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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

Filter your results Hide all filters

Displaying 1438 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S7W-02508

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 17 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 11 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether its Chief Scientific Adviser for Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture has provided advice on the use of LiDAR technology to assess wildfire risk and, if so, whether it will publish any such advice.

The Scottish Government’s Chief Scientific Adviser for Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture (CSA ENRA) has not provided any specific advice on the use of LiDAR technology to assess wildfire risk. CSA ENRA led the development and implementation of the Scottish national land LiDAR programme and extensively engages with ministers on the development and use of LiDAR technology in Scotland more broadly.

In addition, science advisers working on behalf of CSA ENRA have engaged extensively with partners on the science of wildfire risk, including the early development work that has been done on LiDAR and Wildfire.

Question reference: S7W-02505

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 17 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 3 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what use it currently makes of Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) technology to map vegetation, assess fuel loads and identify areas at heightened risk of wildfire.

The Scottish Government’s land LiDAR programme is currently in progress and will provide the first full national land LiDAR dataset for Scotland. A number of research projects have been commissioned and are currently in progress that are making use of the new LiDAR data for the purposes of vegetation mapping and wildfire risk assessment.

A project funded via the Scottish Government’s Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture (ENRA) research programme and led by Forest Research is developing methodologies to map vegetation structure and biomass in forests, hedgerows and trees outside woodlands using LiDAR data. A fellowship is also underway with the University of Edinburgh that is exploring how LiDAR data can be used to estimate fuel loads to better inform wildfire risk assessment.

Question reference: S7W-02506

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 17 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 3 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to adopting approaches used in Wales to apply Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) mapping to wildfire prevention and planning, and whether it will consider developing a comprehensive LiDAR-based wildfire risk map for Scotland.

The Scottish Government is currently exploring the use of LiDAR for wildfire risk mapping via a fellowship with the University of Edinburgh and via research commissioned as part of the Scottish Government’s ENRA research programme. Outputs from this research will be used to inform next steps in using LiDAR data and developing LiDAR data products, including the potential for a wildfire risk map for Scotland. The next ENRA research programme is currently being commissioned which includes questions on improving understanding on the wildfire risks associated with different land uses.

The Scottish Government engages with the Welsh Government on wildfire response and policy.

Question reference: S7W-02507

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 17 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 3 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will commission research comparing vegetation and fuel loads across Scotland during the drought and wildfires of 2026 with those recorded during the drought of 1976, including through the use of LiDAR data, satellite imagery and historic land-management records.

The Scottish Government does not intend to commission research to compare vegetation and fuel loads across Scotland during the drought and wildfires of 2026 with those recorded during the drought of 1976, including through the use of LiDAR data, satellite imagery and historic land-management records.

It is unlikely that there are sufficient detailed datasets available for either year to support meaningful comparisons. Consequently, it would not possible to undertake a robust assessment or draw reliable conclusions based on the data available.

Question reference: S7O-00206

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 September 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 10 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its ongoing work to deal with rural crime.

Question reference: S7W-02299

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 27 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the commitment in the 2026 Scottish National Party manifesto to enact a statutory price cap on essential food items, what its response is to the comments reportedly made by the Scottish Retail Consortium and published in The Herald on 3 August 2026 that such a policy would not address the root cause of food price inflation and could lead to a wider range of products, and indeed sectors, being similarly targeted.

Question reference: S7W-01808

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 17 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 22 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the Scottish National Party manifesto commitment to enact a statutory price cap on essential food items, what analysis it has conducted of the potential impact on customer demand and stocking of products in grocery stores that are located close to the border with England.

The Scottish Government is working toward a consultation on the price cap on essential food items within 100 days of the start of this parliamentary session. This work has been informed by early engagement with key stakeholders and consideration of policy implications.

The consultation will be an opportunity for interested parties to inform the further development of policy and any future legislative proposals. Any proposals brought forward would be subject to detailed consideration of potential economic, competition, consumer and business impacts and be informed by appropriate evidence and impact assessments.

Question reference: S7W-01811

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 17 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 22 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the Scottish National Party manifesto commitment to enact a statutory price cap on essential food items, what its response is to reported concerns that the policy could encourage customers to travel further to purchase goods that would otherwise be bought in a convenience store closer to them and therefore increase transport-related emissions.

Question reference: S7W-01809

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 17 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 22 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the Scottish National Party manifesto commitment to enact a statutory price cap on essential food items, what its analysis is of the potential impact on product substitution and imports should the policy compel retailers to consider sourcing cheaper products from abroad.

Question reference: S7W-01810

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 17 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 22 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the Scottish National Party manifesto commitment to enact a statutory price cap on essential food items, whether it is engaging with representatives of the retail sector and food producers to address the root causes of higher food prices.