Parliamentary questions
Ariane Burgess
706 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
4 Dec 2024 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assurances it can provide to the community on Mull regarding whether Learning Estate Investment Programme funding can be used flexibly to support both the construction of a new high school in Craignure and the refurbishment of the existing site in Tobermory for nursery and primary p…
28 Nov 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the publication of the Scottish Biodiversity Delivery Plan 2024–2030 on 27 November 2024, how it will increase public grant support to levels that will meet its ambition to regenerate native woodland landscapes, particularly to reduce the browsing i…
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Scottish Government is proposing to increase the budget for the Forestry Grant Scheme in 2025-26 to £53m, with much of the increase focussed on native woodland habitats.Public funding through FGS support measures has been in place since 2015 and wer…
27 Nov 2024 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the recent reaffirmation of its commitment to increase culture funding by at least an additional £100 million a year by 2028-29, how much of this extra investment will be directed towards community arts and placemaking.
26 Nov 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-25557 by Mairi Gougeon on 25 March 2024, whether the Scottish Ministers (a) plan to conduct a Habitats Regulations Appraisal for the wrasse fishery that would assess the consequences of wrasse removal from special areas of conservation and the wider…
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Scottish Government will undertake a Habitats Regulations Appraisals (HRA), for relevant special areas of conservation, ahead of the 2025 Wrasse fishing season opening. The HRA will consider the fishery against the relevant conservation objectives of the …
26 Nov 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether (a) common grazings are included in the biodiversity audit process for crofting and (b) crofting biodiversity audits assess the economic earnings potential of biodiversity restoration on common grazings; what plans the Scottish Government has to undertake a (i) cost-benefit analy…
Answer · Jim Fairlie: The foundations of the Whole Farm Plan will become a requirement in 2025 for the Basic Payment Scheme. At this stage, businesses with a share in a common grazing do not need to include the common grazing in their biodiversity audit. The Scottish Government is…
25 Nov 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what mechanisms it has put in place to monitor the effective implementation of the provision of free period products across local authorities.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: As outlined in the Access to period products: Monitoring and Evaluation strategy 2021/22 - 2024/25, we intended to monitor and evaluate the implementation of the Period Products (Free Provision) (Scotland) Act 2021(the Act) in 2025. However, due to funding fo…
21 Nov 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has carried out of job losses in (a) shellfish fishing, (b) sea angling, (c) tourism and (d) other sectors that have been reportedly caused by the salmon farming industry in each year since 1999.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The economic and social benefits of salmon farming are clear. The sector produces the UK’s number 1 food export and supports around 12,000 jobs in Scotland across its supply chain, providing a steady stream of revenue to Scotland’s coastal communi…
21 Nov 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made on developing a register of ancient woodlands.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: NatureScot and Scottish Forestry are currently putting together a project plan to build on the existing Ancient Woodland Inventory to develop the new National Register of Ancient Woodlands. The new National Register of Ancient Woodlands will be an important e…
19 Nov 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many hectares of (a) land were given approval by Scottish Forestry for planting and (b) commercial forests and woodlands have been (i) blown down and (ii) harvested, in each of the last five years.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The following tables provide the data as currently held.Table 1 – Area of approvals for planting by Scottish ForestryYear (Nov to Oct)Area of New Planting Approved (ha)2023-2495502022-23127142021-2293782020-2190672019-20125082018-2912927Table 2 – …
18 Nov 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the latest report, Collateral Damage, by the UK campaign group, Wild Justice, which states that the Rodenticide Stewardship Scheme in England "is a failed scheme", and other reports that have indicated increased exposure to anticoagulant rodenticides in common buzz…
Answer · Jim Fairlie: The Scottish Government continues to contribute to UK-wide monitoring of rodenticide use and exposure in wildlife. There is evidence that many users of rodenticides are complying with the Campaign for Responsible Rodenticide Use’s (CRRU) Rodenticide Ste…
13 Nov 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the Planning Hub, announced by the Minister for Public Finance in a statement on 12 November 2024, will provide funding for the deployment of empty homes officers wherever needed, and how much funding it will allocate for (a) these officers and (b) the Planning Hub in total.
Answer · Ivan McKee: We are establishing a Housing Planning Hub as a priority to help unblock stalled sites. We are now working with public and private sector partners to consider the reasons why specific sites are not progressing to development, and to confirm details around the…
13 Nov 2024 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the economy secretary has had with ministerial colleagues regarding any economic analysis it has undertaken of the impact on the wider Scottish economy of fish farming.
7 Nov 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action has been taken to meet the commitment for Transport Scotland to explore freight issues in more detail by revisiting the Freight Fares Review, as set out in the Islands Connectivity Plan - Strategic Approach, published in January 2024.
Answer · Jim Fairlie: The draft Islands Connectivity Plan (ICP) Strategic Approach was published for public consultation from 1 February 2024 to 6 May 2024. The draft proposed that we would revisit the Freight Fares Review in the medium to longer term.The purpose of the consultati…
6 Nov 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it is engaging with the UK Government to ensure that a fair share of the (a) £400 million allocated in loans for community energy and (b) £600 million for community development via local authorities proposed as part of the Local Power Plan will be available for commun…
Answer · Gillian Martin: The Scottish Government is committed to working with partners to continue to grow the community and local energy sector and ensure the delivery of renewable energy comes with benefits for people in Scotland.On 17 October the Scottish Government signed a Joint…
6 Nov 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to address the reported shortageof environmental health officers and the impact that this is having on localauthorities (a) nationally and (b) that serve island areas, such as Orkney.
Answer · Jenni Minto: Environmental Health Officers are a core part of the public health workforce in Scotland and the Environmental Health function is key to protecting and improving the health of the Scottish population.The Scottish Government set up the Environmental Health Pol…
6 Nov 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to its letter of 13 December 2023 to the UK energy minister urging the UK Government to explore mandating communitybenefits for all onshore energy developments, whether it has discussed thiswith the current UK administration and, if so, what the response was.
Answer · Gillian Martin: The Scottish Government has long recognised the need for our communities to benefit from our just energy transition to net zero. This is why we continue to engage with the UK Government to encourage them to explore mandating community benefits for all onshore…
31 Oct 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the current status is of the Nature Conservation Order requested by NatureScot on 27June 2024 to protect the Parallel Roads of Lochaber Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) at Achnabobane, and what steps are being taken to address the reported unconsented activities …
Answer · Alasdair Allan: Having considered the circumstances and in response to the damage caused by unconsented activity in the area of the Parallel Roads of Lochaber Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), Scottish Ministers have begun drafting a Nature Conservation Order (NCO)…
30 Oct 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the first anniversary of the launch of the Rural and Islands Housing Action Plan, how many homes have been built since the plan's launch; how many of the properties built have been funded, in whole or in part, by the Rural and Islands Housing Fund, and what its position is o…
Answer · Paul McLennan: Between 1 October 2023 and end June 2024 we have supported the delivery of 6,774 affordable homes across Scotland of which 933 have been in rural and island areas. 26 of these homes were delivered through the Rural and Islands Housing Fund. We remain committe…
30 Oct 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-29790 by Jim Fairlie on 25 September 2024, whether it anticipates that it will achieve its commitment to spend £250 million on peatland restoration by 2030.
Answer · Jim Fairlie: The Scottish Government remains committed to provide £250 million towards peatland restoration by 2030.
24 Oct 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on any work that it has been undertaking to treat prescription pharmaceuticals in wastewater.
Answer · Gillian Martin: The Scottish Government recognises the importance of emerging chemicals of concern, such as prescription pharmaceuticals and works closely with Scottish Water and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) to develop further understanding and take appr…
23 Oct 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the rationale was behind the decision to cease funding for the Directorate of Optometric Continuing Education and Training, and what alternative provisions are being made to ensure that optometrists can continue to meet their mandatory continuing professional development requiremen…
Answer · Jenni Minto: Due to the current financial situation the Scottish Government is having to make some difficult budgetary decisions.As part of this, NHS Education for Scotland (NES) was asked to minimise any discretionary spend where possible. The Scottish contribution to DO…
10 Oct 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Rural Land Market Insights Report published in summer 2024 by the Scottish Land Commission, confirming that rural land prices remain at an all-time high, whether it plans to (a) review and (b) provide funding routes for communities seeking to take large areas of land int…
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Scottish Government is committed to an ongoing programme of land reform, working with the powers and resources available to us, to tackle the pattern of land ownership in Scotland. Communities in Scotland now have more options than ever before to take own…
10 Oct 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many landholdings in public ownership are (a) 3,000 hectares or more, (b) 1,000 to 2,999 hectares and (c) 500 to 999 hectares.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: Within the scope of the size thresholds stated in the question there are a total of 355 land parcels in public ownership in Scotland. The following table breaks this down by the size thresholds requested.Land parcel size threshold (ha)Number of land parcels i…
10 Oct 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how its review of the Community Rights to Buy will consider how communities can actively respond to the nature and climate emergencies.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The review of the community rights to buy will look at legislative and procedural changes that can help make those rights more accessible to communities. How, and for what purposes, communities choose to exercise those rights to buy, is a matter for each comm…
10 Oct 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a list of ways in which land can be used to make a community more sustainable.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: If passed by the Scottish Parliament, the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill will prohibit certain sales of over 1,000 hectares, until Ministers can consider the impact on the local community. Ministerial consideration of a lotting decision and what factors may be e…
10 Oct 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of public bodies is compliant with the Biodiversity Duty, as required by the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004.
Answer · Alasdair Allan: The biodiversity duty requires public bodies to further the conservation of biodiversity in the exercise of their functions, having regard to the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy. Biodiversity duty reports produced under the Wildlife and Natural Environment (Sc…
10 Oct 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish its timeline for the planned doubling of the Scottish Land Fund to £20 million by 2026.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Scottish Government remain committed to increasing the Scottish Land Fund to £20m by 2026. Annual budgets for the SLF are set as part of the annual budget process.
10 Oct 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many public bodies are compliant with the Wildlife and Natural Environment (Scotland) Act 2011, which requires them to provide a publicly available report every three years.
Answer · Alasdair Allan: The Scottish Government is aware of 85 public bodies who have produced a report covering the most recent reporting period, 2021-2023, in compliance with the 2011 Act. This figure is an estimate based on our most up to date analysis and the actual number may b…
8 Oct 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports of damage to the seabed in a Marine Protected Area close to Rum, what its planned timeline is for implementing restrictions on forms of fishing that cause harm in Scotland's inshore Marine Protected Areas.
Answer · Gillian Martin: Putting in place the remaining fisheries management measures remains a top government priority. We want to achieve this as soon as possible, however developing the evidence based and effective fisheries management measures for over 160 inshore sites is a comp…
2 Oct 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the recent report, For farming, nature and climate: Investing in the UK’s natural infrastructure to achieve Net Zero and nature’s recovery on land, what its position is on what proportion of the UK farming budget should be allocated to Scotland; what analysis it …
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: Short-term settlements from the former UK Government, lack of inflation proofing and reduced capital allocations have resulted in the Scottish Government being forced to take difficult decisions that have negatively impacted our ability to deliver land-based …