Questions and answers

Question reference: S6W-35998

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 21 March 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 4 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the use of so-called "fire-and-rehire" practices in the public sector in Scotland, in light of the proposed Employment Rights Bill by the UK Government.

Question reference: S6W-36017

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 21 March 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 4 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many sites have been identified in a pipeline of new receptor sites for beaver management translocations, and how many beavers each receptor site is likely to accommodate.

Question reference: S6W-36018

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 21 March 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 4 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the NatureScot report, Scotland's Beaver Strategy 2022-2045, how it will maintain the supply of sites for beaver translocation.

Question reference: S6W-36000

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 21 March 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 4 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what communications it has had with the (a) UK Government and (b) Maritime and Coastguard Agency regarding any environmental impact on Scotland of the recent collision in the North Sea between an oil tanker and a cargo ship.

Question reference: S6W-36021

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 21 March 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 4 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether in applications for (a) lethal control and (b) trap and removal licences for beavers, evidence is required to prove that alternative mitigation options have been tried but deemed unsuccessful.

Question reference: S6W-36016

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 21 March 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 4 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether its approach to issuing lethal control licences for beaver mitigation is consistent with the approach that it uses for licensing lethal control for other European protected species.

Question reference: S6W-35623

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 20 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-32232 by Gillian Martin on 19 December 2024, what consideration it has given to (a) fisheries management and (b) the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010 with regard to the National Marine Plan 2.

Marine Planning in Scotland’s waters is governed by two Acts – the UK Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 and the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010. Together these set out the requirement for the development of marine plans.

A Planning Position Statement for NMP2 was published in November and covers how the requirements of the Marine Acts and other relevant legislation are being considered in the development of NMP2, as well as the initial thinking on policy direction for NMP2.

The responses to the consultation on the Planning Position Statement are currently being considered, and these stakeholder perspectives alongside the policies established in the fisheries management strategy and fisheries management plans, will inform the development of the NMP2.

Question reference: S6W-35302

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 12 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an estimate of the total fees that will be paid to Crown Estate Scotland by the developers for the 50-year lease for the Inch Cape Offshore Wind Farm site.

Question reference: S6W-35307

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 12 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Crown Estate Scotland regarding employment conditions in the supply chain for the Inch Cape Offshore Wind Farm.

While Scottish Government officials regularly engage with Crown Estate Scotland, which administers seabed leasing for offshore wind and sets the terms of those leases, employment conditions in the supply chain for the Inch Cape Offshore Wind Farm have not been discussed specifically.

Although employment law is reserved, we will continue to use the levers at our disposal to promote fair work practices across the labour market in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-35303

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 12 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it is having with the UK Government regarding (a) trade union recognition and (b) the application of the national minimum wage in the maritime supply chain for the Inch Cape Offshore Wind Farm.

Employment and industrial relations legislation is reserved to the UK Parliament. While this remains the case, the Scottish Government will continue to use our Fair Work policy to drive up labour market standards for workers across the Scottish labour market.

Ministers are clear that the best way to protect Scotland’s workers is by devolving employment law. However, Ministers welcome the UK Government’s Employment Rights Bill and continue to work with them to ensure it has a positive impact across Scotland.

There have been no discussions with the UK Government specifically regarding trade union recognition or the application of the national minimum wage in the maritime supply chain for the Inch Cape Offshore Wind Farm.

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