Parliamentary questions
Tim Eagle
1,487 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
14 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the National Records of Scotland plans to update the user interface of the Scottish Register of Tartans website.
Answer · Angus Robertson: I have asked Alison Byrne OBE, Chief Executive of NRS, to respond. NRS is responsible for the Scottish Register of Tartans website.NRS is currently researching the needs of users of the website. Research outputs, internal business requirements and available b…
14 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the potential impact on Scotland’s forests of its proposed budget reduction of 40.2% to Forestry and Land Scotland in its draft Budget 2026-27.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The 40.2% reduction compares the FY 25/26 budget, including Autumn Budget Revision (ABR) transfers with the FY 26/27 budget.During the FY 2025-26, Forestry and Land Scotland received a £7.0m transfer for Peatland and Atlantic Rainforest restoration on S…
13 Jan 2026 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how many new homes have been delivered as a result of the Rural Affordable Homes for Key Workers Fund.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: The Rural Affordable Homes for Key Workers Fund is demand-led and requires local authorities and Registered Social Landlords to identify proposals where there is identified need. To date, 25 homes have been delivered through the Fund, with a total of 41 homes…
12 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its position on the reintroduction of lynx in Scotland.
Answer · Jim Fairlie: As I set out during portfolio questions on 21 January 2026, in the answer to S6O-05392, the Scottish Government understands that there may be concerns in light of recent public engagement and media attention about proposals to reintroduce lynx into Scotland.A…
12 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the decision to move responsibility for energy consent decisions from the Cabinet Secretary of Climate Action and Energy to the Minister for Public Finance, and the minister's subsequent comment reported in the Scottish Daily Express on 10 January 2026 that he is “the …
Answer · Gillian Martin: The decision to reallocate ministerial responsibility for determining consents was taken on 18 December 2025 by the First Minister. The allocation of ministerial portfolios and responsibilities is a matter for the First Minister and does not follow set criter…
12 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much funding it expects to allocate to the Sea Eagle Management Scheme in 2026, and by what date this will be provided.
Answer · Jim Fairlie: It is anticipated that the Sea Eagle Management Scheme will receive a similar budget allocation in 2026 that was awarded in 2025. The budget for the Sea Eagle Management Scheme in 2025 was £970,000.NatureScot will begin work on offering management agree…
9 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that Argyll and Bute Health and Social Care Partnership is considering reducing its responder service as part of wider budget savings.
Answer · Tom Arthur: The Scottish Government wants to ensure that people are supported to live independently in their own homes and communities.However, decisions on how best to deliver services for local communities are ultimately for integration authorities to make. This has to…
9 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what harbour (a) dues and (b) charges were paid by CalMac to (i) CMAL, (ii) other harbour authorities and (iii) local authorities in 2024-25 broken down by harbour.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The cost of harbour dues CalMac Ferries paid in 2024-25 paid to CMAL was £16,589,235, other harbour authorities was £11,702,717, and Local Authorities was £12,822,773Details relating to each harbour is detailed in the following table:Harbour…
9 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the proposed yearly lease payments payable to CMAL by CalMac is for each vessel currently under construction in (a) Scotland, (b) Turkey and (c) Poland.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Final yearly vessel lease payments payable by CalMac to CMAL for vessels currently under construction have not yet been determined. Lease costs will be calculated once construction is complete and the vessels are delivered. This will be based on the value of …
9 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the current yearly lease payments payable to CMAL by CalMac is for each vessel in the current CMAL fleet.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The vessel leasing costs for the current contract period (Oct '25 to March '26) payable by CalMac Ferries to Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited (CMAL), for vessels currently operating the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Service are detailed in the following table.VE…
8 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it works with Moray Council to ensure that the local authority receives a fair share of funding from the Just Transition Fund.
Answer · Gillian Martin: To date, capital funding through the Just Transition Fund has been awarded through competitive processes, including open bidding rounds in 2022 and 2025. We have actively engaged with regional stakeholders, including Moray Council and local partners, througho…
8 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of the funding awarded to each local authority from the Just Transition Fund in each year since 2022, also broken down by each project that was awarded funding.
Answer · Gillian Martin: A breakdown of funding provided to local authorities from the Just Transition Fund is given in the following table. This provides details of each project that has been awarded funding:Fund Recipient /Organisation Project Description Year Total Award 2022-23 2…
8 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it will open the next funding round for the Just Transition Fund.
Answer · Gillian Martin: We have secured £15.9m capital and £1m resource for the JTF in the 2026-27 budget. We will announce plans for managing this spend in due course. We remain committed to supporting the net-zero transition across North-East Scotland and Moray, divers…
8 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether Moray Council is eligible for funding from the Historic Environment Grants Programme to help repair the Spey Viaduct bridge.
Answer · Angus Robertson: Questions regarding day-to-day operational matters of Historic Environment Scotland, including queries relating to any Grant applications or eligibility, are best answered directly by Historic Environment Scotland. I would suggest that Moray Council contact H…
7 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what impact the proposed revaluation of non-domestic rates will have on (a) harbours and (b) ports that are owned by CMAL, and whether any rate rises will be covered by increased (i) subsidies to CMAL or (ii) harbour charges.
Answer · Ivan McKee: Draft rateable values for the 2026 revaluation were published on 30 November 2025 but may be subject to change. The final valuation roll will come into effect on 1 April 2026. The Scottish Government has published a report on changes in rateable values based …
7 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the Cabinet Secretary for Transport has had with (a) CMAL and (b) CalMac regarding the proposed revaluation of non-domestic rates.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: I regularly engage with CMAL to discuss progress on a range of vessel and port projects, and wider governance and management issues. There is also regular engagement with CalMac on operational matters and service updates. The revaluation of non-domestic rates…
7 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-42664 by Angela Constance on 5 January 2026, whether Upside provides it with details of the number of individuals released from prison who have received funding from its partner organisations, and, if so, whether it will provide details of this.
Answer · Angela Constance: Upside does not provide funding directly to individuals released from custody.As covered in the answer to question S6W-42664, funding is issued on a quarterly basis to Sacro as the nominated lead parter of Upside. Sacro distributes the funding to the remainin…
6 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has paid for services from the Global Disinformation Index since it was founded in 2018, and, if so, whether it will provide details of this, broken down by each year.
Answer · Ivan McKee: The Scottish Government have made no payments to the Global Disinformation Index (either as a grant or for goods or services) and no contracts have been awarded to this organisation.It is noted that we do not hold spend data for our electronic Purchasing Card…
6 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what support it is currently providing to fruit and vegetable producers that are (a) recognised and (b) not recognised as producer organisations.
Answer · Jim Fairlie: The Scottish Government provides support to groups of growers recognised as Producer Organisations (POs) via the Fruit and Vegetables Aid Scheme. It is a long-standing support mechanism to encourage and enable collaboration, strategic planning, improved quali…
5 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the potential impact of the proposed non-domestic rates revaluation on the viability of small-scale hydroelectric schemes, in light of reports that this could make such schemes unviable.
Answer · Ivan McKee: Draft rateable values for the 2026 revaluation were published on 30 November 2025 but may be subject to change.The final valuation roll will come into effect on 1 April 2026. The Scottish Government has published a report on changes in rateable values based o…
5 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what advice it has received from economists regarding the potential implications of the recently proposed 2026 non-domestic rates revaluation for the income generated by non-domestic rates, in light of reported concerns expressed by the Federation of Small Businesses, the Scottish T…
Answer · Ivan McKee: The draft Budget ensures the estimated revenues raised from non-domestic rates in 2026-27 will be 6% lower in real terms measured by CPI than pre-COVID, despite the number of properties on the valuation roll increasing in that time, and introduces the lowest …
5 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of SEPA's formal weekly water scarcity reporting season running from May to September, whether it has considered instructing the agency to collect such scarcity data over the winter months as a guide for future mitigation measures for droughts and other causes of water scarcity.
Answer · Gillian Martin: The Scottish Government recognises the value of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) water scarcity reporting to individuals and businesses. Weekly reports from May to September deliver timely information during the highest-risk period.SEPA also …
18 Dec 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact on smaller pelagic vessels of increasing the Economic Link landing requirement for mackerel and herring from 55% to 70% with effect from 1 January 2026.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Scottish Government has long committed to increasing the proportion of Scotland's key fish stocks landed into Scotland to strengthen economic benefits for coastal communities and safeguard processing capacity. As a result of processor calls (following the…
18 Dec 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to the cumulative impact on the pelagic sector of quota reductions alongside the revised mackerel and herring Economic Link landing requirements.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The unprecedented scale of the ICES-recommended pelagic TAC reductions for 2026, means there will be impacts across the pelagic supply chain.Both processing and catching sector views and evidence have been analysed and wider market conditions have also been c…
18 Dec 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it will enable appropriate parliamentary scrutiny of changes to the mackerel and herring Economic Link arrangements, in light of these being announced one day prior to a parliamentary recess.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: Following international negotiations the UK, with relevant Coastal states, agreed on 16 December to significant 2026 quota reductions for key pelagic species (a 48% reduction in the North East Atlantic mackerel Total Allowable Catch (TAC) and a 22% reduction …
18 Dec 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the decision to amend the mackerel and herring Economic Link requirement was announced on 18 December 2025, in light of the change coming into force on 1 January 2026.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: Following the publication of pelagic TAC advice for 2026 a period of intensive engagement and consultation with key stakeholders across the pelagic supply chain was undertaken by Marine Directorate officials.International negotiations between relevant Coastal…
18 Dec 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what consultation took place with pelagic catching sector representatives regarding the revised mackerel and herring Economic Link requirement, and when that consultation concluded.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: Marine Directorate officials held 26 individual meetings with pelagic catching businesses, processors, and port authorities as well as other round table meetings with representative bodies.Industry consultations were concluded by mid-December 2025.
18 Dec 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-39888 by Jim Fairlie on 9 September 2025, whether it will meet its commitment in the response to "publish the first Rural Support Plan in December 2025" and, if this will not be achieved, by what date the plan will be published.
Answer · Jim Fairlie: At RAI Committee, on 17 December, I answered directly that the Rural Support Plan would not be laid in Parliament or published in December 2025.The Agriculture and Rural Communities (Scotland) Act 2024 requires Scottish Ministers to prepare, lay and publish a…
18 Dec 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on CalMac Ferries Ltd allowing ferries to depart ahead of the advertised departure time when certain conditions have been met.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: CalMac Masters are permitted to depart ahead of the advertised departure time if (a) all the necessary safety checks and procedures are complete, and (b) all passengers (who have checked in within the advertised check-in times) are onboard.
17 Dec 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many instances of predation of livestock by white-tailed eagles were reported to its agencies in each year since 2021.
Answer · Jim Fairlie: Due to the complexity of this issue, NatureScot does not hold annual data on the instances of predation of livestock by white-tailed eagles. Confirming the number of white-tailed eagle predation instances on individual holdings is challenging, especially in e…