Parliamentary questions

Mercedes Villalba

523 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

6 Jul 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will outline any role that an offshore energy passport will play in Scotland's National Strategy for Economic Transformation.

Answer · Lorna Slater: The National Strategy for Economic Transformation contains bold and ambitious actions - within the powers currently available to us - to deliver economic prosperity for all Scotland’s people and places. The strategy sets out our ambition that, by 2032, Scotla…

6 Jul 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on any plans it has for the delivery of an offshore training passport for Scotland's offshore oil and gas workers.

Answer · Lorna Slater: As we discussed in our meeting of 24 March and in my letter to you of 19 May, skills recognition is central to Scottish Government’s just transition ambitions, and is also set out in the North Sea Transition Deal. You will be aware that on 24 May OPITO publis…

6 Jul 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has, aside from any plans by Circularity Scotland, to inform the public that 16 August 2022 marks one year until the proposed launch date for Scotland's Deposit Return Scheme.

Answer · Lorna Slater: Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme is an industry-led scheme, based on the polluter pays principle. Circularity Scotland, who were established by the industry to deliver the scheme, will therefore lead on communication with businesses and the public. We intend …

27 Jun 2022 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what progress the Scottish Government is making towards introducing an effective national system of rent controls by the end of 2025 as set out in its strategy, A New Deal for Tenants.

22 Jun 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it will take to learn from European countries that have in place tighter restrictions regarding the acquisition, use and management of land than those currently in place in Scotland.

Answer · Mairi McAllan: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-09434 on 15 July 2022. 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…

22 Jun 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to increase the weight given to the public interest, as compared with property rights, when considering land ownership trends in Scotland.

Answer · Mairi McAllan: We are committed to bringing forward an ambitious new Land Reform Bill in 2023, which will build on our land reform measures to date and will further tackle Scotland’s historically unequal patterns of land ownership. The public consultation on the Bill, “Land…

22 Jun 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how the Scottish Land Commission discussion paper, Balancing rights and interests in Scottish land reform, will be taken into account when proposing further reform.

15 Jun 2022 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to improve pay levels in the Scottish economy in light of the reported findings of the Office for National Statistics that UK annual growth in regular pay, excluding bonuses, fell by 4.5% after adjusting for inflation.

25 May 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-08059 by Mairi Gougeon on 5 May 2022, by how much it aims to reduce the total volume discarded of each species that was recorded as discarded by Scottish boats in (a) future years and (b) ICES (International Council for the Exploration of the Sea) a…

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Scottish Government is committed to tackling the wasteful practice of discarding and we have set out our proposals to address this issue in our Future Catching Policy (FCP) consultation, which ran from 15 March to 7 June. The Future Catching Policy has co…

25 May 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-08058 by Mairi Gougeon on 5 May 2022, what the total volume, in kilograms, was of below minimum conservation reference size for each species that was recorded as discarded under exemption by boats in 2021 in ICES (International Council for the Explo…

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: As set out in the answer to S6W-08824 on 8 June 2022, vessels are obliged to record both fish that has been discarded under a permitted exemption and fish below MCRS that is landed. We do not, however, have a separate electronic system in place which allows f…

25 May 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-08058 by Mairi Gougeon on 5 May 2022, in light of its Landings Obligation Guidance 2022 requiring that any such fish discarded under exemptions be recorded and reported, for what reason the total quantity of discards from vessels is not currently es…

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The answer to question S6W-08058 set out the process whereby Marine Scotland Scientists produce estimates of unwanted catch calculated from information collected by scientific observers on board vessels to contribute to the fish stock assessment process run b…

8 May 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of land that is owned by each local authority supports organic farming.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: This information is not held by the Scottish Government and will need to be requested through the respective Local Authorities. I can confirm however that we do not have any records of Local Authorities applying directly for support for organic farming under …

8 May 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what progress is being made on making it possible for communities to take ownership of unproductive land for projects that contribute to climate action, in light of the recommendation by Scotland's Climate Assembly.

Answer · Mairi McAllan: Through the Scottish Land Fund, the Scottish Government provides ongoing support for communities to become more resilient and sustainable through the ownership and management of land and land assets. The Fund offers grants between £5,000 and £1 million to hel…

8 May 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answers to questions S6W-03524 and S6W-03525 by Mairi McAllan on 26 October and 20 October 2021 respectively, what progress has been made on the wide-ranging consultation to be carried out in 2022 regarding the proposed Land Reform Bill; which stakeholders have been invol…

Answer · Mairi McAllan: We have an ongoing and unwavering commitment to land reform, and aim to bring forward a new Land Reform Bill by the end of 2023. We will launch a wide-ranging public consultation later this year on proposals for the Bill. We remain committed to working with …

8 May 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of land that is owned by each local authority is currently lying unused (a) with and (b) without planning applications pending.

Answer · Tom Arthur: This information is not held centrally by the Scottish Government

27 Apr 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with non-governmental organisations and human rights campaigners regarding Police Scotland’s training of the National Police of Colombia.

Answer · Keith Brown: It is for Police Scotland to decide how best to engage with non-governmental organisations in the context of an international deployment. I can, however, confirm that Police Scotland discussed this particular deployment with a Scottish-based NGO which has a s…

27 Apr 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what human rights considerations it took into account when taking the decision to approve the deployment of Police Scotland officers to Colombia.

Answer · Keith Brown: The Scottish Government gives full consideration to ensuring all human rights obligations are stringently assessed and observed for all Police Scotland requests for overseas deployments, including to Colombia. For our part, the Scottish Government condemns hu…

27 Apr 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Police Scotland regarding ending its training of the National Police of Colombia in light of (a) the reported crackdown on protesters in Colombia in spring 2021 and (b) an Amnesty International report that stated that the protestors had faced intentional …

Answer · Keith Brown: The Scottish Government supports Police Scotland’s international activity which involves reaching out to all parts of the world, including Colombia. This activity supports the prevention of crime at source and ensures the sharing of best practice in policing …

27 Apr 2022 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what impact assessments it has made of any increased use of online appointments on patients' access to GP services.

21 Apr 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what direct consultation was undertaken with the staff affected in relation to the decision to put in place a recruitment freeze in its health and social care directorate.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Government regularly consult with trade unions on matters impacting the workforce, in line with our partnership agreement, and have notified them of enhanced recruitment controls being put in place. We remain committed to making the best and most…

21 Apr 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when the recruitment freeze in its health and social care directorate (a) was put in place and (b) will come to an end.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Chief Executive of NHS Scotland and Director-General Health and Social Care put in place a temporary pause on filling vacancies not currently advertised within Health and Social Care Directorates from 4 April 2022. The pause will remain in place for no lo…

21 Apr 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether the decision to put in place a recruitment freeze in its health and social care directorate was made by the Chief Executive of NHS Scotland and Director-General Health and Social Care.

20 Apr 2022 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any potential impact on its Covid Recovery Strategy of its decision to end the universal provision of lateral flow tests.

19 Apr 2022 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government is taking to bring down the cost to tenants of private rent in the coming year.

11 Apr 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the total volume, in kilograms, was of (a) cod, (b) haddock, (c) herring, (d) whiting, (e) sole, (f) plaice and (g) saithe that was discarded by Scottish boats in 2021, in ICES (International Council for the Exploration of the Sea) areas (i) 4 and (ii) 6a.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The total quantity of discards from Scottish vessels is not currently estimated. Marine Scotland estimates the total weight of unwanted catch (catch that was not considered suitable for commercial sales) for demersal trawlers and seine netters for each year, …

11 Apr 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the total volume, in kilograms, was of below Minimum Conservation Reference Size (a) cod, (b) haddock, (c) herring, (d) whiting, (e) sole, (f) plaice and (g) saithe that was discarded by Scottish boats in 2021, in ICES (International Council for the Exploration of the Sea) areas (i)…

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The total quantity of discards below Minimum Conservation Reference Size from Scottish vessels is not currently estimated. Marine Scotland estimates the total weight of unwanted catch (catch that was not considered suitable for commercial sales) below Minimum…

31 Mar 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the report by Network for Police Monitoring (Netpol) and the Article 11 Trust on the policing operation at COP26.

Answer · Keith Brown: It is testament to the hard work and planning of Police Scotland that fewer than 100 COP26-related arrests were made while the event was taking place. The Netpol/Article 11 report has been carefully considered by the Scottish Police Authority (SPA), who now …

31 Mar 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made on the work to make an informed policy decision on the contribution of North Sea production to the global climate emergency and to Scotland’s economy, security and wellbeing, as outlined in the Scottish Government and Scottish Green Party Shared Policy Program…

Answer · Michael Matheson: As part of the Bute House Agreement with the Scottish Green Party, the Scottish Government has committed to undertaking a Programme of Work and analysis to better understand our energy requirements as we transition to net zero and how this aligns with our cli…

31 Mar 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when the findings of the work to make an informed policy decision on the contribution of North Sea production to the global climate emergency and to Scotland’s economy, security and wellbeing, as outlined in the Scottish Government and Scottish Green Party Shared Policy Programme, will b…

Answer · Michael Matheson: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-07862 on 25 April 2022. 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-committee…

31 Mar 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether hydrogen and carbon capture, utilisation and storage will be included in the work to make an informed policy decision on the contribution of North Sea production to the global climate emergency and to Scotland’s economy, security and wellbeing, as outlined in the Scottish Governm…