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 3478 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S7W-01481

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 15 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to introducing statutory welfare standards for decapod crustaceans in sectors that currently operate under voluntary guidance.

The Scottish Government is currently working with the other devolved Governments to develop Guidance for the welfare at the time of killing of decapods. The Scottish Government will consider the case for developing statutory welfare standards as part of the wider work and commitment to undertake a gap analysis in collaboration with Defra and our wider evidence-based review to inform future measures to protect decapod welfare.

Question reference: S7W-01475

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 15 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with industry, scientific and animal welfare stakeholders regarding the development of welfare standards for the humane handling and slaughter of decapod crustaceans.

The Scottish Government is working with the UK Government to develop Guidance for the decapod welfare at time of killing. In order to inform the development of this Guidance we have collectively met with industry bodies including Seafish, the Shellfish Association of Great Britain (SAGB) and other organisations which developed an industry Code of Practice for handling and despatch of decapods, as well as with NGOs including Crustacean Compassion.

Question reference: S7W-01510

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 15 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to include proposals to improve the welfare of farmed animals, including through measures relating to the use of farrowing crates, in its forthcoming Programme for Government.

Question reference: S7W-01116

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 15 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what the longest waiting time has been for an application to the Redress Scheme.

The official statistics, available at Scotland's Redress Scheme Statistics December 2021 - June 2025, provide information on applications, outcomes and payments made in the first 42 months of Scotland's Redress Scheme.

The Scheme is completely survivor led and as such, it is common for applicants to pause their application or disengage from the application process. Applicants can return to their application whenever they feel ready to do so. These circumstances reflect a proportion of applications with the longest waiting times.

Question reference: S7W-01415

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 15 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to publish the outcome of its consultation into phasing out cages for gamebirds and laying hens.

The Scottish Government has undertaken two consultations on the issue of phasing out cages for laying hens. The first, a Scotland-only one, which took place in 2024, is currently being analysed and results will be published in the coming months. The second, conducted jointly with DEFRA and the Welsh Government received over 39,000 correspondence and will be published in due course.

It was a Programme for Government Commitment to consult on the phasing out of cages for gamebirds and it remains our intention to consult on that issue in due course.

Question reference: S7W-01122

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 15 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how many panel members decide awards for the Redress Scheme, and what its position is on whether this is a sufficient number to deal with the reported backlog of cases.

Redress Scotland currently has 53 appointed panel members.

Recruitment activity is ongoing to further expand this capacity, with an additional 15 to 20 panel members expected to be recommended to Scottish Ministers for appointment over the period July to August 2026. This reflects a continued effort to ensure that Redress Scotland has sufficient resource to manage increased demand and support the timely progression of applications.

Question reference: S7W-01478

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 15 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what statutory or regulatory measures are currently in place to ensure the welfare of live decapod crustaceans during transport within and from Scotland.

There are currently no statutory or regulatory measures protecting decapod welfare during transport within and from Scotland. In its statutory review of the Animals and Wildlife (Penalties, Protections and Powers) Act 2020 the Scottish Government committed to undertaking, in collaboration with Defra and other devolved administrations, a gap analysis to identify the specific welfare challenges faced by decapods (including live transportation), what evidence there is to inform potential solutions to these challenges, and where further research may be needed.

Question reference: S7W-01123

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 15 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will review payments to solicitors from the Redress Scheme.

The Redress for Survivors (Historical Child Abuse in Care) (Scotland) Act 2021 places a duty on the Scottish Ministers to pay legal fees reasonably incurred by applicants to the redress scheme. Fees for legal work undertaken are prescribed in the Redress for Survivors (Historical Child Abuse in Care) (Payment of Legal Fees) (Scotland) Regulations 2021.

Where unexpected or exceptional circumstances arise, and it is reasonable for a solicitor to carry out additional legal work in making a redress application, the solicitor may seek an additional sum.

Question reference: S7W-01119

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 15 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how long it takes for caseworkers to process applications to the Redress Scheme expressed as the (a) average and (b) longest wait.

Applications progress at differing rates depending on how complete they are when submitted, the availability of information, evidence and records, and the extent of verification checks required.

Applicants can pause their application at any time and some applicants disengage from the process for a period of time then later return.

Question reference: S7W-01472

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 15 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of whether the recognition of decapod crustaceans as sentient animals gives rise to any need to amend or update the provisions or operation of the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006.

The Scottish Government recognised in its statutory review of the Animals and Wildlife (Penalties, Protections and Powers) Act 2020 that decapods are recognised as sentient; currently have no general welfare protection under the 2006 Act; and that this is an area for future policy consideration. We further recognise the position of the Scottish Animal Welfare Commission that future policy development should consider the welfare implications for all sentient animals, including decapods and cephalopods.