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-01673

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 13 July 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 10 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to fulfil its duties under section 12 of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2025.

Question reference: S7W-01330

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 13 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what efforts have been made to communicate the upcoming ban on using or supplying rodent glue traps to major online sellers, including those such as Amazon and eBay.

The Scottish Government notified key stakeholder organisations of the upcoming commencement of the ban on using, supplying or possessing rodent glue traps on 2 March 2026.

Follow-up correspondence was issued to Amazon, Ebay and the Post Office to confirm receipt of the notification. Further notification was sent to Scottish Wholesale on 20 May 2026 asking them to issue a reminder to Scotland’s wholesalers to ensure the removal of their stocks of rodent glue board traps, prior to the ban coming into force in Scotland on 1 July 2026.

Question reference: S7W-01056

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 15 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 13 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S7W-00635 by Maree Todd on 8 June 2026, how many detainees were transferred between Inverness and Kittybrewster custody suites in order to access methadone or other opioid substitution therapy in the last 12 months, and how many detainees required transfer to accident and emergency departments during the same period.

NHS Grampian has advised that no detainees were transferred between Inverness and Kittybrewster custody suites in the last 12 months specifically to access methadone or other opioid substitution therapy. While such transfers may be considered where clinically necessary, this has not been required during this period.

NHS Grampian has further advised that information on transfers to accident and emergency departments is not routinely collated centrally and could only be obtained through a manual review of individual clinical records.

Decisions to transfer detainees to secondary care are made on the basis of clinical need where this cannot be safely managed within the custody setting.

Question reference: S7W-01055

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 15 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 13 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve women’s health outcomes in the Highlands and Islands, including access to (a) timely diagnosis, (b) treatment and (c) specialist care for conditions such as (i) endometriosis and (ii) adenomyosis, and how it is addressing any geographical inequalities in service provision compared with the rest of Scotland.

The Women’s Health Plan sets out the Scottish Government’s ambition for Women’s Health which is that ‘women and girls enjoy the best possible health, throughout their lives’.

Phase Two of the Women’s Health Plan, published in January 2026, commits to transforming gynaecology services and taking action to reduce diagnosis times for all menstrual health conditions, including endometriosis.

As part of the work to transform gynaecology services, a National Gynaecology Plan will be developed and implemented. This plan will initially focus on addressing waiting times challenges, moving towards sustainable change, redesign and improvement for gynaecology services across Scotland. The plan will explain how women will increasingly receive high quality and effective care closer to home. As we redesign these services, we will work to reduce inequalities in access and outcomes, particularly for women in rural and island areas.

Question reference: S7W-01396

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 29 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 13 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to make representations to the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) and/or the UK Government to request the routine publication of all APHA fish welfare inspection reports relating to Scottish aquaculture sites.

At present, the Scottish Government has no plans to ask the Animal and Plant Health Agency or the UK Government to routinely publish fish welfare inspection reports.

However, the Scottish Government’s Marine Directorate Fish Health Inspectorate publishes reports of its inspections and visits, including information on fish health cases, sea lice levels and fish farm mortalities. For convenience, I have included the link below: Fish Health Inspectorate: inspection and farm health data - gov.scot.

Question reference: S7W-01331

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 13 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the (a) content and (b) rollout of its communications strategy around the upcoming ban on using and supplying rodent glue traps, as referenced in the letter sent to the Member by the Minister for Agriculture, Marine and the Islands on 25 March 2026.

A press release regarding the upcoming ban on rodent glue board traps in Scotland was issued on 24 June 2026 to the Press Association and included our main national media, local media and environment lists. Stakeholder organisations were notified as referenced in the answer to question S7W-01330 on 13 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.

Information on the ban has been published on the Scottish Government’s website: https://www.gov.scot/news/glue-trap-ban-comes-into-force/.

Promotional materials, including flyers highlighting the ban were displayed and distributed from the Scottish Government’s Partnership for Action Against Wildlife Crime (PAW) Scotland Stand at the Royal Highland Show and GWCT Scottish Game Fair.

Furthermore, Scottish Government officials met with the British Pest Control Association (BPCA) in the months prior to the ban, which enabled the BPCA to produce communication material for their members in advance of the ban.

Question reference: S7W-01329

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 13 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to grant any exemptions to the ban on using or supplying rodent glue traps under the Wildlife Management and Muirburn (Scotland) Act 2024.

Question reference: S7W-01054

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 15 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 13 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what the current waiting times are for gynaecology (a) outpatient appointments, (b) diagnostic procedures and (c) surgical treatment for (i) endometriosis and (ii) adenomyosis within (A) NHS Highland, (B) NHS Western Isles, (C) NHS Orkney and (D) NHS Shetland, and how these compare with national averages.

Waiting to access gynaecology related treatment can cause women anxiety and delays are unacceptable. Last year we allocated £13 million of additional funding to health boards to target long waits for gynaecology. We are beginning to see the impact of that investment, with waits going down and we are determined to build on that momentum, ensuring women receive the treatment they need as soon as possible. Phase Two of the Women’s Health Plan was published in January 2026 which includes specific actions and steps to help reduce waiting times.

Public Health Scotland (PHS) publishes statistics on stages of treatment waiting times for gynaecology by board and length of wait. The most recent report can be found here:

Stage of treatment waiting times – new outpatients, inpatients and day cases 30 June 2026 - Stage of treatment waiting times - Publications - Public Health Scotland

Public Health Scotland does not hold the required information relating to waiting times for endometriosis- and adenomyosis-related care.

Question reference: S7W-01485

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 13 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to introducing compulsory sale order powers for sites that have been consistently left vacant and derelict in (a) cities, (b) towns and (c) rural areas.

Question reference: S7W-01471

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 13 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to amend the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006 to extend statutory animal welfare protections to decapod crustaceans, including crabs, lobsters and prawns.

The Scottish Government has no plans at this time to amend the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006 to extend statutory animal welfare protections to decapod crustaceans.

The Scottish Animal Welfare Commission (SAWC) is currently carrying out a review of the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006, with the report scheduled for completion by the end of 2026. The Scottish Government will give full consideration to SAWC's report in due course.