Parliamentary questions
Rachael Hamilton
1,432 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
23 Mar 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of fox control measures in relation to the reported decline in capercaillie numbers.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: The decline in capercaillie numbers is of real concern, NatureScot recently published a Review of Capercaillie Conservation and Management - Report to the Scientific Advisory Committee | NatureScot The report found, inter alia, that it is likely that “ red…
23 Mar 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider offering financial support to gamekeepers to help with conservation in order to tackle the reported decline in capercaillie numbers.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: The Scottish Government, it’s partners and agencies have funded actions to support capercaillie conservation across Scotland through a range of schemes. Funding has been awarded to estates as well as eNGO’s and individuals and we expect this to continue. Fun…
23 Mar 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of public value for money in funding RSPB Scotland's Abernethy National Nature Reserve, in light of the reported continued decline in capercaillie numbers.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: As I outlined in my response to S6W-07615 on 25 April 2022, funding allocated to Abernethy is for a range of purposes and is our assessment that this has been of value for money despite the decline in capercaillie numbers. While the status of the capercailli…
23 Mar 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much funding RSPB Scotland received annually, in each of the last five years, to manage the Abernethy National Nature Reserve.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: NatureScot’s investment in Abernethy over the past 3 years has principally been support through the Peatland Action Fund that is delivering SG objectives to tackle the twin crisis of climate change and biodiversity loss. A further project supported a number o…
23 Mar 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide data on capercaillie lek and brood counts from RSPB Scotland's Abernethy National Nature Reserve in each of the last five years.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: The Scottish Government does not hold this information.
10 Mar 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many tonnes of wrasse have been used by Scottish fish farms to tackle sea lice issues, in each of the last five years.
Answer · Clare Haughey: The Scottish Government does not hold all the data required to determine the tonnage of wrasse used by Scottish fish farms in the past 5 years. Wrasse used in Scottish aquaculture are sourced from hatcheries or from the wild. Information on the amount of ha…
9 Mar 2022 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the most recent Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service court backlog figures.
1 Mar 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much funding (a) it allocated to and (b) was distributed to successful grant applicants from the Croft House Grant scheme in each year from 2016 to 2022.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: Financial Year Budget Allocation Funding Distributed (£) 2016-17 £1.4m 679,568 2017-18 £2m 1,079,466 2018-19 £1.9m 1,272,058 2019-20 £1.9m 1,183,846 2020-21 £1.9m 1,123,231 2021-22 * £1.9m 886,120 * As at 8 March 2022. Funding under th…
1 Mar 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much funding (a) it allocated to and (b) was distributed to successful grant applicants from the Small Woodlands Loan Scheme in (i) 2021 and (ii) 2022.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: The Small Woodlands Loan Scheme was launched in March 2021 and currently there have been ten applications. One loan agreement has been agreed (allocated) and its Forestry Grant Scheme contract value was £40,859.60; a loan for £15,800 has been distributed to t…
1 Mar 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much funding (a) it allocated to and (b) was distributed to successful grant applicants from the Crofting Agricultural Grant Scheme in each year from 2016 to 2022.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: Financial Year Budget Allocation Funding Distributed (£) 2016-2017 £2 m 1,314,024.63 2017-2018 £2 m 2,735,856.73 2018-2019 £2 m 2,930,743.45 2019-2020 £2 m 3,487,571.21 2020-2021 £2 m 3,505,037.00 2021-2022 * £3.6 m 3,851,652.40 * As at…
1 Mar 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much funding (a) it allocated to and (b) was distributed to successful grant applicants from the Forestry Grant Scheme in each year from 2016 to 2022.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: The amount of funding allocated to, and paid to successful applicants to the Forestry Grant Scheme in each year from 2016 to 2021 is shown in Table 1. Claimed grant is normally lower than the total grant award as a result of contracts that were not delivered…
28 Feb 2022 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what support it is offering communities and organisations across Scotland to mark The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
24 Feb 2022 · SPCB Oral Question
To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB) whether the business case for the new Scottish Parliament website was presented to, and signed off by, the SPCB in the previous parliamentary session.
Answer · Christine Grahame (On Behalf of the SPCB): The project to put in place the new Parliament website was a significant and complex change project. The business case for the project was considered and agreed by officials on the Digital Strategy Board. This is the usual governance for digital projects un…
21 Feb 2022 · First Minister's Question
To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government’s response is to the recent report on the Scottish Crofting Commission.
16 Feb 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, under its plans for council tax rebates based on energy efficiency, whether farmers will be given separate consideration for ratings of private dwellings, such as farmhouses or cottages, which are included in the energy rating of the total farm business.
Answer · Tom Arthur: The Scottish Government currently has no plans to introduce new council tax rebates based on energy efficiency ratings for properties. Individual local authorities are required by section 80A of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 to establish their own ene…
16 Feb 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to create an emergency fund to support farmers and landowners in the wake of Storms Arwen, Barra and others to help with fallen forestry and damage to farm buildings.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: Scottish Government, and its forestry agency, Scottish Forestry (SF) has no plans to create an additional emergency fund to support farmers and landowners in the wake of storms, Arwen, Barra and others. SF already provides grants to manage existing woodlands …
16 Feb 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) applicants, (b) places and (c) successful course completions there were for all gamekeeping courses in Scotland in each year between 2007 and 2021.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: Scottish Government doesn’t have information on the number of applicants to game keeping courses, and we cannot provide a full picture for each year between 2007 and 2021. Information on enrolments and qualifiers at Scottish University is collected by the Hi…
16 Feb 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what animal welfare assessment it has undertaken regarding any stalking of pregnant hinds by Forestry and Land Scotland contractors.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: Forestry and Land Scotland continually carries out various assessments in regards to all of its deer culling activities. Any issues noted in regards to any deer’s health or welfare are recorded in their Wildlife Management System. Culling of pregnant hinds ca…
16 Feb 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to tackle the reported decline in wader populations, and how many it estimates have been lost in each year since 2007.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: The Scottish Government’s Agri-Environment Climate Scheme fund includes options to help support waders and has so far committed £38.8m that will directly benefit waders since the scheme opened in 2015. Working for Waders is a partnership project involving a …
16 Feb 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has consulted local deer management groups on being part of Forestry and Land Scotland’s deer management plans.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: Yes; Forestry and Land Scotland encourages local staff to be members of / engage with Deer Management Groups. Likewise Forestry and Land Scotland does discuss / consult with local DMG’s as to their land management objectives and associated plans.
16 Feb 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much deer fencing has been installed by Forestry and Land Scotland on new plantations in each of the last five years.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: Forestry and Land Scotland do not keep central records of the volume of deer fencing erected by year. The data held relates to annual expenditure on deer fencing on Scotland's national forests and land.
16 Feb 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it assesses public value for money of woodland and moorland schemes in terms of achieving (a) biodiversity, (b) climate change and (c) rural employment targets.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: All Forestry Grant Scheme applications are assessed according to the criteria set out in the guidance available at Scoring criteria and clearing process (ruralpayments.org) This includes value for money and compliance with the UK Forestry Standard, the gov…
16 Feb 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many gamekeeping courses there currently are at colleges in Scotland, and how many there have been in each year since 2007.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: The Scottish Government does not hold this information.
16 Feb 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to encourage (a) farmers and (b) landowners to plant more mixed woodland through government-funded schemes.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: Scottish Government, and its agency Scottish Forestry (SF), has established a Trees on Farms sub group in support of its Customer Representatives Group, with the aim of working collaboratively across the farming / landowner and forestry sector to develop impr…
16 Feb 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to provide support to increase the number of small mobile abattoirs in Scotland, in order to increase capacity for processing game and venison.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: Scottish Government considers there to be sufficient abattoir capacity in Scotland for farmed venison and flexibility to increase that capacity if required. For wild venison, £80,000 has been made available through the Covid Recovery Opportunities Fund to cre…
16 Feb 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much Forestry and Land Scotland has spent on deer stalking contractors for the management of deer populations on its land in each of the last five years.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: Over each of the last five years FLS has spent the following on deer culling contracts on Scotland's national forests and land: Financial Year Expenditure on Deer Culling Contracts (£) FY 16-17 £1.7M FY 17-18 £2.1M FY 18-19 £2.0M FY 19-20 £1.9M FY …
16 Feb 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will produce a venison strategy to promote Scottish venison domestically and internationally.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: Scotland already has “Beyond the Glen – a strategy for the Scottish Venison Sector to 2030”. This industry-led strategy commits to a range of actions including development of the supply chain and marketing. Scottish Government provides support to the sector…
16 Feb 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider allowing local professional and recreational deer stalkers to be a part of the Forestry and Land Scotland deer management plan.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: Local professional and recreational deer stalkers currently make a contribution to meeting Forestry and Land Scotland's cull targets, where this is appropriate to meet the land management objectives set by Forestry and Land Scotland. This is achieved through …
16 Feb 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has plans to revise and update the Scottish Outdoor Access Code, in light of a reported increase in livestock worrying incidents.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: There are no plans to review the Access Code. The Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 is clear that conduct excluded from access rights includes being on or crossing land while responsible for a dog which is not under proper control. The Access Code sets a balanc…
16 Feb 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when Skills Development Scotland will produce a new Skills Action Plan for Rural Scotland for 2022 and beyond.
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. An evaluation of the SAPRS is currently underway; it will be published in Summer 2022. Thi…