Parliamentary questions
Monica Lennon
3,484 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
10 Dec 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) 2025 annual report, Global Strategy for the Diagnosis, Management, and Prevention of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.
Answer · Jenni Minto: We welcome the important work of the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease in raising awareness of COPD and welcome the findings in their annual report. We are committed to ensuring that people living with COPD receive the best possible care …
10 Dec 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that chalk streams are protected from sewage overflows.
Answer · Gillian Martin: There are no chalk streams in Scotland, however, we are taking action to protect Scotland’s water environment from sewage overflows.Our waterways are in good condition. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) considers 86.5% of our water envir…
10 Dec 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, regarding their protection from pollution and damage, what information it has on how many chalk streams there are in Scotland.
Answer · Gillian Martin: There are no chalk streams in Scotland. The Scottish Government, therefore, does not hold information on the protection of chalk streams from pollution and damage.
10 Dec 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the process is for making enquiries to SEPA regarding pollution reports during its office opening hours.
Answer · Gillian Martin: As Scottish Ministers are not directly responsible for the operation of SEPA and its use of resources, I have asked Nicole Paterson, Chief Executive of SEPA to respond. Her response is as follows:Continued Availability of Service:SEPA’s 24-hour availabi…
10 Dec 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the process will be for making enquiries to SEPA regarding pollution reports out of hours under the reported proposed changes to SEPA's out-of-hours contact service.
Answer · Gillian Martin: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-32136 on 18 December 2024. 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-commit…
10 Dec 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it is aware of any alterations to out-of-hours contact services for non-departmental public bodies, and what information has been provided to ministers regarding any such alterations.
Answer · Ivan McKee: Scottish Government is aware the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency is considering amendments around its call centre service to align with plans for wider organisational transformation. SEPA has not raised any emerging risk, or issue with significant im…
10 Dec 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-31887 by Mairi Gougeon on 9 December 2024, whether it has considered using powers under section 36 of the Fisheries Act 2020 to place the Code of Good Practice for Scottish Finfish Aquaculture into law.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Scottish Government continually considers where regulation for farmed fish health is necessary.We already have robust legislation, policies, and operational practices in place to ensure fish farmers are meeting statutory requirements on sealice reporting …
10 Dec 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-31864 by Gillian Martin on 10 December 2024, whether it will provide the full list of the key criteria being considered by EY.
Answer · Gillian Martin: Ernst & Young Parthenon continue to undertake a thorough analysis of viable alternatives for the Grangemouth site with a focus on three levers through which competitive advantage could be driven and these are demand, feedstocks, and infrastructure.Additio…
9 Dec 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it can provide details of any discussions that it has had with the UK Government regarding legislation to halt the sale of peat for horticultural use in the UK since 4 July 2024.
Answer · Jim Fairlie: Scottish Government engages regularly with UK Government and the other devolved governments at both Ministerial and Official levels through the Inter-Ministerial Group for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, a four nations horticultural peat group and ad hoc…
9 Dec 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it can detail what legal advice SEPA received regarding any impact of suggested changes to SEPA's out-of-hours contact service on reporting requirements of licenses given under the (a) Water Environment (Controlled Activities) (Scotland) Regulations 2011, (b) Waste Management Lic…
Answer · Gillian Martin: This is a matter for SEPA. The information requested is not held centrally.
5 Dec 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the allocation in its draft Budget 2025-26 for free school meal expansion, whether it can provide an estimate of the costs of rolling out free school meals to all P6 and P7 pupils by April 2026.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The Scottish Government has worked with the Scottish Futures Trust and local authorities to develop robust costings for the expansion of the Free School Meals Programme. This work estimates the cost of rolling out universal free school meals to pupils in Prim…
4 Dec 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government's statement to the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee on 23 January 2024, how much ScotWind funding was drawn down in each financial year from 2021-22 to 2024-25.
Answer · Shona Robison: To date £96 million of ScotWind revenues have been utilised, all in 2022-23.In the 2024-25 budget, £200 million of Scotwind funding was profiled, with a further £224 million added as part of the in-year autumn budget revision.As indicated in…
3 Dec 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government further to the answer to question S6W-18745 by Jenni Minto on 21 June 2023, whether it can provide a list of meetings of the Scottish Hospice Leadership Group in (a) 2023 and (b) 2024, and a summary of what was discussed at each meeting.
Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Hospice Leadership Group is comprised of the Chief Executives of most of the independent Scottish hospices and their key partners.The group is not a Scottish Government body, however Scottish Government officials attend their meetings on a regula…
2 Dec 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to its paper, A Trading Nation: Realising Scotland's Hydrogen Potential - A Plan for Exports, which was published on 29 November 2024, what engagement it has had with the (a) Secretary of State for Scotland, (b) Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero and (c) Eu…
Answer · Gillian Martin: To support the development of, ‘A Trading Nation: Realising Scotland's Hydrogen Potential - A Plan for Exports’, Scottish Government officials engaged extensively with stakeholders, including key policy leads within the Department for Energy Secur…
2 Dec 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to its paper, A Trading Nation: Realising Scotland's Hydrogen Potential - A Plan for Exports, which was published on 29 November 2024, whether it will be using its powers under the UK Withdrawal from the European Union (Continuity) (Scotland) Act 2021 to align current hydro…
Answer · Alasdair Allan: The UK Withdrawal from the European Union (Continuity) (Scotland) Act 2021 (‘the Continuity Act’) provides Scottish Ministers with a power to help meet the Scottish Government’s commitment to align with future developments in EU law, where i…
2 Dec 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to its paper, A Trading Nation: Realising Scotland's Hydrogen Potential - A Plan for Exports, which was published on 29 November 2024, how much green hydrogen will be delivered by 2030.
Answer · Alasdair Allan: The Scottish Government is committed to its ambition of delivering 5GW of renewable and low-carbon hydrogen production by 2030, as outlined in our Hydrogen Action Plan. This target harnesses Scotland’s renewable energy potential to produce green hydroge…
2 Dec 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to its paper, A Trading Nation: Realising Scotland's Hydrogen Potential - A Plan for Exports, which was published on 29 November 2024, what scope there will be for alternative models of ownership in its plans for scaling up the hydrogen industry.
Answer · Alasdair Allan: The Scottish Government wants the people of Scotland to see maximum benefits from Scotland’s energy transition, including the scaling up of the hydrogen industry.We are exploring options to encourage investment in energy-related technology, and infrastr…
2 Dec 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much funding will be required by 2030 to meet the goals set out in its paper, A Trading Nation: Realising Scotland's Hydrogen Potential - A Plan for Exports, which was published on 29 November 2024.
Answer · Alasdair Allan: Achieving our Hydrogen Action Plan target of 5GW of low-carbon hydrogen production capacity by 2030, and wider plan aims, requires significant investment.Since June 2022, the Hydrogen Innovation Scheme has offered grants totalling almost £7m to 31 proje…
2 Dec 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to its paper, A Trading Nation: Realising Scotland's Hydrogen Potential - A Plan for Exports, which was published on 29 November 2024, how many jobs will be directly supported by the export of (a) green and (b) blue hydrogen by 2030.
Answer · Alasdair Allan: Hydrogen creates significant economic opportunities, supporting a just transition, high-quality jobs, and investment while meeting the growing demand in Europe, particularly Germany, for Hydrogen as a green and secure energy source.While our production ambiti…
29 Nov 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the evidence given by the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands to the Rural Affairs and Islands Committee on 13 November 2024, what specific work it is undertaking in relation to reforming the current reporting system for salmon mortalities.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Aquatic Animal Health (Scotland) Regulations 2009 already places a legal obligation on salmon producers to report increases in mortality levels to Scottish Ministers or a veterinarian. This applies to unexplained mortality, and there is a voluntary agreem…
29 Nov 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will produce a good practice guide in relation to the aquaculture industry, similar to that which exists for onshore wind projects.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: Last year we published our Vision for Sustainable Aquaculture, which sets out the Scottish Government's long term aspirations for the sector.The Vision makes clear that communities that host aquaculture should be engaged in the sector’s development, sha…
29 Nov 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how its Biodiversity Delivery Plan 2024-2030 will increase wild salmon populations.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Scottish Biodiversity Delivery Plan 2024-2030, which was published on 27 November 2024, is the first in a series of rolling Delivery Plans which set out in detail the range of actions needed to deliver the step-change required to address the biodiversity …
29 Nov 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the Scottish Plan for Invasive Non-Native Species (INNS) Surveillance, Prevention and Control will be delivered before the Scottish Parliament's 2025 summer recess.
Answer · Alasdair Allan: As one of the five main drivers of biodiversity loss and a barrier to nature restoration, the Scottish Government takes the control of invasive non-native species (INNS) seriously and we work with a range of partners to minimise their negative impacts.The Sco…
29 Nov 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it will ensure that its Biodiversity Investment Plan aligns with the aims of the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill.
Answer · Alasdair Allan: The Land Reform Bill seeks to place legal responsibilities on the owners of the very largest landholdings to set out how they use their land and how that contributes to key public policy priorities, such as addressing climate change and protecting and restori…
29 Nov 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government which provisions of the Wildlife Management and Muirburn (Scotland) Act 2024 are yet to be implemented.
Answer · Jim Fairlie: Provisions to introduce a licensing scheme for certain wildlife traps and provisions relating to glue traps have not yet been implemented. We will be commencing these provisions over the coming months, with stakeholders given sufficient time to make any neces…
29 Nov 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will be consulting on its proposed revisions to the Scottish Biodiversity List.
Answer · Alasdair Allan: We are currently scoping our approach to a review of the Scottish Biodiversity List and will engage with stakeholders on the review. However, our initial view is that public consultation on a revised list would provide limited additional input on what is a fa…
29 Nov 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how the Scottish Biodiversity Delivery Plan 2024–2030 (a) protects Scotland's (i) rainforest and (ii) native woodlands and (b) mitigates the spread of rhododendron ponticum.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Biodiversity Strategy Delivery Plan 2024-2030 includes specific action to implement Scotland’s Strategic Approach for Scotland’s Rainforest which aims to improve its condition and health so that it can regenerate and expand whilst providing be…
29 Nov 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether its forthcoming Biodiversity Investment Plan will have provision for training and upskilling of workers to deliver nature restoration projects, including but not limited to peatland restoration.
Answer · Alasdair Allan: The Scottish Government recognises the critical importance of providing the current and future workforce with high-quality lifelong skills – either acquired through new learning or upskilling and reskilling – and the pivotal role this plays in our…
29 Nov 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it has taken to map any instances in which unsafe contact is granted to the abusive parent in domestic abuse cases across civil and criminal processes, as part of its commitment to keeping The Promise.
Answer · Siobhian Brown: The Scottish Government considers available research to inform improvement work and help improve outcomes.We recently funded research on domestic abuse and child contact that was published in 2023: Domestic Abuse and Child Contact: The Interface Between Crimi…
29 Nov 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the implementation of the provisions of the Children (Scotland) Act 2020 that (a) regulate child welfare reporters and (b) aim to improve the system of advocacy for children.
Answer · Siobhian Brown: Section 9 of the Children (Scotland) Act 2020 (the 2020 Act) requires the Scottish Ministers to establish a register of child welfare reporters. These may be appointed by the court in cases under section 11 of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995 (the key legisla…