Questions and answers

Question reference: S6W-41435

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 October 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 18 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what ministerial meetings have been held with (a) local authorities, (b) representatives of the agricultural sector, including farmers and (c) regulatory bodies, including the (i) Health and Safety Executive and (ii) Gangmasters Labour Abuse Authority, regarding caravan and mobile accommodation for seasonal workers.

Question reference: S6W-41436

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 October 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 18 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to review its compliance with, including ministerial performance, section 315 of the Housing (Scotland) Act 1987, which refers to byelaws with respect to accommodation for seasonal workers.

Question reference: S6W-41434

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 October 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 18 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made with the scoping review of caravan and mobile accommodation for seasonal workers, and by what date its findings will be made public.

Question reference: S6W-41271

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 13 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 21 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government on what date it will publish official guidance under section 38 of the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006 in relation to the progression of farmed fish welfare standards.

In my letter to the Rural Affairs and Islands Committee (RAIC) dated 23 September 2025, regarding progress towards our commitments in response to the RAIC enquiry into salmon farming; I confirmed that the Scottish Government will publish official guidance under Section 38 of the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006 for the production of farmed fish. We will now consider the next steps to progress this work, including how we will work in partnership with the sector and other stakeholders to produce guidance which is both robust and workable.

Question reference: S6W-40956

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 21 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what work it has carried out regarding the establishment of (a) modern apprenticeships in construction and (b) a flexible modern apprenticeship model that could be delivered in rural areas.

The Scottish Government is committed to supporting a strong and sustainable construction skills pipeline through the Modern Apprenticeship (MA) programme, delivered in partnership with Skills Development Scotland (SDS) and the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB).

Modern apprenticeships in construction continue to be delivered across a wide range of occupational areas, and full details are available on the Skills Development Scotland website here: https://www.apprenticeships.scot/browse-frameworks/?frameworkAudience=Individual&searchTerm=&apprenticeshipType=ma#letterC. These frameworks have been developed and maintained through close collaboration with industry to meet the sector’s diverse needs. Construction and related occupations accounted for 25.6% of all MA starts in 2024-25.

The Scottish Government recognises the potential of the shared apprenticeship model to support small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) that may lack the capacity to employ an apprentice independently. Officials will continue to explore this model alongside other measures which may enable more SMEs to take on apprentices.

A key priority for the Scottish Government is also to promote apprenticeship delivery in island and rural communities, reflecting it's commitment to inclusive growth. To ensure equitable access to apprenticeships, particularly in remote and rural areas, the Scottish Government has introduced a rural uplift: an enhanced payment to training providers that incentivises delivery in these locations. This additional support enables providers to develop and deliver flexible, locally tailored apprenticeship programmes that meet the needs of learners and employers in these communities.

Question reference: S6W-40958

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 21 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of Marine Fund Scotland's award of the collection of fisheries observer data to commercial subsidiaries of the Scottish Fishermen's Federation, how these commercial subsidiaries are working on this with the Marine Directorate, and by what date the data and accompanying documents from the project will be released.

The Scottish Fishermen’s Federation has collected data as part of the Scottish Demersal Observer Programme with the Marine Directorate since 2014. The data collected by the scientific observers are provided to the Marine Directorate and are used for the annual estimation of bycatch weights and numbers by species, size and fishery in March of each year for the previous calendar year. These estimates are provided during April-July of each year to the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) for use in stock assessments, to the Scottish and UK governments to inform fisheries management, and to the fishing industry to provide evidence towards Marine Stewardship Council Sustainability Certification. A report summarising the time series of bycatch estimates is compiled each summer by the Marine Directorate. The report is available on request to the Marine Directorate and work has recently begun to make this publicly available online.

Question reference: S6W-40954

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 21 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of what was set out in the Construction Skills Investment Plan 2015, whether it has developed annual regional demand statements for modern apprenticeships and, if so, how these can be accessed.

Skills Development Scotland (SDS) produce annual Regional Skills Assessments (RSAs) and Sectoral Skills Assessments (SSAs) to inform modern apprenticeship (MA) contracting, helping to ensure that provision aligns with regional and sectoral demands.

These assessments identify current and projected skills needs across Scotland’s regions. They are informed by labour market intelligence, stakeholder engagement, and economic forecasting. They are publicly accessible via the SDS website Skills Planning - Skills Development Scotland.

The Scottish Government remains committed to ensuring that Modern Apprenticeships (MAs) are responsive to both regional and sectoral needs. We are taking responsibility for national-level skills planning, while also strengthening regional approaches to better align with local economic priorities and workforce demands.

Question reference: S6W-40955

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 21 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Construction Skills Investment Plan 2015, which identified the need for flexible models of modern apprenticeship delivery, what progress it has made towards achieving this outcome, particularly for tiling and roof slating modern apprenticeships in rural areas.

The Scottish Government recognises the potential of the shared apprenticeship model to support small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) that may lack the capacity to employ an apprentice independently. Officials will continue to explore this model alongside other measures which may enable more SMEs to take on apprentices.

A key priority for the Scottish Government is also to promote apprenticeship delivery in island and rural communities, reflecting its commitment to inclusive growth. To ensure equitable access, particularly in remote and rural areas, the Government has introduced a rural uplift: an enhanced payment to training providers that incentivises delivery in these locations. This additional support enables providers to develop and deliver flexible, locally tailored apprenticeship programmes that meet the needs of learners and employers in these communities.

Question reference: S6W-41396

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 20 October 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 17 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made by the Scottish Public Pensions Agency in determining whether retained firefighters serving at non-designated retained stations are eligible under the Matthews Second Options Exercise pension remedy.

Question reference: S6W-41397

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 20 October 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 17 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider extending the scope of the Matthews Second Options Exercise pension remedy to include retained firefighters, who received retaining fees, but served at stations not formally designated as retained stations.

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