Chamber and committees

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: S6W-34071

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 27 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the True North survey reportedly finding that less than a quarter of respondents in Scotland believe that the windfall tax is achieving its aim of reducing household bills.

Question reference: S6W-34128

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 27 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what policies are in place to determine when external legal counsel is used instead of its in-house legal expertise.

As Scottish Government functions have increased and matured, the volume and complexity of outsourced legal work has also evolved. This work is procured and we are now utilising the third iteration of a framework providing Legal Services to the Scottish Government and the wider public sector. The current Legal Services Framework is divided into 6 Lots by subject matter:

Lot 1: Contracts, Commercial and Corporate

Lot 2: Debt Recovery

Lot 3: Litigation, Reparation, Employment and Inquiries

Lot 4: Major Infrastructure and Commercial Projects (and related litigation)

Lot 5: Property and Related Matters

Lot 6: One Stop Shop.

The use of external legal counsel via the framework depends on the nature of the particular matter in question and whether our in-house legal team has the capacity to undertake the work and/or whether they have any specialist expertise that may be required.

Question reference: S6W-34631

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 07 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 26 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what the primary reasons are for deer culling on land that it owns, and what proportion of culls are carried out for (a) population control, (b) environmental protection and (c) agricultural purposes.

The primary reasons for the deer management activities on Scottish government-owned land is as follows.

Forestry and Land Scotland

FLS culls deer primarily in order to protect, enhance and restore a wide range of woodland across the 640,000 hectares of public forests and land which it manages which can be damaged by deer overgrazing and trampling vulnerable habitats, preventing young trees from growing. The proportion of the cull carried out for ‘environmental protection’ purposes is 96%-100%. FLS also cull deer to protect grazings and crops as and when required. The proportion of the cull carried out for agricultural purposes is 0%-4%. They do not carry out culling for population control purposes.

NatureScot

The primary reason for deer culling on NatureScot-owned land is environmental protection. This information is not broken down proportionally.

Scottish Water

The primary reasons for deer culling on Scottish Water land include for population control, environmental protection and agricultural purposes. This information is not broken down proportionately.

Question reference: S6W-34620

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 07 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 26 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to increase the number of wind turbines on land that it owns.

Question reference: S6W-34618

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 07 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 26 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of electricity generated by wind turbines on land that it owns is (a) used directly by its own facilities and (b) supplied to the grid.

Question reference: S6W-34210

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 31 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 26 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how Food Standards Scotland monitors and enforces food safety standards in rural and remote areas.

As part of its competent authority role Food Standards Scotland (FSS) monitors and enforces regulations in marine waters, slaughterhouses, standalone cutting plants, game handling establishments, feed, and wine business, throughout the length and breadth of Scotland including on the Islands and all remote areas where a business is located.

As part of its assurance role, FSS is required independently to audit delivery of official controls carried out by FSS and take appropriate measures in the light of the results of those audits. The audits shall be subject to independent scrutiny and conducted in a transparent manner.

FSS have a primary responsibility to monitor the performance of, and promote best practice by, enforcement authorities enforcing food legislation in Scotland.

The overarching aim is to provide assurance that the delivery of official controls for food and feed is compliant with Scottish and UK legal requirements and official guidance.

The audit programme is risk-based, and all reports are published.

https://www.foodstandards.gov.scot/business-and-industry/safety-and-regulation/audit-and-monitoring

Question reference: S6W-34616

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 07 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 26 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what revenue it has received from rental payments for wind turbines located on land that it owns in each of the last five years.

Question reference: S6W-34633

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 07 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 26 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what revenue it has received from deer culling activities on land that it owns in each of the last five years.

Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) is the executive agency which manages Scotland’s national forests and land. The majority of deer management on land owned by the Scottish Government is undertaken by FLS. Alongside land owned by the Scottish Government, public bodies also manage deer on public land they are responsible for. This includes NatureScot and Scottish Water. Further detail on the revenue these organisations have received from deer management activities is as follows.

Forestry and Land Scotland

FLS income from deer carcasses, the associated bye-products and fees from leases/permissions for recreational stalking, has amounted to:

Year	Amount
2019-20	£1750000
2020-21*	£835000
2021-22	£1280000
2022-23	£1440000
2023-24	£1700000

*(reduced culling activity due to Covid-19)

NatureScot

NatureScot revenue is approximately £55,000 in each of the last five years except from in 2020-21 when there was reduced culling activity due to Covid-19. This is includes revenue from stalking leases and venison sales.

Scottish Water

Scottish Water's income from deer management comes from the rent for sporting rights at Backwater and Lintrathen, the total rental income over the last five years comes to £77,000. However, at Backwater this income includes grouse as well as deer, so the total income from deer culling activities will be lower. In addition, there is a lease for shooting at Little Ballo which includes for red deer in the sum of £500 per annum over the last five years.

Question reference: S6W-34031

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 26 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-33090 by Ivan McKee on 16 January 2025, what procurement process was followed to buy each bicycle, and whether it will confirm each bicycle's (a) make, (b) model, (c) cost and (d) country of origin.

The bicycles were not purchased by the Scottish Government, but by the Energy Saving Trust. Details of the two bicycles are:

Bicycle 1: a) Make: Urban Arrow b) Model: Flatbed XL Cargo Line 500Wh with Flight Case c) Cost: No cost to Scottish Government, as it was gifted. d) Country of origin: the Netherlands.

Bicycle 2: a) Make: Butcher and Bicycles b) Model: Mk1 Vario c) Cost: No cost to Scottish Government, as it was gifted d) Country of origin: Denmark.

Question reference: S6W-32664

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angus Robertson on 26 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding its work on international development, whether it has had any official or unofficial contact with any representatives in relation to infrastructure or financial projects in Bangladesh.

Our International Development work focuses on three partner countries in Africa. The Scottish Government has not had official or unofficial contact with representatives from Bangladesh in relation to International Development, for either infrastructure or financial projects in Bangladesh. Our International Development overseas investment partner countries are Malawi, Rwanda, and Zambia. More information on our International Development work can be found online at <https://www.gov.scot/policies/international-development/>