- Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 October 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 24 October 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what advice and recommendations it has received, and from whom, regarding the proposed Nature Conservation Order to protect the Parallel Roads of Lochaber Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) at Achnabobane.
Answer
The Scottish Government has received advice and recommendations from NatureScot and Scottish Forestry with respect to the proposed Nature Conservation Order to protect the Parallel Roads of Lochaber Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) at Achnabobane. The NatureScot advice reflected local discussions between The Highland Council, Scottish Forestry and Police Scotland which sought to address damage to the SSSI.
- Asked by: Edward Mountain, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 09 October 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 24 October 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the visit to Japan by the Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Energy in September 2025 to lead a delegation from Scotland's offshore wind sector, on what date the visit was provisionally entered in the cabinet secretary’s diary.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-40762 on 9 October 2025. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers.
- Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 October 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Kaukab Stewart on 24 October 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether its membership of the Stonewall Diversity Champions scheme represents value for money for the taxpayer.
Answer
The Scottish Government has renewed its annual employer membership of the Stonewall’s Diversity Champion scheme for 2025. The Scottish Government keeps this under annual review, as with all its corporate memberships, to ensure they are providing value for money.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 03 October 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Ben Macpherson on 24 October 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support college staff wellbeing, in light of Audit Scotland’s findings in its recent report, Scotland’s Colleges 2025, that workforce reductions and curriculum changes have increased workloads and stress.
Answer
Colleges are responsible for operational matters, such as managing workforce restructuring and curriculum changes. This includes ensuring they meet their obligations as an employer, including providing appropriate support to protect the health, safety and overall wellbeing of staff.
The Scottish Government acknowledges the impact funding constraints, that to a significant extent flow from UK Government decisions, and associated workforce restructuring decisions will have on staff. The Scottish Government has been consistently clear that such decisions must be informed by Fair Work principles, following meaningful engagement with staff and trade unions.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 03 October 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Ben Macpherson on 24 October 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the recent report by Audit Scotland, Scotland’s Colleges 2025, which recommends that the funding model for colleges should better reflect equity and demand for courses, whether it will review the funding model.
Answer
The Colleges Tripartite Alignment Group, comprised of Colleges Scotland, the Scottish Government and the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) has been exploring issues in the sector. Informed by the Group’s discussions, the SFC introduced changes to the college funding model for Academic Year 2025-26 in response to requests from the sector.
The SFC has committed to undertaking a fundamental review of the funding allocation model over the coming year.
- Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 September 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 24 October 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy, what (a) assessment it has made of the potential impact that increased nature restoration targets might have on domestic food production and (b) action it is taking to reduce Scotland’s reliance on food imports.
Answer
(a) The introduction of statutory nature restoration targets is key in delivering the vision of restoring and regenerating biodiversity in Scotland by 2045 as outlined in the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy. The Scottish Government is undertaking a 4-step process for the selection of nature restoration targets which includes engagement with expert groups using the best available scientific evidence and includes carrying out any necessary impact assessments. This process is being underpinned by stakeholder engagement with a range of stakeholders including land managers, farmers, ENGOs and other business. Any targets which are set much be adaptable to the unpredictability of ecological responses and climate impacts.
Within the Biodiversity Delivery Plan Biodiversity: delivery plan 2024 to 2030 - gov.scot it outlines the importance of the Vision for Scottish Agriculture for delivering the 2045 ambition and to transform how we support farming and food production in Scotland to become a global leader in sustainable and regenerative agriculture. The Delivery Plan includes actions which will be incorporated into the new agricultural support system to help farmers and crofters transition to practice generating substantial regeneration in biodiversity, ecosystem and soil health and significantly reduce carbon emissions while sustaining high quality food production.
(b) Scotland’s food and farming sectors have a critical role to play in Scotland’s food security, producing food for consumption in Scotland, and increasing our economic resilience through exports of food and drink worth £8 billion in March 2025. Our strong trade relationships are also vital. Our imports ensure the availability of a wide choice of food throughout the year and so we are not reliant on any one country of origin.
High quality food and sustainable production chains are an outcome of the Vision for Agriculture. The Proposed Good Food Nation Plan has outcomes which reflect both the need for Scotland’s food system to be sustainable and contribute to a flourishing natural environment and be food secure and food resilient. A suite of indicators for the Plan were published and can be viewed at: Proposed National Good Food Nation Plan - gov.scot.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 06 October 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Kate Forbes on 24 October 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how the Tay Cities Region Deal is supporting manufacturing firms.
Answer
We have committed £150 million towards the Tay Cities Region Deal, including £8 million towards the Advanced Manufacturing Programme.
The programme is being developed by Scottish Enterprise and will include support for manufacturing firms in the region. This reflects partners’ commitment to boost high-value manufacturing across the region, in line with their Regional Economic Prospectus.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 October 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 24 October 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what the projected cost is of the Musselburgh Flood Defence Scheme.
Answer
Local authorities are responsible for developing and delivering flood protection schemes, and the Scottish Government provides funding to support them to do so.
Local authorities provide Scottish Government with annual updates to projected spend profiles for flood protection schemes. The most recent update on the estimated cost of the Musselburgh Flood Protection Scheme was provided to Scottish Government by East Lothian Council was £106 million and provided in October 2024.
- Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 29 September 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 24 October 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support ocean science and protect endangered species and fragile fisheries in the marine environment.
Answer
The Scottish Government continues to support a wide variety of marine science to ensure there is a strong evidence base to support marine management and the Blue Economy Vision. This includes the Scottish Government’s Science, Evidence, Data and Digital Portfolio, as well as directly commissioned science, and collaboration with a strong academic presence in Scotland through the Marine Alliance for Science and Technology Scotland (MASTS), other UK administrations and international partners. This is reflected in the Scottish Government’s Marine Science and Innovation Strategy, which was published in 2024, and the appointment of an independent Chief Scientific Advisor Marine. Furthermore, in 2025 following consultation with Scotland’s academic marine science community, the Marine and Freshwater Areas of Research Interest was published.
This evidence base has been critical in delivering a range of programmes that can also protect Scotland’s iconic marine species. This includes the publication of the Scottish Seabird Conservation Action Plan, which identifies over 50 priority actions aimed at improving the conservation status of Scotland’s seabirds; and the development of a UK Cetacean Conservation Strategy to address threats to cetaceans in UK waters. Furthermore, work on the Future Catching Policy, Bycatch Mitigation Initiative, marine litter and Marine Protected Areas have all been shaped by a robust evidence base and help to protect internationally important sensitive species including cetaceans, seals, seabirds, and elasmobranchs.
With regard to fisheries, we take an evidence-based approach to its management, with a range of policies and actions focussed on managing marine fish stocks sustainably, and in a way that is supportive of the achievement of the fisheries objectives set out in the Fisheries Act 2020, the Joint Fisheries Statement and other legislative commitments. Alongside delivery partners, Scottish Government is also progressing actions under Scotland’s Wild Salmon Strategy Implementation Plan to ensure the protection and recovery of wild Atlantic salmon populations in Scotland. This work is underpinned by advice from the Wild Salmon Strategy Science and Evidence Board.
- Asked by: Edward Mountain, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 09 October 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 24 October 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the visit to Japan by the Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Energy in September 2025 to lead a delegation from Scotland's offshore wind sector, on what dates the delegates who attended the visit with the cabinet secretary were provided with the visit's itinerary.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not hold this information, as the logistics surrounding the delegation were administered by Scottish Enterprise.
