Parliamentary questions
Emma Roddick
185 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
19 Jul 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the timescale is for its planned review of the factoring system.
5 Jul 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what precautions it is taking to ensure that the development of data centres does not have a significant impact on energy and water resources
5 Jul 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how the spatial implications of its objective to deploy 20GW of onshore wind by 2030 were assessed, and what the environmental, social, and financial impacts on people, habitats, wildlife and infrastructure are.
Answer · Stephen Gethins: The 20GW ambition was set out in the Onshore Wind Policy Statement in 2022. The Policy Statement was informed through extensive consultation with interested parties. The 20GW ambition is intended as a statement of Scotland’s potential rather than an all…
5 Jul 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the A96 is not included in Transport Scotland's bilingual signage policy, and what consideration it has given to reviewing the roads covered by that policy, in light of the Scottish Languages Act 2025.
5 Jul 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the funding and visibility of the British Transport Police in Scotland, and whether it has considered increasing the resources available to support responses to antisocial and dangerous behaviour on public transport.
5 Jul 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what data it holds and collects on incidents of antisocial behaviour and assaults on trains.
5 Jul 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that funding for hospices reaches the organisations delivering hospice care.
Answer · Alison Thewliss: The Scottish Budget for 2026-27 includes £9.4 million of investment to support independent hospices to provide pay parity with NHS levels for staff who deliver essential palliative care services.We are working with the Scottish Hospice Leadership Group …
25 Jun 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it will begin the process of appointing the new Land and Communities Commissioner to the Scottish Land Commission, in order to enable the implementation of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2025.
Answer · Gillian Martin: Work is underway to progress the appointment of the Land and Communities Commissioner. The appointment is subject to Parliamentary approval, and we will engage with the Rural Affairs Committee as part of this process. We anticipate launching the formal recrui…
25 Jun 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much will be allocated to the Scottish Land Fund for 2027-28.
Answer · Gillian Martin: Funding for the Scottish Land Fund in 2027-28 will be determined through the annual budget process.
25 Jun 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its current position is on supporting the Scottish Land Fund to enhance opportunities for community right to buy and ownership, in light of previous Scottish National Party manifesto commitments in this area.
Answer · Gillian Martin: The Scottish Government recognises the importance of community ownership in Scotland, which is why, in 2026-27, we have provided over £7 million of funding to support the Scottish Land Fund. This has allowed those communities to then generate a further …
24 Jun 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, ahead of summer 2026, how it is monitoring the effectiveness of the wildfire prevention by-laws of the Cairngorm National Park Authority, and how it will share with other bodies any best practice identified.
Answer · Gillian Martin: In April 2026, new wildfire prevention byelaws came into force in the Cairngorms National Park to help address the increasing risk of wildfires.The Scottish Government meets regularly with the Cairngorms National Park Authority (CNPA) to discuss the implement…
24 Jun 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it is considering how to (a) better promote and (b) ensure social responsibility in public contracts in care provision.
Answer · Ivan McKee: The Sustainable Procurement Duty of the Procurement Reform Scotland Act 2014 places a requirement on public bodies to consider how their procurements can be used to improve economic, social and environmental well-being, and reduce inequality.Under the 2014 Ac…
24 Jun 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has an agreed definition of relational care, if so, (a) whether it will set this out and (b) how it will promote and support its approach to the provision of such care.
Answer · Alison Thewliss: Relational care, or relational continuity aims to ensure the same healthcare professional provides treatment and care for a person over time, allowing development of trust and understanding.Relational continuity is discussed in more detail in the Chief Medica…
24 Jun 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has an agreed definition of collective advocacy and, if so, whether it will set this out.
Answer · Maree Todd: The Scottish Government does not have a single definition of collective advocacy, nor is there one set out in Scottish legislation. However, collective (or group) advocacy is commonly understood and described in guidance as a group with shared experience or i…
24 Jun 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to the commence provisions in the Natural Environment (Scotland) Act 2026 to allow local authorities to propose by-laws to prevent wildfires.
Answer · Jim Fairlie: The Natural Environment (Scotland) Act 2026 (“the 2026 Act”) includes provisions that will allow local authorities to make by-laws in connection with the prevention of wildfires.The 2026 Act is being brought into force on a phased basis, with the …
18 Jun 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to the powers conferred by section 14 of the Housing (Scotland) Act 2025, how it plans to approach the collection of data on private rent levels.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Scottish Government recognises that the collection of robust data on private rent levels using the powers in Section 14 of the Housing (Scotland) Act is essential to support decisions on rent control areas, while ensuring that any data collection is propo…
16 Jun 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how work is progressing to identify potential amendments to the Healthcare Improvement Scotland (Requirements as to Independent Health Care Services) Regulations 2011 (the 2011 regulations) that would support businesses providing non-surgical procedures listed in the Non-surgical Procedu…
Answer · Maree Todd: As set out during the passage of the Non-surgical Procedures and Functions of Medical Reviewers (Scotland) Act 2026, the Scottish Government is considering amendments to the Healthcare Improvement Scotland (Requirements as to Independent Health Care Services)…
16 Jun 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to regulations laid in January 2026 under Part 2 of the Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act, allowing social housing providers to take legal action to end an abuser’s tenancy, how this change is being communicated to the public.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The purpose of these new powers is to enable social landlords to apply to the court for an order on the new ground to enable certain victim/survivors of domestic abuse to remain in the family home where it is their wish, and where it is safe and appropriate f…
16 Jun 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the resolution of obstructions preventing statutory undertakings to residential homes, such as electricity connections, including in the event of a neighbour dispute.
Answer · Kirsten Oswald: Statutory undertakers perform functions under statutory powers or duties, for example in relation to utilities such as building and maintaining sufficient infrastructure to transport gas or electricity to residential homes. Where problems are encountered betw…
16 Jun 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the obligations set out in the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 for the provision of allotments, what action is taken in cases where local authorities fail to (a) provide allotments, (b) maintain waiting lists and (c) respond to community need.
Answer · Jim Fairlie: Local authorities have the autonomy to determine how best to fulfil their duties under the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015. In exercising this autonomy, the Scottish Government expects local authorities to act lawfully and is committed to supporting…
16 Jun 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the requirement set out in the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 for the local provision of allotments, what its position is on the interpretation of the term “local” in the context of large local authority areas such as Highland Council.
Answer · Jim Fairlie: The majority of legislative duties pertaining to the delivery of allotment services are for local authorities including provision of sites, management of waiting lists and annual reporting of site numbers.Section 112(4) of the Community Empowerment (Scotland)…
16 Jun 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding the order providing for the conversion of mixed-sex marriages to civil partnerships in Scotland.
Answer · Simita Kumar: I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-00315 on 3 June 2026. 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/w…
2 Jun 2026 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the BiGGAR Economics report, Building a Sustainable Future for the North Coast 500.
2 Jun 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what consideration has been given to the implementation of a national escalation route for advisers, including those at Citizens Advice Scotland, to request redeterminations in Adult Disability Payment decisions.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Scottish Government recognises the role that advisers and third sector organisations, including Citizens Advice Scotland, can play in supporting clients to challenge Adult Disability Payment decisions.Under current legislation, requests for redeterminatio…
26 May 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it expects the new Deer Code to be in place.
Answer · Jim Fairlie: The Natural Environment (Scotland) Act 2026 (the 2026 Act) introduces provisions that will make changes to the Code of Practice for Deer Management currently defined by the Deer (Scotland) Act 1996.We expect that the provisions in the 2026 Act will be enacted…
26 May 2026 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it will undertake of any impact of its planned public sector reform on employment in Inverness and Nairn.
14 May 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it will support and promote Gaelic, and whether this will include protecting staffing and resources across its departments and designating a minister responsible for the language.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: In this session, I am delighted to maintain Cabinet level leadership for Gaelic, building on the substantial legacy of the previous DFM. My focus will be on implementing the Scottish Languages Act 2025, passed unanimously by this Parliament. I will continue t…
14 May 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its commitment to dualling the A96, particularly in relation to the completion of the Nairn Bypass, at the earliest practicable opportunity.
Answer · Stephen Flynn: As outlined in our pledge over the first 100 Days of a new government and as set out in the Scottish Budget 2026-27, Scottish Spending Review 2026 and the Infrastructure Delivery Pipeline 2026, published on 13 January, the Scottish Government is fully committ…
10 Mar 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment has been made of the adequacy of Child Disability Payment for those affected by the long-term impact of paediatric long COVID.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: Child Disability Payment (CDP) provides financial support to help families with the additional costs of being disabled or living with a long-term health condition. Entitlement is not dependent on a specific diagnosis and a child or young person with long COVI…
10 Mar 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what ongoing work is being undertaken regarding data collection on paediatric long COVID.
Answer · Jenni Minto: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) describes long COVID as “a multi-system condition with a range of debilitating symptoms… people may have wide-ranging and fluctuating symptoms following an acute COVID-19 infection, whi…