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-33373

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Friday, 17 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 28 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether the priority to "maintain cabinet secretary and ministerial engagement with the FONE group" as set out by the council members of its Farming Opportunities for New Entrants (FONE) group for 2024-25 has been achieved and, if so, by what method.

Question reference: S6W-33363

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Friday, 17 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 28 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government on what dates the (a) Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Islands and Land Reform and (b) Minister for Agriculture and Connectivity has met the Farming Opportunities for New Entrants (FONE) group.

Question reference: S6W-33367

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Friday, 17 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 28 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether the priority to "continue beyond the public sector and engage with private estates and owner occupiers in Scotland to explore further new entrant opportunities" as set out by the permanent members of its Farming Opportunities for New Entrants (FONE) group for 2024-25 has been achieved and, if so, by what method.

Yes. All FONE group members have the responsibility to report opportunities for new entrants. This includes the Scottish Land Matching Service (SLMS), which actively engages with public and private estates to explore what land opportunities they have available. 35 matches have been formalised through the SLMS and they are actively working with 263 individuals on further joint-ventures, including those on private and publicly owned land.

In December 2024, the Minister for Agriculture and Connectivity wrote to every Scottish Council leader and Chief Executive asking for their support to consider what land opportunities they can offer agricultural new entrants with the view to engage with each of them directly further.

Question reference: S6W-33368

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Friday, 17 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 28 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether the priority to "provide complementary governance of new entrant support provided by the Scottish Government [including for the] Scottish Land Matching Service, Next Generation Practical Training Fund, Machinery Ring Pre-apprenticeship Programme and emerging New Entrants Support" as set out by the permanent members of its Farming Opportunities for New Entrants (FONE) group for 2024-25 has been achieved and, if so, by what method.

Yes. FONE has provided considerable and ongoing governance support to each of these Scottish Government funded programmes. FONE group members discuss the SLMS’ progress against its objectives and highlight opportunities for succession that are relevant to the service. It scrutinises progress made against the Scottish Government’s initiative to relaunch the Next Generation Practical Training Fund and takes a similar approach regarding the Land-Based Pre-Apprenticeship Programme. The FONE group is actively considering what further new entrant and next generation support the Scottish Government could consider in the future.

Question reference: S6W-33490

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 17 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 28 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how compulsory purchase orders are factored into the planning for large infrastructure projects, such as transport or renewable energy developments.

How compulsory purchase orders are factored into the planning for large infrastructure projects is a matter for the relevant acquiring authority (i.e. body with compulsory purchase powers) in the circumstances of the project. As set out in Circular 6/2011: Compulsory purchase orders,https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-planning-series-planning-circular-6-2011-compulsory-purchase-orders/, acquiring authorities are expected – where practicable – to seek to acquire land by agreement before making a compulsory purchase order.

Question reference: S6W-33381

Asked by: Sue Webber, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 17 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 28 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans any upgrades to the A1 in Scotland before May 2026 and, if so, what impact the decision by the UK Government to cancel the dualling of the road between Morpeth and Ellingham might have on these plans.

The recommendations set out in the second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2), published in December 2022, guide long term investment in Scotland’s strategic transport network.

The evidenced led appraisal that supported STPR2 did not recommend any major road upgrades for the A1. It did, however, make provision for investment to ensure that Scotland’s trunk road network remains safe (Recommendation 30), adapted to deal with the impacts of climate change (Recommendation 31) and resilient (Recommendation 32).

The UK Government’s cancellation of the A1 Morpeth to Ellingham scheme following their autumn budget in October 2024 is anticipated to have no impact on Scottish Government plans for the A1. Last financial year (2023/24), the Scottish Government invested £10,613,185 to ensure the continued safe and efficient operation of the A1 north of the border.

Question reference: S6W-33369

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Friday, 17 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 28 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether the priority to "advocate the importance and prominence of new entrants in the sector [including] ensuring new entrants’ and the next generations’ interests are represented in future governmental and non-governmental policy" as set out by the council members of its Farming Opportunities for New Entrants (FONE) group for 2024-25 has been achieved and, if so, by what method.

The FONE is a collaborative group dedicated to supporting agricultural new entrants and the next generation of Scottish farmers and crofters. Each of the members looks to ensure that their organisation is giving due consideration to new entrant opportunities and further support they can provide.

The group’s success can be evidenced by the 8,272 hectares of land that have been made available to new entrants since 2016. This represents a combined effort from public bodies to maximise new entrant opportunities on public land.

Question reference: S6W-33360

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Friday, 17 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 28 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how its Farming Opportunities for New Entrants (FONE) group engages with agricultural stakeholders.

Question reference: S6W-33374

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Friday, 17 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 28 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding it has allocated to support the work of its Farming Opportunities for New Entrants (FONE) group in each year since 2016-17.

Question reference: S6W-33488

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 17 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 28 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what the current average time is from the initiation of a compulsory purchase order to its conclusion, broken down by sector.

The Scottish Government regularly publishes a register of orders submitted to the Scottish Ministers for confirmation since 2012: https://www.gov.scot/publications/compulsory-purchase-order-register/. The current register, published in December, includes compulsory purchase orders (CPOs) received up to the end of October 2024. The register includes information on the time taken between receipt of a CPO by the Scottish Government and the decision as to whether the order is confirmed.

A number of steps typically precede a CPO being submitted for confirmation, including negotiation with affected landowners and preparation of the relevant documentation. These are matters for the relevant acquiring authority and are not included in the CPO register.