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-35215

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 5 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government when it expects the Shetland Islands Regional Marine Plan to be adopted.

Question reference: S6W-35094

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 5 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many recipients of the Adult Disability Payment have been removed from the claimant count in 2024-25 due to (a) the claimant removing themselves, (b) a review identifying fraud, (c) a review identifying a change in health circumstances, (d) death and (e) the claimant moving out of Scotland.

Official statistics for Adult Disability Payment are routinely published by Social Security Scotland, including information on the number of recipients. Social Security Scotland does not publish statistics on clients leaving the Adult Disability Payment caseload.

Social Security Scotland will continue to review the value of the statistics produced and will take account of users’ needs when developing future publications, in line with Code of Practice for Statistics.

The latest Adult Disability Payment official statistics publication can be found at: https://www.socialsecurity.gov.scot/publications/statistics. The next release of Adult Disability Payment statistics, covering the period to the end of January 2025, is due to be published on 18 March 2025.

Question reference: S6W-35050

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 5 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will review the local government funding model to ensure that local authorities have a sustainable financial settlement.

More frequent and meaningful budget engagement with COSLA and Councils was fundamental to informing the record funding settlement made available to Local Government in the Scottish Budget 2025-26. Scottish Ministers remain committed to deepening and broadening that partnership to ensure the sustainability of local services.

The needs-based formula used to distribute the funding available for local government is agreed with COSLA on behalf of all 32 local authorities each year. Scottish Ministers are open to exploring the funding formula through that meaningful engagement but any proposals for a formal review should properly come through COSLA in the first instance.

Question reference: S6W-35270

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 5 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many complaints regarding quadbikes and off-road vehicles have the police received in each year since 1999, broken down by local authority area.

Question reference: S6W-35217

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 5 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it sought or received any expert advice on construction cost controls for the replacement of HMP Inverness and, if so, whether it will publish this.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

The SPS engaged the services of legal advisers and cost consultants to advise on cost controls within the contract. It would not be appropriate for SPS to publish this advice as it is commercially sensitive information, however, SPS will publish a summary of their Business Case on their website.

Question reference: S6W-35180

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 4 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what the main recorded reasons for staff leaving the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service have been in each of the last five years.

Question reference: S6W-35178

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 4 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many full-time equivalent staff have been employed in the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service in each of the last five years.

Question reference: S6W-35183

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 4 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what work it is undertaking to address the needs of the reported 1.7 million people in Scotland with a musculoskeletal (MSK) condition.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that people living in Scotland with musculoskeletal conditions can access the best possible care and support.

We expect health care professionals and NHS Boards to deliver high quality person-centred care to those living with musculoskeletal conditions in line with best practice guidance. The NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) clinical guidelines on management of musculoskeletal conditions is available on its website and can be found at: Musculoskeletal conditions | Guidance and guideline topic | NICE . The Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) guideline on management of musculoskeletal conditions is available on its website at: www.sign.ac.uk and at following search link: Search Results.

The Scottish Government has commissioned the Centre for Sustainable Delivery (CfSD) to manage a Rheumatology Specialty Delivery Group, which includes nominated multi-disciplinary representation from all Health Boards providing Rheumatology services.

Scottish Government officials and the CfSD national planned care team meet monthly with the Chief Operating Officer and Acute Directors from all mainland Health Boards to review performance and delivery across all Planned Care specialities, including rheumatology. Meetings with the island health boards are generally on a bimonthly basis.

Question reference: S6W-34972

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 4 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-33261 by Gillian Martin on 12 February 2025, whether it will provide the information requested regarding what (a) discussions and (b) meetings it has had with (i) expert organisations and (ii) the UK Government regarding the potential consequences for the UK’s future gas supply if the Jackdaw gas field was not to be developed for any reason, and whether it will publish the minutes of any such meetings, and, if no such discussions or meetings have taken place, whether it will confirm this.

Question reference: S6W-34974

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 4 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what funding it has provided to tackle marine litter in each of the last five years, and what funding is planned in the draft Budget 2025-26.

Since 2021 the Scottish Government has made funding available to projects relevant to the issue of marine litter through Marine Fund Scotland Marine and fisheries grants - gov.scot Information on the funding provided each year for such projects is publicly available via Marine Fund Scotland: grants awarded - gov.scot.

Funding to be available in the 2025-26 financial year through the fund has not yet been announced.