Chamber and committees

The impact of the new Muirburn Code will be kept under review as part of the wider implementation of muirburn licensing. NatureScot will monitor the operation of the licensing system, including any issues arising from licence applications, licence conditions, compliance activity and stakeholder feedback.

Wildfire frequency, extent and severity are influenced by a range of factors, including weather conditions, vegetation, land use, fuel load, visitor behaviour and climate change. It will therefore not be possible to attribute changes in wildfire activity solely to the Muirburn Code. However, the Scottish Government will continue to work with NatureScot, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and other relevant partners to consider available evidence on wildfire risk and land management practice.

The Code will remain subject to review where evidence indicates that changes are required to ensure it remains effective, proportionate and workable in practice.

In line with data protection requirements, applications from multiple individuals within family groups are received and considered individually. Family members can request to have the same redress case worker assigned to their application. With consent from all parties, information relating to family members’ applications can be shared for consideration by Redress Scotland panel members.

The Scottish Government takes the welfare of farmed fish seriously and expects full compliance with legislation, quality assurance schemes and industry standards.

The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) is operationally independent and has a range of enforcement tools available. Enforcement decisions are made on a case-by-case basis, taking account of the available evidence and circumstances.

The Scottish Government is committed to supporting continuous improvement in farmed fish welfare. We are progressing the development of official welfare guidance under the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006 to support APHA's inspection and enforcement activity.

The Scottish Government has recently strengthened its service level agreement with APHA and now requires 10% of the approximately 50 land-based sites to be inspected annually, as well as 10 sea-based sites. This is in addition to demand led inspections carried out in response to concerns raised by either the Fish Health Inspectorate or the public, providing further oversight of fish health and welfare.

I recognise concerns that have been raised regarding fish mortality and the significant amount of investment made by producers of farmed fish to understand and mitigate these challenges. It is clear mortality must be driven down to the lowest possible level, and the sector must continue to improve public confidence and public understanding of its practices.

The Scottish Government engages regularly with LGBTQI+ stakeholders, including organisations representing trans people, and has discussed the draft Code of Practice as part of that ongoing engagement.

The First Minister and I also hosted a roundtable with community members in March to discuss trans lives in Scotland today and the issues currently affecting trans people.

This engagement will continue as we consider the revised Code, including with trans people, LGBTQI+ stakeholders and other groups who may be impacted.

I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-01338 on 10 July 2026. 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.

The Redress for Survivors (Historical Child Abuse in Care) (Scotland) Act 2021 places a duty on the Scottish Ministers to pay legal fees reasonably incurred by applicants to the redress scheme. Fees for legal work undertaken are prescribed in the Redress for Survivors (Historical Child Abuse in Care) (Payment of Legal Fees) (Scotland) Regulations 2021.

Where unexpected or exceptional circumstances arise, and it is reasonable for a solicitor to carry out additional legal work in making a redress application, the solicitor may seek an additional sum.

The official statistics, available at Scotland's Redress Scheme Statistics December 2021 - June 2025, provide information on applications, outcomes and payments made in the first 42 months of Scotland's Redress Scheme.

The Scheme is completely survivor led and as such, it is common for applicants to pause their application or disengage from the application process. Applicants can return to their application whenever they feel ready to do so. These circumstances reflect a proportion of applications with the longest waiting times.

The Scottish Government takes the welfare of animals at slaughter very seriously, including that of male chicks. The current methods of killing chicks, such as Maceration/Instantaneous Mechanical Destruction, are considered to be acceptable by the Humane Slaughter Association and we will continue to work with industry to ensure that the current regulations still meet their objectives.

At this stage the Scottish Government has no plans to phase out or prohibit the maceration of live male chicks. The current methods of killing chicks, such as Maceration/Instantaneous Mechanical Destruction, are considered to be acceptable by the Humane Slaughter Association and we will continue to work with industry to ensure that the current regulations still meet their objectives.

I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-01338 on 10 July 2026. 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.