Questions and answers

Question reference: S6O-04720

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 May 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 29 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the improvements to the A75.

Question reference: S6O-04627

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 April 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the net zero secretary has had with the rural affairs secretary regarding the potential environmental and biodiversity impact of the proposed Galloway National Park.

Question reference: S6O-04580

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 April 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what funding will be available to help infrastructure projects in south west Scotland.

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: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 8 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.

The fishing industry is heavily regulated, with many rules in place designed to limit unwanted catch. The Scottish Government is tackling illegal discarding primarily through the enforcement of the Landing Obligation, which mandates that all catches of quota species must be landed. This is supported by monitoring and enforcement, including sea patrols, as well as technical and spatial management measures such as selective fishing gear and area closures, with the combined aim to reduce instances of unwanted catches.

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: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 7 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.

Although not formally adopted under the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006 nor the Welfare of Animals at the Time of Killing (Scotland) Regulations 2012, the finfish sector’s Code of Good Practice supports producers to deliver on their welfare obligations.

The Scottish Government, in its response to the Rural Affairs and Islands Committee (13 March 2025), has committed to exploring options for how to best to set welfare standards for production going forward and will update the Committee in September 2025 on progress and next steps.

We are currently developing guidance for the welfare of farmed fish at the time of slaughter taking into account the recommendations made in the UK Animal Welfare Committee report of 2014 and its updated opinion of 2023. We will engage with the industry and other stakeholders, including animal welfare organisations, for their views at the appropriate stage.

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: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 7 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.

The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) are responsible for considering welfare complaints and investigating potential breaches in welfare legislation.

APHA veterinarians have the professional knowledge and training to assess against the welfare needs set out in Section 24 (3) of The Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006.

The Code of Good Practice for Scottish Finfish Aquaculture is a sector developed code which supports producers in understanding and delivering their obligations around welfare and other matters. Compliance with the code may form part of the range evidence used by APHA in considering whether obligations have been breached.

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: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 7 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.

The Code of Good Practice for Scottish Finfish Aquaculture is independent of Scottish Government which is not responsible for any review or updates made to the Code.

The Scottish Government, in its response to the Rural Affairs and Islands Committee (13 March 2025), has committed to exploring options for how to best to set welfare standards for production going forward and will update the Committee in September 2025 on progress and next steps.

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.

Tell us your views

Seòmar agus comataidhean