Tim Eagle

29 May 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will confirm the exact amount of funding that has been allocated to the Scottish Upland Sheep Support Scheme in each financial year since 2021-22.

Answer · Jim Fairlie: In the following table, details are provided of the exact amount of funding that has been allocated to the Scottish Upland Sheep Support Scheme each year since 2021.YearScottish Upland Sheep Support Scheme2021£7,100,050.542022£7,100,050.542023&pou…

21 May 2025 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what feedback it has received from organisations, including sport and social clubs, regarding changes in the protecting vulnerable groups scheme as a result of the Disclosure (Scotland) Act 2020.

20 May 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-35571 by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 18 March 2025, whether it will provide an update on its engagement with the Scotland Office regarding the proposed order under section 104 of the Scotland Act 1998 relating to changing marriages to civil partnersh…

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: There is no update at the moment on progress. The Scottish Government will be writing to the Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland very soon with details of what should be covered in the Order. Officials will keep people interested in the Order update…

13 May 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what arrangements it has in place with Great British Energy to secure funding to install solar panels on (a) schools and (b) hospitals.

Answer · Gillian Martin: The Scottish Government has secured £4.85m in funding from Great British Energy’s (GBE) Local Power Plan in 2025-26. The Scottish Government will primarily deliver this funding directly through our Community and Renewable Energy Scheme (CARES), pr…

13 May 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many public sector sites it anticipates will receive funding from Great British Energy to install solar panels, and how much funding it expects each site will receive.

Answer · Gillian Martin: The Scottish Government has secured £4.85m in funding from Great British Energy’s Local Power Plan in 2025-26. The Scottish Government will primarily deliver this funding directly through our Community and Renewable Energy Scheme (CARES), providin…

6 May 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what total area has been burnt by wildfires in (a) Scotland and (b) each local authority area in each year since 2015.

Answer · Siobhian Brown: This is a matter for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service. The information requested is not held centrally.

6 May 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what (a) support and (b) compensation is available to people affected by wildfires.

Answer · Siobhian Brown: The Scottish Government does not operate a compensation scheme for those affected by wildfires. Standard UK home insurance policies generally cover fire damage to both the building and its contents. Coverage can include structural repairs, personal belongings…

6 May 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many wildfires there have been in (a) Scotland and (b) each local authority area in each year since 2015.

Answer · Siobhian Brown: This is a matter for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service. The information requested is not held centrally.

6 May 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what public information campaigns are run when an extreme wildfire warning is issued.

Answer · Siobhian Brown: Efficient and effective dissemination of wildfire prevention information to the public is key to preventing wildfires. Before igniting any flames in a rural or outdoor setting, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) encourage everyone to check which area…

6 May 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what additional support it is providing to the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, in light of the recently reported wildfire incidents.

Answer · Siobhian Brown: The Scottish Government’s budget for 2025-26 includes £412.2 million for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) which is an increase of £18.8 million. This will enable SFRS to continue to deliver the high standard of services required t…

2 May 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it conducts any assessments of the condition of general practice (a) buildings and (b) facilities, and, if so, whether it can provide details of those assessments.

Answer · Neil Gray: Most GP contractors are responsible for providing their own buildings and facilities. Health Boards are responsible for determining whether contractors are adequately fulfilling their contracts and ensuring the good condition of buildings and facilities direc…

2 May 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding has been allocated to (a) modernise and (b) expand the general practice estate in each year since 2016.

Answer · Neil Gray: While the Scottish Government has directly funded some primary care capital projects, Health Boards have their own capital allocations and there is no central record of whether funding has been spent on “modernising” or “expanding” the…

16 Apr 2025 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that the prisoners released under the Prisoners (Early Release) (Scotland) Act 2025 included some who had broken prison rules.

8 Apr 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the use of the phrase "spatial squeeze" in a maritime context, and which (a) sectors and (b) stakeholders have indicated to it a non-acceptance of this phrase.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Scottish Government does not have a position on the use of the term “spatial squeeze” by stakeholders. The Scottish Government does not hold any data on stakeholders who have indicated non-acceptance of the phrase.

2 Apr 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-21266 by Jenni Minto on 22 September 2023, how many undergraduate students in the fifth year of the Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS5) programme have been trained in Campbeltown in each year since 2022-23, and how many of those trainees (a) remained …

Answer · Jenni Minto: This information is not held by the Scottish Government. Details regarding the Campbeltown workforce including students on clinical outreach placement will be held by NHS Highland.

2 Apr 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many hours per week Public Dental Service senior dental officers/tutors are expected to perform clinical work on patients.

Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government does not retain this information.Public Dental Service Senior Dental Officers (SDO) have varying individual duties across management and outreach responsibilities. The clinical hours required for an SDO will therefore vary within an NH…

2 Apr 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-21266 by Jenni Minto on 22 September 2023, whether NHS Highland was successful in recruiting a replacement Public Dental Service senior dental officer/tutor in Campbeltown, and, if so, whether they remain in post.

Answer · Jenni Minto: Workforce recruitment within the Highland region is managed by NHS Highland and therefore this information is not held by the Scottish Government.

2 Apr 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has powers to instruct SEPA to (a) review and (b) revise land that it categorises as potentially vulnerable to flooding and, if so, whether it can provide details of these powers.

Answer · Gillian Martin: The Flood Risk Management (Scotland) Act 2009 establishes a framework for the assessment and mapping of flood risks and the planning in relation to the management of such risks. Under section 9 of the Act SEPA must prepare a flood risk assessment for each flo…

2 Apr 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how often SEPA reviews the areas that it designates as potentially vulnerable to flooding, and whether it can provide details of these reviews.

Answer · Gillian Martin: SEPA reviews, updates and publishes Potentially Vulnerable Areas (PVA) information every 6 years. The most recent update was published in December 2024 following public consultation. Further information on that consultation and how the PVAs are defined can be…

2 Apr 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether local authorities can access funding from its flood protection schemes for areas that SEPA have not designated as potentially vulnerable and, if so, how they can do so.

Answer · Gillian Martin: The Scottish Government has allocated £570 million to local authorities through the local authority capital grant settlement for flood protection schemes and flood resilience. The distribution of this funding is agreed by Scottish Ministers and COSLA Le…

25 Mar 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-29364 by Alasdair Allan on 16 September 2024, whether it has now given any consideration to establishing a publicly available real-time map of (a) proposed, (b) ongoing, (c) refused and (d) completed energy infrastructure projects, in light of Aberd…

Answer · Alasdair Allan: The Scottish Government is not considering establishing anything further to the already publicly available information previously noted in the answer to question S6W-29364.

24 Mar 2025 · Topical Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers that the reported £203 million it spent on external advisers to help administer agricultural support payments to be good value for money. 

20 Mar 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the comments made by Jim Watson, Head of Domestic Fisheries Management at the Marine Directorate, to the Rural Affairs and Islands Committee on 5 February 2025, that "in the mid-1990s, around 38% of our key stocks were being fished at sustainable levels and, by 2022-23, that …

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The 38% previously referred to was the sustainability indicator, as outlined in the Scottish Sustainable Fishing Indicator (SFI). This indicator tracks the status of Scotland’s commercial fish stocks and is based on the estimated percentage of commercia…

12 Mar 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it will begin its process to recruit a new chair of Highlands and Islands Enterprise, and whether it will publish details of this.

Answer · Kate Forbes: The process to appoint the new chair of the Highlands and Islands Enterprise agency, began on 4 March, when I received Alistair Dodds' letter, confirming his retirement.Once the selection panel's appointment plan has been approved, the vacancy will be publish…

11 Mar 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-35132 by Ivan McKee on 27 February 2025, for what reason it only carried out a partial island communities impact assessment (ICIA), instead of a full ICIA, for the Visitor Levy (Scotland) Bill prior to the Parliament's consideration of the Bill at s…

Answer · Ivan McKee: Further to the explanation in the ICIA, the basis of the charge being a percentage, it would not be expected to have a significantly different effect on island based tourism businesses to those based on the mainland, Nevertheless, the ICIA does include observ…

3 Mar 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the practical differences are between "the setting of fire to" heath or muir, and "the burning of" heath or muir, as set out in section 22 of the Wildlife Management and Muirburn (Scotland) Act 2024.

Answer · Jim Fairlie: The setting of fire could include the act of igniting the fire and the burning of could include managing and controlling the fire.

3 Mar 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government who is required to undertake muirburn training in relation to the (a) setting of fire to heath or muir, (b) burning of heath or muir and (c) extinguishing of fire on heath or muir.

Answer · Jim Fairlie: As set out in the Wildlife Management and Muirburn (Scotland) Act 2024, all persons intending to make muirburn are required to undertake muirburn training. This will include anyone involved in the setting of fire, burning of heath or muir and/or extinguishing…

3 Mar 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the view of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, in its written submission to the Rural Affairs and Islands Committee as part of its stage 1 consideration of the Wildlife Management and Muirburn (Scotland) Bill, that every person intending to undertake muirburn s…

Answer · Jim Fairlie: The Scottish Government agrees that training should include knowledge of the Muirburn Code.

3 Mar 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason NatureScot is reportedly planning to remove the practical element of muirburn training from the approved training course for muirburn in (a) 2025-26 and (b) future years.

Answer · Jim Fairlie: NatureScot is not planning to remove the practical element from the muirburn training. Practical training is an important part of muirburn training and the Scottish Government encourage all practitioners to undertake this as soon as they are able. However, we…

3 Mar 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to imposing a grace period in respect of the requirement to complete an approved muirburn training course, in order to avoid minimising or otherwise diluting the importance of practical muirburn training.

Answer · Jim Fairlie: The first year of muirburn licencing will be a transitional year, which will require only online knowledge-based training. This prevents any delays as a result of access to training.Requiring the knowledge-based online training will help enforce current stand…