- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scot and Lothians West, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 06 August 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 3 September 2026
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has estimated the total unmet need for housing adaptations among disabled tenants in Scotland and, if so, what that estimate is.
Answer
Since the integration of health and social care, overall responsibility for the planning and delivery of adaptations, and for developing services to improve outcomes for people who require adaptations, lies with Integration Joint Boards through powers and budgets delegated from Local Authorities.
Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) are responsible for assessing the needs of their tenants including older tenants and disabled tenants, and RSLs will submit funding requests accordingly. The Scottish Government does not independently assess the funding requirements of individual RSLs. Instead, it seeks to distribute available funding in a fair and equitable manner across RSLs, with the aim of ensuring tenants can access necessary adaptations as promptly as possible.
- Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 August 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Stephen Flynn on 3 September 2026
To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to engage with local communities, businesses, freight operators, ferry operators, elected representatives and other stakeholders in Dumfries and Galloway and South Ayrshire during the development of the Corridor Action Plans for the A75 and A77.
Answer
Engagement with stakeholders during development of the Corridor Action Plans will be an important part of the process. It is anticipated that a wide range of engagement techniques and formats will be used to ensure that all individuals and organisations are able to participate in the process. Further details are available at: South West Scotland Strategic Corridor Improvements | Transport Scotland
- Asked by: Julie MacDougall, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Reform UK
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 August 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Simita Kumar on 3 September 2026
To ask the Scottish Government in which local authority and NHS board areas LGBT Health and Wellbeing deliver services, and which NHS boards have provided funding to the charity.
Answer
LGBT Health and Wellbeing is a national charity. The Scottish Government does not hold information on funding received by charities from bodies other than the Scottish Government. Details of charities funding arrangements may be obtained from the organisation directly or through their published accounts.
NHS Boards and Local Authorities are responsible for their own operational decision-making, including how they engage with and respond to the needs of the communities they serve.
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scot and Lothians West, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 06 August 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 3 September 2026
To ask the Scottish Government (a) how much of the funding allocated to the Registered Social Landlord Adaptations Programme in its Budget for 2026-27 has, so far, been (i) committed and (ii) spent, and (b) how much of this funding remains unallocated.
Answer
As of 5 August 2026:
(i) 100% of the RSL adaptations budget has been committed
(ii) £1.358m of the RSL adaptations budget has been spent
(iii) 0% of the RSL adaptations budget remains unallocated
- Asked by: Duncan Dunlop, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Thursday, 13 August 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 3 September 2026
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has plans to introduce a ban on the sale of peat for use in horticulture in Scotland.
Answer
The Scottish Government remains committed to our longstanding intention to ban the sale of peat for horticulture, as set out in our 2026 Climate Change Plan.
Following discussion during passage of the Natural Environment Act 2026, and to overcome the challenges posed by the UK Internal Market Act, Scottish Ministers called on UK Ministers to support a collaborative cross-UK approach. We are now engaged in preparatory work with the other UK nations towards joint legislation to establish an effective ban.
- Asked by: Duncan Dunlop, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Thursday, 13 August 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 3 September 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the role of healthy peatlands in helping it to meet its climate change targets.
Answer
Protecting, managing and restoring degraded peatlands is a vital part of mitigating and adapting to the linked climate and nature emergencies.
Improving the condition of degraded peatlands contributes to mitigation by reducing atmospheric greenhouse gases, and to adaptation by increasing ecosystem resilience and reducing flood risk and the severity of wildfires.
Our Climate Change Plan and carbon budgets incorporate the modelled emissions reductions associated with the measures we set out in the Plan to protect, manage and restore Scotland’s peatlands.
- Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 17 August 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 3 September 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to adopting approaches used in Wales to apply Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) mapping to wildfire prevention and planning, and whether it will consider developing a comprehensive LiDAR-based wildfire risk map for Scotland.
Answer
The Scottish Government is currently exploring the use of LiDAR for wildfire risk mapping via a fellowship with the University of Edinburgh and via research commissioned as part of the Scottish Government’s ENRA research programme. Outputs from this research will be used to inform next steps in using LiDAR data and developing LiDAR data products, including the potential for a wildfire risk map for Scotland. The next ENRA research programme is currently being commissioned which includes questions on improving understanding on the wildfire risks associated with different land uses.
The Scottish Government engages with the Welsh Government on wildfire response and policy.
- Asked by: Julie MacDougall, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Reform UK
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Date lodged: Monday, 17 August 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 3 September 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that high levels of E. coli have been found in the water around Kinghorn Harbour and, whether it considers that a previous decision by it to overturn a SEPA enforcement notice issued to Scottish Water in 2024, regarding the identification and elimination of sources of contamination in the Kinghorn area, has had any bearing on the current situation, and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.
Answer
We take all reports of poor water quality at bathing waters seriously. SEPA, Scottish Water and other relevant bodies continue to work together to understand the source of contamination at the bathing water at Kinghorn Harbour and identify any necessary actions to improve water quality.
Following an appeal against SEPA’s 2024 enforcement notice, the reporter determined that the notice was not valid, as it did not meet the requirements of the Water Environment (Controlled Activities) (Scotland) Regulations 2011. This finding was issued in February 2025.
The 2024 enforcement notice required Scottish Water to carry out investigative work. Scottish Water had already begun the scoping, resourcing and implementation of this work prior to receiving the revised enforcement notice in September 2025. In addition, SEPA continued to sample and investigate pollution sources between February 2025 and September 2025. This would suggest that the decision to overturn the enforcement notice had no material bearing on the reports of high levels of E.coli identified in the Kinghorn Harbour bathing water.
- Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 August 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Stephen Flynn on 3 September 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact on island connectivity of the proposed inclusion of planned maintenance days in the Sconser–Raasay ferry timetable, and what consideration it has given to the Raasay community's particular reliance on this lifeline service.
Answer
As part of the new CHFS3 contract, CalMac is introducing an increased programme of regular maintenance across the network. This is intended to improve reliability and resilience by reducing the likelihood of breakdowns, which can cause significant disruption to island connectivity.
CalMac has been working with the Raasay community, as with communities across the network, to introduce such maintenance in a way that minimises disruption.
- Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 August 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Stephen Flynn on 3 September 2026
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has identified any priority schemes on the A75 and A77 that could be progressed before completion of the Corridor Action Plans.
Answer
Transport Scotland continues to invest in the A75 and A77 through ongoing maintenance and improvement works. A substantial programme of resurfacing, drainage, signage, landscaping, geotechnical and active travel improvements will continue to be delivered across both routes during 2026-27.
For example, road safety improvement works on the A75 Glasgow Road / Cuckoo Bridge Roundabout, including roundabout signalisation, footway upgrades, crossing installation, and carriageway widening in an effort to reduce collisions is due to begin in November 2026.