SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT Qs and As

Ken Thomson

Members of the Scottish Parliament (SP) ask Questions to elicit data and/or statements from Answers by Scottish Government (SG) Ministers. Some recent SP Q&As relevant to NEMT interests are given below (often severely edited). At the time of their answers, Ministers may have occupied positions different from their current posts.

S6W-27251 asked by Mark Ruskell: Will the SG will provide an update on its commitment to secure 8GW to 12GW of installed onshore wind by 2030?

Gillian Martin: As of December 2023, Scotland´s operational onshore wind capacity is around 9.5 GW. Within the project pipeline there is additional 13.9 GW of potential onshore wind capacity in Scotland: 1.7 GW under construction, 4.8 GW awaiting construction, and 7.4 GW in planning. A key industry commitment from the Onshore Wind Sector Deal was to publish a pipeline report on how Scotland may achieve its ambition of 20 GW of onshore wind by 2030.

S6W-27288 asked by Jamie Halcro Johnston: How does the SG plan to use digital and social media platforms to effectively disseminate wildfire prevention information to the public?

Siobhian Brown: Before igniting any flames in a rural or outdoor setting, the SFRS encourage everyone to check which area of Scotland may be at threat of wildfires. If a threat is in place, the key prevention advice from the SFRS is that people should refrain from igniting any flames. People can check the current threat levels in their area by visiting the SFRS website. When Scotland is at a high threat of wildfires, the SFRS work in partnership with the Scottish Wildfire Forum (SWF), to alert the public and partners to the threat of wildfires by issuing "Wildfire Danger Assessments". These warnings detail which areas across Scotland are most likely to be affected.

S6W-27297 asked by Fergus Ewing: Will the SG drop its proposed changes to deer management, and what the reasons are for its position on this matter?

Gillian Martin: High densities of herbivores such as deer can have a very serious impact on our forests and land by trampling and overgrazing. to the DWG report recognised that a much greater urgency to our efforts to ensure sustainable deer management is required. We remain committed to modernising Scotland´s systems of deer management and implementing the DWG recommendations.

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