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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: S6O-00485

Asked by: Annabelle Ewing, MSP for Cowdenbeath, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 November 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 2 December 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its discussions with NHS Fife and Fife Council about delayed discharges and winter pressures.

Question reference: S6O-00480

Asked by: Karen Adam, MSP for Banffshire and Buchan Coast, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 November 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 2 December 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what support it can provide to older people who may face financial hardship over the winter months due to the rising cost of living.

Question reference: S6O-00482

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 November 2021
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 2 December 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to encourage a modal shift to increase train passenger numbers and journeys.

Question reference: S6O-00481

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 November 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 2 December 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on progress towards cutting emissions by 75% by 2030.

Question reference: S6O-00484

Asked by: Fulton MacGregor, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 November 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 2 December 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what support is in place for parents who experience stillbirth.

Question reference: S6W-04596

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 November 2021
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Lorna Slater on 24 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how it will give effect to the commitment in the shared policy programme agreed by it and the Scottish Green Party Parliamentary Group to make more use of translocation of beavers and provide financial and practical support for this.

Having been driven to extinction, beavers are now again an established part of Scotland’s wildlife, and the Scottish Government recognises that they will play an important role in restoring Scotland’s natural environment. Through their creation of wetland habitats that support a range of species including invertebrates, fish, amphibians, birds and mammals. Beaver dams can also play an important role in filtering sediment from watercourses and in mitigating flooding.

We will support trapping and translocation projects as a proactive measure to help establish beaver presence in areas of Scotland outside their current range and beyond areas where it might be expected that natural expansion would reach in the short term. As set out in the Shared Policy Programme, financial and practical support will be made available to facilitate translocation.

NatureScot have played a key role in working with stakeholders to develop our approach to beaver management and build sufficient experience enable us to take this significant step in expanding the beaver range in Scotland. NatureScot will lead on developing a national beaver strategy to direct this work as part our programme to restore and enhance biodiversity across Scotland. We will ask NatureScot to put this new policy direction into effect from the start of the new trapping season in the summer of 2022. This will mean that projects that aim to create new populations of beavers outside their current range will be considered for licenses. As is normal with these types of projects, groups proposing them would be expected to provide support on aspects such as consultation, monitoring and management. Trapping and translocation as a licensed mitigation measure will be carried out by or on behalf of NatureScot.

We will ask NatureScot to examine aspects of trapping and translocation with a view to guidance and streamlining the process. For example there may be scope for expanding the range of techniques and traps employed, as well as reducing some of the current measures and monitoring of beavers trapped and released within Scotland. We will also ask NatureScot how capacity for trapping and translocation can be increased if necessary to support additional demand.

All use of trapping and translocation will continue to be in accordance with animal welfare best practice and in accordance with the IUCN Guidelines and the Scottish Code on Conservation Translocations. Both of these documents emphasise the need for meaningful consultation and the importance of local acceptance of translocated animals. This will remain an important aspect of the Scottish Government and NatureScot’s consideration of translocation proposals.

The Scottish Government understands that through their modification of the environment, beavers can produce negative impacts on some species, on agricultural land, forestry and on infrastructure. Many of these impacts can be reduced or avoided through mitigation measures that allow beavers to remain in situ . NatureScot will continue to provide advice and financial support for such measures for as long as they are required. We will also promote the development of ideas for beaver mitigation techniques employing new technology. Lethal control will continue to be utilised as a management measure where necessary and as a last resort.

In conclusion we look forward to facilitating the expansion of beavers as part of our efforts to restore Scotland’s natural environment while supporting land managers to manage any risks this may pose. We will build on the experience of managing beavers in Scotland learned over the last twelve years or so and enabling the biodiversity and hydrological benefits to be seen over a wider area of Scotland, while continuing to ensure important economic interests can continue to be protected.

Question reference: S6W-04493

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 18 November 2021
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 24 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how many farmers have benefitted from the Beef Efficiency Scheme since 2018.

Question reference: S6W-04494

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 18 November 2021
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 24 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how many farmers have received support through the Less Favoured Areas Support Scheme since 2018.

To ask the Scottish Government how many farmers have received support through the Less Favoured Areas Support Scheme since 2018

Claim year	Number of businesses that received a LFASS payment in an individual claim year
2018	11,057
2019	10,890
2020	10,827

Between 2018 and 2020, 11,654 unique businesses received a payment

The Less Favoured Area Support Scheme (LFASS) provides essential income support to farming businesses in remote and constrained rural areas.

Funding is used to:

allow farmers and crofters to continue to operate as viable businesses
avoid the risk of land abandonment
help maintain the countryside by ensuring continued agricultural land use
maintain and promote sustainable farming systems
Applications are submitted yearly via the Single Application Form

Question reference: S6W-04435

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 November 2021
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 24 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how many instances of sheep worrying have been recorded in North Ayrshire in each year since 2019.

Information on cases of sheep worrying is not held centrally in the format requested.

Information is available on the number of offences recorded by Police Scotland under the Dogs (Protection of Livestock) Act 1953 – which relates to dogs worrying livestock on agricultural land (table below). However, as this legislation applies to all forms of livestock, these figures are not available for specific types of animal.

Table 1: Offences of Protection of Livestock from Dogs, North Ayrshire, 2018-19 to 2020-21.

	2018-19	2019-20	2020-21
North Ayrshire	3	3	7

Source: Recorded Crime in Scotland, 2020-21.

Question reference: S6W-04436

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 November 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 24 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how much has been spent on repairs to the entire CalMac fleet in each calendar year since 2018.

We recognise the key role that ferry services play in supporting the economic, social and cultural development of island and remote mainland communities. We continue to invest in maintenance of the current ferry fleet, alongside our programme of new build and port investments.

The maintenance costs for the CalMac fleet in the period of the request are as follows.

Contract Year	1	2	3	4	5
	Oct 16-Sept 17	Oct 17-Sept 18	Oct 18-Sept 19	Oct 19-Sept 20	Oct 20-Sept 21
	£’000	£’000	£’000	£’000	£’000
TOTAL	14,063	18,254	15,723	18,359	17,262

The figures include all maintenance and repair costs including costs of annual dry-docks from the year 2018.

Year	No of farmers	Funding
2018	1,448	£4,055,193.48
2019	108	£226,157.75