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: S4W-23723

Asked by: Claudia Beamish, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 18 December 2014
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 15 January 2015

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it has suggested that the modified national marine plan will have no likely significant effects on the Natura 2000 network and therefore should not be subject to an appropriate assessment under the habitats regulations appraisal.

The screening undertaken as the first step of the habitats regulations appraisal of the national marine plan has shown that, on the whole, the objectives and policies of the plan are general in nature and do not direct development or use to a specific location. At this stage it is not possible to identify where development and/or use may be located or where effects may occur or which Natura sites may be affected. This means that effects on any particular European site could not be identified. In consequence, the national marine plan has not been subject to appropriate assessment. The exception to this is the likely significant effects on Natura sites from offshore renewables, which have been identified and evaluated through the habitats regulations appraisal undertaken of the sectoral marine plans.

Question reference: S4W-23721

Asked by: Claudia Beamish, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 18 December 2014
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 15 January 2015

To ask the Scottish Government whether details of the environmental assessment of the modified national marine plan will be made publicly accessible and, if so, where.

<>An addendum to the 2013 sustainability appraisal report has been prepared, which has assessed the potential effects of the modifications to the national marine plan. The addendum has been provided to the Rural Affairs, Climate Change and Environment Committee of the Scottish Parliament, and has been published on the national marine plan pages of the Scottish Government’s website at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/marine/seamanagement/national/MPSA

Question reference: S4W-23722

Asked by: Claudia Beamish, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 18 December 2014
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 15 January 2015

To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers that the updated environmental assessment of the modified national marine plan should be subject to a public consultation and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.

The sustainability appraisal of the modified national marine plan shows that the modifications would not result in significant environmental or socio-economic effects, and would not change the conclusions of the 2013 sustainability appraisal report. As the modifications have not resulted in significant new information it was considered that an additional public consultation would not be proportionate or contribute significant additional information to that received from the 124 responses to the public consultation held in 2013. The national marine plan is now subject to parliamentary scrutiny, and the addendum to the sustainability appraisal report has been provided to the Rural Affairs, Climate Change and Environment Committee. It has also been published on the national marine plan pages of the Scottish Government’s website.

Question reference: S4O-03855

Asked by: Claudia Beamish, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 December 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 January 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to provide an appropriate legal process for resolving domestic abuse cases in the South Scotland parliamentary region.

Question reference: S4W-23372

Asked by: Claudia Beamish, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 24 November 2014
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 8 December 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that its research strategy delivers the information needed to help implement the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy.

The importance of biodiversity is recognised in the Scottish Government’s current research strategy and key outputs from all the research funded are communicated to target audiences in Scotland and beyond through a knowledge exchange programme. This is co-ordinated by our world leading research institutes as part of the rural affairs, food and environment strategic research programme for 2011-16. Ecosystems and biodiversity research will also feature in the 2016-21 strategic research portfolio.

Question reference: S4W-23373

Asked by: Claudia Beamish, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 24 November 2014
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 8 December 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what funds it (a) has allocated in each of that last five years and (b) will allocate in the next five years to species and habitats-focused research to inform the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy and global Aichi targets to halt and reverse biodiversity loss.

Scottish Government spend on species and habitats-focused research in each of the last five years can be broken down as follows:

Year	Amount
2009-10	£3.0 million
2010-11	£3.0 million
2011-12	£4.0 million
2012-13	£3.8 million
2013-14	£3.7 million

The future strategic direction of the Scottish Government’s rural affairs, food and environment research was consulted upon earlier this year. Preparatory work is now underway on arrangements for the next funding period (2016-21) but recommendations on the amount and distribution of funding in this period will not be made until late 2015.

Question reference: S4W-23366

Asked by: Claudia Beamish, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 24 November 2014
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 8 December 2014

To ask the Scottish Government whether the additional £10 million active travel infrastructure announced in the budget speech is included in the draft budget 2015-16.

Question reference: S4W-23371

Asked by: Claudia Beamish, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 24 November 2014
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 8 December 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what scientific research on species ecology and management it is commissioning to inform delivery against the Aichi species and habitats targets.

The Scottish Government, as part of its rural affairs, food and environment strategic research for 2011-16, funds a wide range of scientific research on species ecology and management that will inform delivery against the Aichi targets. This is mainly being taken forward by research scientists at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and The James Hutton Institute.

Examples of projects include:

Studying Scottish rare plants at risk from climate change to assess their ability to adapt over time (ecological genetics research)

Ecological monitoring of elements of the Scottish Beaver Trial (woodland habitats research)

Ecological assessments of Scottish invertebrates (e.g. bees and beetles) in relation to their resilience to land-use changes

Ecological studies of Scottish peat bogs to assess restoration benefits

Ecological research on capercaillie and pine plantations

Scientific research on Scottish lichen species to assess the possibility of translocation

Question reference: S4W-23369

Asked by: Claudia Beamish, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 24 November 2014
Current Status: Answered by Aileen McLeod on 4 December 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what (a) policies and (b) plans it has to underpin delivery (i) of ecosystem service targets under the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy and (ii) against the Aichi species and habitats targets.

The Scottish Government will shortly publish its route map for biodiversity. This will set out our ‘big steps for nature’. These are the priority actions which are required to address the main drivers of biodiversity loss. They will assist in meeting our obligations in terms of the Aichi targets, particularly the ecosystem restoration target. Delivery agreements are being developed with key delivery partners. The first of these will be published early in 2015.

Question reference: S4O-03817

Asked by: Claudia Beamish, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 December 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 December 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve public transport in South Scotland.