Mark Ruskell MSP

Mid Scotland and Fife

Climate, Energy, Environment, Food & Farming

Mark Ruskell was re-elected as an MSP in May 2016, having served Mid Scotland and Fife between 2003 and 2007, during which time he served on the environment committee, introduced legislative proposals on climate targets and GM crops. In this session he is a member of the Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform committee. He has been a councillor on Stirling Council since 2012. Outside of politics Mark has managed community development projects, worked in the renewables sector and for conservation bodies in Scotland. He lives near Doune with his young family.

Scottish Green Mountain Hare protections begin in March

Wed 27 Jan, 2021

Protections for Mountain Hares hard-won by the Scottish Greens will come into force in March, it has been confirmed.

According to regulations introduced to Holyrood today, it will be illegal to intentionally kill, injure or take mountain hares at any time unless a licence is obtained from 1 March 2021.

This is because Scottish Green MSP Alison Johnstone forced the Scottish Government’s hand to accept licensing in last year’s Wildlife legislation.

Virus update shows urgent need to improve support

Sat 23 Jan, 2021

Responding to the update from the UK Government that there is some evidence that the new Covid-19 variant may be associated with a higher degree of mortality, Scottish Greens MSP Mark Ruskell, a member of the Scottish Parliament’s COVID-19 Committee, said:

“The news that the UK variant is both more transmissible and that it may result in a higher degree of mortality is extremely concerning and shows why governments must respond to the pandemic with the utmost caution.

Nuclear convoy passes through Scotland in lockdown

Mon 18 Jan, 2021

Nuclear weapons passed through Scotland on Friday despite restrictions and health services being stretched, the Scottish Greens understand.

The convoy travelled from Burghfield to Coulport and passed through Stirling, and follows another convoy which travelled to Coulport on the 27th November then was sighted returning on December 2nd.

In early December, there was a COVID outbreak at the nuclear submarine base at Faslane which substantially increased case numbers in the area. [1]

Brexit: SNP must show strength on bee killing pesticides

Sat 16 Jan, 2021

The Scottish Greens have demanded the Scottish Government “stand tall” on environmental protections after Brexit, after it emerged the UK Government is to allow farmers to use a bee-killing pesticide.

The EU bans the use of most neonicotinoids, which pose a significant environmental risk, particularly to bees and other pollinators, and this decision comes just a week after the UK has left EU rules.

Urgency needed on lung disease action plan

Thu 14 Jan, 2021

Scottish Green MSP Mark Ruskell has called for more urgency from the Scottish Government on the Respiratory Care Action Plan at a time when more than 80,000 Scots are shielding from COVID-19 because of lung disease.

At First Minister’s Questions Mr Ruskell raised the fact that Nicola Sturgeon announced that the plan was being finalised in her programme for government but there has been no updates since.

The First Minister did not provide an update.

Scottish Greens win funding for teacher recruitment

Wed 13 Jan, 2021

The Scottish Greens have welcomed new funding of £45 million announced for schools today. Introducing this fund, the Education Secretary confirmed that it would cover the cost of recruiting 2,000 additional teachers, a Green proposal agreed to by the Scottish Parliament in November.

The party’s education spokesperson Ross Greer has also emphasised that any reopening of schools to all pupils must be matched by the introduction of regular, voluntary testing for school staff and senior pupils.

Greens: Scottish Government must heed warnings on Carbon capture

Mon 11 Jan, 2021

The Scottish Government must heed warnings about the holes in its plans to tackle the climate emergency using untested Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technology.

Research by the Tyndall Centre, commissioned by Global Witness and Friends of the Earth Scotland, reveals that CCS is not being developed quickly enough to address the urgent need to keep global warming down.

Greater support required for self-isolation

Fri 8 Jan, 2021

The Scottish Government must improve the support available to those who test positive for Covid-19 in order to increase the numbers of people self-isolating, Scottish Greens MSP Mark Ruskell has said.

Mr Ruskell, a member of the Scottish Parliament’s COVID-19 Committee, has called on the Scottish Government to widen the eligibility of its self-isolation support grant, to ensure everyone gets the support they need to self-isolate.

Mark Ruskell MSP said:

Greens urge government to back outright foxhunting ban

Sat 26 Dec, 2020

The Scottish Government should back an outright ban on foxhunting, consigning the boxing day hunt

to history, Scottish Greens environment spokesperson Mark Ruskell MSP has said.

Environmental protections secured after Brexit

Wed 23 Dec, 2020

Scotland’s new environment watchdog will have the financial independence to hold government and polluters to account after Brexit, thanks to the Scottish Greens.

Scotland’s Brexit bill to keep pace with European protections has been strengthened by the Scottish Greens to ensure that new watchdog Environmental Standards Scotland is strong enough to investigate failures to meet standards and keep government to its word on promises to tackle the climate emergency.