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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-35386

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 17 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what research it has commissioned or undertaken into the toxicity of manmade materials and chemicals used in the construction and insulation of housing in Scotland.

The regulation of manmade materials and chemicals that are present or can be used in the production of construction materials is complex and largely reserved to UK Government. The Construction Products Regulation lays down rules to ensure products perform to a designated standard and is being revised by UK Government. This will introduce a requirement for construction products to be safe, create a safety critical list of products, and strengthen existing market surveillance and enforcement powers.

Scottish Government provides funding to Construction innovation centre BE-ST1. A 2023 report2 commissioned by Zero Waste Scotland and BE-ST that looked at the availability, performance, manufacturing supply chains and market analysis of Natural Fibre and Circular Insulation options also considered adverse effects for people from available manmade insultation materials.

1https://www.be-st.build/

2 https://www.be-st.build/media/d4gdyucy/sustainable-insulation-products-in-the-scottish-construction-industry.pdf

Question reference: S6O-04479

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 March 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 20 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what measures it is taking to support any LGBTQ+ staff whose welfare may be negatively impacted by any increase in the use of language in the Chamber and committees that may be perceived as trans-exclusionary.

Question reference: S6W-35436

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 13 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government when it will announce a decision on the review into banning lead ammunition, and whether it plans to provide an update and information to the Parliament or the relevant committee on (a) how the decision was reached and (b) its rationale for the decision.

The Scottish Government recognises that the use of lead in ammunition continues to pose risks to both human health and the environment. We prioritised work under assimilated law in 2021 to propose a restriction for lead in ammunition, in agreement with the Welsh and UK Governments, to address these ongoing risks.

We have been working with UK and Welsh Governments to reach a decision following the publication of the Health and Safety Executive’s Opinion on this restriction proposal in December 2024. Once a decision has been agreed between the UK Government, Scottish, and Welsh Ministers, the UK Government will publish a decision report on its website. The Secretary of State must then seek the consent of Scottish and Welsh Ministers to a UK statutory instrument to make this decision law. At this point I will write to the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee to seek the agreement of the Scottish Parliament to Scottish Ministers consenting to this instrument, the details of which will be notified to the Parliament.

Question reference: S6W-35437

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 12 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government when the Scottish Animal Welfare Commission report into the treatment of cleaner fish in salmon farms is due to be published, and for what reason the report's publication has reportedly been delayed.

Question reference: S6W-35384

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 12 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what work it has undertaken to explore any reforms of the energy performance certificate (EPC) regime in (a) general and (b) relation to the EPC appraisal of (i) cavity walls and associated insulation measures and (ii) energy efficiency improvement recommendations, and what advice it has sought regarding any EPC reforms.

The Scottish Government has undertaken an extensive range of work in pursuit of reforming the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) regime in Scotland.

This has included three recent consultations to scope and refine the approach to EPC reform.

Domestic Energy Performance Certificates (EPC) reform: consultation - gov.scot

(23 July 2021)

Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) reform: consultation - gov.scot (25 July 2023)

Scottish Energy Performance Certificate Register Lodgement Fees and Penalty Charges - Questions - Energy Performance Certificate reform – lodgement fees and penalty charges: technical consultation - gov.scot (12 February 2025)

These consultation documents have been complemented by public events and workshops.

More generally, the Scottish Government has, and continues to, engage intensively with all major stakeholders in EPCs, seeking their views in taking forward our reforms. The Scottish Government regularly convenes a Strategic Advisory sub-Group and an External Reference Group focused on EPC reform. Stakeholders include representatives of Approved Organisations, local authorities (in their enforcement role), consumer groups; EPC assessors; surveyors; the UK Government; the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland; private letting agencies; and many others. We have also engaged with other European countries including Denmark and the Republic of Ireland.

In taking forward our reform of EPCs, we have been receiving advice from the Climate Change Committee, the UK’s statutory adviser on tackling climate change, and other advisory bodies including Historic Environment Scotland.

In relation to the EPC’s appraisal of cavity walls and associated insulation measures, and other energy efficiency improvement recommendations, we acknowledge concerns raised over the ability of the EPC to identify when such measures are technically suitable. In response, we are creating a short term industry group to advise on how the reformed EPC will select measures for potential improvement. We are also carrying out further user testing on how best to present this information on the certificate, in particular ensuring that it signposts the need to have detailed technical advice before installing any measures. In parallel, we are currently scoping the development of a methodology to assess the technical suitability of measures as a step beyond the EPC.

Question reference: S6W-35392

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 11 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government by what date it will (a) publish and (b) respond to the findings from the call for evidence on the Inshore Fisheries Management Improvement programme, which concluded on 18 February 2025.

We intend to publish the results to the call for evidence in line with Scottish Government consultation good practice guidance for Scottish Government consultations, typically within 12 weeks of the closing date.

Following analysis of the responses, policy proposals for a new framework for managing our inshore fisheries will be drafted, with input from key stakeholders. There will then be a full public consultation.

Question reference: S6W-35393

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 11 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of inshore fisheries and conservation authorities in England as a potential model for inshore fisheries management in Scotland.

Recent work has been undertaken to review different models of inshore fisheries management, including the model in England using Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authorities. This work, along with wider evidence submitted during our Inshore Fisheries Management Improvement programme call for evidence, will help inform development of policy proposals for a new framework for managing Scotland’s inshore fisheries.

Question reference: S6W-35242

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 11 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish the analysis of the consultation conducted on the A96 Corridor Review, which closed on 21 February 2025.

During the Roundtable meeting I held in Parliament on 4 February, I advised members of my intention to provide an update on the public’s response to the consultation as soon as possible. However, this will depend on the time required to review the considerable number of responses received.

The 12-week consultation period ended last month with over 1,400 responses received.

This feedback, which is now under active consideration by Transport Scotland, will help inform the Scottish Government’s final decision on how best to take forward improvements to the A96 whilst also balancing the demands of the challenging economic climate and the climate emergency.

Question reference: S6W-35343

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 28 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 10 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what impact the announcement by the UK Government on 27 February 2025 that it will work to increase the use of domestic timber in construction will have on Scotland, and what dialogue concerning domestic timber it had with the UK Government prior to this.

We welcome the UK government’s Timber in Construction road map since this should increase the market for Scottish timber in England. There is considerable scope to increase the use of timber frame house building methods in England unlike in Scotland where 92% of new build homes are already timber frame. Officials at Scottish Forestry have been aware of the road map as it was being developed through discussions with Defra, Confor and the Forestry Commission during that period.

Question reference: S6W-34594

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 07 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 4 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how much has been committed in its 2025-26 Budget to bringing empty homes back into use; how local authorities can access this funding, and how much resource has been specifically allocated to support (a) local authority empty homes officers and (b) the Empty Homes Partnership.

We will invest £2 million next year financial year to help local authorities unlock barriers, develop a targeted approach and embed empty homes work across their services to bring more privately owned empty homes back into use through the Scottish Empty Homes Partnership project. This builds on our track record of bringing more than 11,000 privately owned homes back into use as warm, safe and secure housing since 2010.