Questions and answers

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 ��˿�� 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-37731

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 19 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 27 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide figures for the vacancy rate within the social care workforce, including average time to fill posts, in each NHS board since 2018.

Responsibility for publishing data and intelligence on the social service sector in Scotland was delegated to the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) in 2001 by Scottish Ministers under the Regulation of Care Scotland Act 2001.

Reports on sector vacancy rates, including breakdowns by local authority and ‘hard to fill posts’, between 2018 and 2023 can be found on SSSC’s website here:

Please note SSSC is working to provide more current data to workforce planners and now publishes data on social worker-filled posts and vacancies every six months which can be found here:

Question reference: S6O-04721

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, 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 what measures it has introduced in the last year to improve road safety across the Highlands and Islands.

Question reference: S6O-04683

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 May 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 21 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what it estimates the cost to local authorities has been since May 2021 of dealing with planning applications and appeals relating to new energy infrastructure, such as wind farms, pylons and battery storage facilities.

Question reference: S6O-04631

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 8 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the transport provision for communities across the Highlands and Islands has improved or worsened since 2007.

Since 2007 we have completed ten major trunk road upgrades, including on the A830, A82, A9, and A96, improving the safety and reliability of these routes for roads users across the Highlands, Islands and beyond.

We opened new stations at Conon Bridge and Inverness Airport, and our investment in Scotland’s Railway has allowed for improved frequency and journey times on the Highland Mainline and between Inverness and Aberdeen.

Orkney and Shetland residents receive a 30% discount on ferry fares, while Road Equivalent Tariff saves passengers around £25 million per year in total.

Over 57,000 young people across the Highlands and Islands have benefited from free bus travel, with more than 9.2 million journeys made since the Under 22’s scheme launched.

Transport provision has improved, and will continue to improve, as we introduce new vessels to our ferry networks, and deliver further upgrades to key trunk roads and public transport infrastructure.

Question reference: S6W-36948

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 7 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has carried out with local authorities in the Highlands and Islands in the last year regarding wildfire preparedness.

The Scottish Wildfire Forum brings together a range of practitioners to tackle issues concerning wildfire preparedness. The Scottish Government is itself a member of the Forum, but membership includes NatureScot, Scottish Forestry, the Cairngorms National Park Authority and Highland Council.

When Scotland is at a high threat of wildfires, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) work in partnership with the Scottish Wildfire Forum, to alert the public and partners to the threat of wildfires by issuing “Wildfire Danger Assessments”.

SFRS issue alerts through their social media channels, their website and local media outlets, and request assistance from Local Authorities across Scotland to share safety messaging to seek engagement with as many members of the public as possible.

Question reference: S6W-36949

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 7 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how much it has spent on public safety awareness campaigns on preventing wildfires in each of the last 10 years.

Scotland’s wildfire strategy is led by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) to help keep communities safe and to limit the effects of wildfires on the environment.

SFRS carry out community engagement as well as work to increase awareness through news releases and social media. The expenditure on public safety awareness therefore includes staff hours, delivering school talks, engaging with landowners and the cost of the materials themselves. The Scottish Government does not, therefore, hold data on SFRS’ expenditure.

Question reference: S6W-36962

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 1 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what requests it has had from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service for new, more modern, equipment to deal with wildfires.

The Scottish Government has not received any direct requests from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) for equipment to deal with wildfires.

The capital budget for SFRS in 2025-26 is £47 million, an increase of £4 million over the previous year to improve facilities for firefighters, and invest in the SFRS asset base across property, fleet, operational equipment and ICT.

This has enabled SFRS to invest in its wildfire strategy which includes provision of equipment such as leaf blowers, brush cutters, all-terrain vehicles, as well as training in subjects such as tactical burning, which is a first for the SFRS. As a result of this investment, additional resources and training, the SFRS are now better equipped and more prepared than ever for responding to wildfires.

SFRS remains fully ready and able to respond to any instance of wildfire that occurs across Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-36951

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 1 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to address the reported challenges in the recruitment of retained firefighters in rural and island communities.

Recruitment and retention of Wholetime and On Call firefighters is a matter for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) Chief Fire Officer and Board.

In common with other fire and rescue services both across the UK and internationally there are recognised challenges to the recruitment and retention of firefighters in rural areas. Scottish Government is supportive of the work that SFRS is doing to enable recruitment in these areas. SFRS has implemented a pre-recruitment engagement programme. This programme introduces candidates into the station environment for up to 12 weeks prior to their selection tests. Further initiatives include reimbursing candidate travel expenses, conducting localised fitness assessments and facilitating the migration from On Call to Wholetime employment for better career progression.

SFRS remains ready and able to respond to any instance of wildfire that occurs across Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-36955

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 1 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has carried out of the sustainability of the retained duty model for fire cover in remote parts of the Highlands and Islands.

The allocation of resources within the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) is an operational matter for the Chief Fire Officer and SFRS Board.

The SFRS is currently conducting a Service Delivery Review, which aims to ensure that SFRS staff, stations and appliances are matched to operational risk and demand across Scotland. SFRS is now in the final stages of an options appraisal process which will lead to a full public consultation exercise, planned for the summer 2025. Any changes to SFRS station footprint or how SFRS delivers core emergency services is subject to this full public consultation and final decision by the SFRS Board.

Question reference: S6W-36953

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 1 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has held with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service regarding additional incentives to support retained firefighter recruitment and retention in the Highlands and Islands.

Recruitment and retention of Wholetime and On Call firefighters is a matter for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) Chief Fire Officer and Board.

Terms and Conditions of all firefighters are negotiated on a UK wide basis under a well-established collective bargaining process. Through this process, there is a new nationally agreed pay banding system which offers more flexibility in the contracts SFRS can offer to Retained Firefighters, which SFRS hope will allow people who may not previously have been able to provide the requisite commitment to contribute to protecting their communities whilst maintaining a better work/life balance.