- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Friday, 08 August 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 3 September 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what work it has conducted on the issue of the cancellation of police officers’ rest days, which has reportedly had a detrimental impact on officers’ mental health.
Answer
The deployment and management of Police Officers are matters for the Chief Constable. However, I am aware that the cancellation of rest days can be due to a number of reasons, including attendance at court and the policing of events.
The Scottish Government is supporting its justice partners in achieving the outcomes described in the Vision for Justice in Scotland by taking forward a programme to drive key areas of reform, including criminal justice efficiency.
One element of this is the Summary Case Management currently being rolled out across Scotland. This initiative aims to improve the management of summary criminal cases in Scotland and reduce the number of unnecessary hearings. A pilot evaluation report published in September shows a significant reduction in the volume of witness citations being issued, this relates to police officers, victims and witnesses. The impact on police witnesses has been positive with a reduction of citations for domestic cases by up to 34% in all pilot courts. This equates to around 5000 citations not being served on operational officers in pilot areas.
Police Scotland are also progressing work to reduce the impact policing of events on officers such as the Force Mobilisation Model.
- Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 August 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Neil Gray on 3 September 2025
To ask the Scottish Government when it last reviewed The Primary Medical Services - (Premises Development Grants, Improvement Grants and Premises Costs) Directions 2004, and whether there are plans to update the existing directive.
Answer
Barring a minor and temporary amendment during the pandemic, the Scottish Government has not changed the Primary Medical Services (Premises Development Grants, Improvement Grants and Premises Costs) Directions 2004 since 2004.
Plans to revise the directions are being discussed with the Scottish GP Committee as part of our current contract negotiations.
- Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 August 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Neil Gray on 3 September 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will amend The Primary Medical Services - (Premises Development Grants, Improvement Grants and Premises Costs) Directions 2004 to introduce guidance for NHS boards to consider marking projects as a priority for funding based on (a) the age of an existing premises, for example, if a building is more than 100 years old and (b) population growth related to any increase in house building that is placing a strain on local practices and necessitating the delivery of expanded or new-build medical facilities.
Answer
Paragraph 8 in part 2 of the Primary Medical Services (Premises Development Grants, Improvement Grants and Premises Costs) Directions 2004 sets out that:
Health Boards must have in place a plan for the development of premises to support the provision of Primary Medical Services. This plan must be approved in consultation with the local Area Medical Committee. This plan should be updated annually and be consistent with the Health Board’s wider Property Strategy.
The Scottish Government does not believe that including guidance in the directions that NHS boards should make projects a priority for funding based on the age of existing buildings and population growth would be a material improvement on the general requirement for NHS boards’ wider property strategies to cover the needs of primary medical services.
- Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 August 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 3 September 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how many energy consent applications have been lodged with the Energy Consents Unit in each year since 2021 in the (a) Highlands and Islands Region and (b) the rest of Scotland.
Answer
Details of applications made to the Energy Consents Unit under Sections 36 and 37 of the Electricity Act (1989) in the last five years are as follows:
Highlands and Islands planning authorities | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
Section 36 applications (electricity generating station) | 10 | 15 | 16 | 20 | 25 |
Section 37 applications (overhead lines) | 21 | 51 | 41 | 33 | 17 |
Rest of Scotland planning authorities | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
Section 36 applications (electricity generating station) | 20 | 31 | 39 | 51 | 32 |
Section 37 applications (overhead lines) | 34 | 30 | 34 | 29 | 18 |
- Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 21 August 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Siobhian Brown on 3 September 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of the number of dog thefts reported in each or the last five years, and how many of those dogs reported stolen were reunited with their owners.
Answer
Information is not held centrally on the number of dog thefts in Scotland. When the theft of a dog is reported to the police, it may be recorded under a number of crimes, depending on the circumstances (for example theft, housebreaking or robbery). The data the Scottish Government receive from Police Scotland on recorded crime is a simple count of recorded crimes by crime type and does not contain any detail on the specifics of each crime e.g. the type of item stolen.
- Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 August 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 3 September 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has considered the implications of the High
Court decision relating to Northumbria Police participating in Pride marches
for the impartiality of school teachers in Scotland.
Answer
It is a legal requirement for all teachers in Scottish schools to be registered with the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS), the independent regulator for teachers in Scotland.
Registered teachers must adhere to the GTCS Professional Standards and Code of Professionalism and Conduct, which require them to uphold values of integrity, trust, and respect, and to act impartially in their professional practice.
- Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 August 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 3 September 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-39428 by Gillian Martin on 28 July 2025, whether it will list the criteria underpinning Crown Estate Scotland’s assessment process in administering seabed leasing for (a) offshore wind development and (b) other marine renewable energy developments.
Answer
The assessment process for seabed leasing for offshore wind and other marine renewable developments and the criteria that underpins that process, is a matter for Crown Estate Scotland.
The criteria underpinning the awarding of seabed option agreements by Crown Estate Scotland varies by leasing round and sector. In general, the awards process focuses on ensuring the organisation applying for the agreement has the experience and resources necessary to take the project through to completion. In competitive processes, this information will also be used as the basis for choosing between applications for the same area of seabed.
As an example, the ScotWind Leasing process required provision of the following categories of information from applicants:
i. Project Concept and Feasibility
ii. Project Delivery Plans
iii. Experience and capability of the Lead applicant and Project Partners
iv. Development budget
v. Financial strength
vi. Commitment and preparedness
In addition, Crown Estate Scotland requires confirmation that the applicant is not in breach of any laws or sanctions regimes, with that confirmation being provided by a Statement of Commitment signed by a duly authorised officer of the company.
Crown Estate Scotland is committed to the Fair Work Framework and its underlying principles. With regard to seabed leasing, they require a Statement of Commitment and, for the most recent leasing round (INTOG), the Statement of Commitment required inclusion of a commitment to adopting Fair Work First practices.
Crown Estate Scotland has confirmed that similar commitments will be a requirement of future leasing activities on both offshore wind and marine energy award processes.
- Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 August 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 3 September 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-39428 by Gillian Martin on 28 July 2025, what obligations Crown Estate Scotland has under the Fair Work Framework in administering seabed leasing for (a) offshore wind development and (b) other marine renewable energy developments.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-39996 on 3 September 2025. 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.
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Current Status:
Withdrawn
- Asked by: Jackie Dunbar, MSP for Aberdeen Donside, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 01 September 2025
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Current Status:
Initiated by the Scottish Government.
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 2 September 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the commitment in its Programme for Government 2025-26 to set out its "priorities for future reform of school education by June 2025, appointing an experienced headteacher to lead this work".
Answer
I am pleased to advise Parliament that John Wilson, the recently retired headteacher of Broughton High School in Edinburgh has been appointed as an Independent Professional Adviser to Scottish Ministers to lead on this work.
Mr Wilson will provide advice and recommendations to Scottish Ministers on what further reforms of school education could be made following the passage of the Education (Scotland) Act by the Scottish Parliament to ensure that we have an education system fit for the future to deliver equity and excellence for all.
Drawing on his experience of 30 years of working in the education system, Mr Wilson will be focussed on three key areas - education governance, where he will be assessing the areas where further focus and activity is required to support school leaders; school funding, where he will reflect on 10 years of the Scottish Attainment Challenge Fund; and support for improvement, where he will be looking to establish what more could be done to ensure more consistent outcomes for secondary schools.
He will be guided in his work by an advisory group made up of experienced headteachers and other education system leaders; and by headteacher panels which have been set up and which I will chair.
