Parliamentary questions
Mark Ruskell
1,773 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
25 May 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when the planned increase in cycle capacity on ScotRail trains will take place, broken down by (a) route and (b) train class.
Answer · Graeme Dey: Transport Scotland continues to work collaboratively with ScotRail to increase the number of cycle spaces on board passenger services on Scotland’s Railway. Details of when the planned increase in cycle capacity on ScotRail trains will take place, broken do…
21 May 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason Sea Eagle Management Scheme payments are not directed solely to farms and croft landholdings where there are independently verified livestock predation incidents established by veterinary post-mortem analysis.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: The Sea Eagle Management Scheme is not a compensation scheme and therefore does not require verification of predation. It is not possible to retrieve all carcasses in suspected predation incidents as sea eagles generally take prey back to their nests. The aim…
21 May 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason Sea Eagle Management Scheme payments are paid from the NatureScot budget and not from the Scottish Government's agriculture budget, in light of these payments being primarily to support farming.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: The Sea Eagle Management Scheme is not an agricultural financial support scheme. It has historically been provided by NatureScot (formerly Scottish Natural Heritage) to provide practical support which includes advice, loan of scaring equipment and research fo…
21 May 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many independently verified livestock predation incidents involving sea eagles have been recorded by independent veterinary post-mortem testing in each of the last five years.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: It is not possible to retrieve all carcasses in suspected predation incidents as sea eagles generally take prey back to their nests. Between 2015 and 2019, 12 lamb carcasses were sent by NatureScot for post-mortem analysis by Scotland’s Rural College vets i…
21 May 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made on establishing a working group to consider extending the powers of the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Scottish SPCA).
Answer · Mairi McAllan: As stated in the answer to question S5W-34151 on 13 January 2021, work on establishing the taskforce was paused because of the need to focus on the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and other priorities, including EU exit. However, we expect the taskforce to be estab…
21 May 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what outputs, outcomes and public benefits are being delivered by the Sea Eagle Management Scheme (SEMS).
Answer · Mairi McAllan: Mairi McAllan: The Sea Eagle Management Scheme (SEMS) is part of the delivery mechanism for the White-tailed Eagle Action Plan. The Plan has run from 2017 and has recently been reviewed ( WTE Action Plan Review ) . NatureScot developed and published the Wh…
20 May 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to establishing a National 5 qualification in Natural History.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: Responsibility for qualifications development sits with the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA). Existing Environmental Science qualifications (available at National 3, National 4, National 5 and Higher) draw from the sciences and social sciences and tak…
19 May 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of Section 14(2A) of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, what legislative changes it is proposing to mitigate any damage caused to the natural heritage by the release of excessive numbers of non-native pheasants and red-legged partridges.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: The release of red-legged partridges and pheasants is a legal activity and is expressly permitted under the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981. At present there is no evidence that gamebirds are having an impact on the features of protected areas as shown by Na…
19 May 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what provisions it plans to introduce in Scotland, similar to those proposed by Defra in England, to restrict the release of non-native pheasants and red-legged partridges within and in the vicinity of European Sites, SSSIs and other similar sites.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: The majority of terrestrial Special Protection Areas (SPAs) and Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) in Scotland are co-designated with and underpinned by Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs). Where the release of game birds on an SSSI is potentially …
19 May 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its commitment to protect 30% of Scotland’s land for nature by 2030, what measures it will introduce to limit the damage to protected areas caused by the release of excessive numbers of non-native pheasants and red-legged partridges.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: At present there is little evidence to show that gamebirds are causing damage to protected areas in Scotland, however NatureScot will continue to monitor the situation closely. Gamebird releases within European protected sites are controlled through the Oper…
19 May 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the progress it has made in preparation for the launch of its bottle deposit return scheme by 1 July 2022.
Answer · Michael Matheson: Industry has made good progress towards implementing Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme (DRS), including the establishment of Circularity Scotland Ltd and its approval by Ministers as a scheme administrator. Nevertheless, we recognise the unique and significan…
19 May 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it will implement a ban on the sale of peat-based compost.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: The Scottish Government is developing policy to deliver our manifesto commitment to ban the sale of peat related gardening products, and is already working with the horticulture industry to understand the challenges for transition to alternative growing media.
16 May 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason frontline police officers have reportedly been prioritised for their COVID-19 vaccination by age profile rather than their risk of contact with the public.
Answer · Maree Todd: The Scottish Government follows the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) Guidance in the planning of vaccine delivery. This evidence-based guidance advises that the single greatest risk of mortality from COVID-19 is increasing age, and that …
14 May 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government which NHS boards are currently offering (a) online and (b) in-person CAMHS autism assessments.
Answer · Kevin Stewart: The information requested is not held centrally. All Boards are currently offering a mix of online and face to face appointments in CAMHS. It is a matter for individual Health Boards and clinicians to determine how autism assessments are administered.
14 May 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government under which COVID-19 protection levels can face-to-face appointments for CAMHS autism assessments take place.
Answer · Kevin Stewart: Face to face appointments for CAMHS autism assessments can take place under all levels of COVID-19 protection, subject to clinical need and adherence to Covid-safe practices.
14 May 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the average waiting time is for a CAMHS autism assessment, and what steps are being taken to address any backlog due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answer · Kevin Stewart: The information requested is not held centrally. Aggregate CAMHS waiting times statistics are published by Public Health Scotland every quarter and report on waiting times from referral to first treatment appointment. Health Boards have just been allocated £4…
14 May 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the UK Government’s plan to give financial support to farmers for animal welfare enhancements, how it plans to financially support farmers in Scotland to ensure and improve on-farm animal welfare.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Scottish Government is currently considering the recommendations of the farmer-led groups set up in the last parliament concerning future financial support for farmers. These included recommendations to improve animal health and welfare. The Scottish gove…
14 May 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its aim to keep its policies broadly aligned with those of the EU, and further to the inclusion in the European Commission’s Strategic Guidelines on Sustainable Aquaculture of a dedicated animal welfare chapter and extensive welfare provisions, whether it plans to introduce …
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: We recognise the importance to sustainable aquaculture of high fish health and welfare standards. We will therefore consider the EU’s Strategic Guidelines on Sustainable Aquaculture alongside other sources of advice such as the UK Animal Welfare Committee, th…
14 May 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it will consult on the licensing of grouse moors.
Answer · Graeme Dey: The Scottish Government remains committed to implementing the licensing of driven grouse shooting and is currently developing proposals for a full public and stakeholder consultation with the aim of bringing forward legislation during this parliamentary term.…
14 May 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5O-04770 by Michael Russell on 19 November 2020, and in light of the UK Government’s Animal Welfare (Sentience) Bill, whether it plans to introduce legislation that will place a prospective duty on government and ministers to pay full regard to animal …
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Scottish Government will consider the nature of any duty on UK Government Ministers that may arise as a result of the Animal Welfare (Sentience) Bill and recommendations of the Scottish Animal Welfare Committee before making any plans in this area.
14 May 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will support method-of-production labelling on animal products to allow consumers to make choices based on the welfare provenance of foods, in light of this being considered by the UK Government.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Scottish government will of course stay in close contact on any consideration of animal welfare labelling both by the UK government and the European Union.
14 May 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to increase support for the rapid development and utilisation of alternatives to the use of animals in scientific procedures.
Answer · Maree Todd: The Scottish Government has no functions in relation to the use of animals in scientific procedures which is a matter reserved to the UK Government.
14 May 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it is considering a ban on (a) enriched cages for hens and (b) farrowing crates for sows.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Scottish Government takes the welfare of all animals very seriously; and provision is made for the keepers of all animals to provide for their welfare under the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006. The Scottish Government is aware of calls for …
19 Mar 2021 · Topical Question
To ask the Scottish Government how the regulation of Mossmorran ethylene plant will change following the independent review.
11 Mar 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether Marine Scotland has considered evidence suggesting that almost all fish farms that use acoustic deterrent devices use multiple arrays of these and, if so, and in light of the reported concerns regarding how the use of these devices might impact on animal welfare, what action the …
Answer · Ben Macpherson: Marine Scotland, which is a Directorate of the Scottish Government, published an information note and FAQs for operators of fish farms on the use of acoustic deterrent devices (ADDs) and the requirement for an EPS licence. As required by the Animals and Wil…
11 Mar 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what analysis Marine Scotland has carried out of the impact that acoustic deterrent and startle devices within a narrow channel might have on migration and access to feeding and nursery grounds.
Answer · Ben Macpherson: The Scottish Government is not aware of any published evidence establishing that the issues raised affect marine mammals in Scotland.
11 Mar 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of Marine Scotland stating that its model for determining whether cetaceans can be maintained at Favourable Conservation Status within each SCANS-III block relies on the assumption that cetaceans are evenly distributed over the seabed, whether Marine Scotland has considered evi…
Answer · Ben Macpherson: SCANS-III outputs represent the most recent synoptic estimates of cetacean absolute densities for UK waters (Hammond et al., 2017) and are the best available information at this time. The resolution of these estimates, in large regional blocks, is relatively …
11 Mar 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-35394 by Ben Macpherson on 11 March 2021, whether it considers that double-skinned anti-predator nets, Seal Pro nets or equivalent are ‘satisfactory alternatives’ to the use of acoustic deterrent devices already in use in Scotland.
Answer · Ben Macpherson: A licence can only be granted provided that it meets three tests, including that there must be no satisfactory alternative. Due consideration will be given to any European Protected Species licence applications that are submitted on the merits of each individ…
11 Mar 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government which fish farms hold EPS licences for the use of acoustic deterrent device(s) (ADDs) or acoustic startle device(s) (ASDs); which fish farms are currently using unlicensed ADDs/ ASDs, broken down by (a) how many devices and (b) which model is being used; whether Marine Scotland will comp…
Answer · Ben Macpherson: Marine Scotland has not granted any EPS licences for the use of ADDs or ASDs at fish farms. Marine Scotland does not hold information on whether or how many ADDs or ASDs are currently operating at fish farms. Marine Scotland will be undertaking an assurance p…
11 Mar 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-35390 by Ben Macpherson on 11 March 2021, whether Marine Scotland’s decision to make public EPS licence applications by fish farms after a determination has been made is compliant with (a) Marine Scotland’s duties under Articles 7 and 6 of the Aarhu…
Answer · Ben Macpherson: The Scottish Government considers that making EPS licence applications by fish farms available publicly after a determination has been made is compliant with the Aarhus Convention. The Convention does not impose an obligation to involve the public in all deci…