- Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 March 2025
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 13 March 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to data from the most recent Scottish Landlord Register, which shows that the number of landlords has decreased by 2,650 in three years.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 13 March 2025
- Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 13 February 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 20 February 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of its Budget commitment to invest £5.11 million to restore rainforest.
Answer
The Scottish Government’s Draft Budget proposes a significant allocation for Natural Resources which includes funding for Atlantic Rainforest restoration, demonstrating our ongoing commitment to this important priority. Budget allocation at the project/programme level is still to be finalised and will be considered following passage of the Budget Bill through Parliament.
- Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 17 February 2025
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 18 February 2025
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason Scottish Water continues to pay bonuses to its executives, when public sector pay policy reportedly prohibits this.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 18 February 2025
- Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 January 2025
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 5 February 2025
To ask the Scottish Government when it last met with the board of Ferguson Marine and what was discussed.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 5 February 2025
- Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 January 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Fairlie on 28 January 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to reduce any risk from imported tree diseases and pests that threaten Scotland's native woodland and commercial forestry sectors.
Answer
The Scottish Government works together with the other devolved governments, Defra and the Forestry Commission as part of the UK Plant Health Service to reduce the risk from imported tree diseases and pests that threaten Scotland’s native woodland and commercial forests. As part of that service, the UK Plant Health Risk Group manage the UK Plant Health Risk Register and advise of new and emerging plant health threats with recommendations for actions.
Biosecurity measures to reduce risks from imported plant (including tree) pests and diseases have three main stages: Pre-border, at the border, and inland. Pre-border controls include phytosanitary regulations which can be used to ban commodities posing a high risk, for example imports of ash trees to GB are prohibited from countries where the damaging tree pest Emerald ash borer is known to be present. Plant health controls at the border include documentary checks and physical inspections, following a risk-based approach. Inland, monitoring and surveillance, including aerial surveillance, ground surveys and trapping networks, is conducted across forests and woodlands as a further measure to detect any potential incursions. A system of plant passports allows the internal movement within GB of regulated plants and plant products to be traced.
- Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 January 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Fairlie on 28 January 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting and resourcing local authorities to manage ash dieback effectively and to replace lost trees with appropriate species.
Answer
The Scottish Government supports local authorities to manage ash dieback and replace lost trees with appropriate species through Scottish Forestry working in partnership with The Tree Council. This collaboration produced an ash dieback toolkit, first published in 2022, to help local authorities to manage ash dieback effectively. This covers:
• Raising awareness of ash dieback
• Preparing an Ash Dieback Action Plan
• Taking action and responding to ash dieback
• Recovery and adaptation
Ongoing support for local authorities provides help to develop Ash Dieback Action Plans and facilitates joint working and sharing of experience and best practice across local authorities. Guidance is provided to help those with responsibility for ash trees in Scotland, including local authorities, to make informed management decisions. This includes identifying and monitoring affected ash trees and managing them accordingly, taking a risk-based approach considering tree condition and location. Guidance is also provided to assist with decisions about replacing lost ash trees. This covers both advice on encouraging natural regeneration of alternative native species where possible, and information on appropriate replacement tree species for ash in different habitat types in Scotland in cases where planting is necessary.
- Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 January 2025
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 29 January 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what measures it is undertaking to reopen historic sites that are managed by Historic Environment Scotland over the coming months.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 29 January 2025
- Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 January 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 22 January 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the reported link between increases in plant imports and the rise of tree diseases such as ash dieback, what steps it is taking to support the tree nursery sector to grow all native species of trees and shrubs to deliver on commitments to expand native woodlands.
Answer
Scottish Forestry has worked closely with forest nursery sector representatives to identify solutions to improve the sector’s resilience. The Forestry Grant scheme was expanded in 2017 to cover forest nurseries which they have used to invest in their equipment to increase production. This increase in productive capacity supports both native and non-native species. The Scottish Government undertakes plant health inspections of forest nurseries which are conducted by Horticulture and Marketing Unit (SASA). There is also a system of plant passports that allows the internal movement within GB of regulated plants and plant products to be traced.
- Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 January 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 22 January 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the reported link between increases in plant imports and the rise of tree diseases such as ash dieback, what steps it is taking to support the tree nursery sector to increase the quantity that it produces of species of northern and western provenances, and mountain woodland species.
Answer
Scottish Forestry is working with partners to develop a project that will provide the small scale nurseries that specialise in native species of northern and western provenances with more resilience. The aim of the project is to share best practice, provide training and share resources where possible. The outcome is to ensure that the supply of harder to source tree stock is increased and more robust.
- Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 January 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 22 January 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to upscale seed sourcing of native species of trees, in light of reports that existing nursery grants do not extend beyond nursery infrastructure.
Answer
Through the Forestry Grant Scheme, administered by Scottish Forestry, grants are available to assist with the purchase of capital items that support nursery production and seed supply businesses. These measures are made available to encourage increased production within the nursery and seed supply sectors to help delivery of the Scottish Government's ambitious woodland creation target.