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-37671

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 16 May 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 30 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the reported £4.4 million ferries "resilience fund", whether applications will be backdated, and, if not, from what date applications will be eligible.

Question reference: S6W-37666

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 16 May 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 30 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the reported £4.4 million ferries "resilience fund", which routes will be covered and what the (a) eligibility criteria, (b) application process and (c) rates of compensation payable will be.

Question reference: S6W-37658

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 16 May 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 30 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a list of end dates for any leases it has issued to operate (a) windfarms, (b) other forms of renewable energy production and (c) energy storage on Forestry and Land Scotland land.

Question reference: S6W-37517

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 16 May 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 30 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of the reported £801 million allocated to Scotland from European Structural and Investment Funds was claimed by 30 April 2025.

Question reference: S6W-37670

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 16 May 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 30 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the reported £4.4 million ferries "resilience fund", how information on the (a) fund, (b) eligibility criteria and (c) application process will be conveyed to eligible communities.

Question reference: S6O-04687

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 May 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 21 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to allocate additional funding to Argyll and Bute Council, in light of reports of Argyll and Bute Health and Social Care Partnership’s funding deficit.

Question reference: S6W-37438

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 09 May 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 23 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many people were interviewed as part of the Pain Management Panel report, which was published in November 2022, broken down by NHS board area; what its position is on whether publishing the views of 16 people in the report presents a fair representation of the 800,000 people in Scotland who experience chronic pain; for what reason (a) the reported screening questionnaire used to produce the report did not directly ask participants about whether their condition had been diagnosed by a health professional and (b) respondents were reportedly paid £200 each to participate in the survey; whether known pain patient volunteers were asked to take part in the survey, and whether it sought guidance from NICE or any other body on the suitability of a "no impact" categorisation being used in the survey.

Question reference: S6W-36746

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 2 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many wind farms are on land owned by it, broken down by megawatts of wind capacity generated, and what proportion of these farms are community owned.

There are twenty-five operational windfarms on Scotland’s national forests and land, managed by Forestry and Land Scotland. None of the windfarms are community owned in whole or part.

Windfarm	Number of MW on Scotland’s National Forests and Land (*several projects are located largely on neighbouring private land)
Deucheran Hill	16
Cruach Mhor	26
Beinn An Tuirc 1	9*
Black Law	20
Rothes 2 (Cairn Uish Hill)	7*
Whitelee 1	163
An Suidhe	19
Camster	22
Arecleoch	106
Myres Hill	2*
Mid Hill	53
Stroupster	16
Little Clyde	25
Burn of Whilk	23
Beinn An Tuirc 2	44
Whitelee 2	193
Harestanes	136
Clashindarroch	37
A' Chruach	43
Kilgallioch	73
Blackcraig	5*
Beinn An Tuirc 3	50
West Benhar	30
Halsary	28
South Kyle	240

Question reference: S6W-36546

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 04 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 1 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with NatureScot regarding maintaining and growing native oyster populations in Marine Protected Areas, and what actions are being considered.

MPAs are managed in line with the conservation and management advice provided by NatureScot. Management measures are already in place to achieve the conservation objectives for native oysters where they are a protected feature, by reducing the pressures that affect them. Additional protection is being considered for native oysters through the proposed PMF management areas as part of development of the inshore fisheries management measures.

The Scottish Government, with support from NatureScot, is currently developing a Marine and Coastal Restoration Plan which will support the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy objective of accelerating restoration and regeneration.

Question reference: S6W-36545

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 04 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 29 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what actions are being considered to address any unregulated gathering of native oysters in Marine Protected Areas, in light of recent reports of functional extinction of native oysters.

In general, it is an offence to collect native oysters from any location in Scotland. Currently the Loch Sween MPA is the only marine protected area that lists native oysters as a protected feature, and there are specific management measures in place for the MPA which prohibit fishing with a demersal trawl, mechanical dredge or by hand. British sea-fishery officers from the Marine Directorate will investigate any alleged reports of illegal fishing activity wherever it occurs.