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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: S6W-42188

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 November 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 11 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the public consultation as part of Fisheries Management Plan measures, when it expects the management plans to come into force.

Question reference: S6O-05253

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 November 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 4 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the education and skills secretary has had with the climate action and energy secretary regarding steps it is taking to expand education and training opportunities for green jobs, in light of Scotland’s 2045 target to balance climate-warming emissions with removals from the atmosphere.

Question reference: S6W-41958

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 17 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 26 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what steps are being taken to improve broadband reliability in rural Scotland ahead of the switch-off of the Public Switched Telephone Network, in light of the fact that digital landlines depend on internet connectivity.

In the past decade, Scottish public sector-led digital infrastructure programmes have enabled over one million faster broadband connections. Through the Reaching 100% (R100) and Project Gigabit in Scotland (PGiS) programmes, we are continuing to accelerate access to future-proofed full fibre broadband for those who need it most, despite Scotland having some of the most challenging terrain in which to deploy digital infrastructure in Europe.

The switch-off of the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) in the UK is industry-led, with oversight from the UK Government’s Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), reflecting that telecoms legislation is reserved.

Question reference: S6W-41859

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 14 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 25 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what (a) scientific and (b) other advice led to the decision to license at least 26 vessels in each of the last five razor clam electro-fishery trial seasons.

Scientific advice has underpinned the decision to authorise derogations permitting licensed fishing vessels to catch, land and sell razor clams while participating in the trial.

The biological and ecological goals describe the areas in which the scientific trial has sought to further our knowledge. These are:

1.to gather local level information on razor clam populations and stocks, including collating accurate data gathered by trial participants to supplement stock survey work;

2.to ensure sustainable harvesting levels; and,

3.to gather further information about the impacts of the electrofishing method on target and non-target species.

A summary of this advice for each of the last five trial seasons is provided below.

2021-2022:

Authorising fishing was necessary to gather data to understand trends in landings per unit effort, work that was planned for the previous season but was hampered by the COVID pandemic.

2022-2023:

To gather data to understand size at maturity and time of spawning.
To allow scoping development of stock assessments.
To understand the benefits of REMand to inform applicability to other fisheries.

2023-2024:

The trial was extended for a two-year period from 1 February 2022 and the advice for 2022-23 applied to 2023-24.

2024-2025:

To gather data and publish stock assessments. These were published in the Progress Report on the Biological and Ecological Goals of the Trial in September 2024.
To study the effect of introducing a seasonal closure during the spawning period.

2025-2026:

To gather data to refine published stock assessments and to publish further assessments for other trial areas.

A range of factors were considered when assessing the merits of all options for the trial. This included the socioeconomic impact of these options, as well as the impact on The Scottish Government and our public sector partners as regulators.

Ultimately however, these decisions rest on the scientific advice.

Question reference: S6W-41800

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 25 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of Oceana UK's recently published research into the impact of offshore oil and gas projects on marine life, what steps it is undertaking to ensure that Scotland's Marine Protected Areas network is protected from any future disturbances by new oil and gas developments.

The regulatory regimes for offshore oil and gas licensing and consenting are matters currently reserved to the UK Government. As part of these arrangements, the UK Offshore Petroleum Regulator for Environment and Decommissioning (OPRED) has responsibility for regulating environmental activity for offshore oil and gas operations on the UK continental shelf.

All public bodies have an obligation to consider the conservation objectives of MPAs within their decision making and ensure these are furthered.

Question reference: S6W-41801

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 25 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of Oceana UK's recently published research into the impact of offshore oil and gas projects on marine life, whether it plans to oppose any proposed new oil and gas developments in Scotland's seas.

Question reference: S6W-41799

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 25 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Scottish Sea Fisheries Statistics for 2024, which showed an increasing trend of job losses across the fishing industry, and in light of reports of collapsing stocks of Northern Shelf cod and mackerel, how it will ensure that money coming into the sector through the Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund will return the sector to sustainable growth and deliver tangible benefits to all fishing communities, not just major fishing ports.

I refer the member to the answers to the related questions S6W-41798 on 24 November 2025 and S6W-41726 on 13 November 2025.

The Scottish Government will make funding decisions for 2026-27 and future years in the upcoming Scottish Budget and Spending Review. When that process concludes we will be able to provide more detail on future years of marine funding in Scotland.

However, the allocation of just 7.78% to Scotland of the £360 million Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund is nothing short of an insult to our fishing industry and coastal communities. With a fair share of the Fund, we would be able to go further in supporting our vital industry and communities to ensure a sustainable and thriving future for Scotland’s fisheries.

Meanwhile, our Marine Fund Scotland (MFS) has been supporting tangible benefits for marine industries and coastal communities across Scotland since its launch in 2021, awarding to date £70 million to 390 projects, enabling over £150 million of investment. The MFS supports a range of projects across Scotland, including activities at major fishing ports as well as within wider fishing communities.

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.

Question reference: S6W-42128

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 24 November 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 9 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answers to questions S6W-41434 and S6W-41435 by Mairi McAllan on 18 November 2025 and S6W-41436 on 19 November 2025, whether it plans to introduce the bespoke statutory accommodation standards for all seasonal workers in the current parliamentary session; if so, by what date it needs to complete its consultation for this to take place; whether the consultation needs to conclude before, or is separate to, the publication of the bespoke statutory accommodation standards, and whether it (a) has undertaken and (b) plans to undertake any work to assess whether it is fulfilling its responsibilities under section 315(6) of the Housing (Scotland) Act 1987, including when local authorities do not have byelaws in effect pursuant to section 315(1) of the Act.

Question reference: S6W-42099

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 24 November 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 9 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the University of Stirling's recently published research on the positive benefits of beaver-created wetlands on pollinator numbers, what financial incentives it provides for landowners to accommodate beaver wetlands.

Question reference: S6W-42100

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 24 November 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 9 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the Less Favoured Area Support Scheme excludes farmers and crofters who do not have livestock but who meet all of the scheme's criteria, and what assessment it has made of any divergence from EU rules, as outlined in article 31 of the EU Rural Development Regulations, that its application of the scheme represents.