Questions and answers

Question reference: S6W-37898

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 26 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what contingency plans are in place in the event that emissions reductions from agriculture and land use do not progress in line with its net zero targets.

The Scottish Government expects that all policies and proposals set out in the forthcoming Climate Change Plan will be delivered. Progress of these policies and proposals will be monitored closely throughout the plan period through a robust Monitoring and Evaluation Framework. Regular monitoring will establish progress and allow Ministers to consider appropriate action to support any off track indicators on a case to case basis.

Question reference: S6W-37909

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 June 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 16 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to prevent carbon leakage from agricultural imports as a result of any reduction in domestic agricultural production.

Question reference: S6W-38464

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 06 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 16 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-37894 by Jim Fairlie on 3 June 2025, whether it will provide the information requested, specifically regarding what its position is on what role precision agriculture has in reducing nitrous oxide emissions from fertiliser use, and for what reason it did not provide this information in its answer.

The answer to question S6W-37894 referred to a range of economic and environmental benefits that the Scottish Government believes can be delivered through the use of precision agriculture. These are understood to include the reduction of nitrous oxide emissions through more targeted use of fertiliser. An example of this in practice can be found on the website of the SG funded Farm Advisory Service at Optimise your Nutrient Management with Precision Manure Spreading Technology | Information helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service

Question reference: S6W-38115

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 02 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 16 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde to move towards surgery for ovarian cancer patients being undertaken after three cycles of chemotherapy, for those being treated with neoadjuvant regime, in light of its previously reported commitment to achieve this by April-June 2024.

Jenni Minto: NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde have and are continuing to take action to simplify scheduling of these complex cases. They have advised that achieving surgery within three cycles of chemotherapy for this patient group remains a Board priority. There is an improvement plan in place to achieve this, with actions being closely monitored.

Ongoing improvement work includes:

Early access to radiology scanning
Multi-disciplinary team (MDT) meeting one week after scan results
Efficient scheduling of colorectal input for joint surgery cases
Additional colorectal surgical time being allocated to work with gynaecology oncology team
Maximum use of protected 14 weekly theatre sessions

NHSGGC has advised that the number of patients receiving more than three cycles of chemotherapy while waiting surgery has significantly decreased.

Question reference: S6W-38116

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 02 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 13 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what steps are being taken to reduce ovarian cancer surgery waiting lists across Scotland.

The three regional cancer networks continue to make operational improvements to service provision across Scotland to reduce ovarian cancer surgery waits. Improvements taken to date include increasing surgery provision, by increasing surgical teams and theatre capacity; improving theatre scheduling and joint working across surgical teams; and expediting pathways to expand capacity for these complex, multidisciplinary surgeries.

According to the most recent published data (October-December 2024), 98.4% of women are receiving their first treatment for ovarian cancer within 31 days of a decision to treat. The maximum wait during this quarter was 43 days, a decrease from 90 days in the same quarter in 2023. This may be a range of treatments, including surgery.

Question reference: S6W-38117

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 02 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 13 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what steps are being taken to reduce ovarian cancer surgery waiting lists in the south of Scotland.

The South East Scotland Cancer Network (SCAN) continue to focus on reducing waiting times and improving outcomes for people diagnosed with ovarian cancer. They have made recent innovations in both the pre-diagnosis and post-diagnosis parts of the pathway:

Pre diagnosis: patients referred with suspected ovarian cancer automatically receive a CT scan appointment and should the scan show any suspicious features, the multi-disciplinary team will review and an action plan will be formalised. They report that this has significantly decreased waiting times.
Post diagnosis: 10 dedicated advanced ovarian cancer surgery lists are offered each week supported by the specialist gynae-oncology team and the colorectal and hepato-biliary surgery teams, as appropriate, aiming to improve post-surgery outcomes including survival rates.

Question reference: S6W-37899

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 29 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 11 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Climate Change Committee's projection of a 36% reduction in cattle and sheep numbers by 2045, how it will assess the impact of any reduction in the beef herd on the abattoir and meat processing industry.

The Scottish Government will consider the advice of the Climate Change Committee before setting out its own proposals for taking necessary actions on climate change.

The Scottish Government remains committed to supporting our livestock farmers in playing a full part in Scotland’s journey to net zero, including by reducing methane emissions in ways that strengthen farm productivity and resilience. The Scottish Government has no policy to reduce the national herd, our approach focuses on reducing emissions intensity rather than livestock numbers, through improvements in genetics, low-methane breeding, and appropriate uptake of methane-suppressing feed products. We continue to support the sector through a range of schemes including the SSBSS and through reformed direct payments – in stark contrast to the policies of UKG.

We recognise that the meat processing industry is a vital part of the supply chain, and have supported the sector. This has included a Ministerial discount scheme which has been applied to Official Veterinarian charges since 2015, as well as resource funding through the Small Producers Pilot Fund to explore solutions to challenges surrounding abattoirs and small producers’ access to private kill services. The recently published Programme for Government commits to £5 million to support food processing and marketing.

We will continue working with the sector to ensure it thrives as part of a climate-smart food system, while recognising the importance of Scotland’s livestock products to UK and international markets.

Question reference: S6W-37911

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 29 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 11 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how it will support land managers to integrate agroforestry and hedgerows into productive farmland.

The Scottish Government fully recognises the benefits of hedgerows and trees.

We have a range of policies and initiatives in place to support the integration of trees on farms. The Forestry Grant Scheme offers financial support for the creation of new woodland and the sustainable management of existing woodland, including the planting of new agroforestry systems. Farmers and crofters can also access up to £1600 funding to enlist the help of a specialist adviser to help with the integration of trees on farms through the Farm Advisory Service and the award-winning, farmer-led Integrating Trees Network offers free online and in person events to support peer to peer engagement on integrating trees on farms.

Additionally, the £14 million Future Farming Investment Scheme will offer flexible support to improve efficiency or support nature and climate-friendly farming and through the Agri-Environment Climate Scheme (AECS) we fund small-scale tree planting and the planting, restoration, and management of hedgerows. Importantly, the 2025 round of AECS sees the restrictions on hedgerows lifted, allowing businesses to now apply for funding for over 1000m of hedgerows.

Through the Agriculture Reform Programme and in collaboration with Scottish Forestry and NatureScot, we are also considering opportunities to improve how we support farmers to integrate trees and hedgerows on their land and engaging with our stakeholders through the Trees on farm subgroup of Scottish Forestry’s Customer Representatives Group.

Question reference: S6W-37897

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 29 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 11 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Climate Change Committee's projection of a 36% reduction in cattle and sheep numbers by 2045, how it will assess the impact of any reduction in the beef herd on rural communities.

The Scottish Government recognises the vital role the livestock sector plays in supporting rural communities. We do not have a policy to reduce livestock numbers and fully recognise the value that livestock plays in Scotland's rural communities, maintaining bio diversity and our food sector. In order to understand what is happening within the sector we are committed to assessing, through engagement with stakeholders, the potential social and economic impacts of any changes in the size of the beef herd - whether driven by market trends, consumer behaviour, or technological change - on rural areas across Scotland.

This assessment will be carried out through ongoing engagement with farmers, crofters, industry representatives and rural stakeholders, alongside analysis of rural economies and land use. In stark contrast to the UK Government we continue to demonstrate our commitment to the beef sector through a range of support schemes, including the Scottish Suckler Beef Support Scheme (SSBSS), which provides targeted, coupled support for livestock producers In addition, the retention of the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) in Scotland is helping to maintain income stability for many beef producers. This reformed direct support reflects the unique challenges facing our farming and crofting communities and underlines our determination to deliver a sustainable future for rural Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-37893

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 10 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on what role local authorities will play in delivering land use change and emissions reductions.

The Scottish Government’s Land Use Strategy supports our ambition to achieve sustainable land use, while reducing greenhouse gas emission and maintaining globally renowned food production in Scotland. Through the strategy we are seeking to support communities and agencies to contribute to the achievement of this ambition.

The National Planning Framework (NPF4) is a long-term plan looking to 2045 that guides spatial development, sets out national planning policies, designates national developments and highlights regional spatial priorities. NPF4 places climate and nature at the centre of our planning system, supporting the achievement of a net zero Scotland by 2045.

Planning authorities are preparing new local development plans, and they will be instrumental in taking forward NPF4 in different parts of the country, in a way which responds to each of their unique challenges and opportunities.

Aligned with the Verity House Agreement, the Scottish Government has worked closely with COSLA to develop a Climate Delivery Framework (CDF) between national and local government. The Framework will enable better alignment of national and local targets and pathways, agree shared approaches to climate action, and jointly address challenges and barriers to delivery.

The Climate Delivery Oversight Group (CDOG) is co-chaired by the Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy and Cllr MacGregor, and demonstrates the shared commitment to collaborative working.

Chamber and committees