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-01262

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 9 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the announcement that the application for the proposed Spittal to Beauly overhead transmission line will be subject to a public inquiry, what steps it will take to ensure that small community groups have access to sufficient funding, technical expertise and legal support to participate effectively in the inquiry on equal terms with the applicant and statutory consultees.

Scottish Ministers do recognise the importance of ensuring that all interested parties, including small community groups, are able to participate effectively in the inquiry process. In this context, a number of measures are available within existing procedures and practice.

All interested parties are notified of the inquiry and given the opportunity to participate in the DPEA process. Reporters appointed by DPEA are responsible for ensuring that proceedings are conducted in a fair, transparent and proportionate manner. This includes tailoring how evidence is presented, ensuring that the evidence presented is accessible by all parties, focusing on the key issues, and putting in place arrangements that enable all parties, including small community groups, to participate effectively without requiring extensive legal or technical resources.

In addition, the new Planning and Infrastructure legislation strengthens requirements for early and meaningful engagement with communities at the pre-application stage. This enables communities to identify and address concerns before any application is made.

Guidance is available to support participants in understanding the process, and Scottish Ministers continue to consider how participation can be further supported. Together, these measures are intended to ensure that inquiry processes are accessible and that community groups are able to participate on a fair and proportionate basis.

Question reference: S7W-01249

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 9 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of Scotland's greenhouse gas emissions is attributable to rail transport.

Question reference: S7W-01333

Asked by: Donald MacKinnon, MSP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 9 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether Crown Estate Scotland has stopped the Community Land Accelerator pilot and what plans it has to publish its findings from the pilot.

Question reference: S7W-01275

Asked by: Amanda Lindsay, MSP for Central Scot and Lothians West, Reform UK
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 9 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has conducted, or plans to conduct, a feasibility study for westbound slipways at junction 3 of the M9 and, if so, what the current status of that study is.

The Scottish Government has not undertaken, and currently has no plans to undertake, a feasibility study into the provision of west-facing slip roads at Junction 3 of the M9.

The principle of west-facing slip roads at Junction 3 was considered through the previous local development planning process which safeguarded land for such purpose. Transport Scotland is engaging in the development of a new Local Development Plan by West Lothian Council and is content for land to continue to be safeguarded. However, the responsibility for developing the proposal, including feasibility considerations, rests with West Lothian Council. As would the securing of funding and delivery arrangements.

Question reference: S7W-01310

Asked by: Laura Moodie, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 9 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with Amey regarding the condition of the footpath alongside the A725 Hamilton Road in East Kilbride; what assessment has been made of its current condition; what steps are being taken to ensure that necessary repairs and vegetation management are carried out within the timescales set out in Amey’s trunk road maintenance contract, and what plans there are to develop this as a core cycle route in line with the East Kilbride Active Travel Network plan.

Transport Scotland’s Operating Company, Amey, has not yet had the opportunity to inspect the footpath to respond to this request. Footway inspections are undertaken every 12 months for this section of footway per the trunk road maintenance contract. The location has been referred for consideration within future maintenance programmes, and Amey’s Landscaping Team will assess the vegetation to determine any maintenance or improvement works required.

Active travel improvements are progressing elsewhere on the A726 in East Kilbride, with further A725 trunk road cycle infrastructure planned, subject to design development, programme coordination and available budgets.

Question reference: S7W-01034

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh North Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 15 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Kirsten Oswald on 9 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how many antisocial behaviour complaints have been recorded in each local authority area, in each of the last five years.

The Scottish Government does not hold information on complaints recorded by Police Scotland.

The number of complaints recorded by local authorities concerning antisocial behaviour is also not held by the Scottish Government.

Under section 1 of the Antisocial Behaviour etc. (Scotland) Act 2004 local authorities and Police Scotland are under a legal duty to maintain a strategy to tackle antisocial behaviour in their area. This enables a partnership approach that can take account of emerging trends and comparators.

Question reference: S7W-01159

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 19 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 9 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how much it has spent on the A83 Rest and Be Thankful in each of the last 10 years, also broken down by (a) consultant fees and (b) construction and maintenance costs.

Spend on the A83 Rest and Be Thankful is provided in the following table. All figures are inclusive of VAT where applicable.

Financial Year	Medium and Long Term Solutions				Maintenance (including Short Term Solution)
	Spend on Ground Investigation /Surveys	Spend on Technical Advisors	Spend on Land Compensation	Spend on Construction of MTS	Spend on Consultants (Maintenance)	Spend on Construction and Maintenance
	Spend on Ground Investigation /Surveys	Spend on Technical Advisors	Spend on Land Compensation	(Phase 1)	Spend on Consultants (Maintenance)	Spend on Construction and Maintenance
2016-17	£0.00	£0.00	£0.00	£0.00	£4,524.40	£609,510.70
2017-18	£0.00	£0.00	£0.00	£0.00	£55,481.75	£857,906.07
2018-19	£0.00	£0.00	£0.00	£0.00	£23,221.41	£3,471,101.11
2019-20	£0.00	£0.00	£0.00	£0.00	£54,693.56	£991,671.65
2020-21	£0.00	£1,157,851.95	£0.00	£0.00	£50,124.41	£8,514,957.98
2021-22	£173,718.96	£2,804,916.38	£0.00	£0.00	£68,067.20	£7,894,399.40
2022-23	£1,293,563.63	£2,492,895.44	£4,121.69	£0.00	£46,830.30	£6,558,986.33
2023-24	£323,411.22	£7,223,408.93	£8,769.36	£0.00	£133,691.17	£3,946,052.35
2024-25	£5,084,995.35	£8,725,937.42	£17,328.88	£1,044,500.00	£137,293.22	£3,555,119.80
2025-26	£6,013,153.61	£5,274,257.11	£23,409.40	£0.00	£163,902.65	£3,541,335.34
Total	£12,888,842.77	£27,679,267.23	£53,629.33	£1,044,500.00	£737,830.07	£39,941,040.73

In terms of spend on technical advisors for the medium-term and long-term solutions, this includes costs associated with engineering design, environmental assessment (including environmental survey work), traffic and economic assessment, stakeholder engagement, and supervision of ground investigation works and phase 1 medium term solution works to the Old Military Road.

Question reference: S7W-01036

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh North Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 15 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Kirsten Oswald on 9 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of trends in youth-related antisocial behaviour since the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Scottish Government commissioned an Independent Working Group on Antisocial Behaviour which discussed this topic. Its report is available on the Scottish Government website: https://www.gov.scot/publications/report-independent-working-group-antisocial-behaviour/pages/23/. The Group noted that attention must be focused on addressing the broader societal factors that contribute to antisocial behaviour across all age groups, such as poverty.

Question reference: S7W-01167

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 19 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 9 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how the Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Tourism and Transport and Minister for Europe, External Affairs and Energy will work together to deliver consistent green industrial and energy strategies.

The First Minister has appointed a leaner Cabinet and ministerial team to enable greater co-ordination and effectiveness with a clear focus on long-term outcomes, underpinned by collaboration across Government.

That approach will facilitate joint working between the myself and the Minister for Europe, External Affairs and Energy to unlock the economic opportunities that energy brings, accelerate delivery and ensure the people of Scotland benefit.

Question reference: S7W-01261

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 9 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the decline in speculative investment in forestry and natural capital projects, as set out in the Scottish Land Commission’s recent report on Scotland’s rural land market, affects the case for further intervention in the rural land market through lotting requirements in the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2025.

The Scottish Government notes the findings of the Scottish Land Commission's Rural Land Market Insights 2026 report.

The policy intent of the lotting provisions in the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2025 is to address issues relating to the scale and concentration of land ownership in Scotland. Scottish Land Commission research has highlighted that concentrated land ownership can negatively impact community sustainability, particularly through its effect on land availability.

The policy rationale for lotting is not linked to trends in speculative investment in forestry or natural capital markets, which are more recent developments and were not the focus of the evidence base underpinning the Act.

There are no plans to delay implementation of the lotting provisions. The Act was developed following extensive engagement with a broad range of stakeholders, including representatives of the rural property sector, and a full Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment considered the potential impacts of the measures on businesses and the rural land market.

The Scottish Government is working closely with the Scottish Land Commission on implementation of the Act and wider land reform policy. Ministers and officials will continue to engage with stakeholders, including land agents, rural surveyors, lenders, representatives of the rural property sector and other land market interests, through consultation on secondary legislation and guidance. This engagement will help ensure that practical considerations are fully taken into account as implementation progresses.