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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-36950

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 1 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has undertaken, or is carrying out, on the current recruitment and retention levels of retained firefighters in the Highlands and Islands.

Recruitment and retention of Wholetime and On Call firefighters is a matter for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) Chief Fire Officer and Board.

In common with other fire and rescue services both across the UK and internationally there are recognised challenges to the recruitment and retention of firefighters in rural areas. Scottish Government is supportive of the work that SFRS is doing to enable recruitment in these areas.

SFRS continues to recruit all year round and actively recruit for on call firefighters across local areas by holding community open days and events. Within many areas across Scotland, SFRS has targeted recruitment campaigns on a variety of platforms and many of these highlight the local people who are already helping their community.

Question reference: S6O-04586

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 April 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on any discussions it has had with the tourism sector and other stakeholders regarding amending the Visitor Levy (Scotland) Act 2024.

Question reference: S6W-35917

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 2 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve the reliability and frequency of public transport in Highland communities, in light of reported concerns regarding issues such as cancellations and long waiting times.

We want all local transport authorities to be able to improve all of the bus services within their areas. That is why, through the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019, we have given local authorities powers on partnership working, franchising and the ability to run their own bus services. This provides the opportunity for services that are reliable, frequent and tailored to local demand.

The Scottish Government provided £1.7 million of funding to extend platforms on the West Highland Line. This now allows ScotRail to run longer trains which will reduce overcrowding and lead to increased capacity for residents, tourists and cyclists with their bikes.

ScotRail has a programme of works which are being delivered specifically to improve the reliability of the diesel train fleet which operate on the Highland routes and these improvements are expected to be completed later this year.

ScotRail is considering options to recast the Inverness to Central Belt and Inverness to Aberdeen timetable. ScotRail will consult with passengers prior to any changes being determined.

The Scottish Government have committed to investing around £700m in ports and vessels. This includes 6 new major vessels for the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Service (CHFS) fleet before the end of this Parliament session, and the delivery of a further seven electric vessels as part of the Small Vessels Replacement Programme by 2029, while work to deliver two new Freight Flex vessels for the Northern Isles Ferry Service is progressing.

Question reference: S6W-35909

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 1 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to a presumption in favour of underground energy infrastructure, where feasible.

Legislation and regulations relating to energy networks are reserved to the UK Government and regulated by Ofgem.

The Scottish Government does not develop energy infrastructure, nor does it manage any aspects of building energy infrastructure projects. All energy infrastructure projects are nevertheless subject to robust planning and consenting procedures.

Where new development proposals come forward, our Fourth National Planning Framework (NPF4) ensures the impacts of proposals on communities and nature, including cumulative impacts, are important considerations in the decision-making process. NPF4 Policy 11 (energy) says that in the case of proposals for grid infrastructure consideration should be given to underground connections where possible. All applications are subject to site specific assessments, including Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), where applicable.

Question reference: S6W-35900

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 1 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to address reported concerns that the cost of rail travel in the Highlands is disproportionately higher than that in urban areas, and what consideration it has given to supporting rail routes serving rural and remote communities to provide a viable alternative to car travel.

Eligible residents of the Highlands benefit from the Highland Railcard, which provides 50% off rail fares at any time of the day and is now available with ScotRail’s ‘Kids for a Quid’ offer.

Following the conclusion of Peak Fares Removal Pilot, ScotRail has introduced a 20% discount on all season tickets until 27 September 2025 and permanently improved the value for money of Flexipass tickets, which offer significant savings to passengers.

ScotRail will continue to develop fare initiatives to attract more passengers while providing savings and additional value to existing rail users.

Question reference: S6W-35912

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 1 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what additional support is being provided to the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service to ensure that it is adequately resourced to handle any increase in incidents arising from the presence of battery energy storage systems.

The Scottish Government has allocated the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service £412.2 million for 2025-26 to ensure it is properly resourced to keep Scotland safe and provide all of its statutory functions. The budget for 2025-26 is £18.8m higher than 2024-25 and while clearly decisions on how its budget is spent are a matter for the SFRS Board and Chief Fire Officer, SFRS continue to respond to every emergency incident with the appropriate level of resources.

SFRS continually review and develop its operational response to any new and emerging technology or site to keep communities safe and ensure the highest level of preparedness.

Question reference: S6W-35906

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 1 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish an updated timetable for the SSEN Skye Reinforcement project.

Question reference: S6W-35910

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 1 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has carried out on the comparative costs of underground energy transmission infrastructure.

The Scottish Government has not itself carried out analysis on the comparative costs of undergrounding energy transmission infrastructure and these will vary on a project to project basis. There are a number of industry commissioned reports that demonstrate both in general and on a project specific basis that underground cables are initially more expensive than overhead lines.

As the independent energy regulator for Great Britain, Ofgem is responsible for protecting energy consumers’ interests. Transmission network companies are regulated by Ofgem and when developing projects they must have consideration of their license obligations which require them to be economic and efficient in respect of costs to the consumer. The cost of undergrounding as compared to other forms of transmission infrastructure will be an important consideration for Ofgem assessing the transmission network companies investment plans and agreeing the costs that can be recovered from bill payers.

Question reference: S6W-35907

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 1 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what steps have been taken to ensure that consultations with communities on Skye regarding the expansion of renewable energy projects are conducted in a transparent, inclusive and comprehensive manner.

The Scottish Government has set out instructions for developers to follow regarding pre-application consultation in our Good Practice Guidance document, which is available online, alongside other guidance documents: https://www.gov.scot/policies/energy-infrastructure/energy-consents/.

In addition, the Scottish Government have been working with the UK Government on strengthening community consultation for electricity infrastructure consenting in Scotland as part of the UK Government’s Planning and Infrastructure Bill. The proposed reforms will make pre-application consultation for electricity infrastructure projects a statutory requirement. It will also introduce an Acceptance Stage where Scottish Ministers can decline to accept applications which have not fulfilled the necessary requirements, thereby increasing local input into project proposals.

Question reference: S6W-35904

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 1 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that communities in remote, rural and island areas are actively involved in decision-making processes regarding their healthcare services.

NHS Boards and IJBs have a statutory duty to involve people and communities in the planning and development of care services. Revised joint guidance with COSLA, Planning with People, supports Health Boards, local authorities and IJBs in engaging with local communities on the health and social care services they provide. Planning with People sets out actions that should be taken when changes to services are being considered, and emphasises that community engagement and active participation of people is essential.