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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-36182

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 March 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 24 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-30074 by Mairi Gougeon on 27 September 2024, and in light of recent media coverage, including a video showing discarded fish on the seabed, how the suite of measures in place to manage fisheries and safeguard fish stocks are tackling illegal discarding.

Question reference: S6W-35636

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 March 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 24 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the farmed fish sector has a non-binding industry code of good practice regarding the legal obligations for keepers and industry stakeholders under the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006 and the Welfare of Animals at the Time of Killing (Scotland) Regulations 2012, and whether it will introduce official guidance to help ensure clarity.

Question reference: S6W-35638

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 March 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 24 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to review or update the current farmed fish industry-developed code of good practice by replacing or supplementing it with official guidance that provides prescriptive detail on meeting welfare obligations, and, if so, what consultation process will be carried out with stakeholders.

Question reference: S6W-35637

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 March 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 24 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what measures are in place or planned to ensure that enforcement bodies and the fish farming industry fully understand and comply with legal welfare requirements for farmed fish across their entire lifecycle.

Question reference: S6W-35807

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 20 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to its freedom of information (FOI) release FOI/202400430534, which states that it was "working towards a launch date for the Changing Places Toilets fund and we will provide an update in due course", whether it will confirm what progress has been made towards reopening the fund, and by what date it will fully reopen.

Question reference: S6W-35721

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 March 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 2 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how much was spent on IT staff in relation to all rural payment systems in each of the last four years.

Question reference: S6W-35720

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 March 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 2 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how much was spent on the maintenance of all rural payment systems in each of the last four years.

Question reference: S6W-35764

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 March 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 1 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how much will be spent on (a) the maintenance of and (b) staffing for the rural payments IT system in each of the next two years.

Question reference: S6W-34949

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 14 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to support single young people experiencing financial difficulties in (a) general and (b) rural areas.

The Scottish Government recognises the pressure on household budgets which is why the 2025-26 budget continues to allocate over £3bn a year to policies which tackle poverty and the cost of living, including providing free bus travel for all children and young people under 22.

In terms of general support, there is range of support available to anyone experiencing financial difficulties. We continue to support free welfare, debt and income maximisation advice services across all areas of the county with funding of over £12m allocated in 2024-2025 and have a dedicated Cost of Living website, signposting to helpful information across a range of subjects including energy and bills, debt and money and health and wellbeing.

Recognising the specific impact of the cost of living crisis on island communities, since December 2022 the Islands Cost Crisis Emergency Fund has distributed over £3.4 million to support islanders facing cost of living pressures.

The significant investments that we are making in Regional Growth Deals will have an important role to play in developing rural economies. The Scottish Government has committed over £379 million to Regional Growth Deal rural projects to accelerate inclusive economic growth, investment which will support a range of projects on themes like key sector innovation, skills, connectivity, housing and infrastructure improvement. As an example of how the Growth Deals are supporting young people in rural communities, the Affordable Housing project, delivered through the Inverness & Highland City Region Deal, is an ongoing project to complete over 500 affordable new homes. Of those completed, over 200 are now occupied by people younger than 30 years of age.

In addition, the Borderlands Growth Deal aims to develop the regional economy by addressing three main economic challenges: narrowing the productivity gap, increasing the working age population, and delivering inclusive growth. In Dumfries and Galloway SG is investing £4m in the Dairy Nexus project, which will deliver innovation to decarbonise the dairy sector and boost dairy sector businesses. Other planned investments include £16m to repurpose Stranraer and Loch Ryan as a vibrant marine leisure destination and £20m to stimulate the reinvigoration of towns and centres across the Borderlands area, with plans being developed in 5 Dumfries and Galloway towns.

Question reference: S6O-04452

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 March 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 19 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to tackle rural crime.