Parliamentary questions
Ariane Burgess
706 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
7 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that any incidents of environmental pollution by the salmon farming industry that have been caused by the sinking of vessels, and fuel spills, are investigated and sanctioned appropriately.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: Salmon farming is regulated primarily as development by Local Authorities through planning permissions granted under the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997. Other consents can include a seabed lease from Crown Estate Scotland, a licence from the Sc…
7 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it (a) monitors and (b) addresses any (i) record-keeping violations, (ii) trade violations and (iii) movement restriction breaches at salmon farms, in light of reports that no financial penalties have been imposed since 2021.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Scottish Government’s Fish Health Inspectorate (FHI) undertakes risk based aquatic animal health surveillance where Aquaculture Production Businesses are assessed against their regulatory responsibilities with respect to aquatic animal health. This …
29 Apr 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to undertake the next review of the list of species of special concern, which was adopted from the EU listing in 2020, to ensure continued protection for the environment from invasive non-native species
Answer · Alasdair Allan: The Scottish retained Regulation No 1143/2014 on the prevention and management of the introduction and spread of invasive alien species requires that Scottish Ministers undertake a comprehensive review of the Scottish list of species of special concern before…
28 Apr 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Glen Affric beaver translocation proposal having been live since 2022, and NatureScot being in receipt of the Forestry and Land Scotland licence application since January 2025, for what reason NatureScot reportedly decided to undertake further engagement on the proposal …
Answer · Alasdair Allan: As set out in the answer to S6W-37296 on 13 May 2025, given the legitimate concerns from the local community a decision on the licence application was unable to be made ahead of the beaver kit dependency period.This period offered an opportunity for further e…
28 Apr 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what role its ministers have in the assessment of translocation licences for (a) beavers and (b) other protected species.
Answer · Alasdair Allan: As set out in Scotland’s Beaver Strategy 2022-2045 published by NatureScot. we will support the identification of opportunities to expand beaver populations, and support the expansion of beaver populations through translocations.Section 16A of the Wildl…
28 Apr 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of NatureScot describing the two-year public engagement for the Forestry and Land Scotland Glen Affric beaver translocation proposal as "above and beyond" the requirements of the Scottish Beaver Strategy, for what reason it is now undertaking further engagement outside of the a…
Answer · Alasdair Allan: The Scottish Government is absolutely committed to expanding the beaver population across Scotland for the benefit of biodiversity, in line with Scotland’s Beaver Strategy.Whilst we welcome the Glen Affric beaver translocation proposal, it is clear, tha…
28 Apr 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-29859 by Gillian Martin on 26 September 2024, and in light of the closure of its public consultation on the matter on 7 February 2025, when it plans to publish its revised policy statement on Ramsar sites.
Answer · Alasdair Allan: The revised policy statement for the protection of natural features on Ramsar sites will be published on the Scottish Government web-site shortly.
24 Apr 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many of the 210 appeals against SEPA's sea lice control measures, reported active as of March 2025, (a) have been (i) upheld and (ii) dismissed and (b) are still under consideration.
Answer · Shona Robison: The Planning and Environmental Appeals Division has to date received 220 appeals against SEPA's sea lice control variation notices; more are anticipated. All 220 appeals are currently being checked and SEPA’s response to the grounds of appeal has been r…
21 Apr 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason naturalised beaver populations that arose through illegal release, accidental release or natural dispersion from authorised populations are not considered "within range" by the existing definition of "natural range" for beavers in Scotland.
Answer · Alasdair Allan: As set out in their Beaver Management Report it is NatureScot policy to consider authorised populations and catchments where licensed release has already taken place are considered to form beaver’s natural range in Scotland.Therefore, in considering the…
21 Apr 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the definition of "natural range" in NatureScot's, Beaver Management Report - January 2023 to April 2024, (a) differs from that in the Scottish Code for Conservation Translocations and (b) does not align with the precedent set by the European Commission's 2018 r…
Answer · Alasdair Allan: NatureScot’s Beaver Management Report sets out that, under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, beavers released anywhere in Scotland are regarded as a ‘former native’ species outwith their native range and hence their release can only be …
21 Apr 2025 · First Minister's Question
To ask the First Minister whether he will provide an update on when the Scottish Government expects to respond to the Loch Long salmon farm planning application.
16 Apr 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the recently published Fisheries Management and Conservation Group stakeholder survey showing that 21 out of 23 participating marine stakeholders believe that FMAC is not delivering on its current aims and responsibilities, what conclusions it has drawn from the stakeholder …
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: I refer the member to the answers to questions S6W-36304 on 9 April 2025 and S6W-37060 on 30 April 2025. The Scottish Government has concluded that, as the primary issue with the functioning of FMAC appears to lie with its current structure, the decision to s…
16 Apr 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the (a) reasoning and (b) supporting evidential basis is for its decision to split the Fisheries Management and Conservation Group (FMAC) into separate commercial fishing and Environmental Non-Governmental Organisations, also known as eNGOs, groupings, and what its position is on ho…
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: Further to the answer to S6W-36304 on 9 April 2025, the decision to split the Fisheries Management and Conservation (FMAC) Group was taken following a review of the Group that was undertaken last year. The review found that the way the FMAC Group had been ope…
16 Apr 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the recently published Evaluation of Regional Inshore Fisheries Groups (RIFG), which highlighted that a majority of marine stakeholders believe that the 15-year-old RIFG model is not delivering on its remit, whether it is considering other co-management models, includin…
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: At the current time the RIFGs remain our chosen mechanism for providing inshore fishers a strong voice in matters which affect them and a forum to discuss fisheries management issues. We will utilise the findings of the review to help address stakeholder conc…
14 Apr 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what reasons have been given for the need to kill mountain hares in licence applications since 2012, and how many of these licensed activities took place on (a) public and (b) private land in each year.
Answer · Jim Fairlie: In responding, I must advise that licence applications to lethally control mountain hare before March 2021 were required for the previous closed season, however following passage of the Animals and Wildlife Penalties, Protections and Powers Scotland Act mount…
8 Apr 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how the Single Building Assessment (SBA) to facilitate the delivery of the Cladding Remediation Programme defines the term (a) development, (b) building and (c) stairs, and whether this definition is applied consistently across all cladding-related policies and reporting.
Answer · Paul McLennan: The Single Building Assessment (SBA) is a comprehensive evaluation designed to assess fire safety risks associated with external wall systems in Scottish buildings. However, specific definitions for the terms (a) development, (b) building, and (c) stairs with…
8 Apr 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much in Barnett consequential funding it has received each year as a result of UK Government expenditure on cladding remediation, and how this compares to how much it has spent on its Cladding Remediation Programme.
Answer · Paul McLennan: Scottish Ministers have said they expect to spend at least the equivalent of the £97.1 million received inconsequential funding on Cladding Remediation, and will do so when it is appropriate.The Scottish Government expects that the cost of cladding reme…
26 Mar 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-29794 by Gillian Martin on 20 September 2024, what its position is on whether it has sufficient time to consult on and adopt measures regarding inshore Marine Protected Areas and Priority Marine Features before the end of the current parliament…
Answer · Gillian Martin: Scottish Ministers have statutory processes they must adhere to in developing and implementing fisheries management measures. As outlined previously in PQ S6W-29794, developing evidence-based and effective fisheries management measures for more than 160 sites…
26 Mar 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to its inshore Marine Protected Areas and Priority Marine Features consultation, how long from the beginning of the consultation it anticipates it will take for any necessary protections to be implemented and enforced.
Answer · Gillian Martin: Developing evidence-based and effective fisheries management measures, and robustly undertaking statutory requirements, for more than 160 sites and areas within the inshore region is a complicated and challenging process. It is on a scale not previously under…
26 Mar 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it has reportedly decided to protect Priority Marine Features through the use of Marine Conservation Orders, as opposed to including such conditions within fishing licences.
Answer · Gillian Martin: The final decision on how protections for Priority Marine Features (PMFs) will be implemented will be made by Ministers after the proposed fisheries management measures have been consulted on and the responses analysed.Whilst the legislation to be used is yet…
26 Mar 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, since the beginning of 2022, how many meetings it has held with representatives of (a) environmental and conservation organisations and (b) the fishing industry to discuss Marine Protected Areas.
Answer · Gillian Martin: Scottish Government officials met with environmental and conservation stakeholders on at least 55 occasions and with fishing stakeholders on at least 65 occasions in a range of different forums to discuss Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) from 1 January 2022 unti…
26 Mar 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it has assessed whether fishing gear purchased through Marine Fund Scotland has improved the sustainability and selectivity of bottom trawl fishing.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: Applications for fishing gear, which is the subject of assistance through the Marine Fund Scotland, are considered against the aims of the Fisheries Management Strategy with further input where required from Marine Directorate fishing technology and science l…
26 Mar 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its fisheries management strategy delivery plan update 2025, how it anticipates that creating separate fisheries management and conservation (FMAC) groups for the fishing industry and other stakeholders will deliver on the principle of co-management.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: Following the FMAC review last year it is apparent that the structure and membership of the group was making co-management ineffective and the FMAC group has therefore been split. The new structure will still allow industry, environmental and other groups to …
26 Mar 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it appears to have dropped commitments from its Future Fisheries Management strategy 12-point action plan to (a) apply a cap on fishing activity in inshore waters (up to three nautical miles) and (b) review and revise the management of unused "latent" scallop fi…
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Inshore Fisheries Management Improvement Programme, launched in 2024, aims to develop a more agile and regional inshore fisheries management framework. Our Call for Evidence on the programme closed on 18 February 2025 and the submissions received are curr…
26 Mar 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many scallop dredgers have been indicated by vessel monitoring system (VMS) or remote electronic monitoring (REM) data to have fished inside nature conservation marine protected areas in Scotland in each year since 2014.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: It is not possible to provide all incidences where either REM or VMS indicated that a scallop vessel fished inside a nature conservation area since 2014. Our retention policy for camera data is one year and for position data as long as we feel necessary as pe…
26 Mar 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many fishing licences it has authorised the transfer of in each year since 2015, broken down by fishing method, as defined in table 41 of the latest Scottish Sea Fisheries Statistics.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: A domestic commercial fishing licence provides a general authority to fish within the UK Exclusive Economic Zone (UK EEZ). UK Fisheries Administrations operate a restrictive licensing scheme, this means that a regulatory ceiling is maintained on the total fle…
26 Mar 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is regarding the conclusions as they relate to Scotland of the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science report, Assessing the sustainability of fisheries catch limits negotiated by the UK for 2025, which found that catch limits for 52% of UK s…
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: Assessing fisheries stock health and management is a complex issue and there are many metrics against which sustainability can be evaluated. The sustainability reports published by the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture (CEFAS) cover stocks acr…
26 Mar 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on when it anticipates the future catching policy (FCP) will be implemented.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: Technical workshops on the Future Catching Policy were completed in autumn last year, with a combination of industry and eNGO input across all fleet segments. The proposals for future technical measures are being finalised and further engagement with stakehol…
26 Mar 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason a licence application to translocate beavers to Loch Beinn a' Mheadhoin in Glen Affric has yet to be determined.
Answer · Alasdair Allan: We fully recognise the significant efforts that have been made by Forestry Land Scotland, Trees for Life, and partners to consult with local communities and stakeholders as part of the process to apply to NatureScot for a licence to translocate beavers to Loc…
19 Mar 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what tools, including enforcement mechanisms, it has to ensure that the ban on single-use plastics, which commenced on 1 June 2022 under the Single-use Plastic Products (Scotland) Regulations 2021, is fully implemented; whether it has carried out a review of the effectiveness of the ban …
Answer · Alasdair Allan: Enforcement of the ban on single-use plastics is undertaken by local authority enforcement officers. Enforcement officers are authorised by local authorities to exercise powers in the Regulations in order to determine whether an offence is being committed. Th…