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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-36545

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 04 April 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 2 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what actions are being considered to address any unregulated gathering of native oysters in Marine Protected Areas, in light of recent reports of functional extinction of native oysters.

Question reference: S6W-36546

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 04 April 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 2 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with NatureScot regarding maintaining and growing native oyster populations in Marine Protected Areas, and what actions are being considered.

Question reference: S6W-36201

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 2 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its co-management process is in developing the demersal fisheries management plans.

As set out in our recently published delivery plan , we are committed to “co-management” of fisheries and we want to ensure that stakeholders are involved in the policy development and delivery process.

In the context of Fisheries Management Plans (FMPs), the Marine Directorate has undertaken pre-consultation with stakeholders which will inform the first formal consultation later this year. Discussions with stakeholders have taken place last year and, more recently, in February, we held workshops on demersal FMPs with plans for further workshops on Nephrops and pelagic FMPs in the coming weeks and months respectively.

Gathering stakeholder views is important to the overall process of developing FMPs.

Question reference: S6W-36012

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 21 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 31 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-32449 by Fiona Hyslop on 8 January 2025, what progress has been made on the construction of a controlled pedestrian crossing at Raigmore interchange in Inverness.

The project is approaching construction stage and has been assessed by Transport Scotland for construction-ready funding through Tier 2 of the Active Travel Infrastructure Fund (ATIF). Our operating company, BEAR Scotland, has been working with project designers to progress the remaining elements of the design.

In recent weeks, work on the drainage design has concluded while work remains ongoing on the electrical design for the traffic signals. In addition, BEAR Scotland’s environmental team has carried out updated tree and winter hibernation site surveys as well as drafting a site environmental management plan for tendering purposes.

The Raigmore Interchange project applied for in 2024-25 has been included in the 2025-26 ATIF prioritisation list, without the need for reapplication. Since the project has already been assessed, and as early funding allocations remain a key focus, we expect to allocate funding early in the 2025-26 financial year, subject to Scottish Government approval procedures.

Question reference: S6W-35690

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 14 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 27 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many times its (a) ministers and (b) officials have met with the advertising website, Escort Scotland, in each year since 2018.

Question reference: S6W-35689

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 14 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 27 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many times its (a) ministers and (b) officials have met with the advertising website, Adultwork, in each year since 2018.

Question reference: S6W-35688

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 14 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 27 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many times its (a) ministers and (b) officials have met with the advertising website, Vivastreet, in each year since 2018.

Question reference: S6W-35357

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 25 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-26881 by Jim Fairlie on 5 June 2024, what engagement took place with (a) communities and (b) land managers to test the appetite for nature finance and to design the potential investment; what the results of this engagement were; whether a report on the engagement will be published, and, regarding the Wild Heart Expansion Project, when it will be announced; how many private finance partners will be involved; what the value is of that private investment, and what the total amount is of public funding.

Question reference: S6W-35363

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 24 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has undertaken any assessment of the costs of undertaking peatland restoration, and whether any such costs are (a) static, (b) falling and (c) rising; what the current (i) average cost is and (ii) range of costs are per hectare, and what the main factors affecting the range of costs are.

The Scottish Government has commissioned research through ClimateXChange (CxC) to better understand peatland restoration costs. This results of this research will be published shortly.

Previous research assessing the costs of peatland restoration can be found here: The costs of peatland restoration – data & initial analysis 2020 | SEFARI, The costs of peatland restoration – data & analysis update 2021 | SEFARI

Question reference: S6W-35362

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 24 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether any potential contingent liability implications against future budgets is estimated at the time of entering any arrangements that may subsequently trigger that liability requiring to be met, and in what year any payment of a contingent liability counted for budget and public spending monitoring purposes.