The Scottish Parliament

Question reference: S6W-31726

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 25 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Kaukab Stewart on 6 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how much it has spent each year on its Continue Our Love Affair with Europe campaign, as set out in its Population Programme.

In support of the Scottish Government’s broader aims to protect Scotland’s place in Europe following Brexit and mitigate any associated economic, social and reputational damage, an international marketing campaign called ‘Scotland is Open’ was delivered by Brand Scotland in France, Germany and Spain in 2019.

This ‘Scotland is Open’ campaign aimed to promote Scotland as a welcoming and open country to boost positive perceptions of Scotland as a place to live, work, study, visit and do business with in order to build and maintain strong relationships with the EU and member states.

The campaign included video on demand, paid social, OOH digital display and print advertising ran initially from 29 March until 11 April in 2019. The second burst ran from October until 5 November in 2020 and added Belgium to the international markets targeted.

The creative production and media costs for this two year campaign were funded by VisitScotland and Scottish Enterprise/SDI.

Question reference: S6W-31725

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 25 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Kaukab Stewart on 6 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how it measures the efficacy of its Stay in Scotland Settled Status campaign, as set out in its Population Programme.

The Scottish Government launched the EU Settlement Scheme in 2019 to support EU/EEA citizens, their employers and service providers following the decision of the UK Government to require EU citizens who were residing in the UK prior to the ending of freedom of movement to apply for the UK Government’s EU Settlement Scheme in order to continue living, working and studying in the UK.

The main aim of the Stay in Scotland campaign was to support EU citizens to secure their right to stay in Scotland through the EU Settlement Scheme. The UK Government publishes figures on the number of applications to the EU Settlement Scheme by nationality, region and local authority. The aim of the Stay in Scotland campaign was therefore to maximise the number of successful applications from EU citizens in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-31723

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 25 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Kaukab Stewart on 6 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how it measures the efficacy of its Welcome to Scotland campaign, as set out in its Population Programme.

International marketing activity undertaken by the Scottish Government as Brand Scotland, is measured by a comprehensive suite of metrics that determine whether the associated SMART objectives have been met. These objectives are set each year according to the purpose of the activity, the level of spend available and the tactics it will use.

They include digital reach through social and digital channels and audience engagement with the content but more importantly additionally consider the strategic outcomes and impact on these audiences, such as perception change or an increase in consideration or claimed action by target audiences.

Question reference: S6W-31721

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 25 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Kaukab Stewart on 6 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how it measures the efficacy of its Scotland is Now campaign, as set out in its Population Programme.

International marketing activity undertaken by the Scottish Government as Brand Scotland, is measured by a comprehensive suite of metrics that determine whether the associated SMART objectives have been met. These objectives are set each year according to the purpose of the activity, the level of spend available and the tactics it will use.

They include digital reach through social and digital channels and audience engagement with the content but more importantly additionally consider the strategic outcomes and impact on these audiences, such as perception change or an increase in consideration by target audiences.

Question reference: S6W-31724

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 25 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Kaukab Stewart on 6 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how much it has spent each year on its Stay in Scotland Settled Status campaign, as set out in its Population Programme.

The UK Government took a decision, following the vote to leave the EU, to require EU/EEA citizens to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme to maintain their right to live, work and study in the UK. The Scottish Government has always been clear that EU citizens should not had to apply to maintain rights they already had. However, given the decision by the UK Government the Scottish Government launched the Stay in Scotland campaign in 2019 to ensure that EU citizens had the advice and support that they needed to secure their right to stay in Scotland. The Scottish Government has provided over £2 million through the Stay in Scotland campaign to third sector and community groups working with EU citizens across Scotland.

Year	Funding
2018-2019	£200,000
2019-2020	£462,821
2020-2021	£535,896
2021-2022	£469,067
2022-2023	£318,980
2023-2024	£216,850
2024-2025	£216,850

Question reference: S6W-31722

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 25 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Kaukab Stewart on 6 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how much it has spent each year on its Welcome to Scotland campaign, as set out in its Population Programme.

The Scottish Government has not specifically activated a campaign called ‘Welcome to Scotland’ but operates a year-round programme of communications that is designed to reach international audiences. The always-on activity works to challenge perceptions and drive up consideration, showcasing who we are as a country, what we value and what we offer in order to attract people from overseas who are interested in moving here to live and work, coming on holiday, undertaking study or doing business.

The Scottish Government routinely publishes marketing spend annually and figures for Brand Scotland expenditure can be accessed here: Marketing spend - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Question reference: S6W-31544

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 5 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-27329 by Fiona Hyslop on 17 May 2024, whether it will provide an update on progress with the introduction of Road Equivalent Tariff (RET) on Dunoon-Gourock services provided by (a) CalMac Ferries and (b) Western Ferries, in light of the conclusion of the public consultation on the Islands Connectivity Plan on 6 May 2024, the publication of the Cowal and Rosneath Community Needs Assessment report on 11 September 2024, and its associated consultation exercise on 9 October 2024.

The draft Islands Connectivity Plan (ICP) Strategic Approach paper said that we would take forward detailed consideration of a number of fares proposals.

The consultation and engagement report and our initial responses were published on 3 September and are available at Islands Connectivity Plan | Transport Scotland.

These outputs will support the finalisation of the ICP which will set out our plans for taking forward ferry fares policy. Further updates will be provided in due course.

Question reference: S6O-04116

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 December 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 12 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many planning consents for onshore wind farm developments in the Highlands and Islands region the Scottish Ministers have approved following an appeal since 2021.

Question reference: S6W-31469

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 3 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has plans to address the reportedly prohibitive costs associated with the application process for the Agri-Environment Climate Scheme, and, if so, whether it can provide details of such plans.

To ensure the delivery of the intended environmental outcomes and value for public money, applicants are required to provide a level of evidence when applying to the Agri-Environment Climate Scheme (AECS).

Funding is available for certain aspects of the application, to ease the financial burden on applicants. Support is available towards the cost of producing the Farm Environment Assessment (FEA) for first-time applicants, or existing applicants proposing management on land not subject to a previous FEA, and some management plans that require more detailed or extensive intervention, for example, moorland management or bog management. Guidance, including payment rates, is available on the Rural Payments website. For returning applicants who have previously completed the FEA, only updated information would be required for a subsequent application.

Payment for these elements is not dependent on the success of the subsequent application, and costs can be reimbursed where the FEA and/or Management Plans are fit for purpose. This is designed to encourage farmers, crofters and land managers to apply, while recognising AECS is a competitive scheme.

Easing the burden on applicants to access AECS needs to be balanced against ensuring the effective use of public funds. Requirements for applicants are considered on an on-going basis and are a key consideration in the development of the future Agricultural Support Framework.

Question reference: S6W-31470

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 3 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government in what ways it (a) monitors and (b) recognises the work carried out by (i) farmers, (ii) crofters and (iii) other land managers to undertake measures to reduce their carbon output.

We report emissions from across the economy on an annual basis in the Section A. Introduction to Greenhouse Gases - Scottish Greenhouse Gas Statistics 2022 - gov.scot. The contribution of farmers, crofters and land managers to reduce emissions and sequester carbon are reflected in the statistics for agriculture and land use, land use change and forestry.

We also complete annual statutory monitoring of the Climate Change Plan update (CCPu) Climate change monitoring report 2023 - gov.scot which outlines progress against our policies and proposals for Scottish agriculture and land use, land use change and forestry sectors contributions to our climate targets.

Our Vision for Agriculture makes clear Scotland will have a robust and coherent framework to underpin our future agricultural support regime from 2025 onwards, that delivers climate mitigation and adaptation, nature restoration and high-quality food production. I fully recognise that many farmers, crofters and land managers undertake low carbon farming practices. We provide financial support as well as guidance and advice for farmers, crofters and land managers to help reduce their emissions through initiatives like the Agri-Environment Climate Scheme and the Farm Advisory Service.

We will continue to support farmers and crofters on their sustainability journey. Importantly, we will maintain direct payments to support active farming and food production while introducing conditions from 2025 aimed at outcomes for biodiversity gain and climate mitigation and adaption. From 2026 powers from the new Agriculture Bill will be used to launch the new Enhanced Payment.

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