Questions and answers

Question reference: S5W-17005

Asked by: Graeme Dey, MSP for Angus South, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 31 May 2018
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 7 June 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Food Supply Chain Manifesto, which calls on the UK Government to guarantee continued access to permanent and seasonal workers for the farming and food production sector.

Reducing access to labour and skills by ending free movement will damage businesses in every sector of the economy in Scotland, and Scottish Ministers are clear that we need a solution for future migration that meets the needs of the agriculture sector.

However, evidence published by the Migration Advisory Committee shows that every sector of the economy - agriculture and fisheries, tourism and culture, healthcare and education - faces labour and skills challenges due to Brexit. We therefore need a migration system which meets the needs of all sectors of the economy, and we need an approach which is simple for employers and individuals to navigate and is flexible enough to meet changing needs.

Most importantly though we need the UK Government to start engaging on this issue. We have set out this Government’s position on the benefits of free movement of people and the need for new powers for the Scottish Parliament on migration. UK Ministers should now meet with the Scottish Government to discuss how we develop solutions tailored to Scotland’s needs.

Question reference: S5W-16960

Asked by: Graeme Dey, MSP for Angus South, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 May 2018
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 31 May 2018

To ask the Scottish Government when the annual progress report on the Scottish Climate Change Adaptation Programme will be published.

The Scottish Government published its fourth Climate Change Adaptation Annual Report today.

The Report sets out the context for climate adaptation in Scotland, highlighting that we are already experiencing climate change, that there are a range of future risks and opportunities, and that we have a developing evidence base that is informing action.

The Report provides a summary of the core content of the Programme, the highlights to date, and the findings of the first Independent Assessment of the Programme in 2016. Finally, this Report refers to the development of Scotland’s second five-year Adaptation Programme which is to be published in 2019.

The Fourth Annual Report highlights include the latest on flood management, the Peatland ACTION Fund, the new Climate Change Plan’s commitments on woodland creation, the Fourth UK Forestry Standard 2017, a new Centre of Expertise in Plant Health launched in February 2018, Scotland’s National Coastal Change Assessment, Historic Environment Scotland’s climate change risk assessment, Green Infrastructure Fund, A82 Steep Ground Harvesting Project, Edinburgh Adapts, Aberdeen Adapts, Climate Ready Business, NHS Scotland Climate Change Risk Assessment Tool, and the third European Climate Change Adaptation Conference held in Glasgow.

Copies of the Annual Report have been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre, laying number SG/2018/74.

Question reference: S5O-02139

Asked by: Graeme Dey, MSP for Angus South, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 May 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 24 May 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what impact the introduction of average speed cameras on the A90 has had on road safety between Dundee and Aberdeen.

Question reference: S5W-15933

Asked by: Graeme Dey, MSP for Angus South, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 April 2018
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 18 April 2018

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish its guidance regarding engaging communities in decisions relating to land, as required under Part 4 of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2016.

Question reference: S5W-15699

Asked by: Graeme Dey, MSP for Angus South, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 March 2018
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 29 March 2018

To ask the Scottish Government when the Scottish Land Commission will lay its revised Programme of Work in the Parliament.

The Scottish Land Commission will lay its revised Programme of Work in Parliament today, in advance of the first anniversary of the Commission’s establishment on 1 April. Extensive engagement and scoping work in the last six months has enabled the Commission to more sharply focus the Programme of Work to ensure the most positive impact in the short and long term. Copies have been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre, laying number SG/2018/35.

Question reference: S5O-01944

Asked by: Graeme Dey, MSP for Angus South, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 March 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 March 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that any additional funding it provides to councils for specific purposes is used in that way.

Question reference: S5O-01810

Asked by: Graeme Dey, MSP for Angus South, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 February 2018
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 21 February 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what further measures it is considering to address the persecution of birds of prey.

I was extremely concerned to hear about the recent disappearance of a satellite tagged golden eagle in the Pentland Hills. While we may never know exactly what happened to this bird, the circumstances are clearly suspicious. This is especially true when taken in the context of the satellite tagging report that I commissioned and was published last May. This showed that around one third of tagged eagles have disappeared in similar circumstances with many on or near driven grouse moors.

Since the report was published we have set up a review group to examine how we can ensure grouse moor management is sustainable and compliant with the law. The group, which will also consider possible regulatory options including licensing, met for the first time last month and will report back to me in Spring 2019. I await their findings with great interest.

I am also pleased to say that we are supporting a new Police Wildlife Crime Investigative Support Officer post which has now been filled. This officer will bring expertise to wildlife crime investigations across Scotland. We also expect shortly to launch a pilot project to use Special Constables to tackle wildlife crime in the Cairngorms National Park. These new measures build upon existing work, and demonstrate our commitment to put a stop to the wildlife crime that still occurs in parts of our countryside.

Question reference: S5O-01617

Asked by: Graeme Dey, MSP for Angus South, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 December 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 20 December 2017

To ask the Scottish Government when it will bring forward legislation regarding the reintroduction of beavers.

Question reference: S5W-13050

Asked by: Graeme Dey, MSP for Angus South, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 6 December 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding Dundee's 2023 European capital of culture bid.

I have spoken to Dundee City Council’s Leader to offer my full support and I have written to the UK Government and European Commission to understand the potential implications of this situation and to establish what action needs to be taken in order to address it. My officials are in regular contact with the UK Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and Dundee’s bid team about this.

Question reference: S5O-01570

Asked by: Graeme Dey, MSP for Angus South, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 6 December 2017

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the work of the Poverty and Inequality Commission.

The Commission was fully operational eight weeks after launch, with a full complement of commissioners from a range of expert perspectives, and is now supported by its own independent secretariat. The Commission has been tasked to advise Ministers on its child poverty delivery plan and is hard at work on that, while also beginning to develop its longer term work programme.

To date the Commission have held three meetings; minutes of these meetings are currently being published through the Scottish Government website ahead of the Commissions dedicated web presence being established early in the new year.

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