- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 02 July 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Fairlie on 10 July 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of existing animal welfare legislation and regulation, and whether it has identified any areas where it considers that reform may be required.
Answer
In April 2025 the Scottish Government published a review of the Animals and Wildlife (Penalties, Protections and Powers) (Scotland) Act 2020, considering the provisions of the 2020 Act and any requirements for additional animal welfare, animal health and wildlife offences. The review concluded that the closely targeted provisions in the 2020 Act are functioning as intended and that no legislative changes are required.
Additionally, the Scottish Animal Welfare Commission (SAWC) is currently carrying out a review of the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006, with the report scheduled for completion by the end of 2026. The Scottish Government will give full consideration to SAWC's report in due course.
- Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 02 July 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 10 July 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the feasibility of imposing a 500-hectare land ownership cap for (a) individuals, (b) companies and (c) other corporate entities.
Answer
The Scottish Government is not currently considering a 500 hectare cap on the amount of land that can be owned by individuals, companies or other corporate entities.
Similar proposals were considered previously during the development and parliamentary scrutiny of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2025, with page 32 of the Policy Memorandum noting:
“There is insufficient evidence to justify a limit or presumed limit on the size of landholding that can be owned. Land Commission research, and prior research by the Scottish Government, did not find clear links between scale alone and wider social, economic and environmental outcomes. This proposal would also have significant financial consequences, particularly in relation to compensation.”
This remains the position of the Scottish Government.
- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 29 June 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom Arthur on 10 July 2026
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has commissioned any independent evaluation of the Just Transition Fund, including its effectiveness in achieving its stated objectives and in facilitating a just transition for oil and gas workers, and whether it can provide evidence-based figures on the number of jobs created and safeguarded as a direct result of the Fund.
Answer
The Scottish Government commissioned an independent evaluation of the first two years (2022-2024) of the Just Transition Fund (JTF), which was published in 2025. This assessed the economic, social and environmental impacts of the JTF through a combination of interviews with project leads, an online survey and a review of project reports. We intend to undertake a fresh evaluation of the project impacts over the course of the last Parliament, which covers the first four years of the Fund, and this will include evidence-based figures on the number of jobs created and safeguarded as a direct result of the Fund.
- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 29 June 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom Arthur on 10 July 2026
To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the Just Transition Fund, whether it will provide information on how much has paid out to date, who all the recipients are and when future funding rounds will open.
Answer
The Scottish Government’s Just Transition Fund has invested more than £83.5 million since 2022, supporting 28 projects across the North East and Moray.
Information on all recipients of Just Transition Fund awards, including project descriptions and funding allocations, is publicly available through a Scottish Government Freedom of Information release published in July 2025: [gov.scot]. This provides a comprehensive list of projects supported through the Fund.
The most recent funding round reopened on 2 March 2026, with up to £17 million available to support green jobs, innovation, supply chain diversification and community-led projects. Details of future funding opportunities will continue to be published on the Scottish Government website in the usual way.
- Asked by: Malcolm Offord, MSP for West Scotland, Reform UK
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Date lodged: Friday, 26 June 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 10 July 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what the process is for an individual to be seen by a practitioner in another NHS board area where there is capacity
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Answer
It is expected that most patients will be seen and treated locally wherever possible and appropriate, based on clinical need.
The NHSScotland National Access Policy sets out that Health Boards must optimise available capacity and work collaboratively to ensure patients are treated as quickly as possible. This includes offering treatment outwith a patient’s local Health Board where this is clinically appropriate and capacity is available.
Patients may therefore be offered appointments or treatment in another NHS Board, including National Treatment Centres or the Golden Jubilee University National Hospital. Decisions on these arrangements are made by clinical teams and Health Boards, and follow robust clinical pathways.
Patients may choose whether to accept an alternative offer; however, accommodating requests for a specific location cannot be guaranteed and should be discussed with the relevant clinical team.
- Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 19 June 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi McAllan on 10 July 2026
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the UK Government’s decision to close the UK-wide Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme, what consideration has been given to establishing an equivalent scheme in Scotland to support listed places of worship with the cost of VAT on repairs and maintenance.
Answer
Following the UK Government’s announcement of the closure of the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme, the Scottish Government has met with representatives of the UK Government, Church groups and the Church of Scotland.
The Scottish Government was not informed of this decision prior to the announcement from UK Government and the timing of this announcement, after the Scottish Budget had been set, has limited the opportunity to identify any immediate replacement funding within existing allocations.
Nevertheless, the Scottish Government is actively exploring options to ensure that listed places of worship in Scotland are not disproportionately affected by the withdrawal of this UK-wide VAT relief, however we are unable to identify any additional Barnett consequential funding specifically linked to the introduction of the Places of Worship Renewal Fund in England and this limits what is possible.
- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 29 June 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom Arthur on 10 July 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what the outcomes and KPIs set for the Just Transition Fund were, which of those it expects to achieve by the end of the current parliamentary session and what milestones (a) were set and (b) have been achieved so far.
Answer
The Just Transition Fund does not have a single set of programme-wide KPIs. Instead, each funded project has its own agreed targets and milestones, which are monitored through quarterly, annual and final reporting.
The Fund's overarching outcomes are:
- Jobs, skills and economic opportunities;
- Communities and places;
- People and equity; and
- Environment, biodiversity and adaptation.
The Scottish Government expects the Fund to continue contributing to all four outcomes during the remainder of the current parliamentary session. £83.5 million has been allocated to 28 projects since 2022, with a further £17 million due to be allocated this year. A fresh evaluation of the impact of the Fund will be undertaken this year to get a more comprehensive picture of impact.
Just one project supported by the Just Transition Fund, the ETZ Supply Chain Challenge Fund, has generated 267 jobs and leveraged £17 million in private investment in four years, with further benefits expected as projects continue to be delivered.
- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 June 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Ivan McKee on 10 July 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any risk that resourcing constraints within (a) the Marine Directorate’s Licensing Operations Team and (b) NatureScot could affect the ability of Scottish offshore wind projects to participate in the Contracts for Difference auctions.
Answer
The Marine Directorate’s Licensing Operations Team (MD-LOT) and NatureScot have worked hard to plan for an increase in offshore wind applications for some time. Scottish Government resource requirements continue to be monitored, with staff deployed flexibly to help process applications as expeditiously as possible. Best efforts are made to meet a determination timeline of 12 months from initial application, noting that more complex applications may take longer. However, where additional information is required this will impact determination timelines.
In April 2026 Nature Scot implemented a new charging model to enable full cost recovery associated with providing advice to MD-LOT and developers. These approaches have helped ensure timescales do not present unnecessary barriers to projects seeking to participate in Contract for Difference Allocation Rounds.
- Asked by: Malcolm Offord, MSP for West Scotland, Reform UK
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Date lodged: Friday, 26 June 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 10 July 2026
To ask the Scottish Government at what point an NHS Scotland patient, who requires treatment and cannot access appropriate care and treatment within their own NHS board, has the right to seek timeous treatment from a provider (a) in another NHS board, (b) anywhere else within the UK or (c) further afield.
Answer
It is expected that most patients will be seen and treated locally wherever possible and appropriate, based on clinical need.
The NHSScotland National Access Policy (December 2023) sets out the national framework for how Health Boards ensure equitable and timely access to care. Under this policy, Health Boards are responsible for ensuring patients are treated as quickly as possible, including by optimising available capacity and working collaboratively across NHS Scotland.
Patients may be offered treatment within another NHS Board where this is clinically appropriate and capacity is available. Where necessary, Health Boards may also arrange treatment with alternative providers, including elsewhere within the UK.
The policy does not prevent patients from independently seeking treatment outside NHS arrangements. However, patients should not assume that the costs of such treatment will be met by the NHS. Any request for NHS funding must be agreed in advance by the responsible Health Board, which remains accountable for the patient's care.
- Asked by: Lloyd Melville, MSP for Angus South, Scottish National Party
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Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Date lodged: Thursday, 25 June 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 10 July 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what further steps it plans to take to ensure that communities are protected from the impacts of flooding, including the communities along the Dighty Burn in South Angus and Dundee that were affected during Storm Babet in 2023.
Answer
Local authorities have responsibility for the development and delivery of flood protection schemes, and the Scottish Government provides funding to support them to do so.
Since 2009, we have provided local authorities with £42 million annually to support flood risk management, alongside an additional £150 million invested over the previous parliamentary session. We have agreed with COSLA to maintain this £42 million funding in 2026-27. As a result Dundee City and Angus Council have received £603,000 and £930,000 respectively this year which they can allocate to local priorities identified in their flood risk management plans.
We also support the Dighty Burn Restoration Project through SEPA and the Water Environment Fund. This project aims to restore ecosystems, repurpose post-industrial landscapes, build climate resilience and rejuvenate areas to bring long-term benefits to the communities and wildlife in the Northeast of Dundee.
More broadly, our manifesto and 100 day plan made a commitment to an additional £15 million to strengthen flood resilience and we are also providing £250,000 to the Scottish Flood Forum this year to help communities prepare for, respond to, and recover from flooding.
