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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: S6O-02562

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 September 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its assessment is of the effectiveness of its current income tax policies in stimulating economic growth and job creation.

Question reference: S6W-21035

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 15 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to increase transparency in the four-tiered payment structure in its proposed Agriculture Bill.

Question reference: S6W-21142

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 08 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 15 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how it will ensure that the on-the-spot checks proposed in the Agriculture Bill will not increase stress and strain among farmers, thereby potentially worsening their mental health.

Question reference: S6W-21139

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 08 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 15 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it supports the inclusion of provisions in the Agriculture Bill that would allow for punitive measures, such as fines, to be imposed for not meeting high standards or participating in livestock data collection.

Question reference: S6W-21034

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 15 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to respond to the concerns expressed in the consultation on the Agriculture Bill that commercial forestry will not benefit local communities.

A consultation on the Bill’s proposals ran from 29 August 2022 to 5 December 2022, where a wide range of views were received. On 22 June 2023, the Scottish Government published the Agriculture Bill - Analysis of Consultation Responses which details the findings of this extended engagement.

As is convention, following consultation on proposed legislation, Ministers are considering the views received to inform a new Agriculture Bill which will be introduced in 2023. In turn, Parliament will consider the proposals and provide further comment on draft proposals, accordingly.

Question reference: S6W-21141

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 08 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 15 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the concerns raised as part of the consultation on the Agriculture Bill regarding ministers’ understanding of the science surrounding plant genetic resources and plant health.

Question reference: S6W-21143

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 08 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 15 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the concerns that were raised as part of the consultation on the Agriculture Bill that maintaining alignment with the EU could lead to additional bureaucracy.

Question reference: S6W-21138

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 08 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 15 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how it will ensure that the measures proposed in the Agriculture Bill to encourage animal welfare will not lead to a duplication of effort across different ministerial portfolios and/or directorates.

Question reference: S6W-21144

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 08 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 15 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will support alignment with the UK on agricultural standards in relation to the Agriculture Bill.

Question reference: S6W-21038

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 15 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to respond to the feedback in the consultation on its proposed Agriculture Bill that wider rural development proposals should not be the focus of the bill.