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 48973 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S6W-42416

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 05 December 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 16 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that members of the public, particularly older people who are not confident using digital channels, can reliably contact the Scottish Public Pensions Agency (SPPA) by telephone.

SPPA's telephone lines are open from 9am to 5pm Monday to Thursday, and 9am to 1.30pm on Friday. SPPA has handled over 70,000 calls in 2025, with the average call lasting seven minutes. This reflects the service SPPA is committed to giving scheme members.

Whilst the introduction of new digital channels is improving SPPA's customer service model, this will not limit accessibility for those who prefer to contact SPPA by telephone.

Question reference: S6W-42394

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 December 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 16 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Islands Connectivity Plan’s Community Needs Assessment methodology recognising the importance of workforce issues, including crewing levels, seafarers hours of work, seafarer certification, seafarer accommodation, operating conditions, vessel type and vessel design, in the route specific provision of lifeline ferry services, what formal role (a) ferry staff and (b) recognised trade unions will have in the Community Needs Assessment of lifeline ferry services envisaged in the plan.

The Community Needs Assessment (CNA) methodology recognises how crewing levels, working hours and crew location influence service design. For each assessment, the relevant operator will be asked to check that crewing information used to inform an understanding of current service delivery on each route is accurate. Equally, for the generation and appraisal of options to address identified transport connectivity needs, the methodology recognises the importance of ensuring that these are deliverable, including the impact on personnel of options that would mean a change in the route service level. At appropriate stages in the assessment, further input and validation from the operator, including from crew, port staff and their representatives, will be needed to ensure that the outputs from the assessments are based on a full understanding of how the services are delivered and the operational impact of any changes.

For example, for the Cowal Community Needs Assessment published in September 2024, crew and trade unions were briefed on the future options for Gourock-Dunoon ferry services and fed back on the report before decisions were made on implementation. Crew were then instrumental in supporting the development of new draft timetables to meet the requirements of the CNA prior to consultation on those with the community.

Question reference: S6W-42289

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 December 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 16 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6M-41590 by Gillian Martin on 11 November 2025, in relation to the 10 schemes that are in progress, whether it will provide a breakdown of (a) the number of properties protected, (b) the estimated completion date, (c) the reason why the 2021 timeframe has not been achieved and (c) what the (i) initial forecast, (ii) current cost and (iii) expected final cost is, and how much was spent on each of the nine schemes that were removed from the programme because they were no longer required.

Local authorities are responsible for developing and delivering flood protection schemes, supported by Scottish Government funding.

The 2015 Flood Risk Management Plans contained 42 flood protection schemes. 40 were initially eligible for funding. 9 were removed because they were no longer required, subject to alternative arrangements or failed to meet progress deadlines.

The total grant funding provided to these 9 schemes is £28.31m. This includes £22.973m provided to Falkirk Council for Grangemouth Flood Protection Scheme. GFPS remains under development, but subject to alternative funding arrangements.

Flood protection schemes can have impacts on individuals, communities and the environment, and require careful and thorough planning. Like all infrastructure projects, it can take many years for flood schemes to progress from option appraisal to completion.

Please see table for 10 schemes that are in progress below;

Scheme name	Local authority	# properties protected	Estimated completion	Cost (2016) (£m)	Projected cost (2025) (£m)
Comrie	Perth and Kinross	189	2026	15.7	40.820
Port Glasgow - Bouverie Burn	Inverclyde	Not held	2026	0.4	0.400
Milnathort	Perth and Kinross	16	2026	1.9	0.910
Mill Burn Millport	North Ayrshire	124	2026	1.1	4.309
Dumfries - Whitesands	Dumfries and Galloway	182	2029	18.9	68.618
Dumbarton Gruggies Burn	West Dunbartonshire	370	2028	14.5	39.000
Bridge of Allan	Stirling	87	2027	4.4	17.377
South Kinross	Perth and Kinross	177	2029	3.2	15.075
Newton Stewart/ River Cree	Dumfries and Galloway	138	2030	7.5	35.724
Musselburgh	East Lothian	3200	2035	8.9	106.000

Question reference: S6W-42284

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 December 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 16 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to align the ecosystem metrics used in the Ecosystem Restoration Code with other policy frameworks and mechanisms, including through nature recovery targets and public funding mechanisms.

Scottish Government’s work on the Ecosystem Restoration Code (ERC) includes consideration of ecosystem metrics that:

Measure change in ecosystem condition and biodiversity;
Align with the metrics used for environmental policy frameworks, targets and public funding mechanisms;
Enable the issuance of ERC credits that meet the requirements of high-integrity buyers and investors.

The development of an ERC is building on the discovery and stakeholder engagement phases undertaken earlier this year, which covered policy alignment and measurement related aspects. Details of those phases can be found at the weblinks below:

Discovery – https://www.gov.scot/publications/ecosystem-restoration-code-engagement-paper/

Engagement – https://www.gov.scot/publications/ecosystem-restoration-code-erc-engagement-phase-results-analysis-paper/

Question reference: S6W-42283

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 December 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 16 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the recommendations of the recently published report by the British Ecological Society, Aligning Environmental Agendas for Nature Recovery.

The Scottish Government strongly welcomes the British Ecological Society’s report and its emphasis on an ecosystems approach. This aligns with the focus in the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy and draft Environment Strategy on ecosystem health and integrity, in line with the Global Biodiversity Framework.

In developing statutory nature restoration targets, we are also working to develop a target focused on Ecosystem Health and Integrity, using the Red List of Ecosystems indicator framework.

Question reference: S6W-42285

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 December 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 16 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the contribution of natural processes, such as natural regeneration, natural river dynamics and trophic interactions, toward meeting statutory nature recovery targets.

The Scottish Government is following a 4-step process to select statutory nature restoration targets. Target selection is based on the best scientific advice available, through recommendations provided by the Biodiversity Programme Advisory Group (PAG), which is made up of independent external experts.

This robust scientific advice has taken into account the role of natural processes in achieving biodiversity regeneration by 2045 and will be reflected in the indicators set against the target topics.

Question reference: S6W-42286

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 December 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 16 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what support it offers or plans to provide to landowners of fewer than 200 hectares, including those who are community groups and private individuals, who wish to manage land for the restoration of natural processes.

Scottish Government provides a wide range of support for landowners of fewer than 200 hectares, including community groups and private individuals, who wish to manage land for nature restoration purposes. This includes advisory support from Government and public bodies and also financial support from schemes such as:

Agricultural support;
the Forestry Grant Scheme (FGS);
Peatland ACTION;
the Nature Restoration Fund (NRF).

We also support the Woodland Carbon and Peatland Codes (WCC and PC) which are high-integrity market mechanisms for private investment in woodland creation and peatland restoration respectively. Further actions to increase the private investment opportunities for nature restoration are outlined in our Natural Capital Market Framework.

Question reference: S6W-42472

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S6T-02809

Asked by: Sue Webber, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 15 December 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 16 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it has decided not to take forward changes in relation to national speed limits on single carriageways.

Question reference: S6T-02815

Asked by: Rona Mackay, MSP for Strathkelvin and Bearsden, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 15 December 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 16 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the recent attack on the Jewish community at Bondi Beach in Australia, what steps are being taken to ensure community safety in Scotland.

Parliament dissolved ahead of election

Chamber and committees

Questions and answers

Filter your results Hide all filters

Answer

Answer

Answer

Answer

Answer

Answer

Answer

Answer

Answer