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: S6W-16671

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 03 April 2023
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 25 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to protect biodiversity in Scottish waters from the invasive signal crayfish species.

A review of distribution and management options for American signal crayfish in Scotland was carried out under the . This concluded that introductions of this invasive species can lead to permanent, adverse, changes in the ecology of fresh waters and that awareness and prevention are key elements for control of this species.

Control and eradication using biocides is expensive and only possible in enclosed water bodies, such as ponds, while conventional control measures for signal crayfish, such as trapping, are ineffective. The uncontrolled use of traps is likely to result in the spread of this species to new areas, therefore the trapping of signal crayfish is not permitted in Scotland for control or consumption. This position was reached as a result of the evidence gathered in relation to , in 2015, which concluded that allowing commercial trapping of signal crayfish, even as a control measure, is likely to lead to the expansion of its range.

An unintended consequence of selective harvesting is the increased growth and earlier maturation of juvenile crayfish, which can cause the population to increase. Maintenance of strict licensing controls and improved surveillance for illegal harvesting activity are essential. The keeping and movement of signal crayfish is prohibited in Scotland, except for authorised surveys or research, and can be prosecuted as a criminal offence. Scottish agencies work with Police Scotland whenever there are reports of illegal activity.

In 2019 SEPA entered into a Species Control Agreement with Forestry and Land Scotland to ensure biosecurity is enacted in all forestry activities in the Galloway Forest area, where a high risk of spreading signal crayfish within and out of the area had been identified.

Agencies such as SEPA and NatureScot also work with partners to promote biosecurity good practice through the campaign to prevent the spread of all invasive non-native species; key partners in this are Fishery Trusts, Boards and Foundations, the Scottish Canoe Association, Scottish Canals and the Royal Yachting Association.

Question reference: S6W-16674

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 03 April 2023
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 24 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what testing it plans to carry out of its proposed new tiered system of agricultural support, prior to its full roll-out.

The Scottish Government is committed to a service design approach to policy making involving user-centred co-development. Appropriate testing and measurement will be applied at each stage of development and following implementation of measures to evaluate their ease, cost and impact against the outcomes of the Scottish Government’s Vision for Agriculture.

Examples underway this month include testing the published on 10 February directly with farmers who engaged in the . This is being done through interviews conducted by professional researchers to understand how stakeholders view the measures and their applicability within future agricultural support mechanisms as well as areas for improvement.

Question reference: S6W-16666

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 03 April 2023
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 24 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what the uptake of the National Test Programme has been in 2023 to date.

Question reference: S6W-16670

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 03 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 24 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on any contingency plans that have been created in the event that avian flu starts infecting mammals in Scotland, in light of reports that avian flu is killing thousands of sea lions in Peru.

Avian influenza in mammals is a notifiable disease and Scottish Ministers have powers to investigate and control the potential spread of influenza of avian origin in non-avian species.

The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) routinely undertakes diagnostic testing of wild animals found dead under the GB wildlife surveillance scheme. Retrospective and active testing of samples has enabled us to identify and observe clinical signs of influenza of avian origin in mammals and to share this information with official veterinarians to increase their awareness. Samples taken as part of this scheme, since October 2021, have detected the presence of H5N1 influenza in a total of 23 mammals in the UK, of which 5 were detected in Scotland. The detection of the virus does not mean that it was the cause of death of these animals.

The Scottish Government regularly exercises our response to disease outbreaks in collaboration with operational partners and public health colleagues across Great Britain. This includes our response to avian influenza in both birds and mammals.

The infection of mammals with influenza of avian origin remains uncommon, including in humans. Avian influenza viruses remain predominantly a pathogen that affects birds, and globally, given the huge number of kept and wild birds that have been infected, only a small number of findings of naturally acquired Influenza A(H5N1) infections in mammals have been reported.

Question reference: S6W-16665

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 03 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 20 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what criteria it will use to determine where Highly Protected Marine Areas will be situated.

Our seas must remain a source of economic prosperity for the nation, especially in our remote, coastal and island communities. We are determined that those who may be affected by these proposals are involved from the outset.

The proposed criteria by which Highly Protected Marine Area (HPMA) site proposals will be developed are set out in our draft , which were published on 12 December 2022. These have been produced jointly by our statutory nature advisors, NatureScot and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC).

The approach we have taken to the process is to involve stakeholders from the outset, by consulting at the earliest possible stage before any site selection and implementation. We want the site selection process to be based on established principles, allowing for participation at every step and to be part of a just transition, with meaningful community engagement. The consultation on our overall approach to HPMAs, including the proposed criteria for determining where sites will be, closed on 17 April. We are currently analysing the responses we have received and will be carefully considering the feedback provided.

Question reference: S6O-02145

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 April 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many police stations have been closed down in the area covered by Police Scotland’s North East division since the force’s foundation in 2013.

Question reference: S6W-16322

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 18 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether the level of information required from third sector organisations for grant applications has increased compared with previous years, and, if so, what the reasons are for this, and what consideration it has given to the ability of these organisations to access funding.

Question reference: S6W-16260

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 17 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many schools are currently mothballed, broken down by local authority area.

The Scottish Government does not routinely collect data on mothballed schools in Scotland. The Scottish Government does collect data from local authorities in order to collate a list of schools regarded as rural for the purposes of the Schools (Consultation)(Scotland) Act 2010. The most recent rural schools list was published on 25 October 2021 - . The rural schools list includes those schools the relevant local authority has mothballed. The 2021 rural schools list shows that 21 schools were reported as being mothballed. The following table shows how many rural schools are mothballed by local authority area.

Local Authority	Number of schools reported as being mothballed
Aberdeenshire	4
Argyll & Bute	2
Dumfries & Galloway	1
Eilean Siar	2
Falkirk	2
Fife	1
Highland	4
Moray	1
Scottish Borders	1
Shetland Islands	2
Stirling	1

The Scottish Government has published statutory guidance on the Schools (Consultation)(Scotland) Act 2010 - - which includes reference to mothballed schools and sets out the circumstances in which schools may be mothballed and when local authorities should consider whether to consult on their permanent closure.

Assessing the impact of mothballing a school on affected pupils is the responsibility of the relevant local authority. If a local authority proposes to permanently close a school they must undertake a full consultation in line with the requirements of the Schools (Consultation)(Scotland) Act 2010 and statutory guidance, including consulting with affected pupils.

Question reference: S6W-16259

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 17 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of pupils in rural schools undertake a college course at school compared with those in urban schools.

Question reference: S6W-16189

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 17 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what date it anticipates that the public consultation on the revised Relationships, Sexual Health and Parenthood (RSHP) teaching guidance will be launched.