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-30528

Asked by: Ash Regan, MSP for Edinburgh Eastern, Alba Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 October 2024
Current Status: Answer expected on 6 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the report, Prostitution and violence against women and girls - Report of the Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, its causes and consequences, Reem Alsalem, whether it will commit to supporting the Nordic Model in the current parliamentary session, in order to tackle violence against women and girls and any commercial sexual exploitation of prostitution.

Question reference: S6W-30225

Asked by: Ash Regan, MSP for Edinburgh Eastern, Alba Party
Date lodged: Friday, 27 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 8 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reported concerns regarding the potential negative impact on the mental health of deer stalkers required to cull pregnant female deer, whether it has considered alternative measures to extending the female deer season until 31 March, and what its position is on whether the extension is appropriate, in light of such concerns regarding the mental health implications for the workforce.

The Scottish Government want to ensure that changes to deer management policy are effective in achieving our climate and biodiversity aims.

We are aware that there are a range of views on changes to the female deer close seasons. That is why we undertook a full public consultation on proposals for deer legislation which included this issue. We have also ensured that animal welfare organisations have been fully consulted.

We are carefully considering all the responses, and we are in regular contact with gamekeepers and other land management stakeholders, on deer management issues. We will continue to work with them as our deer management legislation develops.

It is important to note that deer close seasons set a time period during which it is unlawful to kill a female deer, on deer welfare grounds. The timing of deer management outside these close seasons remans a decision for deer stalkers and, where appropriate, their employers.

Question reference: S6W-30230

Asked by: Ash Regan, MSP for Edinburgh Eastern, Alba Party
Date lodged: Friday, 27 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 8 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether there are any plans to take action to reduce the number of traffic accidents involving deer across the Central Belt.

Alongside our work to reduce deer populations which should have an impact on reducing the number of deer involved in road traffic accidents, we are also taking action at ‘hotspots’ where there are higher numbers of deer vehicle collisions.

NatureScot and Transport Scotland have been recording and analysing deer vehicle collisions (DVCs) across the Scottish road network since 2008. Between 2022 to 2025 several ‘hotspots’ for DVCs were identified as part of this work, most of which were in the Central Belt. NatureScot are now running a project looking at site-specific mitigation options in three Central Belt sites. This includes site visits to liaise with landowners over deer management.

Alongside this, a ‘Deer Aware’ media campaign is being run in the Central Belt. The campaign warns drivers on trunk roads of the increased likelihood of deer on the road in the spring.

We are also investigating the practicality of incorporating wildlife crossings into the design of the proposed replacement pedestrian bridges across the M8 trunk road near to Junction 3, Livingston. Such ‘green bridges’ can service multiple users and provide a safe alternative route for wildlife across busy roads.

Question reference: S6W-30226

Asked by: Ash Regan, MSP for Edinburgh Eastern, Alba Party
Date lodged: Friday, 27 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 8 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the Deer Working Group did not contain any practitioners from the deer stalking community, in light of reports of their expressed interest in participating.

The purpose of the Deer Working Group (DWG) was to “examine the issues over the standards of deer management in Scotland and recommend changes to help resolve these issues in ways that promote sustainable deer management”.

Therefore, the DWG was comprised of experts from both deer management and environmental backgrounds. The DWG included a number of individuals who represented those, or were themselves, directly involved in deer management. Andrew Barbour, acting Chair of the DWG from September 2018, is a farmer and forester with experience in managing deer, and Robin Callendar has had over 30 years’ experience in deer management as a land manager. Alongside DWG members, Richard Cooke then Chair of the Association for Deer Management Groups, served as an external adviser. The DWG terms of reference and member profiles are available on the Scottish Government website.

Question reference: S6W-30231

Asked by: Ash Regan, MSP for Edinburgh Eastern, Alba Party
Date lodged: Friday, 27 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 8 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has considered recruiting additional staff to support the completion of deer culling by Christmas 2024, in light of the reported preference of cullers to complete culling within this timeframe and the availability of highly trained recreational deerstalkers to facilitate this.

Approximately 80% of deer culling in Scotland is carried out by the private sector and in these circumstances stalkers are not employed to do so by the Scottish Government, its bodies or agencies

Where deer are culled on publicly owned land this is done by trained stalkers which can include: agency staff, for example those employed by Forestry and Land Scotland; contractors; and recreational stalkers.

It is for those managing the land to decide how and when to shoot deer in line with their responsibilities and their Deer Management Plan, with support from NatureScot

I would also refer the member to the answer to the question S6W-30224 on 8 October 2024 which sets out methods being trialled to support and incentivise individuals to cull more deer in some parts of Scotland.

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-30227

Asked by: Ash Regan, MSP for Edinburgh Eastern, Alba Party
Date lodged: Friday, 27 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 8 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the status of its proposed Natural Environment Bill and the anticipated timescale for its progress through the Parliament.

Question reference: S6W-30224

Asked by: Ash Regan, MSP for Edinburgh Eastern, Alba Party
Date lodged: Friday, 27 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 8 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the reported goal to cull an additional 50,000 deer annually, whether it has explored plans to implement infrastructure in the Central Belt and Lowlands, similar to that established in the Highlands, including community hubs.

The Scottish Government is committed to reducing high deer numbers in order to help us to achieve our biodiversity and carbon objectives. We are pursuing a range of actions to deliver this commitment including the provision of community deer larders and the three pilot incentive schemes led by NatureScot and the Cairngorms National Park Authority which launched in early autumn to financially support deer managers to control numbers of deer in specific parts of Scotland.

One of these pilots is in Central Scotland and focusses on lowland and urban roe deer management, as well as expanding red deer populations. We will work closely with NatureScot and the Cairngorms National Park as these pilots progress, and the findings from the pilots will be used to inform future deer management policy.

Question reference: S6W-30228

Asked by: Ash Regan, MSP for Edinburgh Eastern, Alba Party
Date lodged: Friday, 27 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 8 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has implemented any measures to ensure that any additional meat resulting from increased deer culling is not wasted, including distributing it through schools or other community initiatives.

As deer management increases over the next few years, in line with our aim to increase the Scottish deer cull by 25%, we want to maximise the benefits deer management can bring.

We have seen peaks and increased venison numbers in the past that our established network of processors has been able to accommodate, and we are working with the sector to ensure that there is no barrier to venison processing in future years.

We have previously provided £80,000 through the Covid-19 Recovery Fund to support three new deer larders in Scotland. With regard to mitigating venison waste, we will consider all proposals for venison distribution to ensure as much as possible makes its way into the food chain safely. This is an important aspect of the revised Scottish Venison strategy launched last year and closer engagement with the wholesale sector is underway.

Officials will be meeting shortly with Scottish Venison and Scotland Food and Drink to consider the specific issue of public sector procurement of wild venison.

Question reference: S6W-30229

Asked by: Ash Regan, MSP for Edinburgh Eastern, Alba Party
Date lodged: Friday, 27 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 8 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the statutory duty on local authorities to implement deer management plans, and the reported increased importance of recording deer numbers to meet the target of an additional 50,000 culled deer annually, for what reason data is available for only five out of 32 local authorities, and whether it will provide funding to local authorities to ensure that accurate deer management plans can be produced to facilitate the recording of deer numbers.

NatureScot only receives cull return data from the five local authorities that manage deer on their land. The remaining local authorities do not undertake deer culls, and therefore do not provide cull returns.

Naturescot has funded local authorities approximately £37,000 over the last seven years to produce deer management plans and deer statements alongside providing expert advice and guidance. NatureScot will continue to work with local authorities to support their deer management efforts.

Question reference: S6W-30402

Asked by: Ash Regan, MSP for Edinburgh Eastern, Alba Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 October 2024
Current Status: Answer expected on 31 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its position that prostitution is a form of violence against women and girls, as stated in its Equally Safe strategy, what work it is doing to eradicate violence against women and girls in every sector of society.