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: S6O-04613

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 April 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to figures showing that farm incomes are at a five-year low.

Question reference: S6O-04637

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 April 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what further consideration it has given to increasing or removing the earnings limit for recipients of the Carer Support Payment.

Question reference: S6O-04618

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 April 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on progress made to improve access to and reduce waiting times for breast reconstruction surgery following cancer treatment.

Question reference: S6O-04632

Asked by: James Dornan, MSP for Glasgow Cathcart, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 April 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to improve support for disabled people, including when seeking employment.

Question reference: S6O-04622

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 April 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the work that it is doing to improve women’s health outcomes.

Question reference: S6O-04608

Asked by: Meghan Gallacher, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 April 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how it is challenging the UK Government’s proposed inheritance tax changes for farmers.

Question reference: S6O-04612

Asked by: Audrey Nicoll, MSP for Aberdeen South and North Kincardine, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 April 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the introduction of Quota Management Groups and whether they would benefit fishers and coastal communities.

Question reference: S6W-36480

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 30 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to promoting disciplined and purpose-driven career routes to young people who are at risk of long-term benefit dependency, and whether it considers military service to be such a career route.

The Scottish Government remains committed to an all-age careers information and guidance offer that supports all people, including young people who are at risk of long-term benefit dependency to progress rewarding careers.

Skills Development Scotland (SDS) provide an all-age career service in every local authority with an SDS Careers Adviser in every mainstream secondary school to highlight the wide range of career options available. A careers advisor offers impartial advice and supports people to consider and make informed decisions having explored all options and relevant information.

Through the 16+ Data Hub (Participation Portal), SDS are working to ensure that every young person can receive person-centred and proactive support. Having a set of data supplied by a range of partners enables front line staff to identify and provide support to those not in learning, training or employment and who are at risk of disengagement.

Military service can be a rewarding career pathway for many young people, offering a wide range of training and career opportunities as well as valuable transferable skills. To ensure that the knowledge of advisors is accurate, SDS work with the Armed Forces and can direct individuals to armed forces career centre sites if appropriate.

At the invitation of schools, the military may promote the community-based and school based combined cadets programme to young people and provide information about the wide range of careers in the military. There are also sessions promoted to teachers, advisers and Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) Co-ordinators such as ‘Meet the Army’ which often includes military personal speaking about their career journey.

Question reference: S6W-36988

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 30 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what measures it will take in response to the 2025 conservation assessment, which suggested that 72% of Scotland’s rivers are now classed as “poor” for wild salmon.

We recognise that wild salmon populations are now at crisis point in Scotland. Although the pattern of decline is repeated across the salmon’s North Atlantic range, caused at least in part by the effect of climate change on survival during its marine phase, there remains much that we can do in our rivers and coastal waters to build resilience and transform the fortunes of this iconic fish for the better.

The Scottish Government’s Wild Salmon Strategy sets out Scotland’s vision for flourishing populations of wild Atlantic salmon. The accompanying Implementation Plan identifies collective action to achieve this vision.

Action to date includes the introduction by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) of a new risk assessment framework for managing the interaction of sea lice from farmed fish and wild salmon; the opening up of 1400 kilometres of previously inaccessible habitat to migratory fish, by removal and easing of barriers to migration through SEPAs River Basin Management Planning process; restoration of 75,000 hectares of degraded peatlands, contributing to regulating the quantity and quality of water courses and bodies; and since 2021, our £65 million Nature Restoration Fund has awarded over £8 million to support projects to improve Scotland’s freshwater environment.

Going forward, the Wild Salmon Strategy Delivery Group which includes representatives from both public and private sector organisations, will continue to oversee delivery of the Strategy. The 2025 annual progress report, which details the ongoing work of the Implementation Plan, will be published shortly.

Question reference: S6W-37067

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 30 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many hectares of non-native coniferous forestry have been created in each of the last five years.

Year	Area of woodland created (non-native conifer) Hectares
2019-20	5829
2020-21	6323
2021-22	5130
2022-23	4834
2023-24	6426