Meeting of the Parliament

Meeting date: Tuesday, June 20, 2023

Official Report 1073KB pdf

Point of Order

On a point of order, Presiding Officer. In England, approval has been granted from 1 July for the use of Asulox, which will allow farmers and land managers to use the only viable means of controlling bracken to mitigate the threat of Lyme disease, control ticks, protect biodiversity, allow walkers to walk safely and allow the safe grazing of livestock. I completely understand that the emergency authorisation process is not satisfactory for everyone and that we must, in the long term, find a better solution, but it is an incredibly important public health issue.

The Government’s apparent lack of understanding of the process was evidenced at First Minister’s question time, when the First Minister potentially misled farmers, land managers and anybody who comes into contact with uncontrolled bracken. In his response to me, he failed to mention a number of pertinent details, including that, at a meeting on 18 April of the United Kingdom Expert Committee on Pesticides, which was attended by a Scottish Government civil servant, it was noted that advice from 2022 remained unchanged. As I pointed out, the devolved Administrations can make their own decisions about the use of Asulox. The Scottish Government does not have to wait for other Administrations to approve it; if that were true, why has England been able to approve its use?

We are elected representatives and not mind-readers. When asking questions of the First Minister on behalf of our constituents, we expect an honest response, at the very least. Recent developments have shown the First Minister’s response to my question on Asulox not to be transparent. I seek your guidance, Presiding Officer, on whether the First Minister might be required to correct the record and to urgently deliver a statement on behalf of the Scottish Government to ensure that approval is granted for the use of Asulox this year.

I thank the member for her point of order. The content of members’ contributions is generally a matter for the member. Where a member is aware that there may be an inaccuracy, a mechanism exists whereby the record can be corrected. With regard to personal statements, requests can be made and they will, of course, be considered.

I am not entirely clear that I caught all the member’s comments. I will certainly reflect on them and respond to the member if necessary.