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.

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Question reference: S7W-03352

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 30 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what data it holds regarding the number of people who have used the tennis courts at Moray Sports Centre, in each year since 2021.

The Scottish Government does not hold data on this.

The indoor tennis centre at Moray Sports Centre was developed with support from the Transforming Scottish Indoor Tennis Fund and opened in July 2024. The Transforming Scottish Indoor Tennis Fund is a £15 million investment programme and partnership between sportscotland, Tennis Scotland and the Lawn Tennis Association. It is the largest capital investment in tennis in Scotland's history, designed to support innovative projects that address local demand and improve access to indoor tennis facilities in areas where provision is limited.

While the Scottish Government and its delivery partners supported the capital investment in the facility, we do not routinely collect annual court usage data from the centre. Information may be available directly from Moray Sports Centre or the Moray Sports Foundation, who manage the facility.

Question reference: S7W-03328

Asked by: Martyn Day, MSP for Falkirk East and Linlithgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 30 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how The Food (Promotion and Placement) (Scotland) Regulations 2025 will be monitored once they come into force on 1 October 2026.

Local authorities, as food authorities, will be responsible for enforcing the Food (Promotion and Placement) (Scotland) Regulations 2025, using powers in the Food Safety Act 1990 and the Food (Scotland) Act 2015. The approach was informed with input from the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities and other key partners, and aligns with the enforcement regime for other offences in food law. The Scottish Government is finalising funding to local authorities for 2026-27 to support the implementation of enforcement when the policy commences from 1 October.

In addition, Public Health Scotland is leading a programme of evaluation research supported by an Evaluation Advisory Group which includes economic and analytical advisers across Public Health Scotland, Food Standards Scotland and Scottish Government, with policy officials and additional input from academics.

Public Health Scotland has already implemented a range of studies to assess the baseline situation against which to compare progress and impacts at a later stage.

Question reference: S7W-03329

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 30 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of Movember’s recent report, The Real Face of Men’s Health, what steps it is taking to reduce premature mortality in men.

The Scottish Government recognises the significant impact that preventable ill health and premature mortality have on men across Scotland. Improving population health and reducing health inequalities, including those experienced by men, therefore remains a key priority.

Last year, the Scottish Government and COSLA published the Population Health Framework: a whole-system, cross-sector approach to improving life expectancy and reducing health inequalities – including action in key areas that disproportionately affect men. This Framework complements the strong focus on prevention and early intervention across the Scottish Government’s Programme for Government, and specific action being taken forward across Government.

For instance, with men accounting for nearly three quarters of suicides in 2024, the Scottish Government has an increased suicide prevention budget of £3m for 2026-27. There is also continued investment in the SAMH’s Extra Time programme, where football is used as a hook to support men to look after their mental health.

Given the evidence that men are less likely to contact their GP than women, the ‘Be the Early Bird’ campaign to detect cancer early uses targeted marketing to ensure it reaches men in places they spend their time, reaching over 2 million men so far.

Furthermore, evaluation of Scottish Government’s alcohol Minimum Unit Pricing policy found the largest estimated reductions in deaths and hospital admissions wholly attributable to alcohol were among men and those living in the 40% most deprived areas in Scotland.

The Scottish Government remains committed to delivering concrete actions to improve population health, and the fundamental shift across Government to early intervention and prevention is designed to address these important issues.

Question reference: S7W-03188

Asked by: Michael Marra, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 30 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the letter from the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government to the Convener of the Finance and Public Administration Committee on 24 June 2026, in which the cabinet secretary stated "I recognise the importance of ensuring that Parliament has timely and relevant information to support pre-Budget scrutiny. To support this, I intend to deliver a fiscal statement to Parliament in September, aligned with the Programme for Government, setting out the current fiscal context and the key issues and choices facing the Scottish Budget", whether it will confirm by what date this statement will be delivered.

The Scottish Government has been very clear about the significant challenges we face as a Government and a country ahead of the next Scottish Budget on 3 December 2026. Our immediate focus at the start of the Parliamentary session has been on setting out its Programme for the next five years. These are the priorities that we need public funding to deliver.

The fiscal update published by the Scottish Fiscal Commission (SFC) at the end of August provides a detailed assessment of the economic and fiscal outlook facing Scotland. From all of this, Parliament will be well aware that the Scottish Government is entering the 2027-28 Budget process facing a combination of pressures and challenges that will need difficult decisions.

I recognise your interest in ensuring that Parliament has the information it needs for its pre-Budget scrutiny. As noted in my letter to the Convener of the Finance and Public Administration Committee on 29 September, I will engage on the fiscal challenges and key issues facing the Scottish Budget as part of my appearance at the Finance and Public Administration Committee on 30 September, and a parliamentary debate on the asks of the UK Government Budget on 1 October. Since I wrote to the Convener at the end of June, a new UK Prime Minister and Chancellor have taken office, creating the prospect of changes to UK fiscal policy this autumn. The debate on 1 October will provide an opportunity for Parliament to consider the implications for Scotland and to discuss the priorities we wish to see reflected in the UK Budget. I will continue to keep the Committee and Parliament updated on key developments ahead of Budget.

Question reference: S7W-03393

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Gethins on 30 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with (a) the UK Government and (b) employers regarding the potential impact on offshore workers of any maximum worker weight limits applied in the oil and gas industry.

Question reference: S7W-03428

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Gethins on 30 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the findings in the Nuclear Industry Association's Jobs Map 2026, which indicate that nuclear workers in Scotland have to travel out of Scotland to take up opportunities created by new nuclear projects in other parts of the UK.

Question reference: S7W-03426

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Gethins on 30 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the findings in the Nuclear Industry Association's Jobs Map 2026, which indicate that Scotland’s civil nuclear employment has grown by 3.14%, compared with 13.5% in England and 6.57% in Wales.

Question reference: S7W-03429

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 18 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Simita Kumar on 30 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what funding it has allocated to the Anti-Racism Observatory for Scotland in each financial year from 2023-24 to 2027-28, broken down by (a) amount and (b) purpose.

Following the contract award to host the Anti-Racism Observatory for Scotland (AROS) in April 2025, a total of £2,826,472.75 (exc. VAT) was allocated to the University of Strathclyde in partnership with the Coalition for Racial Equality and Rights (CRER). The contract runs from 17 June 2025 to 30 September 2027, with a further three-month extension confirmed up to the end of December 2027. No additional funding is included in that extension.

No funding was provided for 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 as AROS was not yet established. The table below gives the amounts allocated to the University of Strathclyde for hosting, staffing, financial management, human resources support and operational costs associated with establishing and delivering AROS. This supports AROS's functions as a national centre of excellence on anti-racism, including community-led co-production, accountability, and scrutiny; data, research and evidence gathering; and the development of tools, resources and partnerships to support anti-racism policy and practice across Scotland's public sector.

Year	Total Funding (exc. VAT)
2025-2026	£633,435.90
2026-2027	£1,321,606.92
2027-2028	£871,429.93

Question reference: S7F-00051

Asked by: Malcolm Offord, MSP for West Scotland, Reform UK
Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 September 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 1 October 2026

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S7F-00055

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh North Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 September 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 1 October 2026

Question to be taken in Chamber.