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: S5W-35247

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 February 2021
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 1 March 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the commitment by the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Economy and Tourism at the recent Oxford Farming Conference to continuing "direct income support for our farmers", totalling £485 million per annum in 2021, and to increasing funding for the Less Favoured Area Support Scheme back to previous levels, on what basis it is able to make these commitments; whether it is able to make the same commitment to maintaining the Agri-Environment Climate Scheme, and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.

Scotland’s farmers and crofters contribute great value to our country, producing high quality food, looking after our countryside, and forming the backbone of our rural communities. It is right they are rewarded for doing so.

The Scottish Government made clear our intention to ensure that the level of support for those farming in our upland and most challenging areas of Scotland should be maintained.

That is why we passed legislation to enable us to reverse the cuts, required by EU law, to the Less Favoured Area Support Scheme (LFASS) in 2019 and 2020, and to allow us to set payment rates from 2021 onwards at the previous and higher 2018 level. The legislation also allows us to extend the LFASS scheme to 2024.

However, scheme and budget decisions must be taken at programme level and reflect the available budget, including the challenges of dealing with legacy schemes, some of which extend beyond the end of the next Parliamentary session. The decision by the UK Government to cut funding by £170m and their decision to only have a one-year spending review that means there is no funding agreement beyond 2021-22. The lack of funding guarantees and continued uncertainty means we must very carefully manage the overall programme and this specifically applies to schemes that result in multi-annual commitments such as the Agri-Environment Climate Scheme (AECS).

We continue to support farmers, crofters and land managers to play their part in cutting emissions, addressing climate change as well as delivering wider bio-diversity and environmental benefits. Currently, a third of CAP schemes including Greening, Agri-Environment Climate Scheme, Beef Efficiency Scheme and Forestry Grant Scheme are providing funding in this area. We are seeking to improve and simplify these measures in the short-term, while piloting new approaches through NatureScot between 2021 and 2024.

Question reference: S5W-35249

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 February 2021
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 1 March 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of the £34.2 million proposed funding in the 2021-22 Budget for the Agri-Environment Climate Scheme it anticipates will be available to fund new agreements, and how this compares with the proportion of funding required to pay for existing agreements.

The budget for Agri-Environmental Measures in 2021-22 is a reflection of forecast spend for ongoing existing five year Agri-Environment Climate Scheme (AECS) contracts, as well as the contract extensions for agreements that ended in 2020. Due to the lack of funding certainty from the UK Government following an EU exit, the Scottish Government has extended contracts that ended in 2020 for a further year ensured the total area of land managed under AECS in 2021 has continued at around 1 million hectares.

The 2021 round will ensure further funding is provided between 2022-23 and
‎ 2026-27 for continued support for protected areas, organics, management supporting farmland waders, corn buntings and corncrakes, slurry stores, and improving public access. This will help farmers and crofters to undertake important environmental management and support our work on climate change. It will also promote public wellbeing through providing infrastructure for recreational activities such as walking, cycling and sightseeing.

Question reference: S5O-05074

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 February 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 3 March 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what the impact has been of widening the eligibility criteria for the Self-Isolation Support Grant.

Question reference: S5W-34739

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 22 January 2021
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 5 February 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how much it allocated to the Home Energy Efficiency Programmes for Scotland (HEEPS) elements (a) Area-based Schemes, (b) Loans and Cashback, (c) Warmer Homes Scotland and (d) Fuel Poverty and Energy Efficiency Advice and Support in 2020-21.

As part of our 20-21 Budget, the Scottish Government allocated £55m to support our Area Based Schemes; £41m for domestic energy efficiency Loans schemes; £26m for our Warmer Homes Scotland service; and £12.8m for fuel poverty, renewables and energy efficiency advice and support services.

To date, additional allocations of £20.5m have been made to support these schemes during the course of the year, as follows: Area Based Schemes (£10m); Warmer Homes Scotland (£6m); and domestic loans schemes (£4.5m). Delivery of these programmes has been adversely impacted by the COVID-19 public health emergency.

Question reference: S5W-34392

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 08 January 2021
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 29 January 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answers to questions S5W-28898 and S5W-29681 by Joe FitzPatrick on 15 May and 18 June 2020 respectively, whether the National Neurological Framework is the mode for delivering services to people with ME; which neurology departments currently offer services to people with ME, and what assurances it can give that neurologists will be able to offer ME services.

Question reference: S5W-34391

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 08 January 2021
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 29 January 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answers to questions S5W-28898 and S5W-29681 by Joe FitzPatrick on 15 May and 18 June 2020 respectively, in light of it currently waiting for a needs assessment review, a Scottish Health Council lived experience report and NHS Information Services data, and the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport's statement to the Public Petitions Committee on 24 January 2019 (Official Report, c.35) that “We should not wait until we have a better research base and greater clarity on what treatment options might be appropriate. People are living with ME right now”, what progress has been made in relation to providing NHS care to patients with ME.

Question reference: S5W-34737

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 22 January 2021
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 29 January 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what impact the mechanical harvest of seaweed might have on kelp beds, and what work it has commissioned on this.

It is our aim that the harvesting of any seaweed species should be sustainable and that our marine environment is protected. Kelp beds play a key role in supporting marine biodiversity, providing vital habitats, natural hazard protection and climate regulation. That is why we legislated in the Scottish Crown Estate Act 2019 to introduce controls on the removal of certain species of wild kelp. This legislation was informed by a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) of wild seaweed harvesting in 2016 Wild seaweed harvesting: strategic environmental assessment - environmental report - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) . Further, the Scottish Marine Assessment 2020, published in December 2020, includes an outline of the current seaweed harvesting and cultivation position in Scotland Wild seaweed harvesting: strategic environmental assessment - environmental report - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) .

During the parliamentary scrutiny of the Scottish Crown Estate Act 2019, I announced a review to gather evidence to help ensure existing seaweed harvesting activity and future proposals are sustainable and Scotland’s marine environment is protected. A Seaweed Review Steering Group has been established to advise on all aspects of the review. Membership includes organisations from various sectors representing conservation, science, enterprise, biotechnology, fisheries and the seaweed industry association. Part of the scope of the review will be to outline the research and evidence-base requirements to identify and assess potential environmental impacts of seaweed harvesting on recovery and regrowth of harvested stocks, including consideration of the wider ecosystem benefits provided by seaweed.

Question reference: S5W-34738

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 22 January 2021
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 29 January 2021

To ask the Scottish Government when it last carried out a review of the health of kelp beds.

Question reference: S5O-04982

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 January 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 4 February 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what criteria it uses to assess requests for an extension of negotiations on planning conditions when only one party supports such a request.

Question reference: S5W-34621

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 18 January 2021
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 25 January 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how the proposed update to fire alarm regulations take account of alarm scrappage and recycling.