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-26654

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 06 December 2019
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 18 December 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what trials are being commissioned to explore the mechanical harvesting of kelp, and whether these will include examining commercial dredging techniques.

No trials have been commissioned to mechanically harvest kelp.

A work programme published following the 2 nd meeting of the seaweed review steering group included a proposed deliverable - Mechanical harvest of seaweed: Undertake desk study of species and activities identified in scenario mapping / industry consultation to inform field trials . Officials clarified this was included in the time line simply to indicate, subject to scenario mapping and subsequent desk studies, where in the chronology, any field studies would be likely to happen.

The steering group had previously agreed that a scenario mapping exercise should be conducted first to ensure that the review was grounded in where the future opportunities for the seaweed sector may be, balanced with environmental considerations and of those who share the space. This scenario mapping exercise will help identify priorities for future regulatory regimes relevant for seaweed industries. Only those species identified through scenario mapping as having potential (taking into account socio economic but also environmental considerations) would be subject to desk studies and only after that, if the criteria is met, could field trials commence. Any trial to harvest from the seabed would still need a licence from Marine Scotland, require consultation and only granted when Ministers are satisfied the activity is carried out within environmental limits.

Question reference: S5W-26650

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 06 December 2019
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 18 December 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether there are gaps in the legislative and regulatory framework in relation to seaweed harvesting.

The 2nd meeting of the Seaweed Review Steering group on 26 September 2019 considered the suitability of the current regulatory framework for seaweed harvesting. It is important to note that that the marine licensing regime was not developed for seaweed harvesting activity. All present agreed that the potential for a single regulator, responsible for licensing seaweed harvesting and cultivation is something which should be explored further, including who that would be. Marine Scotland, along with other relevant regulators, will consider options for any necessary amendments to current regulatory framework, including who the single regulator would be. Papers, including a note of the meeting. are publicly available and can be found at the following:https://www2.gov.scot/Topics/marine/seamanagement/seaweedrev .

Question reference: S5W-26651

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 06 December 2019
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 18 December 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance is being reviewed in relation to seaweed harvesting licensing.

Question reference: S5W-26652

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 06 December 2019
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 18 December 2019

To ask the Scottish Government by what date the Strategic Environmental Assessment in relation to seaweed harvesting will be (a) completed and (b) published.

At the 2nd meeting of the Seaweed Review Steering group it was agreed that the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA), undertaken in 2016, would provide the basis and inform any Plan or Strategy for the seaweed sector which may arise from the work of the Seaweed Review Group work programme, established after the initial SEA. Any such Plan or Strategy would also be subject to a further SEA. Information within the SEA documents, undertaken in 2016 and submitted through the consultation exercise has informed the work of the Review Group to date. Consultation responses, where permission was given, are already publicly available.

Question reference: S5W-26658

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 06 December 2019
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 18 December 2019

To ask the Scottish Government whether trials of kelp dredging that involve the removal of the holdfast are compliant with the Scottish Crown Estate Act 2019.

No trials have been commissioned to mechanically harvest kelp and no trials for commercial use are currently planned

The relevant provision of the Scottish Crown Estate Act 2019 is expected to commence in 2020. At that point, Crown Estate Scotland managers will not be able to give a right to take any of the five kelp species named in the Act if (a) removal would inhibit the regrowth of the individual plant and the kelp removed is intended for commercial use; and (b) removal is a licensable marine activity and the Scottish Ministers have not granted a marine licence for that removal.

Currently, regardless of future requirements under the Scottish Crown Estate Act, any harvesting activity using a vehicle or vessel to remove a substance from the seabed, such as mechanical harvesting or dredging would require a marine licence from Marine Scotland and therefore public consultation. This includes trials as well as proposed commercial activity.

Question reference: S5W-26649

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 06 December 2019
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 18 December 2019

To ask the Scottish Government by what date the results of the seaweed harvesting activity mapping exercise will be published.

Question reference: S5O-03944

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 December 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 19 December 2019

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the Strategic Transport Projects Review 2 survey is taking place over the Christmas holiday period.

Question reference: S5W-26527

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 25 November 2019
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 9 December 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-26389 by Michael Matheson on 22 November 2019, what proportion of the project cost it will meet.

The Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CCAV) is providing grant funding of £4.35 million to the project, which includes up to £1 million to Transport Scotland. The remainder of the direct project costs are being met by project partners Stagecoach, Alexander Dennis and Fusion Processing. The Scottish Government, through Transport Scotland, has committed to invest an additional £1 million to support bus priority measures on the project corridor.

Question reference: S5W-26514

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 25 November 2019
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 9 December 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to develop options for the disposal and recycling of bicycle tyres.

Question reference: S5W-26519

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 25 November 2019
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 5 December 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what the participation targets for mature students are regarding programmes for widening access to higher education.

The Scottish Government’s targets for widening access, as recommended by the Commission on Widening Access, are for all entrants from Scotland’s 20% most deprived areas - regardless of age - and mainly for those entering a full-time first degree course.

Mature learners from Scotland’s 20% most deprived areas are well represented in higher education, representing 26.4% of Scottish domiciled entrants aged 21 or over entering full-time first degree courses at Scottish universities in 2017-18. We continue to support mature students’ learning through the Scottish Funding Council-funded Scottish Wider Access Programme (SWAP) and our Adult Learners Strategy.