Questions and answers

Question reference: S6W-11998

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 22 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what funding is available for the control of invasive species.

There are a range of funding sources available to land managers to control invasive non-native species. These include the Agri-environment and Climate Scheme (AECS) and the Forestry Grant Scheme (FGS) under the Scottish Rural Development Programme. To date, more than £3.6m of FGS funding over the past eight years has been committed for rhododendron control projects.

There are also a number of projects that are tackling invasive plants and animals across Scotland, such as the Scottish Invasive Species Initiative and the Tweed Invasives project set up by the Tweed Forum.

In September 2021, at COP26, Scottish Ministers announced that the Nature Restoration Fund would provide £65 million for projects that benefit nature to be funded through this Parliamentary session. Habitat and species restoration which include the eradication of invasive non-native species are among the types of projects that can apply for grants funding, including for projects lasting up to three years.

Question reference: S6W-11891

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 22 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how much has been paid in subsidies to (a) Barra, (b) Benbecula, (c) Campbeltown, (d) Dundee, (e) Inverness, (f) Islay, (g) Kirkwall, (h) Sumburgh, (i) Stornoway, (j) Tiree and (k) Wick John O'Groats Airport in each year since 2017-18, broken down by capital and revenue allocations.

The following table provides the information requested in relation to capital allocations. For completeness, HIAL Head Office figures are also included. Figures include both grant and loan funding.

Airport	2017-18 (£)	2018-19 (£)	2019-20 (£)	2020-21 (£)	2021-22 (£)
Barra	183,481.08	108,483.61	457,063.78	353,902.34	867,883.49
Benbecula	779,393.75	627,447.75	135,974.70	600,168.73	1,690,104.96
Campbeltown	193,284.51	131,895.32	615,854.76	286,619.78	4,776,933.08
Dundee	207,058.60	367,727.00	184,316.62	1,394,046.70	965,679.77
Inverness	3,082,271.52	2,759,966.51	4,726,100.48	9,406,498.54	11,645,971.05
Islay	100,276.74	125,036.04	170,835.64	470,970.26	735,028.98
Kirkwall	620,656.50	1,654,164.92	354,782.05	1,556,529.87	4,673,773.88
Stornoway	2,802,889.70	433,188.33	291,442.76	2,187,427.27	4,028,778.43
Sumburgh	1,069,276.36	1,018,554.48	2,787,491.56	3,404,861.35	1,912,617.76
Tiree	170,282.71	667,049.27	269,461.82	582,983.03	630,003.17
Wick John O’Groats	341,024.96	269,639.44	400,068.75	315,326.56	530,130.34
Head Office	339,733.76	224,446.02	3,690,673.05	3,241,700.54	4,445,809.64

The Scottish Government does not provide HIAL with revenue allocations on an airport by airport basis. Revenue funding is provided to HIAL as a Group with HIAL then allocating funding across the company, including on Head Office functions, on an as needed basis in order to achieve a breakeven position in any given period. The following table shows the revenue funding provided to HIAL in each year since 2017-18.

Year	Revenue Allocation (£)
2017-18	20,431,303.22
2018-19	21,617,923.68
2019-20	24,304,094.00
2020-21	38,009,537.28
2021-22	38,086,473.99

Question reference: S6W-12011

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 22 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether any liability could accrue due to damage caused to third parties by a tree falling as a consequence of activity by beavers.

Question reference: S6W-12032

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 22 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many times since 2016 it has met with COSLA to progress the introduction of a national minimum allowance for foster carers, and whether it expects to be able to introduce a minimum allowance before the end of the current parliamentary session.

Question reference: S6W-12036

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 22 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to public petition PE1979 on establishing an independent inquiry and an independent national whistleblowing officer to investigate concerns about the alleged mishandling of child safeguarding enquiries by public bodies.

Question reference: S6W-12017

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 22 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the progress of the proposed independent review of the Scottish Welfare Fund.

The Scottish Welfare Fund is a key priority for the Scottish Government, which is why we instructed an Independent Review within the first year of this Parliament.

The Review is a substantial and comprehensive exercise to examine purpose, funding levels, Local Authority administration, accessibility and promotion.

As set out in correspondence to the Social Justice and Social Security Committee on 14 November 2022, the Review continues to progress on schedule with the final report due to be published in early 2023.

The Scottish Government will provide an update to Parliament following publication of the report.

Question reference: S6W-11971

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 22 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-05102 by Graeme Dey on 5 January 2022, how much Highlands and Islands Airports Limited's (HIAL) Air Traffic Management System project has cost to date.

Question reference: S6W-11594

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 October 2022
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 22 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-11363 by Jenny Gilruth on 5 October 2022, what its position is on appointing a privately owned company to operate the Caledonian Sleeper franchise from June 2023.

In accordance with the requirements of the Railways Act 1993 and the Scottish Ministers’ Franchising Policy Statement, consideration is being given to the successor arrangement for the continued provision of Caledonian Sleeper services.

The Scottish Ministers have to work within the relevant current legislation, principally the Railways Act 1993, which neither they nor the Scottish Parliament have powers to change.

I will of course update Parliament on my decision on the successor arrangement once the required statutory process has been completed.

Question reference: S6W-11997

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 22 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government who is responsible for taking the lead on invasive species control in river catchments.

NatureScot is the lead organisation for non-native species on land including wetlands and riparian zones. They lead on riverbank vegetation and all land animals (vertebrates and invertebrates). Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) take the lead in the freshwater environment (still and flowing). Scottish Forestry and Forestry and Land Scotland take the lead on woodland and other habitats on the national forest estate. In many cases, fisheries trusts have taken the lead on co-ordinated action on riverine INNS such as giant hogweed.

Question reference: S6W-12113

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 22 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government on what specific date it will make an announcement regarding the continued provision of Caledonian Sleeper rail services beyond 25 June 2023.

In accordance with the requirements of the Railways Act 1993 and the Scottish Ministers’ Franchising Policy Statement, consideration is being given to the successor arrangement for the continued provision of Caledonian Sleeper services.

The Scottish Ministers have to work within the relevant current legislation, principally the Railways Act 1993, which neither they nor the Scottish Parliament have powers to change.

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