Portfolio Question Time – in the Scottish Parliament at on 10 September 2025.
Elena Whitham
Scottish National Party
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to support small-scale food producers in rural communities, in light of its commitments under the national good food nation plan. (S6O-04902)
Mairi Gougeon
Scottish National Party
The Scottish Government remains committed to supporting small-scale producers and empowering them to help deliver our vision for agriculture. This year, the small producers pilot fund is providing up to £1 million in resource funding, which includes support for the practical training fund, to help small producers to access training and build stronger, sustainable businesses. The practical training fund supports our good food nation ambitions by providing access to training on sustainable food production for small producers, who will play a role in advancing the outcomes that are set out in the proposed national good food nation plan.
Elena Whitham
Scottish National Party
The Cabinet secretary will know that two fantastic local producers in my Constituency, at Mossgiel farm and Corrie Mains farm, have lost their school contracts with East Ayrshire Council. Those businesses have long supported sustainable food, local jobs and the good food nation vision, and have helped East Ayrshire to achieve gold status under the Soil Association’s good food for life scheme. The decision is a real setback, and it raises serious questions about the procurement rules that councils must follow. Does the cabinet secretary agree that it is time to review the frameworks to ensure that they do not end up working against the very goals that we are trying to achieve collectively?
Mairi Gougeon
Scottish National Party
I completely understand the concern that Elena Whitham raises. I point out that such decisions are for East Ayrshire Council to take, because public bodies are responsible for their own procurement decisions. However, the Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014 already includes a range of drivers to increase the quality and consider the provenance of the food and drink that are procured. The Economy and Fair Work Committee undertook a review of the 2014 act and made a number of recommendations, which the Minister for Public Finance followed up on. I believe that the committee is due to receive an update on the recommendations that were made.
We of course wish to support our local producers. Scotland Excel does a lot of work to ensure that producers are in the best position possible to bid for public contracts, so that we do not end up in the situation that has been described. I am always keen to see what more we can do in relation to that, which is why public procurement is highlighted in the good food nation plan.
Question Time is an opportunity for MPs and Members of the House of Lords to ask Government Ministers questions. These questions are asked in the Chamber itself and are known as Oral Questions. Members may also put down Written Questions. In the House of Commons, Question Time takes place for an hour on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays after Prayers. The different Government Departments answer questions according to a rota and the questions asked must relate to the responsibilities of the Government Department concerned. In the House of Lords up to four questions may be asked of the Government at the beginning of each day's business. They are known as 'starred questions' because they are marked with a star on the Order Paper. Questions may also be asked at the end of each day's business and these may include a short debate. They are known as 'unstarred questions' and are less frequent. Questions in both Houses must be written down in advance and put on the agenda and both Houses have methods for selecting the questions that will be asked. Further information can be obtained from factsheet P1 at the UK Parliament site.
The cabinet is the group of twenty or so (and no more than 22) senior government ministers who are responsible for running the departments of state and deciding government policy.
It is chaired by the prime minister.
The cabinet is bound by collective responsibility, which means that all its members must abide by and defend the decisions it takes, despite any private doubts that they might have.
Cabinet ministers are appointed by the prime minister and chosen from MPs or peers of the governing party.
However, during periods of national emergency, or when no single party gains a large enough majority to govern alone, coalition governments have been formed with cabinets containing members from more than one political party.
War cabinets have sometimes been formed with a much smaller membership than the full cabinet.
From time to time the prime minister will reorganise the cabinet in order to bring in new members, or to move existing members around. This reorganisation is known as a cabinet re-shuffle.
The cabinet normally meets once a week in the cabinet room at Downing Street.
In a general election, each Constituency chooses an MP to represent them. MPs have a responsibility to represnt the views of the Constituency in the House of Commons. There are 650 Constituencies, and thus 650 MPs. A citizen of a Constituency is known as a Constituent
Ministers make up the Government and almost all are members of the House of Lords or the House of Commons. There are three main types of Minister. Departmental Ministers are in charge of Government Departments. The Government is divided into different Departments which have responsibilities for different areas. For example the Treasury is in charge of Government spending. Departmental Ministers in the Cabinet are generally called 'Secretary of State' but some have special titles such as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Ministers of State and Junior Ministers assist the ministers in charge of the department. They normally have responsibility for a particular area within the department and are sometimes given a title that reflects this - for example Minister of Transport.
