Questions and answers

Question reference: S6W-37587

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 27 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether fisheries management measures for the remaining inshore Marine Protected Areas and a programme of protection for Priority Marine Features outside inshore Marine Protected Areas will be fully consulted on and adopted in statute before the end of the current parliamentary session.

Scottish Ministers are legally required to consult, develop and implement fisheries management measures for inshore Marine Protected Areas and Priority Marine Features.

Developing the evidence-base for effective fisheries management measures, and undertaking statutory requirements, for more than 160 sites and areas within the inshore region is a complicated and challenging process. We are continuing to work at pace to complete the necessary statutory social, economic and environmental assessments ahead of launching a public consultation.

Fisheries management measure will be implemented as soon as possible following analysis of the consultation responses and a final decision on the measures has been taken.

Question reference: S6O-04619

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 April 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what steps are being taken to reverse the decline in NHS productivity since the COVID-19 pandemic, as referenced in research by the Institute for Fiscal Studies.

Question reference: S6T-02475

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 April 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 22 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government when it expects to conclude negotiations with Peel Ports regarding the purchase of Ardrossan Harbour.

Question reference: S6W-36268

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 22 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that any teachers impacted by stress can access appropriate support.

Although Local Authorities, as the employers of teachers, hold the legal responsibility to provide appropriate health and wellbeing support which meets their employee’s needs, the Scottish Government understands the importance of providing additional, national support, for our teaching workforce.

Since October 2020 we have invested more than £2 million specifically in supporting the wellbeing of our education workforce.

In the last financial year, we invested over £120,000 in a free national wellbeing coaching program for all teaching staff and educational professionals in Scottish schools and early learning facilities aiming to address issues such as workplace stress.

We have also worked with the Association of Directors of Education in Scotland to consider how we can continue to support the wellbeing of teachers, nationally, through measures such as the sharing of best practice and resources across Local Authorities.

Question reference: S6F-03941

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 24 March 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 March 2025

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to the UK Government’s Spring Statement.

Question reference: S6W-36006

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 21 March 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 4 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact on Scotland of its network of international offices.

Question reference: S6O-04489

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 March 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what the impact will be on discretionary funding in the current financial year of the International Financial Reporting Standard 16 changes outlined in its Spring Budget Revision.

Question reference: S6O-04445

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S6W-34898

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 4 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how much the annual cost would be to provide free ferry tickets for island-based residents of (a) Argyll and Bute, (b) North Ayrshire and (c) the Highlands and Islands who are aged under 22.

We intend to provide free foot passenger travel on inter-island ferries for under 22-year-old island residents within the Outer Hebrides, Orkney, and Shetland Island groups.

We also intend to extend the existing ferry concessionary scheme - which provides 4 journeys to or from the mainland each year for 16-18 year-old islanders - up to and including 21 year olds across Scotland.

We have no current plans to extend this further and have therefore not considered in detail any operational issues or matters such as implementation costs.

High level estimates, based on a range of assumptions, for annual spend on CalMac and NorthLink ferry passenger fares for island-based residents under 22 years old would be as follows:

(a) – Argyll and Bute Council area: Between £0.5m and £0.7m.

(b) – North Ayrshire Council area: Between £0.3m and £0.4m

(c) – Highlands & Islands Scottish Parliamentary Region: Between £ 1.2m and £ 1.6m

The figures are rounded to the nearest £0.1m and the range in costs reflects potential travel behaviour change.

Question reference: S6O-04407

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 February 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how the proportion of ScotRail trains that were cancelled in 2023-24 compares with other rail operators across the UK.

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