I wrote to the Scottish Government recently to ask them to recommit to our rural & island communities and make clear an SNP Government will work for them. I am glad the First Minister recognises the importance of these communities, and the need to listen to them in order to support their needs. You can [...]

SNP MSP for the Highlands and Islands Emma Roddick has said the Scottish Government must continue to work with its justice partners to make reporting sexual crimes easier on survivors. The question, asked in the Scottish Parliament on Wednesday [26th June], comes as the Lord Advocate, Dorothy Bain KC, is seeking to overturn an 87-year-old rule [...]

MSP for the Highlands & Islands Emma Roddick has urged the Scottish Government to allocate more funding for mobile abattoirs in the region. The Scottish Government allocated £180k last year from the Small Producers Pilot Fund, which aims to support microbusinesses in Scotland, to support two mobile abattoirs.   Emma urged the Scottish Government in [...]

Emma Roddick MSP has highlighted the systemic barriers that still exist for people in politics, and the importance of tearing these down to give those with lived experiences the opportunity to contribute to policymaking. Speaking at the Understanding, Supporting & Celebrating Autistic Lives Online Conference on Monday [17th June], Emma spoke about her experience of [...]

MSP for the Highlands and Islands Emma Roddick has been appointed to the Local Government, Housing & Planning Committee at the Scottish Parliament. The Committee focuses on housing provision, building standards, the planning system, democracy, and local councils in Scotland, scrutinising the work of government and suggesting or making changes to legislation and policy. The Committee will scrutinise the upcoming Housing Bill which Ms Roddick [...]

SNP MSP Emma Roddick has asked the Scottish Parliament to remember the positive potential of the Highlands and Islands when considering how to address depopulation. In a debate led by the Tory colleague Tim Eagle, she asked the Government not to think of rural and island areas simply as places that need money to remain [...]

SNP MSP Emma Roddick has pressed the Scottish Government to consider rail improvements between Inverness and Perth ahead of a meeting of Friends of the Far North Line in Inverness this weekend. The Highlands & Islands MSP has pressed Ministers to consider the doubling of the Highland Main Line in their transport plans since her [...]

MSP for the Highlands & Islands Emma Roddick has called for MSPs from across parties in the Scottish Parliament to recognise the dangers Artificial Intelligence (AI) presents. Ms Roddick has submitted a motion for debate, raising concerns about AI, which has already been deemed in some studies to be acting independently and in unexpected ways. The SNP [...]

MSP for the Highlands and Islands Emma Roddick believes that businesses in the Highlands and Islands would benefit from operating in an independent Scotland, compared to the current setup. Many businesses in the region have struggled with staffing since the UK left the EU, despite Scotland voting overwhelmingly in favour of remaining a member.  This, alongside tightening of immigration rules, has seen many [...]

SNP MSP for the Highlands & Islands Emma Roddick has called for an expansion to the visitor levy to include motorhomes. The Visitor Levy (Scotland) Bill, that was passed last week [28th of May], will allow local authorities to apply a visitor tax on tourists to generate funds for communities so that facilities and roads can be upkept [...]