Ariane Burgess

13 Apr 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the current level of woodland cover is on agricultural land.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The June 2021 Scottish Agricultural Census identified Scotland to have an agricultural land area of 5.64 million hectares. Scotland has created over 83,500 hectares of new woodland in the last ten years. For illustration purposes, if all of this had hypotheti…

31 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to make the process for obtaining a licence for a conservation translocation of a beaver within existing range attractive and achievable for landowners, in line with Goal 3, Action II of Scotland's Beaver Strategy 2022-2045, Part 2: Implementation Plan.

Answer · Lorna Slater: NatureScot have already taken a number of actions to make the process for obtaining a licence for a conservation translocation of a beaver within existing range attractive and achievable for landowners. NatureScot has produced guidance on beaver translocatio…

31 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many beavers have been translocated to new river catchments since the announcement by the Minister for Green Skills, Circular Economy and Biodiversity, in November 2021, of new measures to expand beaver numbers and restore biodiversity.

Answer · Lorna Slater: Fourteen beavers have been released in the River Teith catchment and seven beavers have been released in the River Leven (Loch Lomond) catchment since November 2021. NatureScot engagement with local communities is ongoing on the potential translocation of be…

27 Mar 2023 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government will take to tackle the climate and nature emergencies.

21 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to address the reported record-high mortality rates in the Scottish salmon farming industry in 2022.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The recent increase in mortality should be considered in the context of the trend seen since 2002, which indicates average mortality levels are relatively stable with peaks and troughs in different years. This is demonstrated by comparison of the number of fi…

14 Mar 2023 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how it is ensuring that legal aid funding is easily available to tenants in order to defend eviction proceedings.

13 Mar 2023 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister, ahead of the publication of the next report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change next week, what the Scottish Government is doing to ensure that Scotland plays a leading role in tackling the global climate emergency.

8 Mar 2023 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made on delivering the Bute House Agreement commitment to ensure that community housing trusts are adequately funded so that they can support the delivery of enhanced rural home building plans.

27 Feb 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of all rural wildfires attended by Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) in the last five years have been officially investigated by the SFRS to determine the cause, and where any such investigation reports are published.

Answer · Elena Whitham: As the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) does not have a wildfire investigation capability it has not officially investigated any wildfires in the last 5 years beyond the information gathered by its Incident Recording System.

27 Feb 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of rural wildfires attended by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service in each of the last five years have been caused by (a) deliberate fire-setting and (b) prescribed muirburn that accidentally got out of control, based on Scottish Fire and Rescue Service data.

Answer · Elena Whitham: Over the last 5 years, there have been 781 large outdoor fires, 243 of which were deliberate (31%). Th Scottish Fire and Rescue Service does not routinely gather information on the number of wildfires that happen as a result of Muirburn. However, a 2019 sampl…

27 Feb 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service employs a dedicated rural wildfire investigation officer or team.

Answer · Elena Whitham: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-15423 on 7 March 2023. 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…

27 Feb 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether an official and publicly available investigation report was produced by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service into the cause of the large fires in Flow Country, Sutherland, and Ballindalloch, Morayshire, in 2019.

Answer · Elena Whitham: The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) does not have a wildfire investigation capability as it is an extremely rare discipline in UK Fire and Rescue Services. As such, no official investigations were carried out into the large fires in Flow Country or Ba…

22 Feb 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how Marine Scotland’s guidance for a European Protected Species licence in relation to the use of acoustic deterrent devices (a) accounts for the reported uneven distribution of cetaceans across the seabed and (b) has taken recent academic research on cetacean distribution into account.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: All applications for a European Protected Species (EPS) licences must provide the number of individual animals affected by the proposed work, and applicants must show how this number was calculated. Marine Scotland has published a document that provides guid…

16 Feb 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the progress of its discussions with the UK Government regarding the enactment of secondary legislation made under section 4 of the Civil Partnership (Scotland) Act 2020, which would enable pre-existing marriages to become civil partnerships.

Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government remain committed to making regulations which will enable marriages to change to civil partnerships. As part of this work, we need to ensure that as well as providing mechanisms so marriages can change to civil partnerships, provision i…

16 Feb 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to publish the interim findings from the Green Heat Finance Taskforce.

Answer · Patrick Harvie: The Green Heat Finance Taskforce will publish the interim report in spring this year. This report is one of a number of documents relating to Heat in Buildings that will be published this year, such as the Consultation on Proposals for a Heat in Buildings Bil…

15 Feb 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason its National Rail Conversation does not seek the views of people in Scotland regarding the passenger rail services provided by West Coast Railways, in light of the reported views of local communities that are keen to see the company deliver a service that is run for the b…

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The Scottish Government’s National Rail Conversation is focussed on the publicly owned railway, therefore concerns the provision of services by ScotRail. The National Rail Conversation will engage the views of rail users, regional transport partnerships, rail…

13 Feb 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made in exploring the (a) capping and (b) tapering of base-level payments to release additional funding to meet the goals of its agricultural vision, as set out in its Programme for Government 2022-23.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The publication of the Agricultural Reform Route Map was announced on 10 February. The route map provides more detail on how SG will deliver the transition process and the steps that will be taken to get there. Furthermore, the route map sets out the timescal…

7 Feb 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether Scottish Parliament legislation could be used to remove the inalienable right to wildfowling on the foreshore, as opposed to through byelaws.

Answer · Mairi McAllan: In Scotland, wildfowling on the foreshore is a public right. While the Parliament could potentially legislate on wildfowling, the Scottish Government does not have any current plans to bring forward legislation to prevent wildfowling on the foreshore.

7 Feb 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether the number of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) tests that can be conducted on wild bird populations in Moray is constrained by any shortage of (a) funding, (b) personnel and (c) capacity.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) carries out year-round avian influenza surveillance of dead wild birds on behalf of the Scottish Government to inform the disease risk for domestic poultry and captive birds. Reports of dead wild birds are triaged a…

7 Feb 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) tests have been conducted for (a) wild and (b) poultry birds in Moray, since the local outbreak of HPAI began in November 2022.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: (a) The current outbreak season started on 1 October 2022. As of 17 February 2023, 12 wild birds in Moray were tested for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) under the GB dead wild bird surveillance scheme. Of these, 10 were positive and consisted of one…

7 Feb 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the letter from the Minister for Environment and Land Reform to the Member on 11 January 2023, how it determines whether any given incident or pattern of wildlife mortality is a "major conservation concern".

Answer · Mairi McAllan: Further to my letter to you dated 11 January 2023, an incident or pattern of wildlife mortality can be determined to be a “major conservation concern” where it might have an impact on the conservation status of the species concerned. This could be because of …

7 Feb 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is considering introducing further restrictions on the shooting of native woodcock, in light of the reported decline in European woodcock populations over the last 10 years, current pressures from bird flu and the unusually cold winter.

Answer · Mairi McAllan: The Scottish Government understands concerns over the decline of European woodcock populations. At present, all woodcock in Scotland are classed as a quarry species and as such are listed on Schedule 2 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, which determine…

7 Feb 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether the shooting of native woodcock is regulated through a licensing scheme.

Answer · Mairi McAllan: There is no licensing scheme regulating the shooting of woodcock in Scotland. Resident and migratory woodcock can only be shot during the open season, which is between 1 September and 31 January, as set out in the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. Outwith th…

7 Feb 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has carried out its own analysis of the potential environmental impact of a new semi-closed salmon farm in Loch Long, and whether this analysis includes (a) energy use, (b) percentage of solid and aqueous waste that will be captured, (c) chemical effluent, (d) stocking den…

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: An appeal has been lodged with Scottish Ministers on behalf of Loch Long Salmon Limited against the decision by Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park Authority to refuse planning permission for a marine fish farm and associated development at Beinn Reit…

6 Feb 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether its vision for sustainable aquaculture includes new salmon farms in national parks, in light of reported attempts by developers to create a salmon farm in the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Vision for Sustainable Aquaculture is in the final stages of development in advance of publication and the contents will be available for all to consider when it is published. The Vision is intended to describe the long term ambitions that the Scottish Go…

2 Feb 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is assessing the potential risk of future high pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI) transmission from released non-native game birds in Scotland to wild mammals including foxes and otters.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: To date nine mammals including four seals, four otters and one fox have tested positive for influenza of avian origin H5N1 in Scotland. APHA (Animals and Plant Health Agency) routinely undertakes diagnostic testing of wild animals found dead under the GB wild…

2 Feb 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider further regulating the (a) collection and reporting of data related to, (b) management of and (c) release of non-native gamebirds.

Answer · Lorna Slater: We have no current plans to legislate on (a) collection and reporting of data related to, (b) management of and (c) release of non-native gamebirds. However, as outlined in response to S6W-14758 on 1 March 2023, we plan to gather further information on the im…

2 Feb 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it plans to take to reduce the potential risk of future high pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI) transmission from released pheasants to (a) wild birds of prey, (b) waterfowl, (c) corvids and (d) gulls, which were assessed as “high” or “very high risk” in the Risk Assessment…

Answer · Mairi McAllan: As set out in my response to S6W-14760 on 24 February 2023, the Scottish Government is examining the risk assessment conclusion in detail, given the serious impact of HPAI (High Pathogenicity Avian Influenza) on wild and kept birds. We will monitor risk level…

2 Feb 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the findings of the Risk Assessment on the spread of High Pathogenicity Avian Influenza (HPAI) to wild birds from released, formerly captive gamebirds in Great Britain, which was published by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in December 2022.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Scottish Government is examining the risk assessment conclusion in detail given the serious impact of HPAI (High Pathogenicity Avian Influenza) on wild and kept birds and will monitor risk levels and carefully consider its response over coming months. Th…

2 Feb 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers that the available data on the numbers of gamebirds released, and number and locations of release sites, is adequate for the purposes of (a) effectively (i) assessing and (ii) controlling the spread of diseases from gamebirds to wildlife, and (b) monitoring any other…

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Scottish Government plans to gather further information on the impact of non-native gamebird releases. Part of this work will be to consider whether further data on numbers of birds released and on location of release sites should be collected.