- Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Thursday, 05 March 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 17 March 2026
To ask the Scottish Government, in Inverclyde, (a) how many school pupils aged 4 to 18 have been on waiting lists and (b) what the average waiting time has been for an assessment for additional support needs, in each of the last five academic years.
Answer
The information requested is not held centrally.
Support should be put in place to meet a child or young person’s requirements based on need and not dependent on a formal diagnosis.
Information on the number of pupils with additional support needs, planning approaches and types of need are collected and published within national statistics.
Classes and pupils - Summary statistics for schools in Scotland 2024 - gov.scot
- Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 05 March 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 17 March 2026
To ask the Scottish Government whether any complaints from developers such as SSEN about the number of public objections being filed was considered when discussing removing email as a public submission route as part of changes to the Energy Consents process.
Answer
Complaints from developers about the number of public representations being submitted were not a consideration of the decision to transition from email-based submission to a structured digital portal. The decision was taken to address multiple operational, legal, and service improvement objectives.
- Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 05 March 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 17 March 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions have taken place to consider reinstating email as a valid method for public objection submission since its Energy Consents Unit introduced its portal on 16 January 2026.
Answer
No discussions have taken place to consider reinstating email as a valid method of submitting public representations since the Energy Consents Unit introduced its improved portal functionality on 16 January 2026.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Independent
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 March 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 17 March 2026
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will propose the scheduling of a ministerial statement on the use of Scotland’s inshore seas for the marine storage of offshore wind platform bases or other apparatus, in light of the potential impacts on the marine environment and on economic and recreational activities, such as fishing, angling and sailing, which depend on near-shore waters.
Answer
The Scottish Government has no current plans to propose the scheduling of a ministerial statement on the use of Scotland’s inshore seas for the marine storage of offshore wind platform bases or other apparatus.
Storage and constructions of floating offshore wind farm foundations is considered through the established marine licensing process, which assesses potential impacts on the marine environment, and on other users of the sea.
The Scottish Government ensures that, where required, decisions affecting the marine environment include public consultation so that affected communities and stakeholders, including those involved in fishing, angling, and sailing, can express their views.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Independent
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 March 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 17 March 2026
To ask the Scottish Government, in the event that Scottish Enterprise awards a £1.8 million grant to a company on the basis that clawback is payable in certain circumstances, and those circumstances arise, and the company had assets of around £131,000 at the approximate time of the award, whether any liability would fall on the CEO or any other officer, or whether the loss to the public purse would be written off.
Answer
This is an operational matter for Scottish Enterprise. I have asked their CEO, Adrian Gillespie, to respond to you
- Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 March 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 17 March 2026
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has ever produced any guidance on single-sex spaces in leisure centres, and, if so, what the content of that guidance is.
Answer
Public bodies, including any which operate leisure centres, are expected to comply with all relevant legislation and regulations including the Equality Act 2010. It is for service providers to interpret and ensure that they meet their legal duties and they should obtain legal advice as appropriate.
As the regulator of the Equality Act 2010, it is the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) who ensure compliance and enforcement of the Act, including providing technical guidance and a Code of Practice. This guidance provides organisations with information to understand their role in ensuring that people with the protected characteristics, as set out in the Act, are not discriminated against when using services provided.
Where new non-domestic buildings, including leisure centres, are being constructed, The Building (Scotland) Regulations 2004 (as amended) apply. The Scottish Government publishes guidance to support compliance with these regulations, including (since 2005) the Non-domestic Technical Handbook. The Handbook guidance does not address ‘single-sex spaces’ but does set requirements for the provision of sanitary facilities, which may include provision for male, female and unisex toilets. While the building regulations set out a requirement for initial provision of sanitary accommodation in a manner that suits the expected use of a building, the regulations do not control the onward operation and management of facilities.
- Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 March 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 17 March 2026
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has provided local authorities with any guidance on single-sex spaces in leisure centres since April 2025, and, if so, what the content of that guidance is.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-44045 on 17 March 2026. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers.
- Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 March 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 17 March 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it gave to the security of employment of the workers at Wave Energy Scotland as part of its decision to not allocate the organisation funding in its draft Budget 2026-27.
Answer
The Scottish Government has confirmed that transitional funding for WES will be provided in financial year 2026-2027 which will give WES the opportunity to explore longer term funding solutions. It is of course important that WES continues to engage directly with their workforce as they consider the impact of future financial planning. My intention is that the work by the Scottish Government, Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), and WES on the transitional funding in 2026-27 will support constructive engagement with staff on WES’s future direction in line with Fair Work principles.
- Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 March 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 17 March 2026
To ask the Scottish Government whether it provided local authorities with any guidance on single-sex spaces in leisure centres before April 2025, and, if so, what the content of that guidance was.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-44045 on 17 March 2026. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Independent
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 March 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 17 March 2026
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason Scottish Enterprise reportedly did not (a) carry out an assessment of displacement or (b) have an independent analysis of the need for marine storage of offshore wind platform bases, prior to awarding a £1.83 million grant to Offshore Solutions Group.
Answer
This is an operational matter for Scottish Enterprise. I have asked their CEO, Adrian Gillespie, to respond to you directly.