Questions and answers

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 ��˿�� 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: S5F-01235

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 28 April 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 3 May 2017

To ask the First Minister how the High Court of Justice decision to order the UK Government to publish its air pollution strategy impacts on Scotland.

Question reference: S5W-08388

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 24 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 27 April 2017

To ask the Scottish Government under what circumstances (a) the Scottish Ministers and (b) another Scottish authority might be considered a competent authority for ship-to-ship transfers for the purposes of Regulation 48A of the Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c.) Regulations 1994.

All matters relating to ship-to-ship transfers are reserved to the UK Government, and the Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c.) Regulations 1994 (as amended) do not apply to reserved matters. The Scottish Government has requested on a number of occasions for these powers to be devolved, or at the least for the Secretary of State for Transport to name the Scottish Government as a formal consultation body under Section 2 of the Merchant Shipping (Ship to Ship) Regulations 2010.

Question reference: S5W-08967

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 April 2017
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 27 April 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how many permissions to fish for razor clams there are.

Question reference: S5W-08973

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 April 2017
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 27 April 2017

To ask the Scottish Government whether an environmental impact assessment or, where applicable, an appropriate assessment will be undertaken for the study areas prior to the controlled trial of electrofishing for razor clams.

Question reference: S5W-08966

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 April 2017
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 27 April 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what research into the longer-term impacts of electrofishing will be carried out, in accordance with the recommendation of its 2014 study into the short-term effects.

Question reference: S5W-08972

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 April 2017
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 27 April 2017

To ask the Scottish Government whether a stock assessment will be conducted prior to the controlled trial of electrofishing for razor clams, and whether it will include (a) measures of spawning stock biomass, (b) population structure and (c) recruitment by scientific evaluation, or whether it will be an exclusively fisheries-dependent assessment, based on landings, conducted during the course of the fishing trials.

Question reference: S5W-08968

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 April 2017
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 27 April 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made with the identification of the geographical study areas to be used for the controlled trial of electrofishing for razor clams, and what their locations are.

The Scottish Government is consulting with a range of interested parties about the selection of areas where trials of electrofishing for razors will be undertaken. No decision has been taken yet about which areas will be selected. The Government will consult with relevant statutory authorities, including Scottish Natural Heritage and Food Standards Scotland. The Government will also consult with regional Inshore Fisheries Groups, Fishermen's Associations and interested individual fishermen, and will take into account further representations from any persons in the areas of proposed trial areas, in addition to those received during the recent public consultation about razor fishing.

The Government will undertake any statutory assessments of proposed trial areas that are considered necessary, including "appropriate assessments" under the EU's Birds and Habitats Directives. Trial areas will also be surveyed for stock abundance under standard scientific protocols, prior to the commencement of commercial trial activity, but it is expected that survey information will also be supplemented by that gathered by fishermen during the trial. The Government will also consider what steps might be appropriate, among other marine science priorities, to undertake research into any long term effects of electrofishing for Razor Clams.

No decision has been taken yet about the duration of trials. This will be considered once areas have been selected.

It is not possible at present to estimate the number of vessels that will take part in the trial, as this will depend on the trial areas selected and consideration of an appropriate extraction rate. Fishing vessels will be selected following an application process that will be open to all vessels.

Question reference: S5W-08970

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 April 2017
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 27 April 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how long the controlled trial of electrofishing for razor clams is expected to last.

Question reference: S5W-08389

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 24 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 26 April 2017

To ask the Scottish Government which public bodies provide nature conservation advice regarding proposals for ship-to-ship transfers in Scotland.

Question reference: S5W-08390

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 24 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 26 April 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what role Scottish Natural Heritage has in proposals for ship-to-ship transfers.

Section 2 of The Merchant Shipping (Ship-to-Ship Transfers) Regulations 2010, as amended, define Scottish Natural Heritage as the only consultation body providing nature conservation advice in Scottish waters on ship to ship transfers. Schedule 2 of those Regulations require the Secretary of State for Transport to have regard to any representation made by a consultation body when reaching a licence decision.