Parliamentary questions
Rachael Hamilton
1,432 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
8 Aug 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how the Agriculture Reform Implementation Oversight Board has adapted to deal with any different issues that farmers may be facing compared with when it was first commissioned.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-10282 on? 26 August 2022. 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-committ…
8 Aug 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the Agriculture Reform Implementation Oversight Board's work, including when it anticipates that the board will publish its findings.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-10282 on? 26 August 2022. 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-committ…
8 Aug 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when the Agriculture Reform Implementation Oversight Board last met.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Agriculture Reform Implementation Oversight Board (ARIOB) last met on 24 August 2022. Updates on the work of the Board, including minutes of meetings and the Board’s Terms of Reference, are available on the Scottish Government website . In relation to t…
21 Jul 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many acres of peatlands were restored in 2021.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: The Scottish Government gathers data on peatland restoration carried out by the Peatland ACTION programme each financial year in hectares (ha). The total number of restored hectares of peatlands in 2020-21 was 5,658ha; and the total number of restored hectare…
28 Jun 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish the minutes of its workshop on 14 June 2022 on ethical principles in deer management.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: The workshop exploring the seven principles and deer management welfare was organised by the John Muir Trust and OneKind and attended by Scottish Government officials alongside colleagues from Forestry and Land Scotland and NatureScot. As the Scottish Govern…
27 Jun 2022 · First Minister's Question
To ask the First Minister whether the Scottish Government will respond to reported calls by the industry to establish a Gamekeeping Taskforce to tackle abuse of rural workers.
22 Jun 2022 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve water quality in Scotland's rivers.
20 Jun 2022 · Topical Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reported warnings from a leading scientist that its opposition to gene-edited crops goes against the scientific consensus.
8 Jun 2022 · SPCB Written Question
To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body, further to the answer to question S6W-04506 by Jackson Carlaw on 2 December 2021, whether it will provide an update on its considerations regarding the publication of all or part of the central register of interests held by the People and Culture Office.
Answer · Jackson Carlaw (on behalf of the SPCB): The SPCB undertook to consider this and can advise that the central register of interests for SPCB staff who are members of the Parliament’s Leadership Group is now publicly available, as of this week. The register can be found here. The SPCB considers …
18 May 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many foxes there are in Scotland, and how the size of this population has changed annually since records began.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: The Scottish Government does not hold this information. A 2018 report by the Mammal Society under contract to Natural England, Natural Resources Wales and Scottish Natural Heritage, which reviewed the status of British mammal populations including the red fo…
13 May 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the results of the Scottish fisheries and climate change survey and any action it will take on this.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: We launched the Fisheries Climate Change survey in November 2021 during COP 26 to assess the fishing sector’s readiness/ preparedness to respond to the climate change challenge. We said then that the results will be used to inform a stakeholder workshop in 20…
10 May 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has produced an interim assessment of the impact on (a) the local economy, (b) jobs, (c) cod spawning progress of the Firth of Clyde cod spawning closure for 2022-23.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Firth of Clyde cod spawning closure took place from 14 February to 30 April. During my appearance at the RAINE Committee on 9 March I committed Marine Scotland officials to meet with stakeholders after the closure both to hear their thoughts on how it has…
28 Apr 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many Rural Payments and Services area offices are open for face-to-face appointments.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: 15 of the 16 Rural Payments and Inspections Division (RPID) Area Offices are currently open for face to face appointments. The exception is the Area Office based in Galashiels, which is currently closed due to building works. The RPID Area Offices have other …
27 Apr 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to the recent visit of the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and Islands to Catalonia, what the method of international travel was, and how any carbon emissions resulting from this travel were offset.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: Myself and officials used a low cost carrier to travel from Scotland to Catalonia for the visit. Travel is an essential part of official Government business and Ministers take their responsibility to travel sustainably very seriously and aim to use more sust…
27 Apr 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the total cost was of the recent visit of the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and Islands to Catalonia, broken down by the cost of travel, accommodation, and expenses.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: Ministers and Civil Servants travel for a range of reasons including ensuring that the people of Scotland are effectively represented and ensuring that Scotland’s voice is heard on important issues. The purpose of the trip to Catalonia was to further engage …
26 Apr 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the timetable is for outlining the detail of when the Agriculture Reform Implementation Oversight Board (ARIOB) will report on key policy decisions.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-05896 on 7 February 2022. 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-committ…
26 Apr 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when the Cabinet will decide whether to take forward plans for crofting law reform.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: As stated in our 2021 Manifesto, work on crofting law reform will be undertaken during this parliamentary term.
26 Apr 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has any plans to (a) further extend and (b) review, in order to reflect the current situation facing pig farmers, the Pig Producers Hardship Support Scheme.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: We have continued to monitor and engage with industry. We are aware that the sector is still under unprecedented pressure due to the backlog of pigs and the shortages in skilled labour, compounded by the more recent situation with Ukraine and increased input …
26 Apr 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the (a) maximum and (b) minimum amount of grant funding is available per applicant to the Sustainable Agriculture Capital Grant Scheme.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The maximum amount of aid a farmer, crofter or agricultural contractor can receive is £20,000. Only one application and claim is allowed per business/Business Reference Number (BRN) per funding round. Grant awards will be based on 40% of the standard cost of …
26 Apr 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the number of (a) trees and (b) hectares of woodland that have been lost as a result of Storms Arwen, Malik and Barra.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: Using satellite data and computer modelling, Forest Research have recently issued a revised estimate of around 8,000 hectares of forests impacted by the winter storms. This equates to around 16 million trees that have been blown over or otherwise damaged. Af…
26 Apr 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many successful prosecutions there have been for livestock theft in each year since 2007.
Answer · Keith Brown: The Scottish Government does not hold information on the number of prosecutions for livestock theft. The Criminal Proceedings in Scotland database does not contain details on the type of item(s) stolen, therefore we are unable to identify how many thefts inv…
26 Apr 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how (a) much funding it has provided to and (b) many people have been successful in using the Scottish Land Matching Service in each year since the service was established.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Scottish Land Matching Service (SLMS) launched at the end of September 2019. During the period 1 October 2019 to 30 September 2020, Scottish Government provided £55,480 of funding. For the second year between 1 October 2020 and 30 September 2021, Scottish…
26 Apr 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much funding it has provided to the Royal Highland Education Trust (RHET) in the last five years, and how much it plans to provide in the next five years.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: In the five financial years from 2017-18 to 2021-22, the Scottish Government provided a total of £330,500 in grant funding to the Royal Highland Education Trust (RHET) for the purposes of their programme of school farm visits and associated educational resour…
26 Apr 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish an update to the Skills Action Plan for Rural Scotland.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Skills Action Plan for Rural Scotland (SAPRS) is a joint initiative supported by Skills Development Scotland, Scottish Government, Plan stakeholders and partners. I refer to the response I gave on 7 March 2022 (S6W-06724). An evaluation of the SAPRS is …
26 Apr 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-05015 by Màiri McAllan on 7 January 2022, what assessment it has made of the average cost per farm of upgrading slurry storage.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-05015 on 7 January 2022. 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-committe…
20 Apr 2022 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many jobs in the forestry sector have been created as a result of the Scottish National Investment Bank.
19 Apr 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether an assessment has been made, or there are plans for one to be commissioned, of the welfare implications of the use of an estimated up to 10 million cleaner fish in the UK salmon farming industry each year.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: All farmed fish, including cleaner fish, are protected by the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006, which places a duty on fish farms to ensure their needs are met. Fish farms must keep mortality and veterinary records by law and these are inspected …
19 Apr 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether there are any plans to make CCTV mandatory in fish slaughterhouses, in line with the Mandatory Use of Closed Circuit Television in Slaughterhouses (Scotland) Regulations 2020, which mandates the use of CCTV in all slaughterhouses for terrestrial farmed animals, but excludes fish …
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Scottish Government takes the welfare of all farmed animals very seriously and has recently introduced measures to monitor fish welfare at slaughter. The UK Animal Welfare Committee is currently considering the welfare of farmed fish at slaughter and we w…
15 Apr 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the draft five-year plan for the Cairngorms National Park and any potential impact of the plan on (a) rural workers, (b) gamekeepers, and (c) tenant farmers.
Answer · Lorna Slater: The Cairngorms National Park Authority (CNPA) has carried out extensive consultation on the draft National Park Partnership Plan (NPPP), which was supported by extensive evidence papers and a Strategic Environmental Assessment. The consultation process genera…
13 Apr 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to increase sentencing for people who commit arson and cause damage to farms and rural communities.
Answer · Keith Brown: Conduct amounting to ‘arson’ under Scots criminal law would be prosecuted under the criminal offences of wilful fire raising and culpable and reckless fire raising. As these are common law offences, the courts in Scotland have the ability to impose a wide ran…