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-25648

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 1 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the numbers of wild deer in Scotland are a significant inhibitor to greater biodiversity.

The 2020 review of deer management by the Deer Working Group estimated that Scotland’s wild deer population was around one million deer. Deer, like other herbivores, can have a devastating impact on the environment through overgrazing, trampling vulnerable habitats and preventing young trees from growing.

The 2023 State of Nature report found that Scotland is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world. Our Scottish Biodiversity Strategy to 2045 sets out to tackle the nature emergency and address the twin climate and biodiversity crises.

The evidence is clear that effective deer management is absolutely vital to our ability to address biodiversity loss. Our consultation, ‘Managing deer for climate and nature’ published on 5 January sets out our proposals for deer legislation which aims to support nature recovery.

Question reference: S6W-25636

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 29 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports that Comhairle nan Eilean Siar is the only local authority area to currently be without access to a Community Links Worker programme, whether it has any plans to roll out such a programme there.

The vast majority of Link Workers in general practice in Scotland are funded from the Primary Care Improvement Fund (PCIF). We have not prescribed a specific employment model for Community Link Workers. It is the responsibility of each Health and Social Care Partnership to decide how it invests its allocation from the PCIF to deliver all of the services set out in the Memorandum of Understanding. Many factors will be taken into consideration such as local need.

Question reference: S6O-03122

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 February 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what action it is taking to protect the future of the Screen Machine mobile cinema.

Question reference: S6W-24939

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 20 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how much Serco NorthLink Ferries received from the (a) final annual subsidy and (b) annual revenue from passengers in relation to the provision of the Northern Isles Ferry Services contract in (i) 2021, (ii) 2022 and (iii) 2023.

The grant subsidy paid to the operator is paid by contract years (July till the following June) and represents the difference between the costs of operating the service and the income generated.

This information is collated and published each year on the Transport Scotland website but in contract year form from 2011.

The annual subsidy figures published to date covering the periods in question can be found in the latest published report at Scottish Transport Statistics 2022 | Transport Scotland under chapter 9 table 9.14a , referencing the notes as advised.

This information is published in March of the following year to the report in question.

The annual subsidy for 2020-2021 was £34,174k. The total revenue for contract year 2020-2021 was £29,128k. We are unable to provide a breakdown of the financial components of the contract revenue as this information is commercially confidential.

The annual subsidy for 2021-2022 was £38,851k. The total revenue for contract year 2021-2022 was £39,328k. We are unable to provide a breakdown of the financial components of the contract revenue as this information is commercially confidential.

The annual subsidy for 2022-2023 was £47,109k. The total revenue for contract year 2022-2023 was £43,625k these will be the figures used in the Scottish Transport Statistics 2023 report when published this year. We are unable to provide a breakdown of the financial components of the contract revenue as this information is commercially confidential.

Question reference: S6W-24858

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 29 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 15 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the appointment of a chair for the public inquiry into the conduct of the former neurosurgeon, Sam Eljamel, and what the timeframe is for the one-to-one clinical reviews to begin.

The Lord President has been involved in the process of identifying a chair to the public inquiry and discussions are now at an advanced stage. The member will be aware that there will also be an independent clinical review of individual cases for those former patients who would like to participate, and planning for that is also well underway. At this time I am unable to provide a definitive start date for the clinical reviews, however I will endeavour to update Parliament once a date is agreed.

Question reference: S6W-25328

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 14 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the 6-fold urban rural classification system was chosen for the Rural and Islands Housing Action Plan as opposed to the 8-fold classification.

The Rural and Islands Housing Action Plan supports the delivery of the Scottish Government’s commitment to deliver 110,000 affordable homes, 10% of which will be in rural and island areas. The Scottish Government use the 6-fold urban rural classification when categorising homes delivered through the Affordable Housing Supply Programme (AHSP), based on information provided by AHSP grant applicants.

Question reference: S6W-25001

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 14 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its long-term aspirations are regarding Regional Land Use Partnerships, and when it will provide the (a) communities and (b) stakeholders involved in them greater certainty regarding (i) funding and (ii) strategic policy importance.

Question reference: S6W-24696

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 22 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 5 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is aware of any plans by Scottish Water to create new woodlands or restore peatland; if so, how much of the land owned by Scottish Water in total will be used to (a) plant trees and (b) restore peatland, and over how many years; what the (i) size and (ii) location is of each piece of such land, broken down by local authority area; what annual budget it will make available for any such (A) planting of trees and (B) restoration of peatland; whether Scottish Water plans to apply for any Scottish Government grants to assist with any such (1) tree planting and (2) peatland restoration costs; what reports it has commissioned on any such (aa) tree planting and (bb) peatland restoration potential; what the carbon credits potential is from any such (AA) tree planting and (BB) peatland restoration, and whether it will make any related reports public.

As this is an operational matter for Scottish Water, and the Scottish Government does not hold this information, I have asked them to respond. Their reply is as follows:

Circa 684 Hectares (Ha) (as identified to date) of Scottish Water land is planned for peatland restoration and the work has been phased over three years – 23-24, 24-25 and 25-26. Locations identified are Lintrathen and Backwater (100Ha – Angus Council), Afton (190Ha – East Ayrshire Council) and Loch Katrine (394Ha – Stirling Council).

The annual budget will be based upon the current industry average price of restoration, some £1600 per hectare and therefore the annual budget is estimated to be £384,000 in 23-24, £464,000 in 24-25 and £262,400 in 25-26. Scottish Water will apply to the Scottish Government for grants to undertake peatland restoration. Each area has been subject to a feasibility study, ecological survey and archaeological survey in line with Peatland ACTION processes and as required for the planning application and other elements of undertaking a peatland restoration project. Scottish Water works with tenants, graziers and other interests to ensure it will deliver multiple benefits from this programme.

Scottish Water has also screened the vast majority of its landholdings for tree planting potential. This has considered water quality and water resources, land that might be needed for asset expansion, suitability of the land for tree planting and to ensure that tenant farmers activities are not adversely impacted. Potential projects are also subject to environmental and ecological assessments.

Loch Katrine represents the biggest single project across Scottish Water’s estate. Forestry and Land Scotland have submitted a Land Management Plan to Scottish Forestry for approval for the restoration of a natural woodland/open ground mosaic landscape. This will cover a 10-year period and see some 4,600 hectares of woodland creation, predominantly through natural regeneration, in addition to the 394Ha peatland restoration. The project is estimated at £4.8m over 10 years to the early 2030s and SW estimates it may to deliver up to 1 million tonnes of carbon benefit across this century through reduced losses from poor peatland and improved capture in vegetation and trees. It will also deliver improved water quality, catchment resilience to climate change and biodiversity gain.

Scottish Water’s other woodland creation is much smaller scale, predominantly associated with reservoirs and catchments. The gross cost of projects delivered to date is £650,000, which includes £123,000 funding from accessing woodland creation grants. The estimated cost of current projects is £1.3m with £480,000 woodland grant contribution expected.

Collectively across all of Scottish Water’s woodland creation projects it estimates the 60-year benefit to be circa 160,000 tonnes of carbon with additional climate resilience, water quality and biodiversity benefits.

Scottish Water’s publishes updates on its activities at https://www.scottishwater.co.uk/-/media/ScottishWater/Document-Hub/Key-Publications/Energy-and-Sustainability/211223Biodiversityreport23FINAL.pdf and https://scottishwaternetzero.co.uk/ .

Question reference: S6W-24704

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 22 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 30 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is aware of any economic analysis undertaken by South of Scotland Enterprise (SoSE) on any economic benefits of attracting private investment capital into tree planting, peatland restoration and nature bio-diversity, and, if so, whether any such analysis considered (a) both the short-term direct employment and local spend gains and multipliers and any longer-term effects in drawing resources out of the SoSE area through the returns on external private investment requiring to be paid, (b) how much of the flows of finance from carbon trading would leave the SoSE area and how much would be retained and (c) the effect of private external finance on (i) local land values and (ii) the number of farm enterprises in the region.

Question reference: S6W-24703

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 22 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 30 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what changes (a) have been made and (b) are being considered to the Memorandum of Understanding between NatureScot, Lombard Odier Investment Managers, Hampden & Co and Palladium, in light of the changes to the originally envisaged participation by Lombard Odier Investment Managers.