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-38479

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 06 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 16 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the reported delays in implementing the mandatory remote electronic monitoring requirements and tackling illegal discarding, how it is managing any risks to Scotland's global reputation for quality and sustainable seafood.

There are no delays with the implementation of Scotland’s mandatory remote electronic monitoring requirements for fishing vessels. The scallop requirements are in force, and the pelagic requirements are due to come into force as planned on 7 March 2026.

Under existing legislation fishing vessels are required to record and land all quota species of fish unless subject to a permitted exemption. Our Future Catching Policy is intended to improve on the current requirements and we will be consulting on relevant improvements to technical standards later this year. Fishing vessels are subject to a wide range of rules and regulations which support them to fish responsibly and sustainably and which help to safeguard Scotland’s reputation in the international marketplace.

Question reference: S6W-38663

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 June 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 26 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason Improving Public Access grants, which were suspended in 2022, are reportedly not going to be included in the Tier 3 rural payments scheme.

Question reference: S6W-38592

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 June 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 26 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what assessment has been made of the impact of the email quarantine system on the efficiency of staff management of MSP inboxes.

Question reference: S6W-38063

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 02 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 12 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to section 1(1) of the Good Food Nation (Scotland) Act 2022, by what date the Scottish Ministers must (a) publish and (b) lay before the Scottish Parliament a national good food nation plan.

The national Good Food Nation Plan must be published and laid in Parliament before the end of the period of 3 months, beginning with the expiry of the 60 day period of parliamentary scrutiny. For example, if the proposed plan is laid on Friday 27 June, the 3 month period would begin on 30 September, meaning that the final plan would need to be published and laid within the period of 3 months from that date.

Question reference: S6W-38198

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 10 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the recently published Cost of Living Research 2025 report by Disability Equality Scotland, which highlighted issues that disabled people are having with ferry travel, what steps it is taking to ensure that all ferry services are accessible to everyone, and what consideration it has given to extending free ferry travel to disabled people.

I welcome the report and note the ferry recommendation.

The recently published Strategic Approach of the Islands Connectivity Plan sets Accessibility as one of four priorities for future ferry services and identifies a number of actions to support the delivery of this priority, including development of a Ferries Accessibility Standard and reopening of the Ferries Accessibility Fund.

The Scottish Government has recently introduced free travel on inter-islands ferries for under 22 year olds and an extension of the ferry journey voucher scheme to 19-21 year olds and there are no current plans to extend this further. However, we invest significantly to keep ferry fares affordable for all, including on Road Equivalent Tariff and islander fares, as well as the Older and Disabled Persons Concessionary Travel Scheme. In addition, a number of local authorities already provide concessionary ferry travel for disabled people.

Question reference: S6W-38066

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 10 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to section 3(1)(b)(ii) and (iii) of the Good Food Nation Act (Scotland) 2022, when the cut-off date is for any (a) resolution relating to the proposed national good food nation plan to be passed by the Scottish Parliament and (b) report relating to the draft plan to be published by any committee of the Parliament.

Question reference: S6W-38151

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 10 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the enforcement of the wrasse fishery licensing conditions, how many fixed penalty notices (FPN) have been issued since April 2021, and how many of those went unpaid; of those FPNs that went unpaid, how many have (a) been referred to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service and (b) proceeded in the courts, and, of any that resulted in convictions, what the (i) nature of the offence, (ii) value of the original FPN and (iii) court disposal was.

Question reference: S6W-38074

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 02 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 10 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to publish a dedicated strategy for scaling up ecosystem-based approaches to climate mitigation, and, if so, when such a strategy will be released, and how it will be resourced.

The Scottish Government has no plans to publish a separate dedicated strategy for scaling up ecosystem-based approaches to climate mitigation, as these issues are addressed in our Biodiversity Strategy and Climate Change Plans.

Our Biodiversity Strategy and Climate Change Plans include policies to develop healthy and restored ecosystems with landscape scale nature-based initiatives, contributing to our nature and climate targets. This is an effective framework for policy, and we have recently announced that Scotland's Peatland ACTION partnership has put 14,860 hectares of degraded peatlands on the road to recovery last year, which represents a new record in one year.

Question reference: S6W-38064

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 02 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 10 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to section 3(1)a of the Good Food Nation (Scotland) Act 2022, when (a) the proposed plan will be laid before the Scottish Parliament and (b) the expiry of the 60-day period will fall.

Question reference: S6W-38065

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 02 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 10 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to section 3(1)b(i) of the Good Food Nation (Scotland) Act 2022, when the deadline is for representations to the Scottish Ministers about the proposed national good food nation plan.