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: S6W-44144

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 March 2026
Current Status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 19 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting Scotland's (a) universities and (b) research institutes to maximise participation in Horizon Europe.

The Scottish Government has always believed full association to the 95.5 billion Horizon Europe programme was the best outcome for Scotland and we have continued to work with our EU partners to tackle challenges in areas of mutual interest. We recognise the importance of maximising participation in Horizon Europe, across all its pillars to ensure the Scottish research and innovation ecosystem fully benefits from it.

International research is a key theme in Scotland's International Education Strategy with a commitment that the Scottish Government will work with and support the sector to amplify access and opportunities through the programme. The Scottish Government is funding the £65K International Collaboration Fund for a second year in 25-26 to support the Scottish research sector at universities and research institutes to build international partnerships and capitalise on the opportunities available through the Horizon Europe programme. In its first year, it supported 25 partnerships across 13 countries.

We also continue to work collaboratively with the UK Government and the European Commission to support in the boosting of participation rates - building on successful activities, such as of the Roadshow event held in Glasgow in 2024 and showcasing the Scottish research and innovation landscape as a desirable partner.

We continue to work with the Scottish sector for regional activities, most recently the Scottish Government worked collaboratively with Scottish Enterprise on the Health Innovation event to unlock potential in Horizon Europe pillar 2 under the Health Cluster.

Question reference: S6W-44118

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 09 March 2026
Current Status: Answered by Angus Robertson on 19 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with Glasgow (a) City Council and (b) Life regarding the provision of capital funding for the restoration of the People’s Palace and its adjoining Winter Gardens.

The Scottish Government were approached by Glasgow Life for £4.5m funding towards the refurbishment. The request was flexible and could be split across multiple financial years with the majority of funding coming in 2027-28. The culture capital allocation is primarily focused on supporting the culture bodies which refers to Scottish Government directly funded culture and historic environment public bodies, including the care and maintenance of their historic estates. Officials will continue dialogue with Glasgow Life about the project.

Question reference: S6W-44160

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 March 2026
Current Status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 19 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has conducted any analysis of the number of undergraduate courses that are not available at Scottish universities but are available at universities in other UK nations.

Question reference: S6O-05687

Asked by: Colin Beattie, MSP for Midlothian North and Musselburgh, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 March 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of whether local authorities are fully utilising the powers available to them under the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019, such as Bus Service Improvement Partnerships, franchising and the ability to run their own services, to safeguard essential routes such as the 46 and 48 in Midlothian.

Question reference: S6O-05690

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 March 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding any impact on its energy policy and strategy, and in light of reports that Torness Nuclear Power Station is due to close by 2030, what its response is to the UK Government’s new Fusion Strategy, which aims to deliver thousands of jobs and long-term energy security.

Question reference: S6O-05689

Asked by: Douglas Ross, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 March 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to comments by the Scottish Information Commissioner who stated, in relation to the Government's handling of information concerning the Salmond files, "I can no longer trust the government to handle this information unsupervised and will explore more intrusive options to ensure compliance."

Question reference: S6O-05688

Asked by: Marie McNair, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 March 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting families in Clydebank and Milngavie to access affordable childcare.

Question reference: S6O-05686

Asked by: Bill Kidd, MSP for Glasgow Anniesland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 March 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting workers at Grangemouth who have been made redundant.

Question reference: S6O-05692

Asked by: Ash Regan, MSP for Edinburgh Eastern, Independent
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 March 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Scottish Police Authority's recent quarterly policing performance report showing that sexual crimes have continued to increase, with recorded rape at the highest level since comparable records began, and with domestic abuse also continuing to rise, what its response is to concerns that its Equally Safe strategy is failing women and girls, including what urgent, measurable action it will take to reverse these trends.

Question reference: S6O-05685

Asked by: Keith Brown, MSP for Clackmannanshire and Dunblane, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 March 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the reported decision by Forth Valley College to retain its Alloa Campus for 2026-27, what engagement it will have with the College and the Scottish Funding Council to ensure the long-term future of further education provision in Clackmannanshire.