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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: S6W-40530

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Independent
Date lodged: Monday, 15 September 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 29 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government on what occasions in each of the last 10 years it has used a statutory power of direction in respect of (a) NatureScot, (b) SEPA (c) Creative Scotland and (d) the SQA, broken down by the (i) reason for exercising this power and (ii) outcome.

Question reference: S6W-40531

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Independent
Date lodged: Monday, 15 September 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 29 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what recent analysis it has carried out of the expenditure of its non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs); what savings have been identified; whether such reviews of NDPBs are currently ongoing and, if so, in what areas it considers saving of a substantial amount might be achieved.

Question reference: S6W-40528

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Independent
Date lodged: Monday, 15 September 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 29 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to review the future of environmental public bodies, in light of reports that the UK Government plans to do similar.

Question reference: S6W-40529

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Independent
Date lodged: Monday, 15 September 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 29 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to (a) reform or (b) abolish NatureScot and transfer its functions to local and/or central government.

Question reference: S6W-40532

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Independent
Date lodged: Monday, 15 September 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 29 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) full- and (b) part-time staff have been employed each year by (i) Cairngorms and (ii) Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park, also broken down by (A) area of work employed and (B) pay grade.

Question reference: S6W-39925

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Independent
Date lodged: Friday, 05 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angus Robertson on 11 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the reported declarations made by Summerhall Arts in Edinburgh regarding its policy on politicians appearing on stage at the venue, what its position is on the declarations, and whether it will continue to provide any public funding to the venue.

The Scottish Government has no decision-making role in the allocation of funding through Creative Scotland. It is for Creative Scotland to allocate funding based on its assessment of the artistic and cultural merits of proposals it receives and to ensure that funding is used appropriately. Creative Scotland has no role in the programming decisions of funded organisations.

Scottish Ministers strongly support artistic freedom of expression. It is of particular importance to the culture sector, which provides a platform for debate and engagement on important issues. It is vital that artists and cultural organisations are free to explore and convene dialogue on any issue. Clearly, not engaging in respectful dialogue and debate with those with whom we disagree is counterproductive and does not support freedom of expression.

Question reference: S6W-40216

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Independent
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 September 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 25 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, since the inception of (a) the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and (b) the NatureScot guidance regarding the grounds permitted for granting licences, how many (i) applications and (ii) grants have been made for licences to control mountain hares.

Question reference: S6O-04946

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Independent
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 September 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports that the worst wildfires ever recorded in Scotland affected the areas around Dava, Lochindorb and Carrbridge this summer, what discussions the rural affairs secretary has had with ministerial colleagues regarding potentially commissioning an independent review of wildfire management practices.

Question reference: S6W-39924

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Independent
Date lodged: Friday, 05 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angus Robertson on 10 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what grants have been paid to Summerhall Arts in Edinburgh in each of the last five years, broken down by the (i) value and (ii) specific purpose of each grant.

Summerhall Arts, set up in 2023, was awarded Multi Year Funding by Creative Scotland in January 2025. Over 2025-26 it will receive grant funding of £168,254 which will support its core operating costs.

The previous operator of the Summerhall venue, Summerhall Management, had received the below payments from Creative Scotland since 2020:

Year	Company Name	Application Summary	Fund	Awarded Amount
2019-20	Summerhall Management Ltd	DCI compliant cinema equipment	2019-20 Cinema Equipment Fund	£25,000.00
2020-21	Summerhall Management Ltd	(i) Organisational development for Summerhall (ii) An artist development programme to support artists to make new work (iii) Summerhall 10th anniversary celebrations	2020-21 Creative Scotland Open Fund for Organisations (National Lottery funded)	£29,300.00
2020-21	Summerhall Management Ltd	Live music venue support funding	Grassroots Music Funds	£46,656.00
2020-21	Summerhall Management Ltd	Live music venue support funding	Grassroots Music Funds	£66,200.00
2021-22	Summerhall Management Ltd	Emergency COVID-19 funding	Cancellation Fund for Cultural Organisations	£79,962.00

Question reference: S6W-40117

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Independent
Date lodged: Friday, 05 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 8 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how many orders for witness anonymity under common law and section 11 of the Contempt of Court Act 1981, similar to those imposed by Lady Dorrian in the case HMA v Alexander Elliot Anderson Salmond, have been imposed in each year since 2015; in which cases they were imposed; whether it will provide details of the nature of the crimes involved in these cases, and whether there have been any other cases since 2015 where a similar type of order ensuring witness anonymity has been imposed under different provisions.