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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-35490

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 20 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what action is being taken to ensure that 999 control rooms are more responsive and survivor-centred to domestic abuse cases.

All calls received by Police Scotland receive an initial assessment based on the THRIVE model (Threat, Harm, Risk, Investigative Opportunity, Vulnerability and Engagement) to enable informed decision making on prioritisation. Given the unpredictable and often violent nature of domestic abuse, incidents are assessed with consideration given to the safety of the victim and family, background history for the victim and suspect, severity of the allegation and evidential opportunities.

Police Scotland have advised that an incident will be graded appropriately and fast tracked where necessary with the police response will be victim led as much as possible.

Police Scotland’s three year business plan also seeks to ensure that victims are fully heard and supported through a service that is tailored to their needs, and that the service works with partners to ensure vulnerable people can access appropriate care at the right time.

Question reference: S6O-04504

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 March 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to upgrade older housing stock to make it suitable for modern day heating systems.

Question reference: S6W-35361

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 19 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has advised the Scottish Fiscal Commission of any potential contingent liability implications in relation to future budgets, as a consequence of pursuing a policy of encouraging private finance investment.

We will comply with all aspects of the reporting and authorisation requirements detailed in the Scottish Public Finance Manual, which includes notification to the Finance and Public Administration Committee. Scottish Government does not intend to advise the Scottish Fiscal Commission on this question separately. All contingent liabilities are disclosed in the Scottish Government's annual report and accounts.

Question reference: S6W-35359

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 17 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what budget provision it has made within the draft Budget for 2025-26 and any subsequent year to (a) underwrite private investment and (b) pilot blended finance models in nature recovery; what its position is on whether the allocation of any such funds has been at the expense of existing grants for peatland restoration or forestry, and whether there are any potential contingent liability implications that will be incurred by any contract arrangements entered into in any pilot arrangements with private finance, and over how many years.

a) Scottish Government has not made any budget provision in this or future years to underwrite private investment in nature restoration.

b) No capital allocation has been made in the 2025-26 budget to pilot blended finance models in nature recovery. Any payments associated with it will not finalised until the pilot progresses. Resource to take forward the pilot will be from within existing staff time.

There may be contingent liability implications to the agreements entered into as a part piloting blended finance models for nature restoration and these will be managed in line with the Scottish Public Finance Manual.

Question reference: S6W-35360

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 14 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-30676 by Mairi Gougeon on 30 October 2024, whether it has now modelled any potential contingent liability implications from its policy to encourage private investment in nature recovery; what any such modelling shows in relation to any potential public expenditure implications for every £100 million of private investment, and whether it will publish any such modelling that has been undertaken.

Question reference: S6W-35356

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 03 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 11 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-26881 by Jim Fairlie on 5 June 2024, in relation to financing natural capital, how much private finance was (a) arranged under the support of the Natural Investment Partnership and (b) spent on (i) tree planting and (ii) peatland restoration between 1 March 2024 and the last day of February 2025; who the private finance providers involved were; how much was invested, and on which projects.

Question reference: S6W-35338

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 28 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 11 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government when the evacuation system on the MV Isle of Mull will be upgraded.

Question reference: S6W-35309

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 11 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to The Seventh Carbon Budget, which was published by the Climate Change Committee on 26 February 2025, in particular section 7.4 on agriculture and land use data, which is based on GWP100 metric data.

We recognise that reaching net zero will require all our farmers, crofters, and land managers to be ambitious and continue to help address climate change, alongside other outcomes including sustainable food production, enhancing biodiversity and supporting our rural communities. This will build on the good work that is already being done though adoption of low carbon farming practices, planting trees and hedges and restoring peatlands.

We firmly believe there is no contradiction between high quality food production and producing it in a way that delivers for the climate and nature and it is important that we do not offshore our emissions as we work towards net zero.

Importantly, the Whole Farm Plan will help farmers and crofters measure their businesses’ impact and find ways to become more efficient and to cut emissions. We continue to explore new, innovative ways to help mitigate emissions from agriculture, measure and build carbon sequestration, while continuing to produce high quality food and improve biodiversity.

We will bring forward a draft Climate Change Plan in the coming year that will set out policies and proposals for how the agriculture and land use, land use change and forestry sectors will continue to play their part in meeting our ambitious net zero national target by 2045.

The use of GWP100 is set by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) which is the United Nations body for assessing the science related to climate change.

Question reference: S6W-35347

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 28 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 11 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how it has created opportunities for new entrants to farming through its publicly owned land.

The Scottish Government has created a notable amount of opportunities for new entrants into farming and crofting on publicly owned land. This has been spearheaded by the coordinating efforts of the Farming Opportunities for New Entrants (FONE) Group. The FONE Group membership has key public body representatives including Forestry and Land Scotland, Scottish Ministers’ Estate, Scottish Water and Crown Estate Scotland to name a few.

One of its core functions is to get public bodies around the table to explore what opportunities they can offer new entrants. FONE Group members publicise opportunities where they can and promote the positive impact of new entrant stories to the likes of private estates and owner occupiers in Scotland.

More than 80 new entrants have been given opportunities on over 8,000 hectares of publicly owned land, due to the efforts of the FONE Group.

Also, the Scottish Land Matching Service (SLMS), has facilitated over 300 individuals and formally matched over 50 joint-ventures, some of which includes publicly owned land.

Question reference: S6W-35345

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 28 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 11 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government which public bodies it has contacted regarding the offer of farming opportunities to new entrants.

Since 2016, the Farming Opportunities for New Entrants (FONE) Group has been coordinating new entrant opportunities on publicly owned land in Scotland. FONE Group membership includes, but is not limited to, Forestry and Land Scotland, the Crown Estate Scotland, the Scottish Ministers’ Estate and Scottish Water.

Through the FONE group, over 80 new entrant opportunities have been provided across more than 8,000 hectares of publicly owned land.

Additionally, in December 2024, I wrote out to all Local Authority Leaders and Chief Executives asking that they engage with the Programme for Government commitment to maximise the opportunities on their land for agricultural new entrants.

I have called on all Scottish public bodies, with land, to a Landowner’s Conference in March to showcase and emphasise the importance of leasing public land to new entrant farmers and crofters.