- Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 06 February 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 19 February 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to promote Scottish seafood exports in emerging markets across the Middle East.
Answer
Through the work of the Scottish Government funded Scotland Food & Drink Export plan, Scottish Development International (SDI) will be organising a learning journey to Saudi Arabia & Qatar for Scottish food & drink companies later in 2025, including those in the seafood sector, who are looking to enter or grow their business in the Middle East region.
The purpose of the mission will be to raise the ambition of the companies and their awareness of the opportunities in these emerging markets, as well as help them to identify routes to market. SDI will be arranging a programme of activity that will include attending in-market events, stakeholder/meet-the-buyer meetings and receptions that will allow companies to showcase their products.
More generally, SDI and Seafood Scotland will continue to work with key partners to monitor any potential emerging opportunities for Scottish Seafood companies in the Middle East.
- Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 February 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Fairlie on 18 February 2025
To ask the Scottish Government who the members are of the Wildlife and Species Forum; on what date the Forum will next meet, and how many meetings are scheduled for the next 12 months.
Answer
Membership of the Strategic Wildlife and Species Land Managers Forum (SWSLM Forum) is made up of representatives from the main public and private organisations that have a role in managing wildlife. However the constitution of the group may change on a meeting-by-meeting basis to reflect the subjects on the agenda. The initial membership of the SWSLM Forum consists of the following organisations:
- Scottish Government
- British Association for Shooting and Conservation
- National Farmers Union Scotland
- National Trust for Scotland
- NatureScot
- Royal Society for the Protection for Birds
- Scottish Gamekeepers Association
- Scottish Land and Estates
- Scottish Countryside Alliance
- Scottish Wildlife Trust
- Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust
The next meeting of the SWSLM Forum is scheduled to take place on Thursday 3 April 2025. The intention is that the Forum will then meet every three months.
- Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 30 January 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 13 February 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the publication of the Subsidy Advice Unit Report on the proposed subsidy to CalMac Ferries Limited on 17 December 2024 by the Competition and Markets Authority, whether Transport Scotland will undertake a route by route assessment explaining whether any level of service could be commercially provided.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to the question S6W-33834 on 13 February 2025. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at /chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers
- Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 30 January 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 13 February 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the publication of the Subsidy Advice Unit Report on the proposed subsidy to CalMac Ferries Limited on 17 December 2024 by the Competition and Markets Authority, whether Transport Scotland will undertake any further diligence work to ensure that the direct award of the Clyde and Hebridean Ferry Service to CalMac satisfies all of the areas for improvement identified within the report.
Answer
We welcome the publication of the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) report, which is advisory in nature. Transport Scotland officials are considering the report in detail and will then take forward the recommendations where required. Scottish Minsters have been clear on the operational, resilience, value for money and efficiency benefits of operating the Clyde and Hebridean Ferry Service (CHFS) network as a whole, and this remains the intent.
- Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 30 January 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 13 February 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the publication of the Subsidy Advice Unit Report on the proposed subsidy to CalMac Ferries Limited on 17 December 2024 by the Competition and Markets Authority, whether Transport Scotland will (a) explain and (b) evidence whether bundling the network ensures that the subsidy is proportionate to the policy objective and limited to the minimum necessary, which could include cost modelling of unbundled routes, which might permit more efficient business models.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to the question S6W-33834 on 13 February 2025. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at /chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers
- Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 30 January 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 13 February 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the publication of the Subsidy Advice Unit Report on the proposed subsidy to CalMac Ferries Limited on 17 December 2024 by the Competition and Markets Authority, whether Transport Scotland will (a)
explain and (b) evidence for what reason an open competitive tender would not
allow the policy objective to be met with a lower level of subsidy.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to the question S6W-33834 on 13 February 2025. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at /chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers
- Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 30 January 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Paul McLennan on 7 February 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a list of postcode areas that would be eligible for house building through funding from the Islands Housing Fund.
Answer
The Rural and Islands Housing Fund operates in categories 4, 5 and 6 of the six-fold urban rural classification. We do not publish a list of postcode areas and applicants can check if a proposed project is located within an eligible area by using the National Records of Scotland’s Scottish Postcode Directory (SPD) at
National Records of Scotland publishes an updated SPD every six months and an update is planned for publication in March 2025.
- Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 30 January 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Paul McLennan on 7 February 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a list of postcode areas that would be eligible for house building through funding from the Rural Housing Fund.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-34306 on 7 February 2025. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at /chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers
- Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 30 January 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Paul McLennan on 7 February 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a list of postcode areas that would be eligible for house building through funding from the Rural Affordable Homes for Key Workers Fund.
Answer
The Rural Affordable Homes for Key Workers Fund operates in categories 4, 5 and 6 of the six-fold urban rural classification. We do not publish a list of postcode areas and applicants can check if a proposed project is located within an eligible area by using the National Records of Scotland’s Scottish Postcode Directory (SPD) at
National Records of Scotland publishes an updated SPD every six months and an update is planned for publication in March 2025.
- Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 24 January 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 6 February 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how many people were prosecuted on the suspicion of committing an offence listed in the Conservation of Salmon (Prohibition of Sale) (Scotland) Regulations 2002 in each year since 2021.
Answer
There were no prosecutions under the Conservation of Salmon (Prohibition of Sale) (Scotland) Regulations 2002, where main crime, between 2021-22 and 2022-23.