Questions and answers

Question reference: S6W-21400

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 18 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 25 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what it means by “efficiencies” when it refers to Tier 3 payments, as stated in the consultation on the proposed Agriculture Bill.

Question reference: S6W-21169

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 11 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 22 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many deer there are in Scotland.

The review of deer management by the independent Deer Working Group (DWG) found that deer populations in Scotland have grown significantly since 1990, when the population estimate was approximately 512,000 wild deer. The DWG estimated the current deer population to be in excess of one million animals through analysis of data published by NatureScot in recent years. We have no reason to doubt the credibility of this estimate.

Question reference: S6O-02580

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 September 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether equivalent measures in Scotland are needed to those introduced in England and Wales by the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Act 2023, in light of reports of a recent spate of thefts in the Scottish Borders.

Question reference: S6W-21250

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 11 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 20 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how it will ensure that the payments structure under the Agriculture Bill will be clear regarding (a) the conditionality attached to each proposed tier of support and (b) how funding would be delivered to each tier.

Question reference: S6W-20804

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 August 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 19 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to quantify the impact of women's health leads in the NHS.

The Women’s Health Plan Implementation Programme Board is the decision making body responsible for the delivery of the Women’s Health Plan programme. The Board provides strategic oversight of the programme and ensures that the actions outlined in the Plan are implemented across the country.

The appointment of a Women’s Health Lead in every NHS Board is important to driving change and ensuring women’s health is appropriately prioritised.

Question reference: S6W-20803

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 August 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 19 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made in women's health since the appointment of women's health leads in each NHS board.

A short update paper has recently been provided to the Women’s Health Plan Implementation Programme Board. The ‘Women’s Health Plan: Interim Progress Update’ describes further progress made since the Report on Progress, which was published in January 2023.

The report can be accessed here: Women's Health Plan: Interim Progress Update 2023 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Additionally, Women’s Health Champion Professor Anna Glasier publishes a quarterly blog on her progress which can be found here:

Health and Social Care Women's Health Champion Archives - Health and Social Care (blogs.gov.scot)

Question reference: S6W-20802

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 August 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 19 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what criteria, in relation to experience and skills, were applied in the appointment of women's health leads in each NHS board.

Question reference: S6W-20931

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 01 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 19 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has made of any benefits of gene editing for the Scottish agriculture and horticultural sectors in terms of increasing the resilience of crops to diseases and pests, and improving yields and reliability.

Question reference: S6W-20935

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 01 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 19 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to award compensation to people who undertook Asulox treatments legally before the emergency authorisation was refused in June 2023.

Scottish Ministers agreed to HSE refusing the 2023 emergency authorisation application for the use of the herbicide Asulox, to control bracken, because of the risks it poses to the environment and human health.

There is no reason to suggest compensation for previous users would be necessary. Asulox has been withdrawn in the UK for over 15 years. For the last 10 years it has been approved annually as part of an emergency authorisation, for limited and controlled use each season. HSE consider each application on a case-by-case basis against the legislative requirements, and this year considered that it did not meet the regulatory requirements for authorisation. There is no obligation to grant an emergency authorisation and it is the responsibility of the applicant to provide all relevant information to justify the need for emergency use.

Support for bracken control through the Agri-Environment Climate Scheme (AECS) has continued for 2023. Contracts for chemical and mechanical bracken control were issued from the 2022 round of AECS which commenced in 2023. Where contract holders had intended to undertake chemical control, we have offered flexibility to allow mechanical or manual activity.

The Scottish Government recognises the role that Asulox has played in recent years in the control of bracken in Scotland. We recently held a bracken roundtable to work with stakeholders to identify priority actions to allow for the safe control of bracken, where land managers deem it necessary.

Question reference: S6W-20933

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 01 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 19 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has made of any benefits of gene editing for the Scottish agriculture and horticultural sectors in terms of Scotland's dependence on imports of plant proteins.

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