- Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Alasdair Allan on 22 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its Freedom of Information response of 28 February 2025 stating that no renewable energy projects have been rejected, what steps it is taking to ensure that public consultation processes are given due consideration.
Answer
It is not accurate to state that no renewable energy projects have been rejected.
To clarify, the Environment Information Request response of 28 February 2025 to which the question referred, noted that, of the 7 renewable energy applications received by the Energy Consents Unit in the Scottish Borders local authority area, all were approved.
Other applications for developments located elsewhere in Scotland have been rejected during this time.
When an application is received, a full public consultation is carried out. Scottish Ministers invite representations from members of the public, appropriate community councils and other public bodies, seeking their expertise to assist in examining applications.
The decision whether to grant consent is taken only after careful consideration of environmental information, consultee responses and public representations.
- Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Alasdair Allan on 22 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide the criteria for approving or rejecting renewable energy applications, in light of its Freedom of Information response of 28 February 2025 stating that 100% of proposals between 2020 and 2025 have been approved.
Answer
It is not accurate to state that 100% of proposals between 2020 and 2025 have been approved.
To clarify, the Environment Information Request response of 28 February 2025 to which the question referred, noted that, of the 7 renewable energy applications received by the Energy Consents Unit in the Scottish Borders local authority area, all were approved.
Other applications for developments located elsewhere in Scotland have been rejected during this time.
The decision whether to grant consent is taken only after careful consideration of environmental information, consultee responses and public representations.
- Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Alasdair Allan on 22 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has any plans to reintroduce lynx into Scotland, and, if so, what assessment it has made of any potential impact that this would have on rural communities and livestock.
Answer
The Scottish Government has no plans to reintroduce lynx or any other large carnivorous species into Scotland.
Neither the Scottish Government, nor NatureScot, have carried out any formal assessment of any potential impact that lynx would have on rural communities and livestock in Scotland given our position on the matter.
Any proposed lynx reintroduction would require a significant amount of consultation, as well as evidence to assess the risks and benefits associated. Ensuring that the views of those who would be most affected are fully taken into account is a priority for NatureScot and the Scottish Government.
- Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 22 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how local communities living in the vicinity of the proposed Cross Border Connection development by SP Energy Networks are being involved in the decision-making process.
Answer
Currently no application for the Cross Border Connection has been submitted to Scottish Ministers by SP Energy Networks (SPEN), and it is important to note that proposals can change significantly during the development phase. As such, it is not appropriate for the Scottish Government to comment on potential projects, so as not to interfere with or prejudice any decisions on projects that may come before Scottish Ministers for determination.
It is the responsibility of the Transmission Owner, in this case SPEN, to analyse the impact of their proposals and ensure the views of local communities and the relevant statutory and local bodies are fully considered as the plans develop. I would encourage anyone with views on the proposals to submit them to SPEN directly as part of this process.
Any proposals that do come forward will be subject to robust planning and consenting processes. Scotland has some of the most stringent environmental impact assessment regulations anywhere in the world, and our planning and consenting systems ensure that local communities can have their say. Our fourth National Planning Framework ensures that potential impacts on communities, nature and cultural heritage, including cumulative effects, are important considerations in the decision-making process.
- Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Alasdair Allan on 22 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to introduce an upper limit on the proportion of land allocated to large-scale renewable energy projects in order to preserve agricultural land, in light of the reported economic importance of farming to the Scottish Borders economy.
Answer
The Scottish Government values our land for its multiple uses, which include food production, nature restoration, energy security and to our economy.
Many large-scale renewable energy projects lease the land where they are sited. Land managers will have site specific insights on how land is best used given its location, local demands and economic returns.
To deliver our Vision for Agriculture, we want to ensure that farming across Scotland continues sustainably into the future, by shifting to low carbon sustainable farming by producing high-quality food for the nation. While also using our land in alternative ways to help contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and delivering increased biodiversity and wider environmental benefits.
- Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 07 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Neil Gray on 22 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how much is currently owed to it in total in brokerage by each NHS board.
Answer
The amount of brokerage owed by each NHS Board is outlined in the following table:
NHS Boards | Brokerage owed at FY 2023-24 (£000) |
|
NHS Ayrshire & Arran | 78,500 |
NHS Borders | 35,533 |
NHS Dumfries & Galloway | 32,300 |
NHS Fife | 23,743 |
NHS Grampian | 24,800 |
NHS Highland | 56,772 |
NHS Orkney | 5,156 |
NHS Tayside | 25,700 |
Total | 282,504 |
- Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Alasdair Allan on 22 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its Freedom of Information response of 28 February 2025 stating that there has been a threefold increase in renewable energy applications since 2020, what its position is on whether such an increase is necessary to meet the energy demands of the Scottish Borders.
Answer
The Scottish Government has no powers to influence grid management in Scotland as legislation and regulations relating to gas and electricity networks are reserved to the UK Government. The independent system operator, National Energy System Operator (NESO), is responsible for strategic planning and the day-to-day operation to balance the supply and demand of the electricity network, working with all network companies across Great Britain.
- Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 07 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Neil Gray on 22 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether brokerage will be available to any NHS board in 2025-26.
Answer
Alan Gray, Director of Health and Social Care Finance, wrote to Chief Executives of NHS Scotland on 04 December 2024 to provide the details of the indicative funding settlement for NHS Boards in the Scottish Government Budget 2025-26.
The letter confirmed that brokerage would not be available for 2025-26 and that NHS Boards would be expected to work towards a break-even trajectory in their three-year financial plans.
Following submission of three-year plans, Boards who are not anticipating to breakeven have been required to submit recovery plans for 2025-26 to achieve set levels of overspend. Should these not be agreed, these boards will be required to seek authority from the Scottish Government to spend above agreed levels.
NHS Board overspends in 2025-26, up to and inclusive of the agreed levels, are not repayable and will not be included in historic cumulative brokerage levels. For NHS Boards who are forecasting breakeven positions in their financial plan, no deficit is permitted and any overspend will be included as an overspend in their financial statements.
- Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Alasdair Allan on 22 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, further to its Freedom of Information response of 28 February 2025, for what reason there has been a consistent rise in renewable energy applications in recent years.
Answer
There has been a consistent rise in applications due to increased demand from developers seeking consent to build renewable energy developments in Scotland.
- Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 April 2025
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 23 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, regarding any implications for its work on tackling rural crime and preventing the theft and resale of machinery in Scotland, when it was first made aware of the proposals for the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Act 2023, which applies to England and Wales.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 23 April 2025
