Finlay Carson

9 Jan 2024 · General Question

Withdrawn.

21 Dec 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-23367 by Mairi Gougeon on 18 December 2023, in light of the Scottish Budget for 2024-25 now being published, whether it will provide the information requested regarding what the eligibility criteria are for slurry storage grants under the new Agri-E…

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: Arrangements for the 2024 round of the Agri-environment Climate Scheme (AECS) are being finalised following the UK Government’s very disappointing Autumn Statement. An announcement on this matter will be made shortly when AECS 2024 opens for applications.

21 Dec 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether seaweed cultivation will be included under schedule 2 of the Marine Works (Environmental Impact Assessment) (Scotland) Regulations 2017.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: Construction of a seaweed farm is not considered to be a schedule 2 project under the Marine Works (Environmental Impact Assessment) (Scotland) Regulations 2017 and as such no Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) or EIA screening is currently required. Ther…

21 Dec 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it will require NatureScot to publish a guidance document on seaweed cultivation.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: NatureScot advise on marine environmental impacts of proposed seaweed farms in relation to protected features and have best practice advice included in their responses. These responses are written on a case-by case basis. The Scottish Government’s Vision fo…

21 Dec 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether the forthcoming Regional Marine Plans will be required to identify locations where seaweed cultivation is to be supported.

Answer · Mairi McAllan: The development of the marine planning framework will build on the existing consenting regime for aquaculture developments. Planning permission for finfish and shellfish farms are determined in accordance with National Planning Framework 4 and Scotland’s Nati…

21 Dec 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what pre-application consultation procedures relating to marine licensing of seaweed aquaculture will be introduced.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: Prospective applicants for marine licences for certain activities are required to carry out public pre-application consultation under the Marine Licensing (Pre-Application Consultation) (Scotland) Regulations 2013. The pre-application consultation process all…

21 Dec 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether local authorities will be statutory consultees in relation to the licensing of seaweed aquaculture in their areas.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: Seaweed aquaculture is subject to the requirements of Scotland’s National Marine Plan and is a licensable marine activity under the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010. A marine licence is therefore required for construction of a seaweed farm. The Scottish Government’…

21 Dec 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what public funding is currently available to support community-scale participation in the seaweed cultivation industry, and what additional funding might become available during this early development phase of the industry.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: In 2022-23 the Marine Fund Scotland (MFS) provided £370,000 to support processing and innovation in the seaweed industry. The MFS for 2023-24 is focused on supporting projects that deliver outcomes relating to Scotland's Blue Economy Vision , published in 2…

21 Dec 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what role local authorities will have in relation to the regulation of seaweed aquaculture in their area.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: Local authorities are a non-statutory consultee to the marine licence application determination process. This allows the local authority to make representations on any marine licence application for a proposed seaweed farm. The exception is in the case of Ma…

20 Dec 2023 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much it spent on the UCI World Cycling Championships in Glasgow in 2023.

13 Dec 2023 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the small business minister has had with ministerial colleagues regarding an assessment of the total number of self-catering properties in Scotland since the introduction of its short-term let licensing scheme.

6 Dec 2023 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on transport infrastructure projects in the south west.

29 Nov 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made to identify an alternative to using Asulox as a method of bracken control.

Answer · Lorna Slater: A number of alternative methods of control are available to aid bracken management depending on the intended outcome of a control strategy and the challenges that could be encountered. The Scottish Government will continue to support stakeholders by working …

28 Nov 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to Peatland ACTION projects, for what reason the prior information notice (PIN) process is used rather than the contract notice and contract award notice process.

Answer · Gillian Martin: The Prior Information Notice (PIN) process is used to give advance notice of projects to the sector and then this is followed by the contract notice and contract award notice process. Publishing a PIN is not a mandatory requirement, but it can alert the marke…

28 Nov 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much Peatland ACTION spent within Dumfries and Galloway in the current financial year, expressed both in monetary terms and as a percentage of overall spend.

Answer · Gillian Martin: Peatland ACTION has spent £56,800 towards physical restoration costs on projects within Dumfries and Galloway in this financial year. The total capital budget (not spend as that will be available once we complete the planned activities in this financial year)…

28 Nov 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what criteria Peatland ACTION uses to vet the design of peatland restoration plans.

Answer · Gillian Martin: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-23371 on 11 December 2023. 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…

28 Nov 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what process Peatland ACTION follows when vetting applicants for funding.

Answer · Gillian Martin: The Scottish Government funds five direct delivery partners to carry out peatland restoration projects through the Peatland ACTION partnership - NatureScot, Forestry and Land Scotland, Cairngorms National Park Authority, Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Par…

28 Nov 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of NatureScot's budget attributed to peatland restoration is delivered via Peatland ACTION projects.

Answer · Gillian Martin: 100%. NatureScot deliver all their peatland restoration works via Peatland Action projects.  

28 Nov 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what criteria Peatland ACTION uses for selecting contractors in relation to peatland restoration.

Answer · Gillian Martin: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-23371 on 11 December 2023. 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…

28 Nov 2023 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to accelerate new woodland creation in order to meet its targets.

28 Nov 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the eligibility criteria are for slurry storage grants under the new Agri-Environment Climate Scheme, which is due to open in early 2024, in light of reports that if a holding or farm has been in receipt of a grant in the past then it is ineligible.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: Final decisions for AECS 2024 will be made available once the full details of the SG budget allocations for financial year 2024-25 is available.

21 Nov 2023 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what funding it is providing for regeneration and economic renewal projects in the south of Scotland.

20 Nov 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on when the ripening and spawning season for razor clams takes place in Scottish waters.

Answer · Gillian Martin: As part of the scientific trial on electrofishing for razor clams, the Scottish Government has collected biological information related to the species. This has included live samples of razor clams which have been analysed to determine sex, stage of maturity,…

20 Nov 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to amend the current scientific trial regarding razor clams to include a closed season during their ripening and spawning season in Scottish waters.

Answer · Gillian Martin: An aim of the Scottish Government's scientific trial is to put in place appropriate regulatory arrangements to help ensure a sustainable fishery. Officials are considering options for management measures, informed by scientific findings, and will engage with…

8 Nov 2023 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the role that peatland plays in climate change mitigation and adaptation.

1 Nov 2023 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the second Strategic Transport Projects Review in relation to projects in the south of Scotland.

23 Oct 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the suitability of the current Residential Visual Amenity Assessment distance of 3km for onshore wind farm developments, in light of the height of turbines now regularly being above 150m and, therefore, the distance that these developments have an impact re…

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: All applications are subject to site-specific assessments. National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) states that potential impacts on communities, nature and other receptors will be important considerations in the decision-making process. NPF4 Policy 11 requires p…

23 Oct 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the appropriateness of requiring 2km between wind turbines and settlement boundaries, in light of the height of wind turbine developments now regularly being above 150m, and what its position is on whether this distance should be increased where turbines ar…

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: All applications are subject to site-specific assessments, recognising the different circumstances of individual development proposals, sites and wider locations. National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) states that, when considering development proposals for ren…

10 Oct 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to reducing forestry grants in any areas where high demand for land for forestry has substantially increased land prices and, due to the availability of private investment, reduced the need for government support.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: Private investment has always been a critical element of woodland creation delivery with public investment through grant support being necessary to reduce the up-front costs, given the long period before financial returns from forestry. Land prices and the fi…

5 Oct 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding any potential impact on the health and wellbeing of people in Scotland, particularly people experiencing poverty, what its position is on the objectives of the Broadcast 2040+ campaign to guarantee the future of free-to-air terrestrial TV and radio services beyond the current …

Answer · Angus Robertson: The Scottish Government is supportive of the view, set out in the Broadcast 2040+ Campaign, that audiences should continue to have access to the high-quality broadcast TV and radio services they rely on. In response to a letter from members of the Campaign, I…