Chamber and committees

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-30510

Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 18 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how it will maximise the collaborative process under the National Marine Plan 2, supported by the latest science, so that all stakeholders come together and work cooperatively on reaching decisions.

Widespread stakeholder participation is essential if we are to successfully develop a new National Marine Plan for Scotland that helps deliver our statutory targets, supports sustainable economic growth and protects our marine environment. We remain committed to our vision for engaging stakeholders throughout the development of NMP2 and we want everyone who uses, relies on or has an interest in Scotland's seas to have the opportunity to contribute when considering Scotland’s marine space.

In developing the NMP2, we are adopting a blue economy approach - considering our marine economy, local communities, and the environment altogether. The timeline for the development of the plan has been designed to allow for sufficient opportunity for meaningful engagement with stakeholders throughout the process. A public consultation on the NMP2 Planning Position Statement will take place in late 2024 allowing stakeholders to submit their views. A further public consultation for the NMP2 Draft Plan will take place in late 2025.

The timeline also allows for the NMP2 team to host events dedicated to cross-sector discussion and collaboration. Our first National Marine Planning Forum took place on 15 June 2023, providing an opportunity for everyone with an interest in the plan to input into its development at an early stage and discuss the key themes to be addressed in the plan. A further NMP2 forum will be held in winter 2024 specifically designed to bring together stakeholders and promote cooperation between sectors. The forum will facilitate discussions between stakeholders pertinent to the cross-sector issues that exist in the marine environment and give stakeholders the opportunity to collaborate and devise solutions to these issues that can influence NMP2. The NMP2 team will actively seek this feedback at the forum with the intention of integrating it into future policy development from NMP2.

A Steering Group has been established to provide advice on the statutory assessments and Sustainability Appraisal for NMP2, which are used to understand potential impacts on marine sectors and the marine environment from the proposals in the plan. The Steering Group is formed of stakeholders from various sectors who regularly meet with NMP2 officials to advise on the development of the statutory assessment and Sustainability Appraisal.

Question reference: S6F-03402

Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 23 September 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 September 2024

To ask the First Minister what discussions the Scottish Government is having with energy companies regarding a possible "social tariff" to reduce bills for low-income households.

Question reference: S6W-29706

Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 09 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Kaukab Stewart on 20 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is currently taking to tackle pensioner poverty in Scotland.

We work closely with partners, including through the Older People’s Strategic Forum (OPSAF) on a range of issues related to age equality. This includes the Strategic Action Framework ‘A Fairer Scotland for Older People’, in which Ensuring Financial Security is a priority area. We are running a number of Roundtables throughout Scotland to hear from older people and older people's organisation as part of the refresh of the Framework.

We support projects that enable older people to live independent and fulfilling lives. Our Equality and Human Rights Fund provides over £2.2M to support older people’s organisations and age equality projects and programmes. We also launched a £3.8m Social Isolation and Loneliness Fund on 8 March 2023 which funds 53 projects supporting people at risk of social isolation and loneliness.

Between Oct 23-March 24 the Equalities and Human Rights Fund resulted in a total of 17,350 individuals helped directly with the provision of support information and advice, with £1097,832 of income maximisation and 1,039 organisations have also been supported via capacity building and information sharing.

We have committed to investing over £12 million for the provision of free income maximisation support, welfare and debt advice services in 2024-25, including support for the Citizens Advice Scotland Money Talk Team Service, which last year supported over 9,000 older people.

The Scottish Government recognises the positive contribution older people make to their communities. We aim to enable better access to a range of services for older people as and when they need them. We want to ensure people are financially secure and supported as they age.

Question reference: S6W-29740

Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 19 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what area, in hectares, is currently covered by a year-round prohibition on the use of creels for fishing under schedule 2 of the Inshore Fishing (Prohibition of Fishing and Fishing Methods) (Scotland) Order 2004.

Question reference: S6W-29741

Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 19 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what area, in hectares, is currently covered by a year-round prohibition on the use of creels for fishing under any measure other than the Inshore Fishing (Prohibition of Fishing and Fishing Methods) (Scotland) Order 2004.

Question reference: S6W-29739

Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 19 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what area, in hectares, is currently covered by a year-round prohibition on the use of mobile or active gear to (a) dredge for scallops and (b) trawl for nephrops norvegicus under any measure other than the Inshore Fishing (Prohibition of Fishing and Fishing Methods) (Scotland) Order 2004.

As of April 2024: 309,761 hectares were closed to both scallop dredging and bottom trawling within the 6 nautical miles limit adjacent to Scotland.

15,660,261 hectares were closed to both scallop dredging and bottom trawling within the UK Exclusive Economic Zone adjacent to Scotland.

28,962,015 hectares were closed to both scallop dredging and bottom trawling within the UK Continental Shelf adjacent to Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-29738

Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 19 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what area, in hectares, is currently covered by a year-round prohibition on the use of mobile or active gear to (a) dredge for scallops and (b) trawl for nephrops norvegicus under schedules 1 and 3 of the Inshore Fishing (Prohibition of Fishing and Fishing Methods) (Scotland) Order 2004.

Question reference: S6W-29704

Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 09 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 17 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to support as many people as possible to apply for the Rural Housing Fund.

A three year package of financial support of almost £1 million has been co-funded by the Scottish Government and Nationwide Foundation, to Communities Housing Trust and South of Scotland Community Housing, to enable them to support organisations with applications to the fund.

Officials in More Homes Division are also working closely with applicants to assist as many fully developed, consented projects to gain a formal approval for delivery of affordable rural and island homes through the fund.

Scottish Government guidance makes clear the expectation that projects supported by the local authority brought forward under the fund should be included in future Strategic Housing Investment Plans.

The Scottish Government’s Rural Delivery Plan, which is set to be published by the end of this parliamentary term, will set out how all parts of the Scottish Government will deliver for Scotland’s rural and island communities. It will cover a range of priority areas, including housing, transport and economic development.

Question reference: S6W-29705

Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 09 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 17 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to support those who are unable to meet the March 2026 spend deadline for the Rural Housing Fund.

Question reference: S6O-03678

Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 August 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 5 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to support communities to bring derelict buildings back into use as houses.