- Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Monday, 11 November 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Fairlie on 19 November 2024
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has carried out an assessment of how agriculture in Scotland could be impacted by the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s recent announcement of changes to the inheritance tax system for farms from April 2026.
Answer
Our rural economies will be hit by the proposed changes to Inheritance Tax’s Agricultural Property Relief.
It is disappointing that there had been no prior indication of the change or engagement with the Scottish Government. Indeed, ahead of the election a Labour spokesperson had explicitly stated there was no intention of changing APR.
The Scottish Parliament recently debated this matter and agreed to call on the UK Government to reverse the changes –and urgently commit to undertake and publish impact assessments on the cumulative impact of its budget proposals on farmers and crofters in Scotland.
Given the lack of available data on the impact of this decision, there should now be an immediate review of this policy, informed by close engagement with the agricultural sector and devolved governments.
The Scottish Government want to see a tax system that supports – rather than hinders – orderly succession planning and the transfer of land to the next generation of custodians.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 11 November 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 19 November 2024
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has had any discussions with Crown Estate Scotland about replicating the UK Government partnership announcement with The Crown Estate for future ScotWind leasing rounds.
Answer
The Scottish Government already has a well established partnership with the Crown Estate that was fundamental to the Scotwind and INTOG licensing rounds for offshore wind. Our current focus is not on new leasing opportunities but delivering Scotland’s strong pipeline of clean energy and supply chain opportunities.
To support this the Scottish Government and UK Government Department of Energy Security and Net Zero developed a shared objective for Great British Energy to maximise the benefits of its activities in Scotland. Through developing partnerships with existing Scottish public bodies active within the clean energy sector (Crown Estate Scotland, the Enterprise Agencies and the Scottish National Investment Bank) organisations will work together to deliver joint objectives to maximise impact and value for money from Scottish projects.
- Asked by: Fulton MacGregor, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 11 November 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Siobhian Brown on 19 November 2024
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the proposed consultation regarding the legal age of marriage, and family and succession law.
Answer
Work is continuing on this consultation. It covers a wide range of areas: the minimum age of marriage and civil partnership; extending simplified divorce and dissolution procedures; qualifying requirements for religious and belief bodies when they solemnise marriage or register civil partnership; a Scottish Law Commission report on cohabitant's rights following separation; and points arising on financial provision when one cohabitant dies.
We are also preparing impact assessments in relation to this consultation. We are planning to issue it within the next few months.
- Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 11 November 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Siobhian Brown on 19 November 2024
To ask the Scottish Government whether it is reviewing whether to incorporate, via regulations, a provision for “low noise” or “silent” fireworks into the Fireworks and Pyrotechnic Articles (Scotland) Act 2022.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-31145 on 19 November 2024. 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.
- Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 11 November 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 19 November 2024
To ask the Scottish Government how many islands-based people currently sit on the (a) CMAL and (b) CalMac board of directors.
Answer
CMAL and CalMac each have 1 island-based person sitting on their board of directors.
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 08 November 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 19 November 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of frontline health spending is spent on child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS), and whether if it is on track to meet its commitment of allocating 1% to this.
Answer
Latest available data published in February 2024 by Public Health Scotland in the Scottish Health Service Costs book confirmed that NHS expenditure on child and adolescent mental health rose from £97.9 million in 2021-22 to £114.8 million in 2022-23, an increase of £16.9 million or 17% - representing 0.75% of total NHS expenditure.
We continue to work with NHS Boards and Integration Joint Boards towards delivery of the commitment that at least 1% of their frontline health spending will be dedicated to child and adolescent mental health by the end of this parliamentary session.
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 08 November 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 19 November 2024
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of findings in Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce's Energy Transition 40th Survey report that North Sea oil and gas firms "expect a desperately bleak situation to go from bad to worse", what measures it is taking to improve confidence in the North Sea oil and gas sector.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-31114 on 15 November 2024. 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.
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 08 November 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 19 November 2024
To ask the Scottish Government whether it remains committed to recruiting 1,000 community mental health workers by 2026.
Answer
As a result of the difficult decisions which had to be taken through the Emergency Budget review, recruitment of the 1,000 additional roles to support community mental health resilience, ensuring every GP Practice has access to a mental health and wellbeing service has not yet commenced. We have already prioritised significant investment to build mental health capacity in primary care through Action 15 of the Mental Health Strategy 2017-2027 and the Primary Care Improvement Fund.
We remain committed to delivering increased mental health and wellbeing capacity in primary care and the Mental Health and Wellbeing Delivery Plan sets out a range of actions to achieve the ambition in the Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy to drive a shift in the balance of care across mental health to ensure a focus on prevention and early intervention in the community, including a focus on providing high quality mental health care within General Practice.
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 08 November 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 19 November 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of frontline health spending is allocated to mental health, and whether it is on track to meet its commitment of allocating 10% to this.
Answer
Latest available data published in February 2024 by Public Health Scotland in the Scottish Health Service Costs book confirmed that NHS expenditure on mental health rose from £1.282 billion in 2021-22 to £1.307 billion in 2022-23, an increase of £25.1 million or 2% - representing 8.53% of total NHS expenditure.
We continue to work with NHS Boards and Integration Joint Boards towards delivery of the commitment that at least 10% of their frontline health spending will be dedicated to mental health by the end of this parliamentary session.
- Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 08 November 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Fairlie on 19 November 2024
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the publication of the Cowal and Rosneath Community Needs Assessment by Transport Scotland on 11 September 2024, and the completion of the associated consultation exercise on 9 October 2024, which one of the assessment’s recommendations will be taken forward in terms of aligning the service levels and subsidy payments with the assessed needs.
Answer
Community views are an essential part of informing future service options. The community feedback gathered at engagement events in Kilcreggan on the 1st of October, Dunoon on the 2nd of October, and Gourock on the 3rd of October, along with the online user survey outcomes, is currently being analysed as part of the appraisal of the possible options. No decisions on the future service design of the Gourock-Dunoon and Gourock-Kilcreggan routes have been made at this stage.