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-38200

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 10 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in the event that the Scottish Landfill Communities Fund is not continued, what assessment has been undertaken of any impact that this will have on the ability to deliver against the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy delivery plans.

Question reference: S6W-38199

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 10 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what alternative environmental taxes, such as those related to incineration, have been considered to replace the Scottish Landfill Communities Fund.

The Scottish Landfill Communities Fund remains operational. A public consultation closed on the 6 June, which will inform decisions on the future of the fund. There are no current plans to introduce a new incineration tax. However, the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) Authority, made up of the Scottish Government, UK Government, Welsh Government and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in the Northern Ireland has announced the intention to expand the ETS scheme to cover waste incineration from 2028.

Question reference: S6W-38201

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 9 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what measures have been taken to maintain and enhance Scotland's Land Information Service to ensure that it is a comprehensive and accessible resource for property and land data.

Registers of Scotland (RoS) is a non-Ministerial Public Body answerable to the Scottish Parliament.

Scotland’s Land Information Service (ScotLIS) was created and is maintained by RoS, providing online access to information on land and property in Scotland for both public and business users.

The costs of maintaining and enhancing ScotLIS are met by RoS from fee income generated. Potential enhancements to the service are based on the needs of users – both business and citizen. To ascertain user need, RoS is in regular dialogue with customers and periodically run dedicated user research sessions focussed on ScotLIS.

Enhancements since the service first launched have included access to a Crofting Register layer, an Aerial photography map layer, the Sasines Register indicative ownership layer, the Books of Council & Session, the Register of Judgements, the Register of Inhibitions and National Library Scotland’s Historic Maps. In addition, an option for customers to self-serve copy deeds has been introduced along with modern interfaces to enable high-volume customers of RoS data to seamlessly integrate that information with their systems.

Question reference: S6W-37498

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 29 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the Programme for Government 2025-26 has reportedly reduced peatland and woodland restoration targets.

The commitments for peatland restoration and woodland creation have not reduced for 2025-26.

The 2025 Programme for Government commits to restoring 12,000 hectares of degraded Scottish peatlands and creating at least 10,000 hectares of woodlands, including at least 4,000 hectares of native woodland.

The 2024 Programme for Government committed to restoring 10,000 hectares of degraded Scottish peatlands. The woodland creation commitment in 2024-25 was the same as for 2025-26.

Question reference: S6F-04140

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 May 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 29 May 2025

To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government is taking to maintain its policy aim of keeping pace with the EU on environmental protection.

Question reference: S6W-37458

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 27 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government on what dates the National Infertility Group has met during the current parliamentary session.

Question reference: S6W-37454

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 27 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what recent assessment it has made of the effectiveness of BMI as an indicator of health in (a) general and (b) relation to access to IVF treatment.

The Scottish Government is aware of the limitations of BMI as an indicator of obesity and its links to health outcomes and of NICE updated guidance (January 2025) section 1.9 Identifying and assessing overweight, obesity and central adiposity | Overweight and obesity management | Guidance | NICE

Whilst BMI still remains a useful population level indicator, discussions are in progress to include waist circumference to height ratio data in the future Scottish Health Survey Reports.

In relation to access to NHS IVF treatment, I refer you to the answers to written parliamentary question numbers S6W-37455 and S6W-37456 on 27 May 2025.

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

Question reference: S6W-37457

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 27 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what measures, other than BMI, are available to clinicians when making decisions about the health of a woman seeking access to NHS-funded IVF treatment.

Question reference: S6W-37452

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 27 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to reduce any (a) stigma and (b) discrimination experienced by people living with (i) complex, (ii) severe and (iii) enduring mental illness.

Whilst evidence shows that people feel more able to talk openly about their mental health, we know there is more work to do in tackling stigma and discrimination in relation to complex, severe, and enduring mental illness and we all have a role to play.

This work remains a key priority for the Scottish Government, which is why our Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy sets out a vision for a Scotland, free from stigma, discrimination and inequality. This is also reflected across our strategy Delivery Plan, Suicide Prevention Strategy, Self-Harm Strategy and Mental Health Workforce Action Plan.

Key actions include:

Providing £5 million funding over 5 years since 2021 to See Me as our key delivery partner on tackling mental health stigma and discrimination to work with a range of other partners to drive forward anti-stigma and discrimination action.
Investing £66 million since 2021 in our Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund for Adults, which includes a focus on supporting those with mental illness. We are also working with the National Rural Mental Health Forum and SAMH’s The Changing Room: Extra Time programme to reduce stigma and discrimination, including in disadvantaged areas.
Working nationally to raise awareness and reduce mental health stigma through our Mind to Mind, Parent Club Young Scot and Aye Feel campaigns and resources for adults and young people.
Working in partnership with Public Health Scotland and See Me to support employers to tackle mental health stigma and discrimination in the workplace and to promote mentally healthy workplaces.

Question reference: S6W-37455

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 27 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to review the eligibility criteria for NHS-funded IVF treatment to ensure that there are no unfair barriers to access.

Access Criteria for NHS IVF treatment in Scotland is set at a national level within the National Fertility Group. The group brings together experts in the field and makes recommendations to Scottish Ministers. Whilst the group has been modelling future access for single people, it has no current plans to review access criteria. A copy of NHS IVF Treatment access criteria can be found here Access-Criteria-NHS-IVF-Treatment-Scotland.