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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

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Question reference: S6W-36781

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 24 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider greater community control over established wind turbines to ensure that they are turned off to avoid instances of any negative health impacts from issues such as shadow flicker and low frequency noise emissions.

Question reference: S6W-36782

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 23 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how its planning policy is developed to ensure that there is no negative impact on people's health as a result of wind turbines.

National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) was developed through extensive stakeholder engagement, supported by a range of impact assessments, and was approved by the Scottish Parliament prior to its adoption in February 2023.

NPF4 Policy 11 (energy) requires that wind energy project design and mitigation will demonstrate how impacts on communities and individual dwellings, including through visual impact, noise and shadow flicker, are addressed.

All applications are subject to site specific assessment and guidance for the assessment of noise from onshore wind turbines across the UK is set out in ETSU-R-97.

Question reference: S6W-36783

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 23 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider reviewing its planning policy on wind turbines to encompass any health impacts of living, working or learning near to wind turbines, and the potential impact that the distance between buildings and turbines could have on health, including shadow flicker and low frequency noise.

Our Fourth National Planning Framework (NPF4) was published and adopted following extensive consultation and engagement and approval by the Scottish Parliament. Having an established and consistent policy framework enables confidence in the planning system and we have no current plans to amend NPF4.

NPF4 Policy 11 (energy) requires that wind energy project design and mitigation will demonstrate how impacts on communities and individual dwellings, including residential amenity, visual impact, noise and shadow flicker, are addressed.

Question reference: S6W-36784

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 23 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what distance from homes and public buildings is considered optimum to avoid low frequency noise disturbance, in light of reports that wind turbine sound emissions can have an impact on health.

All applications are determined on their individual merits and are subject to site specific assessments. Our Fourth National Planning Framework (NPF4) ensures that impacts on communities and nature, including cumulative impacts, are important considerations in the decision-making process. This includes through NPF4 Policy 11 (energy) which requires that wind energy project design and mitigation will demonstrate how impacts on communities and individual dwellings, including through visual impact, noise and shadow flicker, are addressed.

Question reference: S6W-36786

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 22 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government when the Marine Directorate plans to review restrictions on squid fishery.

Scottish Ministers have granted a limited trial to undertake a pilot project with a number of inshore vessels to help gather further information to support a longer-term policy development on fishing for squid under the North Sea Cod Avoidance Plan (NCAP).

There is currently limited evidence about the impacts of the squid fishing on cod stocks and bycatch of non-target stocks. This project would look to address some of these limitations and seek to evaluate the evidence, once collected.

Through this project, it is hoped that further information will be provided to help inform the balance between environmental, economic and social objectives and development of the squid fishery.

Question reference: S6W-36787

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 22 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the squid fishery bycatch research that is being carried out by the Marine Directorate.

Scottish Government officials have been working in collaboration with stakeholders from industry and eNGOs as part of a co-management group to develop a squid fishing trial; this includes representatives from Shetland.

The inshore squid fishing season is yet to be underway, therefore no data has yet been collected in the trial. Work on the trial has concentrated on establishing and developing the project, and officials in Marine Directorate will provide further updates once the season has commenced and data has been gathered.

Question reference: S6W-35569

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 17 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the Norwegian company, SalMar Aker Ocean, about an exposed offshore salmon farm development off the east coast of Shetland, in light of its current work on the consenting process for aquaculture developments such as this.

I visited Salmar Aker Ocean’s Ocean Farm One, the world’s first offshore salmon farm, in Norway in August 2023, where I learned about high farmed fish survival rates, alongside reduced environmental impacts, made possible through farming in higher energy locations.

SalMar Ocean (previously Salmar Aker Ocean) has since met with the Scottish Government to discuss the consenting process for developing a salmon farm between 3 – 12 nautical miles.

Alongside work which builds on the fish farm consenting pilots aimed at delivering improvements to our consenting system, we have also been working to address regulatory gaps and to consider the long-term policy and regulatory framework required to support ‘offshore’ salmon farming in Scotland, as committed to in our Vision for Sustainable Aquaculture.

This includes our recent consultation on proposals to extend marine planning zones, to allow developers to submit planning applications for aquaculture developments out to 12 nautical miles to the relevant local planning authority. Results of the consultation are currently being analysed and will be published in due course.

Due to the innovative nature of the proposed development, Scottish Government officials and aquaculture regulators have met with the business to advise on consenting processes.

Question reference: S6W-35683

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 14 March 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 28 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will change the booking system for travel on the Northern Isles Ferry Service, to ensure a continual rolling system, as part of the next Northern Isles Ferry Service contract.

Question reference: S6W-35686

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 14 March 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 28 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government when it anticipates that the final version of the Islands Connectivity Plan will be published.

Question reference: S6W-35681

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 14 March 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 28 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will require the return of the option of shared cabins for passengers on the Northern Isles Ferry Service as part of the next Northern Isles Ferry Service contract.

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