Alexander Burnett

2 Feb 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to introduce grants for medical students, similar to the Paramedic, Nursing and Midwifery Student Bursary (PNMSB) scheme, which is administered by the Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS).

Answer · Neil Gray: There are currently no plans to introduce grants for medical students similar to the Paramedic, Nursing, and Midwifery Student Bursary.

2 Feb 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what financial support is available to medical students during placement years, when they are unable to work elsewhere.

Answer · Neil Gray: Scottish domiciled medical students are eligible for the standard student support package which is comprised of tuition fees and living cost support throughout the full duration of their medical degree. Additionally the most disadvantaged students can access …

31 Jan 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what additional requirements exist for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service in relation to the monitoring of large battery storage units.

Answer · Siobhian Brown: There is no additional statutory requirement on the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) to monitor large battery storage unit sites. SFRS continually review and develop their operational response to any new and emerging technology to keep communities saf…

30 Jan 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what recent consideration it has given to funding a new health centre in Banchory.

Answer · Neil Gray: As set out in the draft Scottish Government budget, the capital funding position is extremely challenging due to the UK Government’s decision to cut our capital budget by nearly 10%. The capital budget settlement allows for Health Boards’ delegated capital b…

25 Jan 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the target timescale is for the Energy Consents Unit to log submissions made by members of the public, and whether this target is being met.

Answer · Gillian Martin: The Energy Consents Unit does not have a target timescale for logging representations. Representations may be made to the Scottish Ministers in line with statutory timeframes set out in public notices, which require to be given in accordance with applicable r…

25 Jan 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason there is reportedly a three-month delay in logging submissions sent to the Energy Consents Unit, and what action it is taking to address this.

Answer · Gillian Martin: All representations submitted within statutory timeframes are logged such that the material issues raised within such representations can be taken fully into account prior to a determination being made on an application.

25 Jan 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what additional resources and funding it has provided to the Energy Consents Unit to manage any increase in planning applications being considered.

Answer · Gillian Martin: The Energy Consents Unit has increased its staffing resource in response to increased application volumes. Resourcing requirements are kept under review, with a view to addressing the expected intake of applications.

25 Jan 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what review SEPA is planning of the European Water Framework Directive.

Answer · Mairi McAllan: The Scottish Environment Protection Agency is not planning to review the European Water Framework Directive. The Water Framework Directive is implemented in Scotland by the Water Environment and Water Services (Scotland) Act 2003 and the Water Environment (R…

25 Jan 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-24619 by Mairi Gougeon on 24 January 2024, whether it will support the funding of a fish counter in the River Dee, in light of reports that a suitable site has been identified in the narrow part of the lower reaches of the river, which is less than …

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Scottish Government has no plans to fund a fish counter on the River Dee .

17 Jan 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-24242 by Mairi Gougeon on 15 January 2024, whether it will provide further details of the delivery group that oversees and directs the delivery of the wild salmon strategy and implementation plan, including (a) who is involved in the group and (b) c…

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Wild Salmon Strategy Implementation Plan Delivery Group was established following publication of the Implementation Plan. Information on membership of the group is available on the Scottish Government website along with a contact email address.

17 Jan 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to its commitment to extend the fish counter network, as set out in its wild salmon strategy implementation plan published in 2023, whether it will fund a percentage of the cost of a fish counter and its monitoring for the River Dee, which is a Special Area of Conservation curre…

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Scottish Government has no plans to fund a fish counter on the River Dee. The width of the lower Dee means that the installation of a fish counter to assess the size of the salmon stock is not feasible.

9 Jan 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-12674 by Mairi McAllan on 14 December 2022, whether it will provide an update on which of the 42 formal flood protection schemes or engineering works are (a) under construction and (b) at the planning or other stage of development, broken down by (i…

Answer · Mairi McAllan: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W–24036 on? 16 January 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…

22 Dec 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the safety regulations are for large battery storage units, including any requirements of the emergency services, and when these regulations were last updated.

Answer · Gillian Martin: A range of legislation makes up the regulatory framework for the safety of grid scale battery energy storage systems (BESS). Health and safety is a reserved matter with applicable UK legislation including: the Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Re…

22 Dec 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to conducting a revaluation of Council Tax bands across Scotland.

Answer · Tom Arthur: The Scottish Government has no plans for a Council Tax revaluation.

21 Dec 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the International Union for Conservation of Nature reclassifying Atlantic salmon as "Endangered" in Great Britain, what assessment it has made of the state of salmon stocks in Scotland, including the differing genetic components, in rivers that are Special Areas of Conservati…

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: An assessment of the conservation status of Atlantic salmon is carried out annually for 173 separate inland water assessment areas, including the 17 Special Areas of Conservation where Atlantic salmon are a primary or secondary qualifying feature. Each assess…

20 Dec 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding it has allocated to flood resilience in the financial years (a) 2019-20, (b) 2020-21, (c) 2021-22, (d) 2022-23, (e) 2023-24 and (f) 2024-25. 

Answer · Mairi McAllan: The Scottish Government has allocated (a) £42m in 2019-20, (b) £42m in 2020-21 (c) £52m in 2021-22 (d) £63m in 2022-23 (e) £61m in 2023-24 and (f) £88.5m in 2024-25 to local authorities through the general capital grant to invest in flood protection and resil…

19 Dec 2023 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the reopening of Historic Environment Scotland sites following the completion of work to make them safe for the public, including when the remaining sites will reopen.

15 Dec 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what public awareness campaigns it has undertaken in the last 10 years to ensure that recreational activities, such as paddle boarding, kayaking, cycling, fishing and camping, do not impact on the biodiversity of National Nature Reserves and Sites of Special Scientific Interest.

Answer · Lorna Slater: Each year, NatureScot undertakes activity to promote the Scottish Outdoor Access Code (SOAC) with specific campaigns across a range of topics and settings, including National Nature Reserves. This work has been complemented in recent years by a greater co-ord…

15 Dec 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the potential impact of recreational activities, such as paddle boarding, kayaking, cycling, fishing and camping, on the biodiversity of National Nature Reserves and Sites of Special Scientific Interest, particularly in relation to protected species such as…

Answer · Lorna Slater: NatureScot undertakes a rolling programme of monitoring of the natural features for which our protected areas have been designated. This programme of Site Condition Monitoring looks at around 5,500 such features on nearly 1,900 protected areas across Scotland…

15 Dec 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the International Union for Conservation of Nature reclassifying Atlantic salmon as "Endangered" in Great Britain, and what action it will take to protect this species, particularly with regard to threats from predators.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Scottish Government takes the issue of declining wild Atlantic salmon populations very seriously and is committed to working with our partners, both domestic and international, to safeguard this iconic species. The Scottish wild salmon strategy was estab…

4 Dec 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any impact that supporting refugees and asylum seekers has had on local health services in NHS Grampian.

Answer · Michael Matheson: NHS Grampian is responsible for providing care in its area and making any assessment of the impact supporting refugees and asylum seekers has had on local health services.

4 Dec 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether additional resources are being provided to NHS Grampian to help manage any additional workload to support refugees and asylum seekers.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The UK Government has not provided any consequential funding to the Scottish Government to enable additional resources to be provided to NHS boards where the Home Office has chosen to procure contingency asylum accommodation. The Scottish Government provides …

4 Dec 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to introducing statutory designation for the sites of important historic battles.

Answer · Christina McKelvie: The Scottish Government recognises the importance of our many varied cultural and historic sites, which includes battlefields. We deliver support for the historic environment through our sponsorship of Scotland’s lead public body for the historic environment,…

4 Dec 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the appeal process is for Historic Environment Scotland land designations.

Answer · Christina McKelvie: Questions regarding day-to-day operational matters of Historic Environment Scotland, including information relating to the appeal process for land designations, are best answered directly by Historic Environment Scotland. There is information available on th…

4 Dec 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many convictions relating to rural crime there have been in each local authority area in (a) 2021, (b) 2022 and (c) 2023 to date, also broken down by the crimes that were in relation to (i) livestock theft, (ii) machinery theft, (iii) fuel theft and (iv) livestock worrying.

Answer · Angela Constance: The latest available information on convictions is for the financial year 2021-22. (i),(ii),(iii) The Scottish Government does not hold data that allows us to distinguish between rural and urban crime, or theft of specific items. These offences are likely to…

4 Dec 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many crimes have been recorded in each local authority area classed as rural in (a) 2021, (b) 2022 and (c) 2023 to date, also broken down by the crimes that were in relation to (i) livestock theft, (ii) machinery theft, (iii) fuel theft and (iv) livestock worrying.

Answer · Angela Constance: (i),(ii),(iii) The Scottish Government does not hold data that allows us to distinguish between rural and urban crime, or theft of specific items. These offences are likely to be charged under broader crimes of Attempted theft and theft and/or Theft of a moto…

4 Dec 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-33611 by Mairi Gougeon on 4 December 2020, whether it will provide the information for (a) 2021-22, (b) 2022-23 and (c) 2023-24 to date regarding the number of offences recorded by Police Scotland under the Dogs (Protection of Livestock) Act 1953.

Answer · Angela Constance: Information on the number of offences recorded by Police Scotland under the Dogs (Protection of Livestock) Act 1953 for 2021-22, 2022-23 and April to September 2023 is provided in the following tables. Data for the full year of 2023-24 will be published in Ju…

4 Dec 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the average daily traffic flow volume has been on the A96 trunk road between Aberdeen and Inverness in each year since 2017.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: A table containing the average daily traffic flows on the A96 in each year since 2017 has been lodged with SPICe, BIB number: 64765  

28 Nov 2023 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports of Aberdeenshire secondary school parent councils calling for changes to the Teacher Induction Scheme.

28 Nov 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether (a) there is a shortage of ADHD medication in Scotland and (b) any patients who receive ADHD medication have been instructed to halve their dosage as a result of any such shortage.

Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government is aware that there are ongoing global supply issues with products which are licensed for the treatment ADHD. At present, it is anticipated that most of the global shortage of ADHD medicines will be resolved between the end of December…