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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-38187

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 June 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 17 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to business travel to island communities, and whether the Air Discount Scheme review will give consideration to necessary travel for apprentices to access learning and the reintroduction of business travel to support island economies.

Question reference: S6W-37065

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 19 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what support is available to any patients from island communities that have been diagnosed with postural tachycardia syndrome.

This is a matter for NHS Boards, which the Scottish Government expects to provide high quality, person-centred care and support for everyone, including people with postural tachycardia syndrome (PoTS). Support is often provided via primary care, with referral to secondary care if necessary to rule out other causes of symptoms or provide management advice.

PoTS UK is a charity which provides information about managing and living with PoTS. This includes information and advice on self-management, mental health support and medication guidance. Their full resources can be found here: Managing PoTS - PoTS UK. Additionally, STARS (the Heart Rhythm Alliance) provide information on PoTS and resources for patients, which can be found here: Postural Tachycardia Syndrome (PoTS) – STARS – UK (heartrhythmalliance.org).

Question reference: S6W-37063

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 19 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many patients living in island communities have been diagnosed with postural tachycardia syndrome in the last five years.

Question reference: S6W-37064

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 19 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the letter from the Minister for Public Health and Women’s Health to Rt Hon Alistair Carmichael MP on 14 April 2025, which states that a pathway for the diagnosis and management of postural tachycardia syndrome has been withdrawn pending a review, when it expects the review process to conclude.

Question reference: S6W-37062

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 29 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether there will be a Marine Fund Scotland grant scheme this financial year, and when such a scheme might open.

Question reference: S6W-36781

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 24 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider greater community control over established wind turbines to ensure that they are turned off to avoid instances of any negative health impacts from issues such as shadow flicker and low frequency noise emissions.

Question reference: S6W-36784

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 23 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what distance from homes and public buildings is considered optimum to avoid low frequency noise disturbance, in light of reports that wind turbine sound emissions can have an impact on health.

All applications are determined on their individual merits and are subject to site specific assessments. Our Fourth National Planning Framework (NPF4) ensures that impacts on communities and nature, including cumulative impacts, are important considerations in the decision-making process. This includes through NPF4 Policy 11 (energy) which requires that wind energy project design and mitigation will demonstrate how impacts on communities and individual dwellings, including through visual impact, noise and shadow flicker, are addressed.

Question reference: S6W-36782

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 23 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how its planning policy is developed to ensure that there is no negative impact on people's health as a result of wind turbines.

National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) was developed through extensive stakeholder engagement, supported by a range of impact assessments, and was approved by the Scottish Parliament prior to its adoption in February 2023.

NPF4 Policy 11 (energy) requires that wind energy project design and mitigation will demonstrate how impacts on communities and individual dwellings, including through visual impact, noise and shadow flicker, are addressed.

All applications are subject to site specific assessment and guidance for the assessment of noise from onshore wind turbines across the UK is set out in ETSU-R-97.

Question reference: S6W-36783

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 23 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider reviewing its planning policy on wind turbines to encompass any health impacts of living, working or learning near to wind turbines, and the potential impact that the distance between buildings and turbines could have on health, including shadow flicker and low frequency noise.

Our Fourth National Planning Framework (NPF4) was published and adopted following extensive consultation and engagement and approval by the Scottish Parliament. Having an established and consistent policy framework enables confidence in the planning system and we have no current plans to amend NPF4.

NPF4 Policy 11 (energy) requires that wind energy project design and mitigation will demonstrate how impacts on communities and individual dwellings, including residential amenity, visual impact, noise and shadow flicker, are addressed.

Question reference: S6W-36786

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 22 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government when the Marine Directorate plans to review restrictions on squid fishery.

Scottish Ministers have granted a limited trial to undertake a pilot project with a number of inshore vessels to help gather further information to support a longer-term policy development on fishing for squid under the North Sea Cod Avoidance Plan (NCAP).

There is currently limited evidence about the impacts of the squid fishing on cod stocks and bycatch of non-target stocks. This project would look to address some of these limitations and seek to evaluate the evidence, once collected.

Through this project, it is hoped that further information will be provided to help inform the balance between environmental, economic and social objectives and development of the squid fishery.