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-41274

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 30 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the recent UK-Faroe Islands fisheries negotiations and regarding any impact on cetacean populations in Scottish waters, what assessment it has made of any potential merits of including animal welfare and wildlife protection clauses in future fisheries agreements with the Faroe Islands.

International negotiations and membership of organisations such as International Whaling Commission (IWC) are a reserved matter for the UK Government. However, the Scottish Government is fully committed to the protection of iconic marine wildlife such as whales, dolphins, and porpoise. We therefore fully support the UK Government and IWC in seeking to secure a permanent worldwide ban, and in continuing to call on all countries who practice any form of whaling, to cease these operations and enforce the worldwide ban.

As part of the annual UK-Faroe Islands fisheries negotiations, officials continue to work with the UK Government and raise this topic with Faroe Islands officials.

As outlined in the UK/ Faroe Islands Fisheries Framework Agreement ‘The Contracting Parties shall cooperate with a view to achieving the objective of ensuring the long-term conservation and sustainable use of marine living resources and, in doing so, safeguarding the ecosystems in which these resources occur’

As part of the annual fisheries agreement, when Faroese vessels fish in the UK waters they must comply with all relevant UK/Scottish legislation. This includes compliance with legislation governing Marine Protected Areas and Future Catching Policy, and the protection of cetacean populations.

Question reference: S6W-41321

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 30 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how much it has spent on legal fees paid to prevent disclosures under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002, in each year since 2021.

The Scottish Government has previously released the following information regarding court fees, counsel's fees and judicial expenses paid in relation to court action in which the Scottish Information Commissioner, as regulator for Freedom of Information law, was the opposing party:

Financial Year	Case Name	Amount
2020-2021	Scottish Ministers v Scottish Information Commissioner & James W Hunter (XA70/20)	£9,077.67
2021-2022		£0.00
2022-2023		£0.00
2023-2024	Scottish Ministers v Scottish Information Commissioner & Benjamin Harrop (XA10/23) - Costs incurred over two financial years	£35,370.00
2024-2025	Scottish Ministers v Scottish Information Commissioner & Benjamin Harrop (XA10/23) - Costs incurred over two financial years	£35,394.00
2025-2026	Scottish Ministers v Scottish Information Commissioner & Benjamin Harrop (XA29/25)	£8,518.00
Total		£88,359.67

Similar information to that in the above table has previously been published by the Scottish Government on our website and is accessible through the following links:

Question reference: S6W-41336

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 30 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) affordable and (b) social properties have been built as a result of loans from Scotland's Charitable Bond Programme, broken down by local authority area, since the programme was established in 2013.

The information sought by the Member is not available in the format requested.

Since 2014 the Scottish Government has invested over £500m in 43 Charitable Bonds. To date, the scheme has supported the delivery of more than 4,000 new affordable homes through direct loans to social landlords. This has generated £157 million in charitable donations to fund additional local authority priority projects for social rent.

Loans have been issued to Registered Social Landlords operating across a number of local authority areas. For a list of all charitable bonds and donations made (up to 2023), I would refer the member to: Scottish Government Charitable Housing Bonds: FOI release - gov.scot

Question reference: S6W-41323

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 30 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any rail track (a) repairs and (b) upgrades that may be needed in the future, broken down by section, as well as by the date each repair or update work (i) was first identified as required and (ii) is projected to be completed by.

Question reference: S6W-40929

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 30 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the reported concerns by some social care organisations that a shortage of care home places might lead to an increase in the risk of suicide.

There is no direct evidence of a link between available care home places and suicide rates or risks, though we are seeking to understand the suicide risks for older adults. Suicide Prevention Scotland is undertaking work to build this understanding and the effective interventions to address these risks.

The Scottish Government is committed to developing a sustainable health and social care system that ensures people get the right care, at the right time, in the right place. Although we have overall responsibility for health and social care policy in Scotland, the statutory responsibility for delivering, commissioning, providing appropriate social care capacity and charging for services at a local level lies with local authorities, NHS boards and integrated health and social care partnerships.

This year we have made available over £14 billion to local authorities, a real terms increase of 4.3 per cent, with a record £15 billion for 2025-26 set out in the Scottish Budget, a further real terms increase of 4.7 per cent. But it would be for these local authorities to assess local population needs and where investment needs to be targeted to improve the social care infrastructure within their relevant area.

Suicide prevention is a key priority for the Scottish Government and we published an ambitious 10-year Suicide Prevention Strategy: Creating Hope Together: Scotland’s Suicide Prevention Strategy 2022-2032 Creating Hope Together and Action Plan:creating-hope-together-scotlands-suicide-prevention-action-plan-2022-2025.pdf with COSLA in September 2022. This strategy recognises the complex factors affecting suicide, and our action plan sets out the wide programme of work we are taking forward with partners - across the public, private, third sector and communities - to ensure everyone affected by suicide can access compassionate, appropriate and timely support.

Scottish Government has met the Programme for Government commitment to double suicide prevention annual funding to £2.8m in the current parliamentary term, which is helping us to drive forward our ambitious strategy and action plan.

Question reference: S6W-41357

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Friday, 17 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 30 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration Forestry and Land Scotland gave to alternative lease models, such as a community-only stalking lease, before introducing the policy of exclusive use of paid contractors for deer management.

FLS does not have a policy of exclusive use of paid contractors for deer management.

FLS currently achieves its annual deer cull via:-

FLS Wildlife Rangers (x 50), delivering 24% of cull.
Professional Culling Contractors (x 115), delivering 74% of cull.
Recreational Stalkers (x 50), delivering 2% of cull.

This model was developed over several years and has helped FLS facilitate a 35% increase in its cull from 30,700 deer in 2015/16, to 41,500 deer in 2024/25.

Higher culls result in reductions in deer numbers and associated deer damage impacts.

Across SNFL there are currently 23 recreational deer leases and permissions covering 24,700 hectares.

Question reference: S6W-41144

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angus Robertson on 30 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what the costs were of (a) producing and (b) publishing its paper, A Fresh Start with Independence.

Question reference: S6W-41170

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 30 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, ahead of the Wildfire Summit on 14 October 2025, and in light of the reported increase in wildfires in 2025 and the associated challenges faced by landowners, what educational initiatives it is currently undertaking to encourage responsible outdoor behaviour in line with the Scottish Outdoor Access Code.

The Scottish Outdoor Access Code (SOAC) provides guidance for the public on how to exercise their access rights responsibly. Having a fire or BBQ is an activity covered by access rights in certain circumstances. However, the circumstances are limited and the SOAC clearly sets out when and where it would not be considered responsible to have a fire, including:

when - such as periods of high or extreme fire risk; and
where - such as in woodlands, on peat soils, and on farmland;

and guidance on how to have a fire responsibly.

NatureScot, the National Access Forum (NAF) and the national Visitor Management Co-ordination Group also undertake other activity to promote responsible behaviour with respect to fires and BBQs, such as:

A fires messaging framework to ensure national consistency in messaging which includes very clear “no fires” at times of high or extreme fire risk.
Fires and BBQs in the outdoors guidance for managers, rangers and land managers
Media campaigns annually promoting the SOAC and fires messaging at times of high or extreme fire risk.

Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and the Scottish Wildfire Forum also provide Wildfire Danger Assessments which help prioritise communication and engagement activity.

Question reference: S6O-05098

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 October 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 5 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to a recent poll that states that a majority of people in Scotland think the NHS is worse now than it was a decade ago.

Question reference: S6O-05090

Asked by: Sue Webber, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 October 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 5 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the Natural Environment (Scotland) Bill to determine whether there could be any unintended consequences.