Chamber and committees

Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S7W-04381

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 October 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 3 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what methodology it is developing or using to identify and comparatively assess new or additional fisheries management measures where existing measures are insufficient to achieve Good Environmental Status for seafloor integrity, including how their relative environmental effectiveness and wider economic and social consequences will be evaluated.

Question reference: S7W-04224

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 12 October 2026
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 3 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how the findings of a Population Impact Assessment would be expected to inform decision-making where a proposed intervention is assessed as having positive population or economic impacts at national or regional level but significant adverse impacts on particular communities, and whether, in such circumstances, alternative locations, modifications to the proposal, or mitigating measures would be considered before a final decision is made.

Question reference: S7W-04378

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 October 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 3 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to answers by Jim Fairlie to recent questions regarding Environmental Standards Scotland's June 2026 report, Protecting Scotland's Seafloor, what specific analytical work has commenced to assess the contribution of the 2025 Programme of Measures to achieving Good Environmental Status for seafloor integrity, including (a) when each workstream commenced, (b) which organisation is responsible for each workstream and (c) when each is expected to be completed.

Question reference: S7W-04208

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 12 October 2026
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 3 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how it is ensuring that Fair Work principles are implemented throughout the construction sector's supply chain, including in relation to imported materials.

The Scottish Government is committed to becoming a leading Fair Work Nation and promotes fair work through public procurement. Since October 2021, the real Living Wage has been routinely required in Scottish Government contracts.

Through our Fair Work First policy we are leveraging employers' commitment to fair work by applying Fair Work principles to public sector grants, other funding, and contracts where it's relevant and proportionate to do so. Employers are being asked to commit to:

payment of the real Living Wage
appropriate channels for effective voice, such as trade union recognition
investment in workforce development
no inappropriate use of zero hours contracts
address workplace inequalities, including pay and employment gaps for disabled people, racialised minorities, women and workers aged over 50
offer flexible and family friendly working to all workers from day one of employment
oppose the use of fire and rehire

Public bodies are encouraged to consider opportunities to achieve positive sustainable outcomes through procurement on a case-by-case basis and are supported to do this by guidance on Fair Work, Fair and Ethical Trade and Security and Crime on the Sustainable Procurement Tools platform: Guidance - Scottish Procurement

The Scottish Government provide construction specific guidance through the Client Guide to Construction Projects which is mandatory for Scottish Government's public bodies, and voluntary for all other organisations, whose uptake we strongly encourage and actively support. It should also assist contractors and consultants in developing their understanding of how the public sector delivers construction projects.

Question reference: S7W-04353

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 19 October 2026
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 3 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to prevent farm fires, in light of NFU Mutual's latest farm fires report, which indicated that the cost of farm fires in Scotland rose by 22% between 2024 and 2025.

Preventing fires is the most effective and least costly way to protect communities, businesses, infrastructure and nature from their devastating impacts. Prevention is a core component of the service provided by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.

SFRS continues to evaluate outcomes from the Rural Risk Project, which was launched in the Highlands, South Lanarkshire and Dumfries and Galloway in partnership with the National Farmers Union (NFU) and Police Scotland in 2016, while engaging with industry partners to identify innovative technologies, enhance operational effectiveness, and support farm fire safety and risk reduction.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) launched a prevention and awareness communications campaign on 5 March 2026 to raise public awareness of wildfire risk and discourage risky outdoor behaviours. During periods of heightened wildfire risk, SFRS works closely with public authorities and land managers to ensure that clear and consistent public messaging on wildfire risk is conveyed to local communities in a timely and effective way.

Local authorities, National Park authorities and public bodies proactively promote responsible outdoor behaviour through signage, education and communications, their use of by-laws to ban fires and barbecues in certain months, and camping management zones.

Question reference: S7W-04352

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 19 October 2026
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 3 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that rural areas have sufficient fire resources, in light of NFU Mutual's latest farm fires report, which reported a 22% increase in the cost of farm fires between 2024 and 2025.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service responds to all fire incidents across Scotland with the appropriate level of resources.

The Scottish Government provided SFRS with £435.96 million budget for 2026-27, an increase of £23.8m, showing our continued commitment to support the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service to deliver the high standard of services required to keep Scotland safe.

Fire and rescue cover is provided to most rural areas in Scotland through on-call firefighters. The Scottish Government is grateful to the essential work undertaken by these firefighters often in addition to their main employment. The SFRS Service Delivery Review is intended to ensure that the right resources are in the right place across Scotland and that includes enhancing on-call cover in rural areas.

Question reference: S7W-04379

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 October 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 3 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessments, draft action plans, work programmes or other substantive documents it has provided to Environmental Standards Scotland since 23 June 2026 regarding its response to the report Protecting Scotland's Seafloor, and on what dates each document was provided.

Question reference: S7W-04226

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 12 October 2026
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 3 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how its proposed Population Impact Assessment will take account of cumulative and interacting interventions in the same locality, in light of the 2025 recommendation by the Expert Advisory Group on Migration and Population in favour of a place-based community impact assessment to examine the combined effects of multiple policies within a specific local community context.

Question reference: S7W-04698

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 02 November 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 16 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding it (a) has provided and (b) plans to provide to the Scottish Women’s Rights Centre in (i) 2025-26 and (ii) 2026-27.

Question reference: S7W-04671

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh North Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 02 November 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 16 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made to date in implementing the 21 recommendations on independent advocacy that it accepted from the Scottish Mental Health Law Review in 2023, and which recommendations have been fully implemented to date.