powered alarms, which do not require alarms to be connected to the mains electricity supply by a qualified electrician.
- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 July 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 16 August 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to encourage a modal shift of HGV traffic to rail, as per the Rail Services Decarbonisation Action Plan.
Answer
The Scottish Government’s leadership in support for rail freight is outlined in our rail freight strategy and put into practice with significant investment and a first of a kind regulatory growth target. Our £25 million ring-fenced fund for rail freight for the period 2019-24 is unique to Scotland and we continue to offer Freight Facilities Grants unlike some other parts of the UK. These funding opportunities are generating private investment in rail freight facilities and unlocking opportunities for rail freight across the country.
Our rolling programme of efficient electrification, detailed in the Rail Decarbonisation Action Plan, will also encourage and facilitate modal shift to rail freight as it brings significant environmental benefits, improves connectivity and creates additional capacity supporting the key role rail freight has to play in helping us achieve our transport emission targets.
- Asked by: Sue Webber, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 29 July 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 16 August 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what budget it has allocated for smoking cessation services in (a) each of the last five financial years, including 2021-22 and (b) 2022-23, and what budget it has provisionally allocated for smoking cessation services over the remainder of the current parliamentary session.
Answer
The Scottish Government has provided £9,144,964 to Health Boards for the provision of smoking cessation services.
This funding is calculated on the basis of smoking rates and deprivation and is used to provide the free Quit Your Way service. This service includes an interactive website, offering expert advice and support to those seeking to quit tobacco products. Local support services and access to a range of free medications and products are provided to help people stop smoking.
| | Smoking Cessation | Smoking Prevention | Total Funded |
2016 - 2017 | 9110000 | 1500000 | * £10,610,000 |
2017 – 2018 | £8,426,750 | £1,387,500 | £9,814,250 |
2018 – 2019 | £8,426,750 | £1,387,500 | £9,814,250 |
2019 – 2020 | £8,005,413 | £1,318,125 | £9,323,538 |
2020 – 2021 | £7,623,384 | £1,255,222 | £8,878,606 |
2021 – 2022 | £7,852,085 | £1,292,879 | £9,144,964 |
Local Authorities receive annual funding of £1.5 million, which has been maintained since its introduction in 2010/2011 and was added to in 2017-18 when £1.340 million was added for Tobacco and Electronic Cigarette Control. This total funding of £2.840 million has continued into 2022-23. The funding Scottish councils receive is to more rigorously enforce tobacco sales law, including test purchasing and joint working.
In addition we fund the Society of Chief Officers of Trading Standards in Scotland (SCOTSS), co-ordinator function - Tobacco and NVP control - national coordination of enforcement activities of Scottish councils, and support for action against illicit tobacco in the financial year 2022-2023.
- Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 29 July 2022
Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi McAllan on 16 August 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reported calls for white-tailed eagles to be culled.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not intend to permit a cull of white-tailed eagles.
The species has the highest levels of protection under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 being listed on Schedules 1, 1A and A1. Schedule A1 of the 1981 Act lists bird species whose nests are protected at all times from disturbance, including outwith the breeding season. Schedule 1A of the 1981 Act lists those bird species which are protected from harassment.
We accept that sea eagles may sometimes take lambs and thereby have a financial impact on farmers and crofters. NatureScot operates the Sea Eagle Management Scheme (SEMS) which supports farmers and crofters to manage impacts. The SEMS was significantly revised in 2020 following consultation with local and national stakeholder groups, including National Farmers Union Scotland and Scottish Crofting Federation representatives. Further information on the scheme is available via the following web link: https://www.nature.scot/professional-advice/land-and-sea-management/managing-wildlife/sea-eagle-management-scheme
- Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 21 July 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Lorna Slater on 16 August 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what estimate it has made of the amount of greenhouse gas emissions from the incineration of fossil carbon that (a) were emitted from 2007 to 2021 and (b) will be emitted from 2022 to 2024.
Answer
I refer the member to the answers to questions S6W-08524 on 19 May 2022 and S6W-08585 on 7 June 2022. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers
Official Statistics on Scottish greenhouse gas emissions are based on a disaggregation of the UK Greenhouse Gas Inventory. At the time of writing, the UK Greenhouse Gas Inventory does not allow for the isolation of data for emissions from the incineration of fossil carbon hence statistics at this level are not available.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 21 July 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 16 August 2022
To ask the Scottish Government when the next Audit Scotland report on roads will be published, and how it (a) measures and (b) publishes information on (i) roads funding, (ii) spending on maintenance and (iii) the condition of roads as a result of investment.
Answer
The timing of the next report on roads will be a matter for Audit Scotland to consider in the planning of their work programme. The Accounts Commission and Auditor General for Scotland last published their report on Maintaining Scotland’s Roads in August 2016.
The Audit Scotland report on Maintaining Scotland’s Roads provides information on how road maintenance funding, spending and condition is measured and published. It is for Audit Scotland to determine how it does this.
