- Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 June 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Fairlie on 3 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to prevent carbon leakage from agricultural imports as a result of any reduction in domestic agricultural production.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not accept the premise of the question. As the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands set out at the Royal Highland Show on 19 June, while we have accepted the Climate Change Committee’s proposed carbon budget levels to reach net zero, we will not be accepting their policy recommendations which would have had a detrimental impact on our agriculture sector and wider rural economy.
We have been crystal clear: this government has no policy, and will have no policy, to cut livestock numbers. We will reach net zero, and we intend to do that in a way which works for rural Scotland without simply offshoring our emissions and environmental responsibilities.
In terms of trade, I would highlight the impact of UK Trade Deals in terms of their impact on domestic production/offshoring as outlined in the answer to question S6W-37892 on 4 June 2025. Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanisms are also an important policy tool; however, the trade-related powers that could be used to protect Scotland’s livestock industry are held in Westminster under the current constitutional settlement.
All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers.
- Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 June 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 3 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve the (a) management and (b) tracking of marine traffic in Scotland's coastal waters.
Answer
Shipping safety and marine traffic management are matters largely reserved to the UK Government. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency is responsible for shipping regulations and safety in UK waters, including tracking marine traffic in UK waters.
The Marine Directorate of the Scottish Government uses a range of tools and technologies to support the integrated management of Scotland’s seas. This includes the use of Vessel Monitoring Systems and Remote Electronic Monitoring on fishing vessels. Data generated from such technology can be used for fisheries management, environmental protection and marine planning purposes.
Later this year, the Marine Directorate will be taking forward the outcomes of a consultation on requiring tracking and monitoring technology on all under 12 metre fishing vessels in Scottish waters.
Whilst wider shipping policy is reserved, the Scottish Government is committed to working with the UK Government and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency to ensure that shipping safety and marine traffic management is given the highest priority for vessels accessing Scotland’s waters.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 June 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 3 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-38218 by Maree Todd on 17 June 2025, whether it has attempted to estimate the "true" proportion of people detained in police stations under a place of safety order, adjusting for any missing data and data collection practices, and, if so, what estimates it has made.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not hold data on the number of individuals detained in police custody under place of safety orders. This data is collected and held by Police Scotland.
The Scottish Government is taking steps to strengthen data collection and evaluation within the mental health and policing space. The development of a proportionate performance framework will support ongoing monitoring and help distinguish between actual improvements and issues related to data completeness. This reflects the broader commitments set out in the Framework for Collaboration and Collaborative Commitments to ensure that data is robust and suitable to support informed decision-making, and to improve pathways for people in mental health crisis.
- Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 June 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 3 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what outcomes have been achieved through the Just Transition Fund.
Answer
With a view to assessing the value for public money and the impact of our investment to date, we commissioned an independent evaluation of the impact of the fund in its first two years of operation. The report, which will be published shortly, emphasised the enabling role of the Fund in delivering a just transition to net zero in region.
Its findings indicate the Fund has created and safeguarded at least 230 jobs, opened up more than 750 training places via skills-focused projects and, attracted over £30 million in private investment and £4.7m in public and third sector investment from £43 million of initial JTF investment.
These are the initial impacts of the Fund and we are confident that job numbers, investment leverage and other key outputs will increase as projects continue.
- Asked by: Ash Regan, MSP for Edinburgh Eastern, Alba Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 19 June 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 3 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how many manufacturing jobs have been created through inward investment in (a) Scotland and (b) each local authority area, in each of the last five years.
Answer
Scotland has a strong record in attracting foreign direct investment and our Inward Investment Plan (IIP) plays a central role in supporting this by targeting key sectors such as high-value manufacturing and energy transition.
Responsibility for measuring Scotland’s inward investment performance, which includes planned jobs and supply chain impacts for involved projects, rests with Scottish Enterprise. The independent EY Attractiveness Survey and the DBT annual inward investment results provide an additional performance indicator for inward investment. Collectively the results, though based on different methodologies and published at different intervals during the year, help the Scottish Government build a broader understanding of Scotland’s inward investment performance.
Whilst the Scottish Government nor Scottish Enterprise holds specific data on manufacturing jobs created through inward investment at local authority level, information on how Scotland has performed in terms of attracting investment in key sectors is available via the EY attractiveness survey (the latest results can be found here: ey-uk-attractiveness-survey-scotland-06-2025.pdf and the Department for Business and Trade Inward Investment Results (the latest results can be found here: DBT inward investment results 2024 to 2025 - GOV.UK). Scottish Enterprise results will be published in the Autumn.
- Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 19 June 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 3 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how many of the energy consents that it has issued since February 2023, when National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) was adopted, include requirements for biodiversity enhancements, as set out in policy 3 of NPF4.
Answer
All information relating to determinations made by Scottish Ministers under the Electricity Act 1989, including any conditions, are publicly available on our Energy Consents website: https://www.energyconsents.scot/ApplicationSearch.aspx
NPF4 is a material consideration in the determination of applications, and it is read and applied as a whole. It is for the decision maker to determine what weight to attach to policies within NPF4 on a case-by-case basis. The weight to be applied to all material considerations and the need for conditions to be attached to any consent is a matter for the Minister taking the decision to consider on a case-by-case basis.
- Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 19 June 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 3 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that energy consent projects that it approves contribute to positive outcomes for biodiversity, as required by National Planning Framework 4.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-38863 on 3 July 2025. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 June 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 3 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to extend access to counselling provision in primary schools, building on its existing commitment to secondary school counselling.
Answer
School counselling services are available to all pupils aged 10 and over, including primary and special school pupils.
The Scottish Government engaged with professional counselling bodies prior to establishing counselling services who advised that therapeutic counselling is not appropriate for younger pupils.
Counselling is just one of a range of mental health supports available for children and young people.
We are also providing local authorities with £15 million per annum to fund community-based mental health and wellbeing supports for children, young people and their families, which includes younger primary-school-aged children.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 19 June 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Fairlie on 3 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government which of its departmental budgets will be used to pay for any contingent liability from carbon contracts, and whether the Peatland ACTION budget will be affected.
Answer
The capital costs associated with Carbon Contracts will be paid for from the Environment and Forestry Directorate’s budget. It will not impact upon the Peatland Action budget in this financial year.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 19 June 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Fairlie on 3 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has set an upper limit on the (a) annual and (b) cumulative amount of any contingent liability associated with the carbon contracts pilot.
Answer
As a part of the Carbon Contracts pilot, Scottish Government intends to spend up to a total of £1m in capital.
