- Asked by: Maggie Chapman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 January 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Siobhian Brown on 28 January 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what it can do to help tackle the use of sexually inappropriate AI-generated images.
Answer
Our Equally Safe strategy recognises that, just as violence against women and girls takes place in all communities and places, the same applies to all online spaces. Action is therefore required across Government, the wider public, third sector, industry, and wider society to respond to the added risks this may pose to women, children and young people.
Whilst regulation of AI is a reserved matter, we continue to engage with the UK Government on this issue. We understand that the UK Government is introducing new legislation related to AI, and we will continue to work closely with them to ensure that Scotland’s interests are represented.
The Scottish Government welcomes Ofcom’s formal investigation into X under the UK’s Online Safety Act.
Furthermore, the Scottish Government will shortly publish a consultation to seek views on a number of issues relating to how the criminal law protects women and girls. This will include seeking views on online harms, including proposals to criminalise the non-consensual creation of intimate images, including through the use of AI image generation tools.
- Asked by: Maggie Chapman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 January 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Fairlie on 27 January 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the requirement to provide evidence of the qualifying benefit award that is dated within the last 18 months, regardless of the length of the award, is a barrier to applying and renewing a disabled person’s bus pass.
Answer
The Older and Disabled Persons’ National Concessionary Travel Scheme is administered locally by Local Authorities and the National Entitlement Card Programme Office (NECPO) on behalf of Transport Scotland.
As part of the verification process, applicants for disabled concessionary travel are asked to provide proof of eligibility dated within the last 18 months. This requirement helps ensure that an individual’s qualifying benefit and personal details are up-to-date at the point of application or renewal.
The Scottish Government does not consider this requirement to be a barrier to applying for or renewing a disabled person’s bus pass. Local authorities also have access to the Social Security Scotland Data Sharing Portal, which allows them to confirm an applicant’s qualifying benefit even where evidence is incomplete or out-of-date, reducing the need for applicants to provide further documentation.
These measures are intended to support a smooth and timely application or renewal process, while ensuring that the correct entitlement is awarded.
- Asked by: Maggie Chapman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 15 January 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 26 January 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to ensure that relevant law in Scotland is brought into line with that in England and Wales regarding sexually inappropriate AI-generated images.
Answer
As set out during the debate in Parliament on Motion S6M-19504 on Non-fatal Strangulation Laws and Intimate Partner Homicides on 8 January 2026, the Scottish Government will shortly publish a consultation to seek views on a number of issues relating to how the criminal law protects women and girls. This will include seeking views on online harms, including proposals to criminalise the non-consensual creation of intimate images, including through the use of AI image generation tools.
The existing law concerning intimate images makes it an offence for a person to disclose or threaten to disclose an intimate image of another person where they either intend to cause that person fear, alarm or distress or else are reckless as to whether the disclosure or threatened disclosure would be likely to cause the person to suffer fear, alarm or distress. The definition of an intimate image includes images that appear to show a person in an intimate situation and as such, images generated using a software programme that appear to be photographs are covered by the offence where the image is shown or made available to anyone other than the person featured in the image.
- Asked by: Maggie Chapman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 16 January 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 26 January 2026
To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to Adult Disability Payment determinations and redeterminations that have been appealed to the First-tier Tribunal (Social Security Chamber), for what reason it has had its decision overturned 2,545 times (53% of all appeals), and what it is doing to meet its aim of “right first time” regarding decision making.
Answer
Social Security Scotland is committed to making the right decision first time by ensuring it has the information needed to make robust, person-centred decisions, based on a thorough understanding of how an individual’s disability or long-term health condition affects their daily life.
Latest statistics show that, by 31 October 2025, 53% of Adult Disability Payment appeals decided by the First-tier Tribunal were upheld in favour of the client. This compares with 66% of Personal Independence Payment appeals over the past five years, rising to 74% when including lapsed appeals where the DWP changed its decision prior to a tribunal hearing.
The Scottish social security system has been co-designed with people who have lived experience, ensuring that processes for challenging decisions are accessible and support clients to engage confidently. During the appeal process, people can provide further information directly to the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland.
Social Security Scotland continuously evaluates decision-making quality across all benefits. A tribunal reaching a different conclusion reflects the evidence available at the time of the hearing, rather than necessarily the quality of the original decision. Tribunal decisions are reviewed to identify any errors of law and to inform continuous improvement.
- Asked by: Maggie Chapman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 15 January 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 23 January 2026
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will introduce a robust, audited, single public dataset covering the use of site-level veterinary-medicines, with a quarterly publication and a clear timetable for implementation, by Scotland’s salmon industry across the freshwater and marine stages.
Answer
Regulation of veterinary medicines is a reserved matter for the UK Government. The Veterinary Medicines Directorate is responsible for enforcing Veterinary Medicines Regulations and undertaking appropriate monitoring in fulfilment of their regulatory duties. Therefore, the Scottish Government does not have plans to implement a dedicated single public dataset covering site-level use of veterinary-medicines across all production phases.
Information required by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) on monthly medicinal treatment usage by site is already made publicly available on Scotland’s Aquaculture Website on a quarterly basis. Sea lice medicine, Hydrogen Peroxide and antibiotic use are available datasets.
- Asked by: Maggie Chapman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 15 January 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 23 January 2026
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports that Scotland’s salmon industry understated its 2024 antibiotic use by 66% before revising the figure, what sanctions are available where inaccurate or incomplete veterinary-medicines returns required under licence conditions are made to regulators, and what information it has regarding how often any such sanctions have been (a) considered and (b) applied under similar circumstances since 2021.
Answer
Regulation of veterinary medicines is a reserved matter for the UK Government. The Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) is responsible for market authorisation of antibiotics, including publication of antibiotic sales and sectorial usage statistics, and surveillance of antimicrobial resistance.
The VMD publishes antibiotic sales and usage figures annually in the Veterinary Antimicrobial Resistance Sales and Surveillance (VARSS) Report. Figures for antibiotics sales figures, including aquaculture, are provided by the veterinary pharmaceutical companies marketing these products to the VMD, and this is a statutory requirement. The VARSS report also includes data on usage in different animal sectors, including fish, and the VMD works in partnership with animal sectors to develop, facilitate and coordinate antibiotic usage data collection systems. Data are reported on a voluntary basis.
For the purpose of environmental protection, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) places licence conditions on marine fish farm operators to record and report antibiotic treatments to SEPA, including the product and volume used. The requirement for enforcement action associated with non-compliance in returns is assessed in line with SEPA’s enforcement approach.
No enforcement action has been required by SEPA in respect of any non- or incorrect antibiotic usage reports it has received from operators.
- Asked by: Maggie Chapman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 January 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 23 January 2026
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Resolution Foundation's analysis of Adult Disability Payment and Personal Independence Payment official statistics that successful application rates for Adult Disability Payment are now lower compared with the equivalent Personal Independence Payment in England and Wales, what the reason is for any such difference in successful application rates.
Answer
While Adult Disability Payment and Personal Independence Payment are both benefits which provide money to help disabled people, they are underpinned by different principles and approaches. Direct comparisons should be treated with caution.
The more person-centred approach taken in Scotland includes increased support provided to those applying, including gathering supporting information on clients behalf from professionals, and offering face-to-face support through Social Security Scotland’s local delivery service.
Latest statistics show over 491,300 people were receiving Adult Disability Payment in October 2025. This is higher than the 310,000 people receiving Personal Independence Payment in Scotland in March 2022.
In Social Security Scotland’s 2024-25 disability payments client survey, 87% of Adult Disability Payment applicants who received help to complete their applications agreed ‘it was easy to get this support’ -demonstrating the commitment to delivering a service based on dignity, fairness and respect.
- Asked by: Maggie Chapman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 January 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 23 January 2026
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the successful application rate for Adult Disability Payment (ADP) has reportedly fallen in each fiscal year that ADP has operated, from 57% in 2022-23, to 51% in 2023-24, to 42% in 2024-25, and to 34% in 2025-26 to date.
Answer
Social Security Scotland is committed to ensuring eligible people receive the financial help they are entitled to.
Independent analysis by the Institute of Fiscal Studies and the Resolution Foundation shows a surge in application numbers following Adult Disability Payment’s introduction, driven by awareness-raising activity and more accessible application processes, along with an initial higher rate in awarded applications. This was followed by a stabilisation in awarded applications as processes mature and decision-making becomes more consistent.
Social Security Scotland remains committed to making the right decision first time and continues to monitor performance to ensure accurate decision-making across all benefits.
- Asked by: Maggie Chapman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 January 2026
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 29 January 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take to sustain the projects aiming to tackle poverty and social exclusion in the North East Scotland region, that are currently supported by the Investing in Communities Fund, beyond March 2026.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 29 January 2026
- Asked by: Maggie Chapman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 December 2025
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 8 January 2026
To ask the Scottish Government how it will support young people to engage with the consultation on updating the School Premises (General Requirements and Standards) (Scotland) Regulations 1967.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 8 January 2026
