The Scottish Parliament

Question reference: S7W-03946

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 02 October 2026
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 21 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what work is being undertaken to ensure that freelance creative workers who have contracts with the public sector are paid promptly and within agreed timescales.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring the prompt payment of freelance creative workers and all other suppliers, and to promoting fair payment practices throughout public sector supply chains.

The Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014 requires public bodies with an estimated annual regulated procurement spend of £5 million or more to set out in their procurement strategies how they will ensure payment of valid invoices within 30 days throughout their supply chains. Public bodies must also report annually on the effectiveness of these arrangements.

In addition, Scottish Procurement Policy Note (SPPN) 02/2022 sets out how contracting authorities should assess bidders' previous payment performance and seek commitments from suppliers to pay sub-contractors within 30 days as part of the procurement process.

The Scottish Government continues to lead by example, with a target of paying valid invoices within 10 days of receipt. During 2025-2026, 86.6% of valid invoices were paid within 10 days and 96.1% within 30 days.

Together, these measures support prompt payment for suppliers across all sectors, whether they contract directly with a Scottish public body or as part of the supply chain for a public contract, including provision for valid invoices to be paid within 30 days.

Question reference: S7W-03777

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 21 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S7W-01435 by Gillian Martin on 16 July 2026, which stakeholders it is working with, what specific workstreams have been commissioned, and what timescale it is working to in terms of delivering (a) legislation and (b) non-legislative remedies.

During the course of the Community Right to Buy review, the Scottish Government worked with stakeholders including Community Land Scotland, Development Trusts Association (Scotland), National Farmers Union, Scottish Land and Estates and a number of community groups who had interacted with the legislation over the years. In addition, the Scottish Land Commission chaired a review group that were involved in the review at various stages, including the drafting of the final recommendations.

It is envisaged that those same stakeholders will again be involved going forward.

We are committed to strengthening community right to buy policy following the recent review and have already started taking forward recommendations that do not require legislation. Our manifesto also signalled that we would take forward changes requiring primary legislation. We are considering the best way to do this, with future legislative programmes to be agreed and announced through future Programmes for Government.

Question reference: S7W-03999

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 05 October 2026
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 21 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish its final evaluation of the Nature Restoration Fund, in light of its interim evaluation, which was published on 6 August 2025.

Question reference: S7W-03980

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 05 October 2026
Current Status: Answered by Alison Thewliss on 21 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the treatment and experiences of social care workers employed in South Scotland who are working on Health and Care worker visas, including in relation to (a) pay, (b) working conditions, (c) access to employment rights, (d) accommodation arrangements and (e) protection from exploitation.

The Scottish Government values the significant contribution migrant workers make to Scotland's economy, public services and communities, and believes that everyone working in Scotland should be treated fairly, paid fairly and protected from exploitation, regardless of their immigration status.

We recognise that workers on employer-sponsored visa routes can face particular vulnerabilities, including an increased risk of exploitation where their immigration status is linked to a single employer.

Although the Scottish Government is not a social care employer, we remain committed to using the full extent of our devolved powers to support domestic, sponsored and vulnerable workers receive Fair Work in their careers.

The Scottish Government funds a range of services to support vulnerable migrant workers, including the Worker Support Centre, which provides advice on employment rights and routes to relevant enforcement agencies. We also work with regulators, enforcement bodies and third sector partners to help prevent and tackle labour exploitation and human trafficking.

The Scottish Government have also funded the Displaced Worker Scheme which has supported a number of social care providers in the South of Scotland, offer re-employment to displaced workers who have lost their employment and sponsorship through no fault of their own. These employers are all required to offer pastoral care to the migrant workers they employ.

Question reference: S7W-04131

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Edinburgh and Lothians East, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 October 2026
Current Status: Answered by Alison Thewliss on 21 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to review the support provided to young carers.

Question reference: S7W-04125

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 October 2026
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 21 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the reform of (a) local government, (b) education and (c) NHS boards, what private sector consultancy firms and other external consultants it has commissioned to provide advice, analysis or other support, how much has been spent on this commissioned work to date and what the total anticipated cost of such work is, and whether any further private sector consultancy support is planned in relation to the reform programme.

Question reference: S7W-04148

Asked by: Joe Fagan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Friday, 09 October 2026
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 21 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to make provision for the replacement of integrated joint boards in its proposed Public Service Renewal Bill.

The Programme for Government commits to seeking to give statutory backing, where required, to reform the public service delivery landscape in support of the aims of the Public Service Reform Strategy. This could include the possible merging and abolition of public bodies and the transfer of functions between core government and public bodies. Officials are currently working with stakeholders to determine the content of the Public Service Renewal (Scotland) Bill and no decisions have been as to whether this will include any provision for the replacement of integrated joint boards.

Question reference: S7W-04374

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 October 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 17 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how it will ensure, through its proposed public sector reforms, that infrastructure spending by regional and community authorities is aligned to the preventative agenda of the NHS, particularly in relation to increasing active lifestyles.

Question reference: S7W-04362

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 October 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 17 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how many meetings of the Energy Skills Passport Steering Group (a) ministers and (b) Scottish Government officials have attended to date in 2026.

Question reference: S7W-04364

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 October 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 17 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on the number of offshore oil and gas workers who have retrained to work in the offshore renewable sector since 1 January 2024 to date.

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Question reference: S7W-03946

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