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-03060

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 20 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 28 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-00882 by Mairi Gougeon on 7 July 2021, how many wild wrasse landings there have been at each (a) creek and (b) aquaculture facility in each week since 1 May 2021, broken down by species and weight.

Between 1 May 2021 and 31 August 2021, there were 336 landings of wrasse, weighing a total of 36,363kg, recorded by 43 Scottish vessels into Scottish ports. Unfortunately, due to the small number of vessels involved, it is not possible to supply information by creek or week. Summary information on wrasse landings by month is given in the following tables. This information is provisional, based on management information and may be subject to change. Any numbers based on less than 5 vessels have been starred out in the tables below to preserve confidentiality.

Number of wrasse landings by Scottish vessels by month and district, 1 May 2021-31 August 2021.

	May	June	July	August
Orkney	0	31	53	40
Portree	*	22	24	9
Stornoway	*	14	20	15
All other Districts	*	24	38	34
Scotland	12	91	135	98

Weight of wrasse landings in kilograms by Scottish vessels by month and district, 1 May 2021-31 August 2021.

	May	June	July	August
Orkney	0	1562	4213	2367
Portree	*	2182	3182	929
Stornoway	*	1032	1407	1633
All other Districts	*	4539	6538	6221
Scotland	556	9316	15340	11151

Weight and species of wrasse landings in kilograms byScottish vessels by month and district, 1 May 2021-31 August 2021.

Species	May	June	July	August
Ballan Wrasse	451	8268	11731	7598
Corkwing Wrasse	72	525	1455	1821
Goldsinny-wrasse	22	323	1252	1323
Other and unspecified wrasse	10	201	902	410
All wrasse	556	9316	15340	11151

There are no landings into aquaculture facilities as fish are not directly landed there. Information is recorded on live fish movements to aquaculture facilities and this will include information on source and number but not individual wrasse species. Movement records are checked and copies collected during routine fish health surveillance inspections at aquaculture sites and not on a weekly basis.

Question reference: S6W-02789

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 23 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government when its modelling estimates that all Air Quality Objectives that apply in Scotland will be met.

All air quality limit and target values that apply under the Ambient Air Quality Directive are currently being met in Scotland, other than nitrogen dioxide. I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-02787 on 23 September 2021 for information on compliance with the nitrogen dioxide limit value.

Domestic air quality objectives set under the Environment Act 1995 and associated regulations are the responsibility of local authorities.

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers .

Question reference: S6W-02786

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 23 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether the Cleaner Air for Scotland 2 (CAFS 2) Ministerial Group will have oversight of transport policies that are not mentioned in the CAFS 2 strategy but which could deliver air quality benefits.

Question reference: S6W-02787

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 23 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government when it estimates Scotland will meet the legally-binding nitrogen dioxide limit values in the EU Ambient Air Quality Directive, and how this estimate was calculated.

Question reference: S6W-02790

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 23 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on ensuring greater adherence to the legally-binding air quality limit values that apply in the EU.

Question reference: S6W-02788

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 23 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what oversight the Minister for Transport will have over the delivery of the Cleaner Air for Scotland 2 (CAFS 2) strategy.

Question reference: S6W-02785

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 21 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government when it will announce the membership of the Cleaner Air for Scotland 2 (CAFS 2) Delivery Group.

Question reference: S6W-02391

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 20 August 2021
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 9 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it is making on bringing deer management into closer alignment with Scotland’s Forestry Strategy 2019-2029.

Woodland creation is central to our meeting Scotland’s ambitious climate change targets. Scotland's Forestry Strategy 2019-2029 sets out the Scottish Government’s commitment to increase woodland cover to 21% of the total area of Scotland by 2032 and robust, effective deer management is fundamental to the strategies success.

The report by the independent Deer Working Group includes legislative and non-legislative changes and recommendations which will bring the Scottish Forestry Strategy and Scotland’s systems of deer management into closer alignment.

We are working closely with Scottish Forestry, an agency of Scottish Government, and other key partners, including NatureScot who have statutory responsibility for deer management in Scotland, to progress these recommendations which will ensure there are robust systems of deer management in place within the forestry sector.

Question reference: S6O-00158

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 September 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 16 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what its position is on the proposed timetable changes set out by ScotRail in its Fit for the Future consultation.

Question reference: S6W-02008

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 30 July 2021
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 8 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to continue with its approach of aligning with or exceeding EU environmental standards, and what its response is, regarding the potential impact on Scotland, to the UK Government’s reported proposals to change the application of the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017 in England.

The Scottish Government has made clear its commitment to maintain or exceed environmental standards in place upon EU exit, and to maintain alignment with developing EU standards, as far as possible. We have legislated under the UK Withdrawal from the European Union (Continuity) (Scotland) Act 2021 (“the Act”) for a discretionary power to align devolved law with EU law, where appropriate and practical to do so.

Scottish Ministers are currently preparing the policy statement, as required by section 6 of the Act, which will set out the approach to be taken, the factors to be taken into account and the process to be followed when considering whether to exercise this discretionary power.

The Scottish Government is committed to action to protect its natural environment. The policy on the protections and standards afforded by the Habitats Regulations remains unchanged following our departure from the European Union. The proposed amendments to the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017 must not result in a reduction of the level of environmental protection.

The UK Internal Market Act was imposed against the will of the devolved administrations and is a risk to our ability to exercise devolved decision-making powers across a wide range of policy areas, including environmental policy. The Scottish Government will seek to ensure that regulations made by the UK Government take into account potential cross-border impacts on Scottish interests.