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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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

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Question reference: S6W-37605

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 22 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether there is any increased risk to a mother's mental health as a result of returning to work 26 weeks after having a baby.

Question reference: S6W-37600

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 22 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports that maternity pay for firefighters in Scotland is £16,400 less than other regions of the UK, whether this is compatible with its commitment to fair work.

The pay and conditions of firefighters are negotiated through well-established collective bargaining arrangements at a UK wide level. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) Maternity Policy provides maternity leave for 26 weeks at full pay and 13 weeks at Statutory Maternity Pay in line with the current terms and conditions agreed at the National Joint Council.

SFRS is committed to the national collective bargaining arrangements for the sector and therefore this remains the Service's preferred route to agree changes to terms and conditions.

As SFRS is complying in full with the terms and conditions negotiated with trade unions in 2024, it is compatible with its commitment to fair work.

Question reference: S6W-37497

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 22 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what measures it is taking to strengthen the regulatory framework governing salmon farming to prevent fish escapes and harm to wild salmon and other species, in light of reports that such incidents are not currently met with financial sanctions.

Question reference: S6W-37496

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 22 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to revise the salmon farming enforcement framework to include financial sanctions for fish escapes or significant mortality events, in line with international best practice.

With regard to farmed fish escapes, I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-37451 on 16 May 2025 regarding escapes. 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.

Regarding mortality, in correspondence dated 13 March 2025 to the Rural Affairs and Islands Committee (RAIC), I committed to analysing data to understand how sites with persistent high mortality manifest, if mortality incidents are related and are indicative of insufficient mitigating action by the producer. I will provide an update on this to the RAIC later this year.

Question reference: S6W-37642

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 22 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any risk to patient safety from reported delays of up to four hours in NHS 24 call answering.

NHS 24 have robust practices in place to ensure patient safety is paramount and that the appropriate procedures are in place for assessing risk.

Scottish Government monitor the performance of NHS 24 and regularly engage with the service to discuss performance related issues. Should NHS 24 feel that their ability to meet demand was presenting any risk to patient safety we would expect them to contact Scottish Government immediately in line with agreed processes.

Question reference: S6W-37495

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 22 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that its approach to salmon farming aligns with (a) the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy to 2045 and (b) its commitments to restore biodiversity and protect wild salmon populations.

All regulators of aquaculture in Scotland have a duty to consider biodiversity. Additionally, National Planning Framework 4 introduces requirements for fish farm developers to consider biodiversity enhancement within development proposals as far as is possible.

The Scottish Government’s Vision for sustainable aquaculture - gov.scot sets out a number of outcomes to be realised, including collaboration between the aquaculture sector and other stakeholders to protect and restore biodiversity in the freshwater and marine environments.

The scottish-biodiversity-delivery-plan-20242030.pdf contains specific actions focused on the protection and recovery of salmon and other migratory fish populations, such as implementation of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency sea lice risk assessment framework, and work through our Wild Salmon Strategy and accompanying Implementation Plan to improve habitats in the marine and freshwater environments which are crucial to sustaining and recovering the wild salmon population.

Question reference: S6W-37603

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 22 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether increasing maternity pay for firefighters to 52 weeks would attract more women to join the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.

Question reference: S6W-37463

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 22 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what total area has been burnt by wildfires in (a) Scotland and (b) each local authority area in each year since 2015.

Question reference: S6W-37599

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 22 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service has made of any impact of ingested fire contaminants being passed on to babies via their mother's breastmilk.

Question reference: S6W-37643

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 22 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with the British Medical Association (BMA) about any clinical risk associated with reported delays in NHS 24 services.