Peter Chapman

7 Mar 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of how differences in greening regulations throughout the UK impact on the competitiveness of farmers in Scotland.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: Decisions on the implementation of greening in Scotland were closely related to decisions on the percentage of the Scottish Pillar 1 budget to transfer to Pillar 2. In 2013, the Scottish Government decided to transfer 9.5% (of a maximum 15%) of the Pillar 1 b…

7 Mar 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether its review of greening regulations will (a) reconsider the requirement to grow two varieties of peas on Ecological Focus Area (EFA) land and (b) consider bringing forward harvest dates for such crops.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: On 7 February, the First Minister announced that Professor Russel Griggs will chair a group to review the Scottish Government’s approach to greening. The group will consider changes to greening rules, including the management conditions for nitrogen-fixing cr…

7 Mar 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many accidental house fires there have been in the North East Scotland region in each of the last five years, also broken down by local authority; how many of these fires were caused by electricity, and what steps it is taking to reduce the number of such fires.

Answer · Annabelle Ewing: This information is not held centrally. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) publishes statistics on accidental dwelling fires, broken down by local authority, however this data is not broken down into specific causes. These statistics are available…

1 Mar 2017 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that remote and rural schools are not disadvantaged compared to those in urban areas.

22 Feb 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to increase the proportion of landings of pelagic fish in Scottish ports.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: The Scottish Government has encouraged Scottish pelagic fishing vessels to increase voluntarily the proportion of fish that they land into Scotland. The Government is at present reviewing whether progress has been made during the recently completed mackerel f…

22 Feb 2017 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to improve the completion rate of community payback orders.

15 Feb 2017 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to prevent the spread of diseases that affect woodland and forestry.

8 Feb 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, since 2012, how many applications it received for starter farms on public land; of these, how many applicants established starter farms, and how much funding it allocated to fund starter farms on public land.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: Since 2012 ten starter farm units have been established on public land in Scotland. The Scottish Government Rural Payments and Inspection Division (SGRPID) received six applications for their one starter farm unit on the outskirts of Inverness. The total cos…

21 Dec 2016 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions Police Scotland has had with local authorities regarding the management of unauthorised camping by Gypsy/Travellers.

20 Dec 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether (a) designing and (b) implementing the National Basic Payment Support Scheme has had any impact on the ability of area offices to (i) calculate and (ii) deliver full common agricultural policy (CAP) payments.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: The design and implementation of the National Basic Payment Support Scheme has had no impact on the ability of area offices to calculate and deliver Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) payments as this work was carried out by a centralised team based in Saughton…

13 Dec 2016 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to prevent the spread of diseases that affect woodland and forests.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: Tackling Tree Health threats remains a top priority for the Scottish Government and its approach to preventing the spread of diseases that affect woodlands is set out in the Scottish Plant Health Strategy. This focusses on risk based decision making to reduce…

12 Dec 2016 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister, in light of recently reported issues, what action the Scottish Government is taking to ensure that farmers can have confidence in the National Basic Payment Support Scheme.

28 Nov 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what allowance it has made for overpayment of CAP payments for (a) 2015 and (b) 2016.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: The EC regulations require the Scottish Government, through the Paying Agency, to recover any overpayments made in relation to CAP payments.

25 Nov 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the uptake of the National Loan Scheme for (a) farmers and (b) crofters for common agricultural policy (CAP) payments.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: At 5 December, 12,863 businesses had applied to the 2016 National Basic Payment Support Scheme, with a total value of £263,850,097.75

25 Nov 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of funding for mental health services in NHS Grampian.

Answer · Maureen Watt: The Scottish Government sets national direction of policy on mental health and provides funding to agencies, including NHS boards and local authorities, to support implementation of policy. The management of local actions in implementing national policy, and…

25 Nov 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many college places have been made available in the North East Scotland region in each year since 2005, broken down by local authority area.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: FTEs (Full-Time Equivalents) at North East Scotland College by Local Authority of residence LA Aberdeen Aberdeenshire Angus Dundee Other Total 2005-06 3,988 4,599 127 57 1,312 10,083 2006-07 4,260 4,678 149 49 1,660 10,795 2007-08 4,273…

24 Nov 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it supports Doric language and culture in the North East Scotland parliamentary region.

Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government is a strong supporter of the Scots language in all its regional and local variants, including Doric. We have taken a number of steps to promote Scots throughout the country including the development of our Scots language policy which u…

18 Nov 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on allowing new applicants to join the Beef Efficiency Scheme.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: No decision has been taken at this time as to whether the scheme will re-open to new applications next year. The application window was open from the 28 April until the 15 June this year.

18 Nov 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the letter from the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment to the Minister for Immigration on 1 June 2012, whether it will provide an update on how many crew members in the commercial fishing sector in (a) North East Scotland and (b) the rest of the country (…

Answer · Fergus Ewing: Marine Scotland recently published the 2015 Scottish Sea Fisheries Employment Survey report, which presents fishing related qualifications for crew on a sample of vessels. The report estimates that for all of Scotland: 99.9% of the crew had at least the mini…

16 Nov 2016 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that every eligible child has access to their entitlement to 1,140 hours of free childcare provision.

9 Nov 2016 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on Police Scotland's standard operating procedures for unauthorised sites used by Gypsy/Travellers.

2 Nov 2016 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it has taken to address the reported concerns of farmers and industry representatives regarding new rules on linked holdings.

19 Oct 2016 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on town centre regeneration programmes on the Buchan coast.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: Local authorities remain responsible for local regeneration and local economic development. They are best placed to respond to local circumstances, working with their communities to develop the right vision for their town centres. The Scottish Government is…

12 Oct 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with the Chief Scientific Adviser for Scotland regarding the ban on GM crops.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: The Scottish Government has made a commitment to maintaining its opt out from growing GM crops for the lifetime of this Parliament in order to protect the clean, green image of Scotland's £14 billion food and drink sector. I receive regular advice and updates…

21 Sep 2016 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the SQA regarding the future of the Scottish Baccalaureate.

Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government has regular discussions with the Scottish Qualifications Authority on all of its National Qualifications. There has been no recent discussion with SQA regarding the future of the Scottish Baccalaureate.

14 Sep 2016 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on funding for NHS Grampian.

Answer · Shona Robison: In 2016-17, NHS Grampian’s resource budget increased to £882.3 million. This was a 6.6% uplift on the previous year - the highest increase of any Territorial Health Board. As is the case with all other Health Boards, the NHS Grampian budget for 2017-18 will…

2 Sep 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-00390 by Fergus Ewing on 15 June 2016, when the IT system will be able to deal with entitlement transfers for CAP payments.

2 Aug 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will commit funding to continue with the current pillar 1 schemes set out in the common agricultural policy until 2020, in particular the Basic Payment Scheme.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: The UK Government is responsible for this funding and has confirmed that common agriculture policy (CAP) Pillar One subsidy schemes will be guaranteed until 2020. However contracts for CAP Pillar Two projects beginning after the autumn statement will receive …

1 Aug 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether, following the EU referendum result, it will commit to continue with the Scottish Rural Development Programme 2014 - 2020, including the spending commitments.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: It is for the UK Government to provide further clarity on future Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party (CAP) funding. The recent announcement from HM Treasury provides some reassurance, particularly in relation to the continuation of Scottish Conservative …

20 Jul 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will be in a position to provide the initial common agricultural policy payments for the latest cycle by October 2016 and, if so, whether it will do so.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: The window for making 2016 Basic and Greening Payments is from 1 December 2016 to 30 June 2017. We remain determined to put the common agricultural policy payments on a sound footing for 2016 and a further update will be provided to Parliament in September 20…