Chamber and committees

Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S5O-04543

Asked by: Claudia Beamish, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 August 2020
Current Status: Awaiting answer

To ask the Scottish Government what the revised delivery date for Carer's Allowance is and when the transfer of cases will take place.

Question reference: S5W-30719

Asked by: Claudia Beamish, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 30 July 2020

To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to establish sector-specific groups to address climate change challenges within agriculture, further to the establishment of the Suckler Beef Climate Group.

The Scottish Government is expecting the Suckler Beef Climate Group’s report later this year. Further consideration is being given to the options surrounding the establishment of other similar sector specific, farmer led groups during this unprecedented time. The Scottish Government is keen to ensure any groups have the resources available to them in order to maximise the value of their contribution moving forward.

Question reference: S5W-30716

Asked by: Claudia Beamish, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 30 July 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it has taken to support farmers and crofters to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.

We are supporting farmers, crofters and land managers to play their part in cutting emissions, addressing climate change as well as delivering wider bio-diversity and environmental benefits. A third of current CAP schemes including Greening, Agri-Environment Climate Scheme, Beef Efficiency Scheme and Forestry Grant Scheme are providing funding in this area.

Further support to promote low carbon farming is being provided through specific climate change initiatives, including Farming For A Better Climate, the Young Farmer Climate Champions and industry led programmes like the QMS/AHDB Monitor Farm Network.

We have also provided £40 million to establish the Agricultural Transformation Programme and legislated through the Climate Change Act to establish a whole farm approach to emissions accounting on Scottish farms and reduce their emissions.

Question reference: S5W-30718

Asked by: Claudia Beamish, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 30 July 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what specific measures it expects to fund through the Agricultural Transformation Programme.

Priorities for the Agricultural Transformation Programme funding were announced in the Programme for Government 2019-20. An initial award of £1.5 million has been allocated specifically for farmers and crofters to diversify into forestry. A number of other options are currently being considered including support and training for precision farming, the potential for scrappage schemes and energy efficient improvements for farm housing and we expect to provide further details in the coming weeks.

Question reference: S5W-30717

Asked by: Claudia Beamish, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 30 July 2020

To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to set out the progress it has made in developing an Agricultural Transformation Programme.

The key purpose of the Agricultural Transformation Programme is to promote long term change for the future and will need to take account of current support as well as the recommendations of groups such as the Farming and Food Production Future Policy Group. Details of the Programme are expected to be announced in the coming weeks. An initial award of £1.5 million has already been allocated to allow farmers and crofters to diversify into forestry, to establish new small-scale woodland and buy forestry and timber processing equipment.

Question reference: S5W-30780

Asked by: Claudia Beamish, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 17 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 27 July 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea advice that the Total Allowable Catch for North Sea cod should be set at no more than 14,755 tonnes.

The Scottish Government is committed to the sustainability of our seas, contributing to our communities’ economy and its environment. Last year North Sea Cod saw a 50% cut of the Total Allowable Catch (TAC) agreed at EU-Norway Negotiations. The advice for 2020 recommends a further reduction of 16.5%.

Marine Scotland officials are working closely with industry and NGO stakeholders to develop co-management responses to these challenges. Marine Scotland is consulting with Scottish stakeholders to establish a National Cod Avoidance Plan and using the best science available to recover this key stock. Not only are we planning to do this for the remainder of the year but also as we move into 2021 as an independent coastal state.

During the summer, Marine Scotland officials will work closely with industry and environmental stakeholders to develop our negotiating priorities and positions for this year’s end year negotiations on fishing opportunities.

North Sea Cod is a complex picture and it is highly likely that there is more than one stock present. The advice, however, assesses the entire North Sea whilst the reality is that the stock in Scottish waters, the Northern part of the North sea, is significantly healthier than this general advice, whilst the stocks in the Southern part of the North sea may actually be worse. Marine Scotland Science is working on trying to better understand this dynamic and what it would mean if acknowledged and factored into the ICES model that delivers the advice. We expect first results of this science work before the end of this year.

Question reference: S5W-30779

Asked by: Claudia Beamish, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 17 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 27 July 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea advice that the Total Allowable Catch for Rockall cod should be set at no more than 14 tonnes.

The Scottish Government is committed to the sustainability of our seas, contributing to our communities’ economy and its environment. During the summer, Marine Scotland officials will work closely with industry and environmental stakeholders to develop co-management responses to these challenges and inform our negotiating priorities and positions for this year’s end year negotiations on fishing opportunities.

Question reference: S5W-30315

Asked by: Claudia Beamish, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 June 2020
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 17 July 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management report, Guidance on Ecological Survey and Assessment in the UK During the Covid-19 Outbreak, will apply to Phase 2 of its route map to allow non-essential outdoor workplaces with physical distancing to resume once relevant guidance is agreed, or whether Scotland-specific information will now be provided for environmental monitoring.

The Scottish Government published guidance on 21 May to support safe outdoor working for the forestry sector and for a range of environmental management activity in Scotland, as part of supporting the restart of outdoor non-essential workplaces under Phase 1 of Scotland’s route map through and out of the crisis.

The guidance, which is available at the following link https://forestry.gov.scot/covid-19 sets out information and advice that can be used to protect workers carrying out outdoor work such as peatland restoration, wildlife and nature reserve management, and ecological surveys and research, under the broad heading of environmental management.

The section in the guidance that identifies sources of further information includes a reference to the Coronavirus (Covid-19) section of the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (CIEEM) Covid-19 website https://cieem.net/i-am/covid-19/ ). This advises members in Scotland to follow the safe working guidance and other guidelines set out by the Scottish Government.

Question reference: S5W-30008

Asked by: Claudia Beamish, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 19 June 2020
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 17 July 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports that the UK Government will not ask to protect food and environmental standards in its trade deal negotiations with the US, what plans it has to protect the (a) livelihoods of Scotland's farmers and (b) health of Scotland's consumers from any risk associated with possible import of cheap meat products.

The Scottish Government is clear that maintaining Scotland’s high food and environmental standards is of paramount importance, and that any trade deal not protecting these standards risks our reputation for provenance and quality. The NFU President Minette Batters recently stated that it would be “insane” to allow food onto our shelves, produced at a standard which is currently illegal in the UK” and we agree with that sentiment.

I have repeatedly raised the importance of Scotland’s globally recognised food safety and animal welfare standards not being sacrificed in order to secure trade deals with UK Government counterparts. Scottish Ministers have also repeatedly made the case to the UK Government that it should accept proposed amendments to the UK Agriculture Bill which would prohibit imports of agricultural and food products where the relevant standards are lower than those in the UK. It is deeply disappointing that the UK Government has refused to accept the opportunity to safeguard these standards in legislation. The Scottish Government believe that enshrining such safeguards in legislation is the only real way to guarantee standards in both current and future trade deals.

While leading trade negotiations is a reserved matter, Scottish Ministers are responsible for implementing international agreements. Within this context, the Scottish Government is using all available legislative avenues to ensure that our right to regulate is maintained and to protect both farmers and consumers. Through the Continuity bill, we are seeking to include provisions which will allow us to align Scottish law with EU law in areas of devolved competence, including on environmental, animal welfare, plant health and food standards. We will take every opportunity to ensure current standards are maintained and enhanced.

Question reference: S5W-30189

Asked by: Claudia Beamish, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 10 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 17 July 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of publication of the 2019 decision paper, Asset Replacement, by the Water Industry Commission for Scotland, what estimate SEPA made of the (a) carbon and other emissions that would be caused by the establishment of the £6 billion of additional assets envisaged in the strategy and (b) additional emissions arising from the maintenance of total assets then under management.