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-43816

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 February 2026
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 25 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what powers it has to shape incinerator capacity once all planned incinerator facilities have entered into the full consultation process.

The Independent Review of the Role of Incineration in the Waste Hierarchy in Scotland made it clear that Scotland does not need additional waste incineration facilities to treat our unavoidable and unrecyclable municipal residual waste, beyond those for which planning permission has already been granted, with very limited exceptions.

That is why the Scottish Government introduced restrictions on energy from waste developments in National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4), which came into effect on 13 February 2023. This sets out that development proposals for energy from waste facilities will not be supported except in limited circumstances where a national or local need has been sufficiently demonstrated (e.g. in terms of capacity need or carbon benefits) as part of a strategic approach to residual waste management. No new energy from waste planning requests have been submitted since NPF4 was adopted.

Any changes to an existing incineration facility’s throughput (i.e. authorised capacity) requires an application to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) for a permit variation.

The Scottish Government recognises that national capacity is not currently considered in SEPA’s environmental permit decisions and will work with SEPA to ensure that the Scottish Government’s indicative capacity cap for residual waste, under development through Scotland’s residual waste plan due in 2027, is reflected in regulations and considered when assessing environmental permits. This will ensure that, going forward, SEPA will consider national capacity as part of environmental permitting.

Question reference: S6W-43783

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 February 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 4 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support youth organisations to include trans young people, in light of the UK Supreme Court’s judgment in For Women Scotland v The Scottish Ministers and any subsequent updates to equality guidance.

Question reference: S6W-43821

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 February 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 4 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it (a) has considered creating guidelines for Scotland relating to the way that Business Improvement District (BID) levies are set and enforced and (b) plans to introduce a public record of the levies being charged by BID companies across Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-43784

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 February 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 4 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the UK Supreme Court’s judgment in For Women Scotland v The Scottish Ministers and any subsequent updates to equality guidance reportedly leading some youth organisations to exclude trans children and young people from their services, what its position is on whether there is a gap in opportunities for trans children and young people.

Question reference: S6W-43785

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 February 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 3 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to address any issues regarding the potential financial burden or loss of living-cost funding associated with the different Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) funding paths for modular routes of study, such as HNC/HND to degree progression courses, which are not currently recognised as one continuous matriculation.

Question reference: S6W-43618

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 09 February 2026
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 17 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking in response to the UK Government report, Global biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse and national security.

Question reference: S6W-43744

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 13 February 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 27 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the (a) prevalence of respiratory disease and (b) number of emergency hospital admissions for respiratory conditions nationally, and what steps it is taking to ensure that respiratory health is prioritised nationally.

Question reference: S6W-43745

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 13 February 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 27 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to the potential role of a respiratory framework in reducing winter pressures on the NHS by simultaneously improving outcomes for long-term respiratory conditions and short-term respiratory illnesses such as the flu.

Question reference: S6W-43545

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 February 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 12 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to a requirement for greyhounds exiting the racing industry to have a complete veterinary history, including full disclosure of any injuries or medical conditions resulting from racing.

Detailed consideration for such a proposal is not considered necessary: the Welfare of Dogs (Scotland) Act 2025 requires that anyone selling or otherwise transferring ownership of any dog must give regard to a Code of Practice setting out a range of considerations relating to the health and welfare of the dog, and that both parties must complete and sign a certificate which, amongst other details, confirms that the acquirer has received any relevant health records.

Question reference: S6W-43423

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 29 January 2026
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 12 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to concerns that the Active Travel Infrastructure Fund is making it more difficult for community projects to access funding needed to deliver their active travel initiatives.

Since 2023, following the launch of active travel transformation by the (then) Minister for Zero Carbon Buildings, Active Travel and Tenants Rights, Transport Scotland has been reshaping the way active travel funding is delivered. This revised approach places Local Authorities and Regional Transport Partnerships (RTPs) at the heart of delivery. Both have established relationships with community organisations and national active travel delivery partners, which they use to support local and regional priorities.

The new funding model is designed to increase the pathways through which organisations can access support, rather than restrict them. It broadens opportunities at local and regional levels rather than concentrating them nationally, meaning that more organisations have the opportunity to apply for support.

Community organisations seeking funding for active travel initiatives should engage directly with their Local Authority or RTP to explore the range of available funding streams, including those delivered through the People & Place programme.