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 MSPs 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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

Filter your results Hide all filters

Displaying 42727 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S6O-03677

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 August 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 5 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when the Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs last met with the Chief Constable of Police Scotland.

Question reference: S6O-03679

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 August 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 5 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how much it has spent on mitigating any UK Government reductions to UK-wide benefits since 2019.

Question reference: S6O-03683

Asked by: Rona Mackay, MSP for Strathkelvin and Bearsden, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 August 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 5 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on any steps that it is taking to ensure that any increases in the Scottish Police Authority resource budget continue to support further police recruitment, in light of any challenging financial circumstances as a result of the UK Government’s proposed financial settlement.

Question reference: S6O-03680

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 August 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 5 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking in light of the most recent annual update on suicide statistics showing that people living in Scotland’s most deprived areas are 2.5 times more likely to die by suicide than those living in the least deprived areas.

Question reference: S6O-03682

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 August 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 5 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the reported significant increase in shoplifting recorded in Scotland.

Question reference: S6O-03678

Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 August 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 5 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to support communities to bring derelict buildings back into use as houses.

Question reference: S6W-29136

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 16 August 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 28 August 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the HM Inspectorate of Prisons for Scotland report, HMP & YOI Stirling, Full Inspection, 19 February to 23 February 2024.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

SPS welcomes the inspection report from HM Inspectorate of Prisons for Scotland (HMIPS), and we are encouraged to hear that the Chief Inspector believes that Scotland is ‘leading the way when it comes to managing women in custody’.

SPS acknowledges that it has been just over a year since the opening of HMP & YOI Stirling, and although the report highlights many areas of good practice, there are areas where further development is needed. We are in the process of working through these areas for those in our care, our staff, and our neighbours.

SPS will work collaboratively with HMIPS on the recommendations made and will provide updates to HMIPS on the actions taken forward in the areas that require further development.

We are confident that our transformative and groundbreaking Strategy for Women in Custody, supported by significant investment from the Scottish Government, has delivered a step change in how we support the rehabilitation of women in our care.

Question reference: S6W-28908

Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 05 August 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 28 August 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking with Police Scotland to tackle rural crime, in light of new figures from insurance company, NFU Mutual, which show that rural crime in Scotland was up 34.9% in 2023 compared with the previous year.

Police Scotland have confirmed that the increase in claims received by NFU Mutual from Scotland for the 2022/23 period can largely be attributed to a particular 'spike' during that period including the theft of farm machinery, GPS units and an increase in quad bike thefts. A significant proportion of the machinery that was taken with investigations ongoing.

The Scottish Government continues to work with partners across the Scottish Partnership Against Rural Crime (SPARC) and through the continued expansion of the local partnerships against Crime (LPARCS) across Scotland.

These partnerships share intelligence on organised crime groups operating across borders, providing specific ‘target hardening’ information to the rural and farming community on how to best secure and prevent theft of equipment. They also demonstrate crime prevention measures in relation to the marking, tracking and securing of farm machinery and tools, including in the highest impacted areas.

Question reference: S6W-28835

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 July 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 28 August 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to providing core funding for Shetland charity, Dogs Against Drugs, in light of the submission of public petition PE2107 on behalf of The Shetland Times.

I met Beatrice Wishart in July 2023 to discuss the work carried out by Dogs Against Drugs (Shetland) and have corresponded with her since. Dogs Against Drugs (Shetland) receives funding from the Scottish Government-funded Shetland Alcohol and Drugs partnership and has previously received a one-off grant from the Serious Organised Crime Community Grant Scheme. I have agreed to provide a further one-off grant of £30,000 to help meet current pressures while my officials assess the longer term funding position against an extremely challenging financial climate.

Question reference: S6W-29011

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 09 August 2024
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 28 August 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how it is working to ensure that people using motorhomes for recreational activities such as camping do so in a manner that respects the environment and local area.

The Scottish Government recognises that Tourism is a vital part of the Scottish economy both nationally and locally.

We are working closely through the Visitor Management Group with the relevant agencies, Local Authorities and National Park Authorities to ensure those visiting areas of natural beauty are aware of their responsibility in respecting the local environment. The Group was established in 2020, by the then Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and Tourism, because of tourism pressures in rural areas. It meets regularly with a cross Government approach to address issues caused at rural pinch points in scenic countryside areas. This includes addressing such issues as managing visitor dispersal, the impact of motorhomes, littering, environmental damage, public toileting and antisocial behaviour.

VisitScotland undertook research, on behalf of the Visitor Management group, in 2023 to better understand the motivations and behaviours of people visiting Scotland in campervans and motorhomes. The full results are here:

Motorhomes, Caravans and Camping - Industry Research | VisitScotland.org

The research found that many visitors do wish to do the right thing and are actively seeking out information on issues such as parking and waste disposal. We all want to see responsible tourism, which balances the needs of local communities, visitors and the environment. The response to any visitor pressures needs to be a combination of visitor messaging, encouraging responsible behaviour and visiting at quieter times of year, alongside practical responses such as improved infrastructure, as well as engagement and education.

In that regard, VisitScotland will continue to promote responsible visitor messaging, and we will do that alongside partners such as local authorities and others who lead on infrastructure and ranger services. In more extreme cases it will be for local authorities, roads authorities or Police Scotland to manage any infringements.

VisitScotland promote Sustainable and Responsible Tourism in Scotland on their website Scotland's Responsible Tourism Promise | VisitScotland and A Guide to Outdoor Safety in Scotland | VisitScotland.

Although the access rights enshrined in the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 relate to responsible rights of non-motorised access to land, the three key principles within the accompanying Scottish Outdoor Access Code (SOAC) provide useful general guidance: that people should respect the interests of other people, care for the environment, and take responsibility for their own actions. The SOAC provides further advice on how to wild camp responsibly, should those using motorhomes decide to hike from their parking space. Local authority and National Park Authority access officers take the lead role in assisting land managers to manage access.

We would ask that all visitors to our rural areas behave in a manner that respects and protects our environment so everyone for generations to come can enjoy the great Scottish outdoors.