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-37704

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 16 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 30 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-31971 by Gillian Martin on 12 December 2024, and the publication of its Programme for Government 2025-26, for what reason it no longer plans to introduce new primary legislation on drinking water and wastewater in the current parliamentary session.

Question reference: S6W-37508

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 29 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-35785 by Jim Fairlie on 26 March 2025, whether (a) NatureScot presented its final version of the species licensing review to the Scottish Ministers in April 2025 and (b) it will provide an update on when it expects the findings to be published.

To clarify, as I set out in my response to S6W-35785, NatureScot had intended for the draft species licensing review to undergo an external review in April 2025 before being submitted to Ministers at a later date.

The external review has been delayed slightly and NatureScot anticipate that it will now take place over the coming weeks. Following completion of the external review, the species licensing review will then be presented to Ministers for consideration prior to being published.

Question reference: S6O-04749

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 May 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 4 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on using the powers outlined in the International Criminal Court (Scotland) Act 2001 to prosecute nationals and residents of the UK residing in Scotland who have committed war crimes.

Question reference: S6O-04729

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 May 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 29 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take to support transgender people following the recent Supreme Court ruling, in light of reported concerns from transgender people, and their friends, family and allies that it undermines the rights and risks the personal safety of transgender individuals.

Question reference: S6W-37440

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 19 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how noise detection equipment is being deployed by Police Scotland in relation to motorbikes that break noise limits.

The Scottish Government recognises that transport noise is a concern, can be distressing, and has an impact on health and well-being. That is why we are working with our partners – including Police Scotland - to implement a range of actions to reduce noise. These are set out in Transport Scotland’s Transportation Noise Action Plan.

Direct measurement of noise levels for enforcement is a new and emerging technology. Police Scotland do not currently have this capability. However, Transport Scotland are working actively with partners to determine its effectiveness, and potential application. Otherwise, it is for Police Scotland to deploy specialist noise equipment as they see fit. While there are no measured legal limits to road noise for vehicles in use, it is illegal to modify the exhaust system to make a vehicle noisier after it has been ‘type approved’. Police Scotland can also take action if a vehicle’s silencer doesn’t work in the way it was designed or if someone is driving in a way that creates too much noise.

Question reference: S6W-37414

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 14 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will adopt the recommendations set out in the letter to the Cabinet Secretary for Transport of 11 March 2025, which was signed by over 20 councillors and environmental and public health groups, regarding the reported lack of enforcement of the ban on engine idling, in order to support its aim for Scotland to have the cleanest air in Europe.

Question reference: S6W-37413

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 14 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether there is a need to improve enforcement of the ban on engine idling to achieve its vision for Scotland to have the cleanest air in Europe and to protect human and environmental health.

The Road Traffic (Vehicle Emissions) (Fixed Penalty) (Scotland) Regulations 2003 provide local authorities with powers to issue fixed penalty notices to drivers of parked idling vehicles who refuse a reasonable request to switch off their engines. It is for individual local authorities to decide how to make use of their powers and promote awareness. The Scottish Government provides guidance and funding support to assist local authorities in this process.

Question reference: S6W-37416

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 14 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will update the 2003 guidance, Local Authority Powers to Require Drivers to Switch Off Engines When Parked, to enable local authorities to more effectively enforce the ban on engine idling.

Question reference: S6W-37415

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 14 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will amend regulation 8(b) of the Road Traffic (Vehicle Emissions) (Fixed Penalty) (Scotland) Regulations 2003 to increase the level of fines from £20 to £80, in order to deter engine idling, in light of reports that fines have not increased in line with inflation.

Question reference: S6W-37417

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 13 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to protect marine life currently at risk from bottom-trawling, and whether these actions will include further enforcement of requirements to release unintended bycatch immediately, reinstating spatial limits on bottom-trawling in coastal areas, and improving vessel monitoring to identify hotspots of harm.

We are committed to working in partnership with our fisheries stakeholders and coastal communities to develop and deliver proportionate fisheries and marine conservation measures which align environmental protection with a flourishing and profitable fishing industry.

A range of measures are already in place to ensure that the marine environment is protected, including the use of quotas to support fishing within sustainable limits. We also support and encourage best practice within the fishing industry in relation to handling of sensitive marine species, including returning them to the sea unharmed where practical to do so. We will be taking further action through our Future Catching Policy to minimise and, where possible, eliminate bycatch of sensitive marine species as part of wider efforts to ensure the sustainability of our fisheries.

We are building on existing measures through a range of initiatives, including taking forward the outcomes of a consultation on requiring tracking and monitoring technology on all under 12 metre fishing vessels in Scottish waters. In addition, one of our top priorities is putting in place the remaining fisheries management measures for MPAs and the 11 priority marine features most at risk from bottom trawling. We consulted in October 2024 on the proposed fisheries management options for 20 protected areas in the offshore marine region. We remain committed to implementing measures for offshore MPAs in 2025 and we will also consult on measures for inshore MPAs once the statutory assessments are completed.

We know that some of our stakeholders would like to see the Scottish Government introduce a three-mile limit restricting mobile fishing gear. We have no plans to do so. Such blanket spatial restrictions are not consistent with an evidence-based approach, do not embrace the benefits of new technology and are inconsistent with the nuanced approach outlined in our 2020-2030 Fisheries Management Strategy.