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-43714

Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 13 February 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 27 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the recent request by NHS National Services Scotland to cease NHS funding of non-therapeutic male circumcision.

Question reference: S6O-05540

Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 February 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 19 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the Education (Scotland) Act 2025, how the new body, Qualifications Scotland, will ensure that the Learner Interest Committee is representative of all of Scotland, including rural and island areas and neurodivergent learners.

Question reference: S6O-05431

Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 January 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the construction and operational timeline for the new HMP Highland.

Question reference: S6O-05340

Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 December 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take in light of the findings of the Ending Homelessness Together 2025 annual report.

Question reference: S6O-05304

Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 December 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 17 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting the work of community first responders.

Question reference: S6W-41933

Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 17 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 27 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to its recent commitment to develop official guidance on the welfare of farmed fish, what steps it will take to ensure that the development process is fair, inclusive of all stakeholders and does not give preferential treatment to industry interests.

The Scottish Government takes the welfare of farmed fish seriously and robust legislation, policies and industry standards are already in place to safeguard fish health and welfare. In addition, much of Scotland’s fish farming is undertaken in accordance with leading independent welfare accreditation schemes, which provides further assurance of welfare standards being applied within Scottish production.

The Scottish Government has committed to progressing fish welfare standards further by introducing official guidance under Section 38 of the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006. We are currently determining next steps for development of official guidance for the welfare of farmed fish, including stakeholder engagement. Consultation will involve a variety of stakeholders to ensure the development of guidance is well informed by a range of expertise, robust and operationally feasible, and that it ensures high welfare standards.

Question reference: S6W-41934

Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 17 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 27 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to its recent commitment to develop official guidance on the welfare of farmed fish, what steps it will take to provide prescriptive detail on meeting welfare obligations, and what consultation process will be undertaken with relevant stakeholders.

Question reference: S6W-42024

Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 November 2025
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 20 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it is making with delivering the Fisheries Management Plans (FMPs) for demersal fish stocks.

A consultation paper proposing publication of 11 Fisheries Management Plans (FMPs) for demersal fish stocks has today been published at: https://consult.gov.scot/marine-scotland/fisheries-management-plans-demersal-fish-stocks/

The four UK fisheries policy authorities (Defra, Scottish Government, Welsh Government and DAERA) have been working together and in partnership with stakeholders to develop the FMPs according to the parameters set within the Fisheries Act 2020 and the Joint Fisheries Statement. The consultation will be led by the Scottish Government and will run for 16 weeks from 20 November 2025 to 11 March 2026.

The consultation is an opportunity for stakeholders to help shape and influence the future of demersal fisheries management policy in the UK and builds upon previous engagement with a wide range of stakeholders across the UK.

Question reference: S6O-05214

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S6W-41699

Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 19 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether NHS Grampian is ensuring that all detainees in police custody in Elgin can access their prescribed medication, including methadone, in line with existing relevant operational procedures and guidance, and following the rapid review carried out in 2023.

On 21 July 2025, NHS Grampian confirmed that Opioid Replacement Therapy (ORT) is now available at its Kittybrewster Suite. They also advised that work was ongoing to resolve logistical challenges in order to extend this service to the remaining two custody suites, including Elgin.

Following continued concerns regarding progress at these two custody suites—specifically in relation to PE1900: Access to prescribed medication for detainees in police custody—the Scottish Government wrote to NHS Grampian on 6 November 2025 requesting an update.

NHS Grampian have since confirmed that they agree that patients receiving methadone in the community should continue treatment in custody. However, due to logistical and supply issues that they have previously highlighted, this cannot currently be facilitated at Elgin and Fraserburgh Custody Suites. NHSG has only one pharmacy licensed to supply Schedule 2 medications to custody settings, and there is no mechanism to supply or deliver methadone, which is a Schedule 2 medication, to these sites. However, work is ongoing to resolve this and enable methadone administration in the future.

In the meantime, any patient assessed by a nurse or forensic medical examiner as requiring methadone will be transferred from Elgin or Fraserburgh to Kittybrewster in Aberdeen to continue treatment.

NHS Grampian have also advised that their Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are based on Tayside and Highland examples, with adjustments for local service delivery and challenges. Efforts continue to address the supply of Schedule 2 medications to remote custody suites.

The Scottish Government continues to work with health boards, including NHS Grampian, to ensure expectations are being met in line with the 2023 Rapid Review.