Liz Smith

23 Dec 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many daily (a) admissions to and (b) discharges from hospitals there have been in each NHS board area since 1 December 2020.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: Data on admissions into acute hospitals by NHS Board are published monthly by Public Health Scotland on the ‘COVID-19 wider impacts on the health care system dashboard’. The next update will be released 13 January 2021 and will include admissions during Decem…

23 Dec 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many people in each NHS board area have died since 1 December 2020 with COVID-19 recorded as the primary cause of death.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The following table has been provided by National Records of Scotland (NRS): Deaths occurring from 1st December 2020 by underlying cause of death and Health Board of residence Health Board of Residence Underlying Cause of death  other COVID-19 Total Ay…

9 Dec 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills on 8 December 2020 (Official Report, c. 46), from which budget stream the exceptional, one-off payment to teachers assessing and marking National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher courses in 2021 will be sourced, and…

Answer · John Swinney: In acknowledgement of the additional workload around the quality assurance associated with the alternative certification model for the National Qualifications in 2021, at a time of already significant pressures due to COVID, I announced provision for a one-of…

24 Nov 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has carried out of the collection methods for glass containers under the Deposit and Return Scheme for Scotland Regulations 2020.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: It is for the businesses with responsibility for delivering Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme (DRS), and in particular any scheme administrator(s), to determine how containers returned under Scotland’s DRS will be collected. As per the answer to S5W-33510 on …

24 Nov 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on glass that is in a naturally broken state being collected through the deposit return scheme (DRS).

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The Full Business Case Stage 1 for Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme (DRS), published on 19 May 2019 ( https://www.gov.scot/publications/deposit-return-scheme-scotland-full-business-case-stage-1/ ), was developed on the basis of glass being collected whole u…

24 Nov 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with any emerging scheme administrator on the collection methods for glass through the deposit return scheme (DRS), and how reverse vending machines will be specified to accommodate this collection.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: It is for the businesses with responsibility for delivering Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme (DRS), and in particular any scheme administrator(s), to determine how containers returned under Scotland’s DRS will be collected, including the operation of any reve…

24 Nov 2020 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it is having with local authorities regarding their future funding settlements.

19 Nov 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to assess the risk of peat slides on windfarm construction sites.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: Monitoring of windfarms in relation to adherence to the terms of a planning permission is a matter for the relevant planning authority. Where a planning authority considers that a development is not in accordance with the terms and conditions of the planning …

19 Nov 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether the risk of peat slides is taken into consideration when planning permission is being sought for windfarm construction.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: The determination of any planning application is a matter for the relevant Planning Authority based on the circumstances of the individual case, in accordance with the relevant development plan unless material considerations indicate otherwise. In reaching it…

18 Nov 2020 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what measures are being put in place to support youth theatre during the COVID-19 pandemic.

16 Nov 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what (a) fiscal and (b) administrative support it intends to give to early adopters of Regional Land Use Partnerships, and whether this financial support will be allocated in the 2020-21 budget.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The Scottish Government is committed to Regional Land Use Partnerships. Following the publication of the Scottish Land Commission recommendations report on 3 November 2020, we are undertaking preparatory work to establish Regional Land Use Partnership pilots.…

16 Nov 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it has taken to (a) identify and (b) notify areas as pilot regions for Regional Land Use Partnerships.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The Scottish Government is committed to Regional Land Use Partnerships. Following the publication of the Scottish Land Commission recommendations report on 3 November 2020, we are undertaking preparatory work to establish Regional Land Use Partnership pilots.…

16 Nov 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with (a) COSLA and (b) all other public bodies on the establishment of Regional Land Use Partnerships.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The Scottish Government is committed to Regional Land Use Partnerships. Following the publication of the Scottish Land Commission recommendations report on 3 November 2020, we are undertaking preparatory work to establish Regional Land Use Partnership pilots.…

15 Oct 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish the Scottish Land Commission Report on regional land use partnerships.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: In 2019, Scottish Ministers asked the Scottish Land Commission to take forward work to prepare advice on the establishment of Regional Land Use Partnerships. The Commission’s final report was published on the 3 rd November 2020. We welcome the report and will…

3 Oct 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether Ministers will take into consideration the stage 2 research into the socio-economic and biodiversity impacts of grouse moor management and the employment rights of gamekeepers, which is expected to be published soon, before it responds to the Werrity Review.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The Scottish Government commissioned the research on socio-economic and biodiversity impacts of grouse moor management and the employment rights of gamekeepers alongside the review of grouse moor management led by Professor Werritty. The Scottish Government’s…

3 Oct 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the recommendation by Professors Werritty and Reid that a period of five years should be seen as the scientifically-based timescale to study the variability in raptor populations.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: As stated in the 2020-21 Programme for Government, the Scottish Government response to the Grouse Moor Management Group report will be published later this autumn. The response will address all of the recommendations in the report, including those on licensin…

3 Oct 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it anticipates that post-Brexit Common Frameworks will be agreed between the UK Government and the devolved administrations, and how these Common Frameworks will be subject to parliamentary scrutiny.

Answer · Michael Russell: The Scottish Government has participated in good faith in the Common Frameworks process since 2017. The frameworks process, which is designed to manage policy differences on the basis of agreement and which is founded on respect for devolution, is all that is…

9 Sep 2020 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the scrutiny provisions proposed for the Scottish Parliament in relation to the UK Withdrawal from the European Union (Continuity) (Scotland) Bill are adequate.

4 Sep 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration was given to starting the red deer culls closer to the start of the legal open season for 2020 when calves are stronger and do not rely on their mothers.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: Since 2013, land managers have been able to able to operate under a General Authorisation when controlling red deer outwith the open season to protect against damage. In order to operate under this General Authorisation land managers must meet certain criteri…

4 Sep 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what (a) research was undertaken and (b) assessments were carried out in (i) local and (ii) national forests prior to the policy decision to kill lactating female red and roe deer, some with dependent calves, from 1 September 2020.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: Wild deer numbers in Scotland have increased in recent years and are now thought to be nearing 1 million as noted in the Independent Deer Working Group’s report in December 2019. The Scottish Government has not changed its policy regarding the authorisation f…

4 Sep 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration was given to increasing deer fencing in September 2020 around tree plantations vulnerable to damage caused by red deer.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: There is a place for well-targeted, limited deer fencing on Scotland’s national forests and land, however FLS already maintains around 2,250 km of deer fences, which it is looking to reduce, and its core focus remains strongly on the effective management of i…

4 Sep 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether consideration was given to targeting the culling of female deer in September 2020 in the most affected areas rather than adopting a nationwide blanket approach.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: Deer are present across the whole of Scotland’s national forests and land, and, being mobile animals, can damage a wide range of tree crops and habitats. Deer impacts can have a significant and negative effect on Forestry and Land Scotland’s (FLS), core objec…

4 Sep 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has regarding the estimated cost per carcass of killing red and roe deer calves that are too small for game dealers to collect.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) does not have an estimated cost per carcass relating specifically to the culling of juvenile deer, however the average sale weights of red and roe deer juvenile carcasses from across Scotland’s national forests and land in FY …

25 Aug 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what support it will provide to the Scottish venison sector to ensure that the market for it can recover from the impact of COVID-19.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: Support for the venison sector is being considered as part of wider recovery planning for Scotland’s farming, fishing, food and drink sector in response to Covid and Brexit. The Scottish Government continues to support our national venison strategy and we hav…

25 Aug 2020 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to prevent an increase in homelessness as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.

15 Jun 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many former, trained teachers responded to the call from the General Teaching Council for Scotland to assist with school learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, and, of those, how many had (a) primary and (b) secondary school experience.

Answer · John Swinney: The General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) contacted individuals whose GTCS registration has recently lapsed, including recently retired teachers to ensure records were up to date to facilitate any contact with employers to establish their willingness a…

18 May 2020 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government is taking to ensure that all answers to written parliamentary questions about COVID-19 are being processed as quickly as possible.

12 Feb 2020 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the introduction of transdermal alcohol monitoring tags.

10 Feb 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the announcement in the UK Government Spending Round of an additional £700 million to provide support for children and young people with special educational needs, what Barnett consequentials it expects to receive for special educational needs, and how much of this funding w…

Answer · John Swinney: The Minister for Public Finance set out the Scottish Government’s spending plans for 2020-21 in the Scottish Budget on 6 February, which included an additional £15 million in the coming year to further improve the experiences of children and young people with…

28 Jan 2020 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government when the Agriculture and Climate Change Strategic Group will next meet.