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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.

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Question reference: S6O-04955

Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 September 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the Children (Withdrawal from Religious Education and Amendment of UNCRC Compatibility Duty) (Scotland) Bill aims to give school pupils an independent right to opt in, but not opt out, of religious observance.

Question reference: S6W-40301

Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 05 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 10 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports that Scotland's rent adjudication system has resulted in rents raised above that which was requested by landlords, what its position is on whether the system is working as intended, and whether there are any plans to revisit this policy.

Scotland already has some of the strongest rights in the UK for tenants, and we are taking forward measures in the Housing Bill that will strengthen these protections further including the introduction of rent control.

We recognise the concerns raised about how rent adjudication currently operates, particularly the potential for rents to be set at a level greater than that proposed by the landlord. We have taken action through the Housing Bill to ensure the Rent Officer, or Tribunal, cannot raise the rent above that requested by the landlord, should the Bill be passed by Parliament.

Question reference: S6W-40453

Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 September 2025
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Gillian Martin on 10 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the commitment in the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy Delivery Plan 2024-2029 and the Scottish National Adaptation Plan 2024-2029 to develop a blue carbon action plan.

The Scottish Government has today published the Scottish Blue Carbon Action Plan. It can be accessed on the Scottish Government website at https://www.gov.scot/isbn/9781806430208

The Scottish Blue Carbon Action Plan sets out our priorities for blue carbon habitats, including saltmarsh, seagrass, seafloor sediments and kelp and other seaweeds. Working with the Scottish Blue Carbon Forum, we are investing in research to fill essential evidence gaps to ensure that blue carbon habitats are effectively utilised as part of our strategic approach to tackling climate change. The Plan also highlights important policies and ongoing work to ensure blue carbon habitats are given due consideration as part of protecting and restoring Scotland’s natural environment.

Question reference: S6W-40102

Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 05 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 8 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the compatibility of the provision of non-therapeutic male circumcision on the NHS with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (Incorporation) (Scotland) Act 2024.

Question reference: S6W-38095

Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 02 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 10 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking in response to the Scottish Animal Welfare Commission’s May 2025 recommendation that statutory codes of practice or official guidance for the welfare of farmed and ornamental fish should be established, in light of the reported finding by the Animal Law Foundation that there have been no known prosecutions in Scotland under existing fish welfare laws, despite reported instances of poor welfare.

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, as set out in its response to the Rural Affairs and Islands Committee’s recommendations following its Follow Up Enquiry into Salmon Farming in Scotland.

As stated in my response of 10 June we are developing guidance for the welfare of farmed fish at the time of slaughter, which has been developed with the industry and animal welfare bodies.

The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) are responsible for considering welfare complaints and investigating potential breaches in welfare legislation, and will continue to apply their professional knowledge and training to assess fish welfare against the provisions set out in The Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006.

Question reference: S6W-37799

Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 4 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-36400 by Mairi Gougeon on 22 April 2025, and in light of reports of significant welfare concerns, how it ensures that the enforcement of farmed fish welfare law is consistent and effective, and whether it considers the reported reliance on verbal advice, written advice and follow-on visits to be adequate to uphold the legal protections under the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006.

The Scottish Government takes the welfare of farmed fish very seriously and has committed to exploring options for how to best to set welfare standards for production.

We are developing guidance for the welfare of farmed fish at the time of slaughter, which has been developed with the industry and animal welfare bodies.

As stated in my previous response the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) are responsible for considering welfare complaints and investigating potential breaches in welfare legislation, and will continue to apply their professional knowledge and training to assess fish welfare against the provisions set out in The Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006.

Question reference: S6W-38378

Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 June 2025
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 4 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the procurement of replacement freight vessels for the Northern Isles Ferry Service routes from Aberdeen to Orkney and Shetland.

The Scottish Government is absolutely committed to maintaining and improving the ferry links to Orkney and Shetland and better meeting the needs of island residents, businesses and communities. After careful consideration of the outline business case, I can confirm that a competitive process will begin shortly to secure delivery of two new 140m Freight Flex vessels. These vessels will replace the two existing vessels and provide additional freight capacity, higher operating speeds, and provide the ability to carry up to 200 passengers when required.

This procurement will be progressed by Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited as the procuring authority. It is expected that the relevant processes will be completed by early 2026, at which point contracts can then be awarded, subject to approval. I will provide further updates to Parliament at key stages of the procurement process.

Question reference: S6O-04736

Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 May 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 4 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding improving the process for bringing forward orders under section 104 of the Scotland Act 1998.

Question reference: S6W-37451

Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 09 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 16 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to introduce statutory financial penalties for (a) large-scale salmon escapes and (b) environmental non-compliance within the salmon farming sector, in line with international standards

In our response to Rural Affairs and Islands Committee Salmon Farming in Scotland report, we committed to prioritising progress to introduce penalties for fish farm escapes in 2026-2027.

In terms of environmental non-compliance, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency has powers to issue fixed and variable monetary penalties. Further details can be found on SEPA’s website: Enforcement | Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA).

Question reference: S6W-37450

Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 14 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the potential impact of escaped farmed salmon on wild salmon populations in Scottish rivers and coastal waters.

The Scottish Government published its first national assessment of genetic introgression in wild salmon in 2021 using data collected under the National Electrofishing Programme for Scotland (NEPS) in 2018 and 2019, combined with targeted sampling in the vicinity of freshwater smolt rearing facilities: https://data.marine.gov.scot/dataset/national-assessment-influence-farmed-salmon-escapes-genetic-integrity-wild-scottish-atlantic

The research found evidence of introgression was concentrated in areas of marine aquaculture production on the west coast and areas with freshwater smolt rearing. Outside these areas, there was no strong evidence of introgression pressures. The results highlighted how important it is to reduce the risk of farmed fish escapes, to protect the integrity of wild salmon populations in areas of aquaculture production.

This was the first report of the National Introgression Programme for Scotland (NIPS) which is a nationwide project that is researching the link between fish farm escapes and introgression in wild salmon populations.

A larger number of sites were sampled in 2021 and 2023 as part of NEPS surveys (National Electrofishing Programme for Scotland). This should increase the spatial resolution of samples and confidence in the findings, while also allowing comparison across years. Analysis will be submitted shortly for peer review.

Following a large escape at one of its farms (Carradale) in 2020, Mowi funded a study to determine if introgression was occurring. No evidence of impact or introgression was found following the escape event. The report suggests that the effects of farm escapes can be complex depending on numbers of escapes, timing, status of wild stocks, and the maturation status of the escapees: https://www.gov.scot/publications/examination-levels-farm-wild-hybridisation-south-west-scotland-north-east-england-following-large-scale-farm-salmon-escape-event-2020/