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-44385

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 24 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, with reference to the Prior Information Notice published on 4 March 2026, whether it plans to exercise powers under Regulation 29(8) of the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015 to set a time limit on the receipt of tenders for the Northern Isles Ferry Services 4 (NIFS4) contract.

Question reference: S6W-44382

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 24 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to publish the names of candidate operators expressing interest in the Northern Isles Ferry Services 4 (NIFS4) contract before the invitation to tender is published in the fourth quarter of 2026.

Question reference: S6W-44384

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 24 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what estimate it has made of the cost to the public purse of delivering the full tender process for the Northern Isles Ferry Services 4 (NIFS4) contract, and whether it anticipates to make savings through the use of the Restricted Procedure under Regulation 29 of the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015.

Question reference: S6W-44383

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 24 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to prepare a public sector bid for the the Northern Isles Ferry Services 4 (NIFS4) contract, which is due to start on 1 July 2028, in line with Regulation 29 (Restricted Procedure) of the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015.

Question reference: S6W-44264

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2026
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 20 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what (a) financial and audit checks and (b) other risk assessments Scottish Forestry carries out of applicants for forestry grants.

Full details of how the Scottish Government undertakes these checks and risk assessments can be found on Scottish Forestry’s website. Forestry Grant Scheme guidance on financial eligibility is set out on the How to apply page. Information on the supporting evidence required to claim funds is set out on the Claims and payments page, and the Inspections page details Scottish Forestry’s approach to claim inspection monitoring.

Question reference: S6W-44266

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2026
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 20 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will establish an enforcement powers working group for the (a) passenger ferry, (c) bus and tram and (c) taxi sector, similar to the rail enforcement powers working group that was established in 2025.

Question reference: S6W-44263

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2026
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 20 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government for what purpose Scottish Forestry has awarded grants to Jahama Highland Estates, which is part of the GFG Alliance group.

Jahama Highland Estates own two large areas of land, the western estates of Mamore and Killiechonate at Fort William and Glenshero in the upper Spey.

The latest Forestry Grant Scheme award will support a landscape scale project near Fort William focused on deer management to enable the natural regeneration of over 3,000 hectares of native woodland. This will be delivered without the use of any deer fencing or planting. This is a large project restoring and expanding Caledonian pinewoods and Scotland’s rainforest by reducing herbivore browsing that is currently damaging woodland features of designated sites.

Other Forestry Grant Scheme awards since 2016 to SIMEC Lochaber Hydropower 2 Ltd. have been to; produce a forest plan for existing woodlands on the estates, to remove some areas of invasive non-native rhododendron, to support the management of the native woodland to allow expansion through natural regeneration and, in Glenshero estate, to plant new native and productive woodland.

Question reference: S6W-44262

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2026
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 20 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will list the grants that Scottish Forestry has awarded to Jahama Highland Estates, which is part of the GFG Alliance group.

The table shows the Scottish Forestry grant awards to SIMEC Lochaber Hydropower 2 Ltd. since they purchased the Jahama Highland Estate in 2016.

Year	Reference No.	Project Name	Grant Value (£ millions)	Activity Description
2025	25FGS89079	Mamore & Killiechonate Woodland Regeneration Part 1	£2.3	New Natural Regeneration & Native Woodlands Management
2024	24FGS78639	Glenshero LTFP Renewal	<£0.01	Forest Plan Preparation Grant
2018	18FGS28718	Creagan Breaca Woodland Creation	£0.3	Woodland Creation
2017	17FGS19019	Leven Valley Rhododendron Control	£0.1	Rhododendron Control
2017	17FGS24477	Kinlochleven Rhododendron	£0.15	Rhododendron Control
2016	16FGS04694	Am Maol	£0.29	Woodland Creation

Question reference: S6W-44261

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2026
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 18 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made in implementing the recommendation of the rail enforcement powers working group that it explores the introduction of new primary legislation to create greater legal protections for rail workers, including what discussions have taken place between its Transport and Justice departments regarding this.

The Scottish Government recognises that there is a desire for enhanced legal protections for rail workers, and sees the merit in exploring future legislative option, which is why I have accepted the recommendations included in the report delivered by the Rail Enforcement Powers Working Group, in full.

Scottish Government officials (including transport and justice divisions) have been instructed to begin detailed legal, financial and policy analysis of the Working Group’s recommendations, which will involve exploring whether there is an appropriate legislative vehicle for implementing some of these outputs.

However, it is important to note that any future primary or secondary legislation will be for the future Government to agree to and take forward.

Question reference: S6O-05643

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 19 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether it will reinstate the bust of Michael "Mick" McGahey previously displayed in the Garden Lobby.