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: S6W-39572

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 28 July 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 25 August 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to studies indicating that hyperbaric oxygen therapy may have positive effects for patients with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome and long COVID.

The Scottish Government expects that any decisions on treatment for people affected by Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) or long COVID should be informed by current clinical guidelines.

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) clinical guidance exists for the diagnosis and management of ME/CFS and for managing the long-term effects of COVID-19. These comprise NICE guidelines NG:206 and NG:188 respectively. Further information on the process by which NICE guidelines are developed can be accessed at How we develop NICE guidelines | NICE

Question reference: S6W-39571

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 28 July 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 25 August 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to the use of hyperbaric oxygen therapy for long-term health conditions.

The Scottish Government recognises that hyperbaric oxygen therapy may offer benefits for some individuals living with long-term health conditions. Decisions about treatment are made by clinicians in consultation with patients, based on clinical need and the best available evidence.

NHS Boards are responsible for determining which therapies to provide, taking into account national policy, local priorities, and the needs of their populations. We expect all care to be safe, effective, person-centred, and sustainable.

Question reference: S6W-39554

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 25 July 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 25 August 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) agricultural, (b) forestry and (c) fishing businesses closed down in (i) 2023-24, (ii) 2024-25 and (iii) 2025-26 to date.

The preferred source for data on business closures is the annual Office for National Statistics (ONS) Business Demography series, the latest edition is available at: Business demography, UK - Office for National Statistics. Business closures are a proxy for the number of businesses closed down. Business closures are measured as businesses removed from the Inter-Departmental Business Register (IDBR), which is a database of all businesses registered for Value-Added-Tax (VAT) and/or Pay-As-You-Earn (PAYE) income tax. A business is removed from the IDBR if its turnover and employment are zero for several periods, or if the ONS is notified that the business has ceased trading through an administrative or survey source.

Note that the annual publication does not include data for the Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing sector. However, business closures for the Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing sector are included as part of the quarterly ONS Business Demography series – these data for Scotland are provided in table 1. We don’t have access to disaggregated quarterly data for the agricultural, forestry and fishing sectors separately.

It is important to note that the quarterly ONS Business Demography series is classed as official statistics in development. Official statistics in development are official statistics that are in the testing phase and are not yet fully developed, and will potentially have a wider degree of uncertainty. In particular, the last four quarters of the ONS series are provisional and are subject to future revision. Revisions can arise due to business reactivations as later information on business turnover or employment is received.

Table 1: Business Closures – Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing – Scotland

Quarter	Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing
Q1 2017	185
Q2 2017	180
Q3 2017	155
Q4 2017	125
Q1 2018	180
Q2 2018	190
Q3 2018	130
Q4 2018	180
Q1 2019	140
Q2 2019	270
Q3 2019	195
Q4 2019	170
Q1 2020	200
Q2 2020	200
Q3 2020	155
Q4 2020	175
Q1 2021	170
Q2 2021	195
Q3 2021	185
Q4 2021	190
Q1 2022	235
Q2 2022	280
Q3 2022	205
Q4 2022	210
Q1 2023	230
Q2 2023	225
Q3 2023	220
Q4 2023	160
Q1 2024	185
Q2 2024	195

Q3 2024*	230
Q4 2024*	225
Q1 2025*	205
Q2 2025*	275

Source: Business Demography quarterly, Office for National Statistics

Notes:

1.These are official statistics in development.

2.*Quarters Q3 2024 to Q2 2025 are provisional and are subject to future revision.

3.Data are rounded to the nearest five.

4.Q1 is January to March, Q2 is April to June, Q3 is July to September and Q4 is October to December.

Question reference: S6W-39570

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 28 July 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 25 August 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will support research into the effectiveness of hyperbaric oxygen therapy for long-term health conditions, including myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) and long COVID.

The Scottish Government’s Chief Scientist Office supports open competitive grant and fellowship schemes for applied health research in Scotland across a wide remit. This remit is inclusive of consideration of applications for funding for research on novel treatments, such as hyperbaric oxygen therapy, for long term conditions, including myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome and long COVID. Applications submitted to these schemes are assessed through independent expert peer-review with funding recommendations made by independent expert committees.

Question reference: S6W-39573

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 18 August 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 15 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-38187 by Jim Fairlie on 17 June 2025 and in relation to the Air Discount Scheme, which is due to expire on 31 March 2026, whether it will consider including business travel in the Air Discount Scheme when it is renewed by a new notification under the UK subsidy control scheme, in light of reports that the subsidy control scheme would not prohibit the inclusion of business travel.

Question reference: S6W-39669

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 31 July 2025
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 15 August 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the UK Government's announcement that it will not pursue plans for zonal energy prices, what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding this, including how it might support local authorities that might wish to pursue the possibility of a local energy rate.

Now that they have discounted zonal pricing, we will continue to urge the UK Government to immediately set out what a reformed national market will mean for bill-payers, developers and investors. It is essential that the UK Government takes urgent action to address the high energy bills faced by the people of Scotland – in an energy rich country like Scotland, people should not be struggling to pay their bills. We are also committed to working closely with the UK Government, Ofgem, energy suppliers and organisations to advocate for the delivery of a social tariff across Great Britain.

Question reference: S6W-39662

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 31 July 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 15 August 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will compensate people injured or harmed by turbine blade pass frequency emissions, in the event that it considers that the update to the Working Group on Noise from Wind Turbines' 1996 report, The Assessment and Rating of Noise from Wind Farms (ETSU-R-97), fails to protect human health from blade pass low-frequency noise emissions.

The UK Government has recently launched a consultation on proposed updates to the guidance for assessing and rating wind turbine noise. These updates aim to reflect the latest evidence on turbine noise emissions, advances in turbine technology, and evolving assessment methodologies, while aligning with broader government policies on noise and Net Zero.

The consultation provides an opportunity for members of the public and stakeholders to engage with and comment on proposed updates to ETSU-R-97. Feedback received during the consultation will help finalise the guidance.

The consultation and the Draft Assessment and Rating of Wind Turbine Noise Guidance can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/assessment-and-rating-of-wind-turbine-noise-guidance-proposed-updates

I encourage anyone with an interest in this area to respond to the consultation.

Question reference: S6W-39215

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 07 July 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 30 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government in which year it anticipates that new ferries to replace MV (a) Hjaltland, (b) Hrossey and (c) Hamnavoe, which serve the Northern Isles Ferry Service route, will come into service.

The Vessels and Ports Plan, published as part of the Islands Connectivity Plan, indicates delivery of new tonnage to replace the three NIFS Ro-Pax vessels is expected within Phase 3 (2031-2036). Work on planning for and procuring their replacements will commence during Phase 1(2021-2026). The outline business case for the replacement vessels, including concept design work and project cost estimates, is expected to be presented to Transport Scotland and then Ministers in 2026. The specific timeline of business case activity, procurement and delivery is still currently being developed and will be dependent upon resource, required approvals and available funding.

Question reference: S6W-39217

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 07 July 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 30 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what cost estimates it has made of the process to replace MV (a) Hjaltland, (b) Hrossey and (c) Hamnavoe, which have served on the Northern Isles Ferry Service route since 2002.

Question reference: S6W-39216

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 07 July 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 30 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what action it has taken to begin the process of replacing MV (a) Hjaltland, (b) Hrossey and (c) Hamnavoe, which serve the Northern Isles Ferry Service route.