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: S6O-00502

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 December 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 December 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to improve road safety on the trunk road network.

Question reference: S6O-00483

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 November 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 2 December 2021

To ask the Scottish Government when it last met the UK Government to discuss infrastructure projects of importance to Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-03971

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 8 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what the first steps will be in the process of identifying potential candidate areas for national park status.

Question reference: S6W-03973

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 8 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what criteria will be used to assess any bids for national park status.

To be eligible for National Park Status, under the provisions of the National Parks (Scotland) Act 2000 the area must meet the following 4 Aims:

(a) to conserve and enhance the natural and cultural heritage of the area,

(b) to promote sustainable use of the natural resources of the area,

(c) to promote understanding and enjoyment (including enjoyment in the form of recreation) of the special qualities of the area by the public, and

(d) to promote sustainable economic and social development of the area’s communities

In addition, the Act specifies 3 Conditions which are to be met before a National Park can be designated:

(a) that the area is of outstanding national importance because of its natural heritage or the combination of its natural and cultural heritage,

(b) that the area has a distinctive character and a coherent identity, and

(c) that designating the area as a National Park would meet the special needs of the area and would be the best means of ensuring that the National Park aims are collectively achieved in relation to the area in a co-ordinated way

Satisfying the Aims and Conditions of National Park will be the first step in identifying the area or areas to be taken forward. Further criterion will be required to evaluate the list of candidate areas. The first step in the process will be to develop and publicise this initial evaluation process.

Question reference: S6W-03969

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 8 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether a proposal under section 2 of the National Parks (Scotland) Act 2000 will be made in Spring 2022.

Under Section 2(3) of the National Parks (Scotland) Act 2000, a proposal for a new National Park must identify the area to be designated and the proposed functions of the new National Park Authority. We are aware that several areas may be interested in National Park status, so a fair and transparent bidding and evaluation process will be put in place to identify the area or areas which will be put forward to obtain National Park status and allow the statutory process to begin. We will shortly provide further information on this initial bidding and evaluation process, but given the complex and important nature of the work, we do not think it will be completed by Spring 2022.

Question reference: S6W-03970

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 8 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-03008 by Lorna Slater on 28 September 2021, whether it will clarify where in the National Parks (Scotland) Act 2000 it states that the first step in identifying appropriate candidate areas is through a consultation process.

The provisions of the National Parks (Scotland) Act 2000 enable the Scottish Ministers to make a formal proposal to establish a new National Park. We are aware that there are several areas which may be interested in obtaining National Park status. There is therefore a need to have an initial non-statutory evaluation process to determine what area or areas should be subject to a formal proposal. This evaluation process will be fair and transparent and stakeholders will be closely involved in developing it.

Further, section 3 of the Act allows the Scottish Ministers to require NatureScot, or another public body with relevant expertise, to report to Ministers on a proposal for a National Park. The reporter appointed under section 3, as part of preparing the report, must consult with every local authority and community council whose area (or part of whose area) is within the area to which the proposal relates, persons the reporter considers are representative of the interests of local residents and businesses, any other persons as the reporter thinks fit.

Question reference: S6W-03972

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 8 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether a call will be made for candidate areas for national park status.

Question reference: S6O-00312

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 October 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 3 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what support it is providing to encourage more affordable homes to be built in remote and rural areas.

Question reference: S6W-03404

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 26 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government which of its agencies are involved in assessing the level of medical drugs in (a) watercourses and (b) public water supplies.

In Scotland, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) is the environmental regulator responsible for making sure that watercourses are protected. As part of its role, SEPA monitors for contaminants of emerging concern, such as certain pharmaceuticals, in the water environment.

SEPA also works in collaboration with Scottish Water on its Chemicals Investigation Programme (Scotland), which analyses concentrations of a number of chemicals, including some pharmaceuticals, entering and leaving waste water treatment works across Scotland.

Scottish Water is responsible for monitoring and assessing public drinking water supplies to ensure that there is no danger to human health.

Question reference: S6W-03389

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 26 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide funding to enable Saving Scotland's Red Squirrels and other volunteer groups to continue their work and deliver practical control measures to ensure red squirrels flourish in the future and, if so, how much will be made available.