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 [...]

Emma Roddick MSP pressed the Scottish Government last week for "clarity" on rules around wood-burning stoves, following confusion as to whether they are banned for use in new-build properties as a main heating source despite being a sustainable fuel. The Minister for Climate Action, Gillian Martin, confirmed in the Chamber that she will be undertaking [...]

Emma Roddick visted Da Gairdins to hear about the history of the land and how the charity was formed. Da Gairdins in Whiteness is a 60-acre site filled with woodland, gardens, and ponds, with a view across the sea. Ruby Inkster and her late husband Alan founded Da Gairdins, a place where her family had [...]

Emma Roddick MSP has met with the Carbon Neutral Islands team in Yell to hear about the work going on. The Carbon Neutral Islands project includes six islands – Barra, Great Cumbrae, Hoy, Islay, Raasay, and Yell – and is supporting the islands in their journey to become carbon neutral by 2040. Each island has [...]

Highlands & Islands MSP Emma Roddick has said that the UK Government has undermined devolution by interfering with Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme - delaying the scheme’s launch. Reacting to the news that the scheme will now launch no earlier than 2025, rather than March next year as planned, Ms Roddick said that the UK Government’s [...]

Highlands and Islands MSP Emma Roddick today welcomed the vision for a fairer, greener, more equal Scotland set out by First Minister Humza Yousaf as the Scottish Parliament returned from recess. In a statement to the Scottish Parliament, Humza Yousaf outlined his vision for Scotland and the outcomes his government aim to achieve by 2026 [...]

Highlands & Islands MSP Emma Roddick has stated that Tory economics have had a detrimental impact on the road haulage industry in Scotland. Citing fuel costs, complex Brexit paperwork, driver shortages, and cabotage and groupage issues linked to the Tories’ hard Brexit, Ms Roddick said that the industry has been fighting an uphill battle. Minister [...]

Highlands and Islands MSP Emma Roddick has told the Scottish Government that private investment in carbon schemes needs to complement, not damage, the needs of surrounding rural communities. The SNP MSP linked the schemes, which often involve rich private investors buying up land in the Highlands to sell carbon credits, to depopulation, saying that communities [...]

Emma Roddick has today highlighted the need to find balance in achieving net-zero whilst also not pushing island communities further into fuel poverty.  The Highlands and Islands MSP expressed her support for Scottish Government plans to achieve carbon-neutral status in the Isles whilst also sharing concerns on how this could be achieved fairly. Commenting she [...]

Emma Roddick MSP recently grabbed a shovel and went out to plant fruit trees with local volunteers at the Cemetery Brae Community Orchard in Nairn. The local community has been involved in the project, which the SNP representative described as “wholesome”, to plant a great variety of fruit trees in the area. Roddick said: “It [...]