- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 04 July 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 24 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether it is appropriate for prisoners convicted of sexual violence offences to be allowed to view sexual content while in prison.
Answer
I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-39151 on 24 July 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.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 04 July 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Angus Robertson on 24 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the appropriateness of it providing a grant to the Edinburgh International Book Festival shortly after the appointment of the former Chief of Staff to the First Minister as a festival director.
Answer
Funding was approved for the school programme of the Edinburgh International Book Festival on 28 March 2025, some months prior to the appointment referred to.
Edinburgh International Book Festival have confirmed that appointments to their Board for directors, which are unsalaried and unremunerated, follow fully advertised and formal open recruitment processes.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 04 July 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 24 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how many police officers subject to allegations of sexual misconduct currently remain in post.
Answer
Addressing allegations of sexual misconduct is an operational matter for the Chief Constable. The information requested is not held by the Scottish Government.
- Asked by: Clare Haughey, MSP for Rutherglen, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 July 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Kate Forbes on 24 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how much funding it has given to Clyde Gateway in each year since it was established, broken down by the purpose of the funding.
Answer
The Scottish Government has awarded over £213 million of regeneration funding to Clyde Gateway Urban Regeneration Company (URC) from 2007 for the purpose of supporting the delivery of its 20-year operating plan. This includes direct support through annual capital and resource funding to develop and regenerate key sites identified in the plan, support core running costs and other activities it delivers in support of local communities.
Grant awards were made in each financial year are provided in the following table:
Financial Year | Capital funding £000 | Resource funding | Comment |
2006-07 | 3,022 | | |
2007-08 | 5,000 | | |
2008-09 to 2010-11 | 57,000 | | Three-year funding from 1 April 2008 to 31 March 2011 |
2011-12 | 11,554 | 746 | |
2012-13 | 17,725 | 1,525 | |
2013-14 | 19,525 | 1,525 | |
2014-15 | 9,290 | 1,850 | |
2015-16 | 1,816 | 184 | |
2016-17 | 3,070 | 500 | |
2017-18 | 5,000 | 500 | |
2018-19 | 5,000 | 500 | |
2019-20 | 6,130 | 500 | |
2020-21 | 6,000 | 1,000 | £500k revenue funding provided to support COVID-19 response. |
2021-22 | 9,000 | 500 | |
2022-23 | 5,500 | 500 | |
2023-24 | 5,000 | 500 | |
2024-25 | 1,000 | 500 | |
2025-26 | 3,000 | 500 | |
Additionally the Scottish Government agreed to a contribution of £3.8 million in capital funding from the Net Zero portfolio in 2024-25 toward the ongoing remediation works at Shawfield.
We understand that Clyde Gateway in delivering their strategic operational plan have, since their formation in 2007, developed numerous projects to support the communities. Information on all of the grants Clyde Gateway may have received from various funding bodies supported with Scottish Government funding is not held centrally in the format requested
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 July 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Fairlie on 24 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider reviewing and updating the cross-compliance requirements for semi-natural grasslands, in light of new cross-compliance requirements coming into effect for peatlands and wetlands under the Good Agricultural and Environmental Conditions standards.
Answer
There are no plans at this time to introduce new requirements for semi-natural grasslands. Semi-natural grasslands sit within the definition of ‘rough grazing or other semi-natural areas’ which are currently protected under Cross Compliance. Requirements under GAEC 6 prohibit farmers and crofters from ploughing or cultivating areas of rough grazing or other semi-natural areas unless approved as part of an Environmental Impact Assessment. Further guidance is available at: Maintenance of soil organic matter (GAEC 6)Maintenance of soil organic matter (GAEC 6)
Support remains available via the Agri-Environment Climate Scheme (AECS) to land managers to conserve semi-natural habitats. Relevant options include Moorland Management, and alongside this, Summer Hill Grazing Cattle and Away Wintering Sheep. Further detail is available on the AECS webpage.
- Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 July 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Fairlie on 24 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding any potential threat of the bluetongue virus in Scotland, in light of the whole of England being made a bluetongue restricted zone on 1 July 2025.
Answer
Scottish Government have been in regular communication with both Defra and Welsh Government, including regular discussions between CVO’s since disease was identified as circulating in England in 2024, with meetings taking place at least twice a week since then. Scottish Government policy and veterinary colleagues have attended twice weekly bluetongue meetings, and weekly bluetongue vaccine task force meetings with the other devolved administrations and industry representatives. There are also twice weekly licensing and policy calls between all the administrations.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 04 July 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 24 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will accelerate the roll-out of at-home cervical cancer testing in order to reduce any health inequalities.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-38966 on 22 July 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
- Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 17 July 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 24 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to align the legal protections for aquatic farmed animals with those for terrestrial farmed animals, in line with the recommendations of the Scottish Animal Welfare Commission in May 2025.
Answer
The Scottish Government takes the welfare of farmed fish very seriously and has already committed to exploring options for how to best to set welfare standards for farmed fish during production, as set out in its response to the Rural Affairs and Islands Committee’s recommendations (13 March 2025) following its enquiry into salmon farming in Scotland.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 07 July 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Fairlie on 24 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what consultation it held with auction markets before implementing the bluetongue virus (BTV-3) movement restrictions.
Answer
The Scottish Government has hosted regular meetings with representatives of livestock markets and other key stakeholders since the first cases of Bluetongue Serotype 3 (BTV-3) were identified in England in autumn 2024. This is in addition to attending regular meetings with industry stakeholders hosted by Defra at least twice a week, which includes market representatives. Scottish market representatives were also invited to meetings to directly feed into reports conducted by the Scottish Government’s centre of Expertise on Animal Disease Outbreaks (EPIC), which analyse the levels and value of cross border trade and the impacts on Scottish livestock movements in response to an extended all England- restricted zone. The Scottish Government continue to closely with markets, particularly those on the Scotland-England border, to seek innovative solutions to the disruptions from BTV-3 restrictions.
- Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 July 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 24 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-36002 by Jenni Minto on 1 April 2025, whether it or Public Health Scotland can provide an update on the timeline for the introduction and delivery of the Fracture Liaison Service audit.
Answer
Public Health Scotland (PHS), is responsible for implementing and delivering the Fracture Liaison Service (FLS) audit. While they identified some initial recruitment-related delays, these have been addressed and completed.
Scottish Government is satisfied that the FLS audit is on track as expected, and within the guidance set out by Scottish National Audit Programme (SNAP).
More details on the SNAP guidance and governance process can be found here - Scottish National Audit Programme (SNAP).
