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-02842

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S7W-02509

Asked by: Martyn Day, MSP for Falkirk East and Linlithgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 17 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 2 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the role credit unions play in supporting financial inclusion and access to affordable credit.

The Scottish Government understands the important role of the credit union sector in providing access to fair and affordable financial products and services to their members, including those who may be otherwise financially excluded.

Officials are currently engaged with representatives of the credit union sector, including trade bodies and individual credit unions, to better understand the sector’s presence in Scotland. Officials are also engaging with the UK Government and the regulators on the impact of proposed regulatory reform, interventions identified in the UK Government’s Financial Inclusion Strategy and HM Treasury’s independent review of Access to Banking Services to ensure Scotland’s credit union sector and Scotland's unique and distinct structural challenges and geographic contexts are understood and represented.

In November 2025, the Scottish Government issued revised directions to the National Lottery Community Fund (NLCF) for Scotland’s share of dormant assets funding. The new directions now include financial inclusion and specifically increasing access to affordable credit. NLCF has consulted stakeholders on the new direction and has also awarded grant funding of £92,000 to Social Investment Scotland to help develop the affordable credit element to ensure that any future work on affordable credit is grounded in lived experience, sector expertise and delivery realities.

NLCF is currently developing a strategic plan that they will present to Government to outline how they can meet the delivery of the funds against any new directions and we will continue to engage with them as their strategy develops.

Question reference: S7W-02453

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 2 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will engage with the Glasgow Science Centre, which is owned by the GSC Charitable Trust, a wholly owned subsidiary of Scottish Enterprise, regarding the repair or replacement of the titanium roof covering at the IMAX Theatre, which has remained damaged since the roof's waterproof membrane burnt in high temperatures in 2018, leaving black residue across the surface.

Decisions regarding future repair works are operational matters for the Glasgow Science Centre. As identified in the question, the Science Centre is a subsidiary of Scottish Enterprise and the Scottish Government receives updates on its operations, as appropriate, from Scottish Enterprise.

The Scottish Government provides funding direct to the Science Centre to support science engagement activity and the transport costs of school pupils.

Question reference: S7W-02369

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 10 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 2 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide the number of sailings provided and the number of passengers carried on CalMac's Gourock to Dunoon ferry service during the April to June quarter in (a) 2024, (b) 2025 and (c) 2026.

Question reference: S7W-02512

Asked by: Martyn Day, MSP for Falkirk East and Linlithgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 17 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 2 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to encourage payroll deduction partnerships between employers, public bodies and credit unions, particularly across the public sector.

The regulation of financial services, including the credit union sector, is wholly reserved to the UK Government.

Many credit unions already work in partnership with employers to provide payroll deduction schemes. Workplace payroll savings schemes can provide a valuable way for employees to improve their financial resilience, with evidence suggesting they are both popular in workplaces and are helping some workers build savings pots. These kinds of savings schemes are prominently featured in the UK Government's Financial Inclusion Strategy, aiming to build a National Coalition of Employers to promote these schemes and with plans to clarify the regulatory landscape to encourage their uptake.

The Scottish Government will engage with the UK Government as their planned reforms for payroll savings schemes emerge to represent Scotland's interests.

Question reference: S7W-02513

Asked by: Martyn Day, MSP for Falkirk East and Linlithgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 17 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 2 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to involve credit unions and financial co-operatives in the delivery of community wealth building.

Credit unions and financial cooperatives are important financial organisations across Scotland’s communities, offering accessible financial services and products, including to those who may otherwise be financially excluded. The activities of these organisations already support community wealth building ambitions.

Through the Community Wealth Building (Scotland) Act 2026, Scottish Ministers are required to set out measures to promote or support the development of co-operatives, including co-operative financial institutions. In addition, Scottish Ministers are obliged to publish guidance for local authority led Community Wealth Building Partnerships and other public sector bodies in the same vein. Representatives of credit unions and financial cooperatives will be consulted as part of this work.

Question reference: S7W-02364

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 10 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 2 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with ScotRail in light of the Gourock to Dunoon ferry service temporarily running as a single vessel service between 2 September 2026 and 25 March 2027.

Question reference: S7W-02370

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 10 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 2 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether (a) CalMac or (b) Transport Scotland plans to provide a replacement bus service during the period of scheduled works on the MV Ali Cat and MV Argyll Flyer between 2 September 2026 and 25 March 2027.

Question reference: S7W-02366

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 10 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 2 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how many sailings on CalMac's Gourock to Dunoon ferry service carried (a) zero passengers, (b) fewer than 12 passengers, (c) between 13 and 24 passengers, (d) between 25 and 36 passengers, (e) between 37 and 48 passengers, and (f) 49 or more passengers, between March 2025 and March 2026.

The number of passengers carried by CalMac on the Gourock-Dunoon between March 2025 and March 2026, inclusive, according to the number of passengers per sailing is detailed in the following table.

Grouping of Passengers Carried	Sailings
Zero passengers	492
Fewer than 12 passengers	4,680
Between 13 and 24 passengers	3,513
Between 25 and 36 passengers	1,666
Between 37 and 48 passengers	599
49 or more passengers	354

Question reference: S7W-02514

Asked by: Martyn Day, MSP for Falkirk East and Linlithgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 17 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 2 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what support it is providing to credit unions to modernise their digital infrastructure and increase access to ethical community finance.

The Scottish Government remains committed to working closely with the credit union sector to understand its evolving needs and identify opportunities and challenges, including those associated with digital transformation. This will help ensure that support is targeted effectively to promote long term, sustainable growth across the sector.

In September 2025, the Scottish Government awarded grant funding of £98,000 to Social Investment Scotland for a project to embed benefit checkers into the loan management systems used by credit unions in Scotland. 11 projects were successful in securing funding. This project has now concluded and identified over £7.3 million in annualised potential unclaimed benefits.

Quarter	Sailings	Passengers
April – June 2024	4,460	59,030
April – June 2025	2,656	48,792
April – June 2026	4,132	51,597