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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

Filter your results Hide all filters

Displaying 46 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S6O-01281

Asked by: Jim Fairlie, MSP for Perthshire South and Kinross-shire, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 June 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 23 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what work it is undertaking to ensure there is a suitable and sustainable EV charging network in place across Scotland.

Question reference: S6O-01214

Asked by: Jim Fairlie, MSP for Perthshire South and Kinross-shire, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 June 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 16 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what steps it is taking to ensure the availability of Scottish produce on the menu in the Scottish Parliament.

Question reference: S6O-01245

Asked by: Jim Fairlie, MSP for Perthshire South and Kinross-shire, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 June 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 16 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the continued use of Asulox for bracken control.

Question reference: S6O-01180

Asked by: Jim Fairlie, MSP for Perthshire South and Kinross-shire, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 May 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 1 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what support is available to local authorities to encourage the development of district heating systems in conjunction with the incineration of waste rather than sending waste to landfill.

Question reference: S6F-01149

Asked by: Jim Fairlie, MSP for Perthshire South and Kinross-shire, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 23 May 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 May 2022

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is, regarding the impact on Scotland, to comments by Ian Wright of the Food and Drink Sector Council regarding the UK’s preparedness for increasing food prices and shortages.

Question reference: S6O-01132

Asked by: Jim Fairlie, MSP for Perthshire South and Kinross-shire, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 May 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the local government minister has had with local authorities regarding services to promote social wellbeing.

Question reference: S6O-01107

Asked by: Jim Fairlie, MSP for Perthshire South and Kinross-shire, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 May 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 19 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with the UK Government regarding the impact on agriculture and the food and drinks sector in Scotland of reported continuing delays to post-Brexit border checks on imports from the EU.

Question reference: S6W-08393

Asked by: Jim Fairlie, MSP for Perthshire South and Kinross-shire, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 29 April 2022
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 3 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to take forward the Griggs review of the regulatory framework for aquaculture.

I have accepted the Griggs recommendations in principle and I am pleased to announce that I have formed a Ministerial Aquaculture Strategy Forum to progress the recommendations of the review and to advise on the development of the Vision for sustainable aquaculture.

Work to produce the Vision by the end of the year will consider how to ensure the whole aquaculture sector is sustainable environmentally, economically and socially, including how best to protect the marine environment and benefit communities.

I will personally lead the Strategic Forum to deliver this Government’s aspirations for the sector and ensure that Scotland’s aquaculture sector is supported, innovative, achieves its full potential, and operates within environmental limits and with social licence, ensuring there is a thriving marine ecosystem for future generations.

The aquaculture sector in Scotland supports over 11,700 jobs and generated £885 million Gross Value Added in 2018. I have observed first-hand the important role it plays in some of our most rural and coastal communities, in addition to the many, varied and skilled roles it supports across its wider supply chain.

To support the work of the forum, I have asked my officials to form a small consenting task group to make immediate progress on streamlining the consenting system to ensure processes are more efficient while maintaining high environmental standards. This work will start with an immediate change to the marine licence validity period for shellfish and finfish farms from 6 to 25 years, bringing it in line with the sea bed lease renewal cycle.

Today I have asked the Scottish Science Advisory Council to give consideration to the science recommendations. As Scotland’s highest level and independent science advisory body, the Council will help to ensure that the changes we progress ensure the long term success of Scotland’s aquaculture sector, helping understand and tackle environmental challenges, and to maintain its spot as the UK’s number one food export and its reputation as a healthy, low-carbon and quality food source.

Question reference: S6O-00958

Asked by: Jim Fairlie, MSP for Perthshire South and Kinross-shire, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 April 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 20 April 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to support greater use of community justice interventions.

Question reference: S6W-07457

Asked by: Jim Fairlie, MSP for Perthshire South and Kinross-shire, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 March 2022
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 17 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, given the current global supply chain issues resulting from the Russia/Ukraine war, what engagement it is having with the food and drink industry.

Following a meeting of the Food Sector Resilience Group, a short-life Food Security and Supply Taskforce is being established by the Scottish Government jointly with key food and drink industry leaders.

The taskforce will monitor, identify and respond to any potential disruption to the food and drink supply chain resulting from the impact of the war in Ukraine. It will also seek to recommend any short, medium and longer term actions that can be taken to mitigate impacts, resolve supply issues and strengthen food security and supply in Scotland. This will include actions to be taken by business and Government.

The taskforce will draw on technical and scientific knowledge and expertise from across a range of sectors, agencies and organisations. It will also consider any future structures and policy measures needed to monitor, address and strengthen food security and supply in Scotland.

Crucially, the Taskforce will support the Scottish Government’s continued commitment to use all powers it has available to support people in Ukraine.

Membership will be drawn from relevant sector organisations and the Food Security and Supply Taskforce will be co-chaired by myself and Chief Executive of Scotland Food and Drink, James Withers. It is intended for the Taskforce to meet frequently in the coming weeks.