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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-38845

Asked by: Ash Regan, MSP for Edinburgh Eastern, Alba Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angus Robertson on 24 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, as part of its work to further the case for Scottish independence, what its policy is on whether it would introduce a ban on surrogacy in an independent Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-39467

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 18 July 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 24 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many full-time equivalent (FTE) staff it estimates there are in each relevant agency and central government who are currently involved in the regulation of salmon farming and smolt production, including fish health, human safety, food standards, planning, environmental, fisheries interactions, licensing and leasing.

Question reference: S6W-39466

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 18 July 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 24 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what the estimated annual cost to the public purse is of governing the salmon farming industry, including smolt production, in Scotland.

We are unable to provide the information requested. The aquaculture sector is governed by multiple agencies in both Scotland and the UK, for example APHA (Animal and Plant Health Agency). These agencies provide different legislative functions and charging schemes. The agencies and their respective employees who work on aquaculture undertake a wide range of duties relating to the governance of aquaculture in the round, not only to the salmon sector.

Question reference: S6W-39431

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 July 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 24 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to align the legal protections for aquatic farmed animals with those for terrestrial farmed animals, in line with the recommendations of the Scottish Animal Welfare Commission in May 2025.

Question reference: S6W-39367

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 July 2025
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 24 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government which actions in the 2025 Report from the Independent Working Group on Antisocial Behaviour have been implemented, and whether it will provide an update on which of the remaining actions will be implemented, and when.

The Scottish Government remain committed to addressing anti-social behaviour in partnership with COSLA and Police Scotland who have statutory responsibility for developing strategies to tackle antisocial behaviour at local level.

Recent actions of the Scottish Government contribute to a number of recommendations. For example, we recently announced a £26 million investment in the next phase of the CashBack for Communities programme. The programme’s focus on supporting projects that divert young people from anti-social behaviour and towards positive opportunities is closely aligned with the report’s findings and overall direction.

Further actions from the report are currently under active consideration, and we will provide a full update on implementation plans and timelines in due course. A formal response to the report is expected to be published later this summer.

Question reference: S6W-39335

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 11 July 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 24 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government when it last met with representatives of the independent Scottish Animal Welfare Commission regarding the Commission's recommendation that the use of electric shock collars to train dogs should be banned.

Question reference: S6W-39336

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 11 July 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 24 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding its plans to consult on a proposal to ban the use of electric shock collars for training dogs, what information it holds on which veterinary organisations (a) support and (b) oppose such a ban.

Question reference: S6W-39265

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 July 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 24 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding has been distributed to (a) public, (b) private, (c) third sector and (d) community organisations from the Islands Cost Crisis Emergency Fund since it was established, broken down by local authority area.

The Islands Cost Crisis Emergency Fund (ICCEF) is distributed to island local authorities, which decide where funding will be directed based on their local knowledge and understanding of the impacts of the cost crisis on their island populations.

The six island local authorities have provided, where possible, a breakdown of how the monies have been distributed.

Several recipients could reasonably be classified as both third sector and community organisations. For the purposes of this question, local authorities have assigned each recipient to the category they consider most appropriate.

In this instance, the Scottish Government has assumed ‘private’ to mean private individuals and families

2022-23	Public	Private	Third Sector	Community Organisations	Total allocation
Argyll and Bute	£0	£169,449	£0	£27,551	£197,000
Na h-Eileanan Siar	£0	£227,800	£0	£132,200	£360,000
Highland	£0	£115,000	£0	£32,000	£147,000
North Ayrshire	£43,000	£10,000	£10,000	£17,000	£80,000
Orkney Islands	£0	£0	£305,000	£0	£305,000
Shetland Islands	£85,795	£47,549	£158,143	£19,514	£311,000
Total	£128,795	£569,798	£473,143	£228,265	£1,400,000

2023-24	Public	Private	Third Sector	Community Organisations	Total allocation
Argyll and Bute	£0	£125,000	£0	£16,000	£141,000
Na h-Eileanan Siar	£20,000	£48,000	£97,000	£92,000	£257,000
Highland	£0	£105,000	£0	£0	£105,000
North Ayrshire	£25,000	£10,000	£0	£22,000	£57,000
Orkney Islands	£46,000	£9,600	£104,400	£58,000	£218,000
Shetland Islands	£32,815	£159,900	£0	£29,285	£222,000
Total	£123,815	£457,500	£201,400	£217,285	£1,000,000

2024-25	Public	Private	Third Sector	Community Organisations	Total allocation
Argyll and Bute	£0	£125,000	£0	£16,000	£141,000
Na h-Eileanan Siar	£0	£0	£0	£257,000	£257,000
Highland*	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	£105,000
North Ayrshire	£0	£0	£0	£57,000	£57,000
Orkney Islands	£62,529	£0	£105,471	£50,000	£218,000
Shetland Islands	£13,500	£195,506	£0	£12,994	£222,000
Total	£76,029	£320,506	£105,471	£392,994	£1,000,000

*Note: Information regarding the Highland Council’s 2024-25 distribution of funds has not been provided to date.

Question reference: S6W-39232

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 July 2025
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 24 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding any potential threat of the bluetongue virus in Scotland, in light of the whole of England being made a bluetongue restricted zone on 1 July 2025.

Scottish Government have been in regular communication with both Defra and Welsh Government, including regular discussions between CVO’s since disease was identified as circulating in England in 2024, with meetings taking place at least twice a week since then. Scottish Government policy and veterinary colleagues have attended twice weekly bluetongue meetings, and weekly bluetongue vaccine task force meetings with the other devolved administrations and industry representatives. There are also twice weekly licensing and policy calls between all the administrations.

Question reference: S6W-39181

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 July 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 24 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider reviewing and updating the cross-compliance requirements for semi-natural grasslands, in light of new cross-compliance requirements coming into effect for peatlands and wetlands under the Good Agricultural and Environmental Conditions standards.

There are no plans at this time to introduce new requirements for semi-natural grasslands. Semi-natural grasslands sit within the definition of ‘rough grazing or other semi-natural areas’ which are currently protected under Cross Compliance. Requirements under GAEC 6 prohibit farmers and crofters from ploughing or cultivating areas of rough grazing or other semi-natural areas unless approved as part of an Environmental Impact Assessment. Further guidance is available at: Maintenance of soil organic matter (GAEC 6)Maintenance of soil organic matter (GAEC 6)

Support remains available via the Agri-Environment Climate Scheme (AECS) to land managers to conserve semi-natural habitats. Relevant options include Moorland Management, and alongside this, Summer Hill Grazing Cattle and Away Wintering Sheep. Further detail is available on the AECS webpage.