Questions and answers

Question reference: S6F-01286

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 June 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 June 2022

To ask the First Minister whether the Scottish Government will respond to reported calls by the industry to establish a Gamekeeping Taskforce to tackle abuse of rural workers.

Question reference: S6F-01280

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 27 June 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 June 2022

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6F-01279

Asked by: Douglas Ross, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 June 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 June 2022

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6W-09109

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 27 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with SEPA regarding the flaring, which is causing night-time noise and light disruption for local residents, at Grangemouth Refinery.

The Scottish Government is in regular contact with SEPA, the independent regulator, concerning SEPA’s regulatory role in relation to industrial sites in Scotland, including the Grangemouth complex. Whilst we understand the concerns around flaring, it is an essential safety mechanism. Improvements driven by SEPA have reduced the overall frequency and duration of flaring at the Grangemouth complex, and the planned installation of totally enclosed ground flares will further reduce the noise and light disturbance experienced by communities.

Question reference: S6W-09222

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 17 June 2022
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 27 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what the reasons were for applications to the Business Ventilation Fund from businesses in Aberdeenshire being declined.

Applications to the Business Ventilation Fund were declined if the business did not meeting the eligibility criteria for the Fund such as being in an eligible sector, claiming for eligible items by the fund deadline or meeting the fund business rules.

This includes claiming for premises which are registered for non-domestic rates, being classed as a small or medium enterprise and having purchased or carried out works between 23 November 2021 and 31 March 2022.

The majority of businesses declined in Aberdeenshire either weren’t in a eligible sector or had made duplicate claims. Additionally, a number of applications were closed when the deadline for claims had passed and no claim had been submitted by the business. Businesses had been notified that they were able to make a claim and for what and the deadline for this as part of the application process.

Question reference: S6W-09205

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 17 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 27 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the reported significant and ongoing impacts of HPAI (highly pathogenic avian influenza) on Scotland’s wild birds in the last eight months, what plans it has to ensure that the relevant preparations and arrangements are in place to ensure an effective response to the current and any future outbreaks.

The UK is currently experiencing the largest outbreak of avian influenza with commercial flocks of poultry and other captive birds, as well as wild birds, affected.

The disease control response to the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreak is coordinated across the four UK administrations, with the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) leading on triage, and testing and monitoring the spread in the UK. Dead wild bird findings (suspected of HPAI) in Scotland, England and Wales are reported to Defra’s national GB helpline. This information is then given to relevant teams in APHA to triage the collection of samples for testing, where required. The Scottish Government continues to work closely with the other UK administrations (Defra (England), the Welsh Government and DAERA (NI)) on the disease control response.

The Scottish Government is also working with a range of partner organisations to monitor and respond to the current situation where action can be taken, recognising the importance of communication and coordination in preparedness and responses.

We continually review our response planning to current and future avian influenza outbreaks based on the latest scientific advice and existing disease control measures. This includes quantifying the impacts of such outbreaks on our wild bird populations, including seabirds. We will also be identifying with partner organisations what else can be done to respond to the outbreak and improve resilience of our internationally important seabird populations.

Question reference: S6W-09229

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 17 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 27 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the planned replacement ferry services for when Uig Harbour is closed for redevelopment, and what plans there are to ensure that freight capacity is not reduced during that period.

The infrastructure works currently being undertaken at Uig harbour are being led by Highland Council.

I fully appreciate that concerns remain around the impact of the berth closure on local communities and businesses. I have not yet given approval to the works to begin and have instructed Transport Scotland officials to look, again, at all viable mitigations which could be brought to bear with all relevant stakeholders.

Question reference: S6W-09223

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 17 June 2022
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 27 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what COVID-19-related funding and payments for businesses has not yet been completely paid out.

Question reference: S6W-09203

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 17 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 27 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to develop an HPAI (highly pathogenic avian influenza) in wild birds response plan in Scotland, as recommended by the UN-convened Scientific Task Force on Avian Influenza and Wild Birds.

The 2021-22 season has seen the UK’s largest outbreak of avian influenza to date, which has affected commercial flocks of poultry and other captive birds as well as wild birds. While maintaining high levels of biosecurity among domestic flocks helps protect against disease, addressing the disease among wild birds can pose significant challenges.

The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) carries out year-round avian influenza surveillance of dead wild birds reported to Defra’s GB national helpline. As of 24 June 2022, 490 wild birds from multiple locations across Scotland, consisting of 24 species, have tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1. Findings of HPAI in wild birds are published weekly by APHA and are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/avian-influenza-in-wild-birds

The Scottish Government continues to work closely with a range of partner organisations to monitor and respond to the situation where action can be taken, recognising the importance of communication and coordination in preparedness and responses.

We continually review our response planning to current and future avian influenza outbreaks based on the latest scientific advice and existing disease control measures. This includes quantifying the impacts of such outbreaks on our wild bird populations, including seabirds. We will also be identifying with partner organisations what else can be done to respond to the outbreak and improve resilience of our internationally important seabird populations.

Question reference: S6W-09179

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 17 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 27 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many ministerial car journeys have been made on each day since 23 May 2022.

The number of daily Ministerial journeys for the period of 23 May 2022 to 18 June 2022 are provided in the following table.

Date	Total number of journeys
23-05-2022	9
24-05-2022	22
25-05-2022	33
26-05-2022	39
27-05-2022	7
28-05-2022	2
29-05-2022	2
30-05-2022	19
31-05-2022	36
01-06-2022	44
02-06-2022	3
03-06-2022	2
04-06-2022	2
05-06-2022	2
06-06-2022	11
07-06-2022	35
08-06-2022	38
09-06-2022	31
10-06-2022	12
12-06-2022	2
13-06-2022	11
14-06-2022	23
15-06-2022	20
16-06-2022	25
17-06-2022	5
18-06-2022	4

Chamber and committees