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: S6O-04435

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 March 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 13 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it can provide an update on its work to end conversion practices, including whether it anticipates any delay to its joint work with the UK Government on this as a result of recent ministerial changes.

Question reference: S6W-34938

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 4 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many train (a) arrivals and (b) departures there have been at (i) Cameron Bridge and (ii) Leven rail station each month since June 2024.

Question reference: S6W-34987

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 4 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason NatureScot reportedly did not invite each of the groups involved in the development of the Grouse Code of Practice to (a) meetings and (a) engage in consultation with it to discuss grouse licence conditions.

In developing the Grouse Code of Practice NatureScot established the Grouse Code Working Group to develop the conditions of the licence for grouse moors and the accompanying Code of Practice. This was then introduced in July 2024.

As I set out in response to S6W-34518 on 25 February 2025, NatureScot subsequently added a condition to licences so that certain relevant offences committed anywhere on a landholding can be taken into consideration as to whether to revoke or suspend a licence. No additional engagement was undertaken and it was not considered necessary to carry out further consultation as this addition did not deviate from the policy intention when the licensing conditions and Grouse Code of Practice were initially developed.

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

Question reference: S6W-34988

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 4 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) meetings and (b) other discussions NatureScot and Scottish Land and Estates have held to discuss (i) the legal opinions regarding the wording of the Wildlife Management and Muirburn (Scotland) Act 2024 and (ii) what land should be included in a 16AA licence to shoot grouse.

Question reference: S6W-34989

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 4 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether NatureScot will release the notes of (a) meetings and (b) any other discussions it has had with Scottish Land and Estates to discuss grouse shoot licensing.

Question reference: S6W-34990

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 4 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what (a) meetings and (b) other discussions took place between ministers and/or its officials with NatureScot in advance of the agency introducing new guidance related to “area of land” and new conditions to 16AA licences; whether these changes were approved and, if so, (i) by whom and (ii) when.

Question reference: S6F-03851

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 24 February 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 February 2025

To ask the First Minister how the Scottish Government will protect the lives of racing greyhounds.

Question reference: S6W-33994

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 24 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 3 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-08334 by Tom Arthur on 17 May 2022, for what reason amendments to permitted development rights for private ways, known as hill tracks, were not included in phase 3 of the permitted development rights review, and what plans it has for ensuring that there is consultation on amending permitted development rights for hill tracks.

The phasing of the permitted development rights (PDR) work programme has been kept under review to ensure that it reflects – and helps to promote – the Scottish Government's strategic priorities. As a priority, Phase 3 of the review focussed on PDR for domestic and non-domestic renewable energy equipment. The amended scope of Phase 3 reflected the cost and climate crises, and the need to ensure the planning system plays its part in helping to support households and businesses to adapt their properties.

We still expect to revisit the PDR related to private ways / hilltracks at a future point. This is a complex issue of interest to a wide range of stakeholders with differing perspectives, and requires very careful and detailed consideration.

Question reference: S6O-04256

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 January 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 29 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the culture secretary has had with ministerial colleagues regarding the potential impact on the provision of library services in Mid-Scotland and Fife of the proposed local government settlement for 2025-26.

Question reference: S6W-32259

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 21 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding has been allocated in its draft Budget 2025-26 for (a) the Active Travel Infrastructure Fund, (b) Places for Everyone projects, (c) the National Cycle Network, (d) People and Place projects, (e) regional transport partnerships and (f) Bikeability Scotland.

The Scottish Budget for 2025-26 has been set at £63.4 billion. The recent draft budget allocated and indicated a value of £4 billion for the Transport portfolio, which includes £188.7 million for Active and Sustainable Travel. This investment is intended to:

Make it easier for people to walk, wheel and cycle

Improve connections to our public transport network

Support resilient and efficient bus services

We cannot authorise allocations to specific programmes until the budget has passed. All values at this time are indicative, and we therefore cannot confirm the amount that may or may not be allocated to the specific projects mentioned until the new financial year.