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-24012

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 18 December 2023
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 9 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what economic impact assessment has been carried out regarding its plan to ban the use of snares.

The Scottish Government held a public consultation on its proposals to prohibit the use of snares and other cable restraints which concluded in October 2023.

The consultation highlighted that some individuals and businesses may see cost changes associated with changes to the way that they undertake control of foxes, brown hares and/or rabbits. Snares are a relatively resource un-intensive method of wildlife control compared to other methods such as shooting. The majority of land managers use shooting as their only or main method of control and this will remain a viable alternative.

The Scottish Government will work together with relevant stakeholders to minimise any impacts when a ban on snaring comes into force.

We also invited the Rural and Environment Land Management Group to submit a report on the use of snares by Scottish land management businesses. We considered this report alongside a report from the Scottish Animal Welfare Commission. We concluded that other, more humane, methods of wildlife control are available to land managers in most circumstances and that a ban on the use of snares would have a significant benefit for wildlife welfare with only a minor impact on some rural businesses.

Question reference: S6W-24014

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 18 December 2023
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 9 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what the average time taken to process a Hunting with Dogs licence is for (a) preventing serious damage to livestock, woodlands or crops and (b) environmental benefit.

NatureScot has received eleven applications to-date for a Hunting with Dogs licence for either (a) preventing serious damage to livestock, woodlands, or crops, or (b) environmental benefit. Of these eleven applications, six have not yet been processed as they are either ongoing or NatureScot has requested additional information from the applicant.

The following table relates to five applications which have been deemed to be processed in that they have been received, determined, and the decision letter issued. The time taken to determine the decision may include time that NatureScot were waiting for further information from the applicant.

Applications Granted

Reason for Application	ID	Time taken to determine licence (days)
Preventing Serious Damage	250045	11
Preventing Serious Damage	252976	6

Applications Refused

Reason for Application	ID	Time taken to determine licence (days)
Environmental Benefit	249031	35
Environmental Benefit	248391	41
Preventing Serious Damage	237514	10

Question reference: S6W-24017

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 December 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 22 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when it anticipates that the proposed Land Reform Bill will be introduced to the Scottish Parliament.

As I noted in my response to a question from Jackie Dunbar MSP on 12 December, the Scottish Government remains committed to introducing Land Reform legislation to further improve transparency of land ownership, help ensure large scale land holdings deliver in the public interest, and empower communities by providing more opportunities to own land and have more say in how land in their area is used.

To allow time for this further consideration and ensure we get the proposals right for introduction, we are planning a slight delay to the introduction of the Bill but it remains a Programme for Government commitment for 2023-24.

Question reference: S6W-23614

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 December 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 19 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to improve social care provision in rural communities.

The Scottish Government is undertaking a range of work to improve social care provision across Scotland, including for rural communities.

The Self Direct Support (SDS) Improvement Plan 2023-2027 has been developed to make sure that work taking place to improve SDS is more coherent and better coordinated and focuses on the right priorities. The “Golden threads” of the Improvement Plan are areas that all activity related to SDS improvement should consider in implementation. This includes the needs of rural, island and remote communities as a priority.

We are also committed to building a National Care Service to improve the quality and consistency of social care across Scotland. We understand there is often a need for a different approach for people living in rural communities and the National Care Service will help ensure that is delivered.

Question reference: S6O-02907

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 December 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 20 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to establish a specialist endometriosis centre within every NHS board in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-23085

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 20 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 13 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government which organisations representing local communities affected by Storm Babet have been part of any meetings involving its Storm Babet recovery taskforce up to 16 November 2023.

The extreme conditions of Storm Babet had significant impacts on a number of local communities in Scotland, particularly Brechin and the Angus Council area.

Given the unprecedented nature and scale of the storm’s impacts, a Ministerial Taskforce was established to encourage co-operation between local recovery groups and co-ordinate Scottish Government actions where they may support locally-led recovery efforts.

The Ministerial Taskforce met for the first time on 16 November. Chief Executive Officer of Angus Council Margo Williamson attended as Chair of the Tayside Local Resilience Group and set out the impacts of the storm on the Angus area and the need for support, particularly in Brechin.

Question reference: S6W-23236

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 7 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide details of any examples of the appropriate use of Asulox for controlling bracken having had a detrimental effect on human health in the last 10 years.

A robust regulatory process governs UK pesticide authorisation and use. Authorisation is granted only where data demonstrates that the proposed use of the product will not have unacceptable effects on human health or the environment. This regulatory approach is designed to be appropriately protective and precautionary to avoid detrimental impacts, which may be difficult to measure, arising from pesticide use.

This year the UK regulator, the Health and Safety Executive, considered that the use of Asulox did not meet the legislative requirements for authorisation as, based on the current data and in contrast to previous years, the risks of the proposed use were considered to outweigh the benefits. Scottish Ministers supported this position.

The Scottish Government is committed to science-led decision making, and we follow a well-established and evidence-based process for the authorisation of chemicals to ensure high standards for public health and our environment.

Question reference: S6W-23237

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 7 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide details of any examples of environmental harm caused by the appropriate use of Asulox for the control of bracken in the last 10 years.

Question reference: S6W-23262

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 6 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of all the stakeholder groups that it engaged with when producing its paper, Our marine sector in an independent Scotland.

The Scottish Government engages with a wide range of stakeholders on the future of the marine sector on a very regular basis. This has included, for example, detailed engagement with Scottish seafood stakeholders on Brexit and the new costs and barriers it has created for exporting to the EU, and our shared concerns about post-Brexit UK immigration policy, and how these can be mitigated or overcome.

“Our marine sector in an independent Scotland” is informed by our continuous engagement with the marine sector.

Question reference: S6W-23083

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 4 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands has received a request under rule 9 of the Inquiry Rules 2006 for evidence regarding any WhatsApp messages and informal communications with cabinet secretaries, ministers, senior civil servants or advisers, on Scottish Government-issued or personal devices, in relation to matters for which she had responsibility in her former role as (a) Minister for Rural Affairs and the Natural Environment between January and December 2020, (b) Minister for Public Health and Sport between December 2020 and May 2021 and (c) Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and Islands between May 2021 and January 2022; whether the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands has provided any such messages to the UK COVID-19 Inquiry, and, if so, how many.

The Scottish Government has received a number of requests from the UK Covid-19 Inquiry under Rule 9 of the Inquiry Rules Act 2006 and has been asked not to disclose the evidence that has been requested or provided, as have all core participants.

As a result, the Scottish Government is unable to confirm or comment on the details of any Rule 9 requests to individuals.

The Scottish Government remains fully committed in its cooperation with both the UK and Scottish Covid-19 Inquiries in their independent work to explore the handling of the pandemic and to identify the vital lessons we all need to learn.