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-39268

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 July 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 6 August 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the commitment in the draft islands connectivity plan strategic approach to revisit the Freight Fares Review in the medium to long term, what work has been undertaken on this, and what the anticipated timescale is for the completion and implementation of a revised freight fares structure in (a) Scotland and (b) relation to services to and from Colonsay.

Question reference: S6W-39236

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 July 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 6 August 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answers to questions S6W-38725 and S6W-38726 by Jim Fairlie on 3 July 2025, and regarding the value of subsidies, what the (a) average value per vehicle and (b) total value for each bus manufacturer has been, for each phase of the Scottish Zero Emission Bus Challenge Fund.

Question reference: S6W-39252

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 July 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 6 August 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what impact it anticipates its preventative healthcare priorities will have on the 14% increase in circulatory hospital admissions that is reportedly projected in the next 10 years.

Question reference: S6W-39059

Asked by: Maggie Chapman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 27 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 9 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it reportedly did not contribute to the UK progress update to the Aarhus Convention Compliance Committee on 29 May 2025.

The Aarhus Convention Compliance Committee issued Decision VII/8s in October 2021, which found that Scotland and the UK are not compliant with the requirements of the Aarhus Convention in relation to access to justice. The UK was required by the Compliance Committee to submit an action plan and progress reports detailing how compliance was to be achieved.

The Scottish Government contributed to the action plan submitted in July 2022 and the progress report submitted in October 2023. A final progress report was initially due to be submitted in October 2024, however following changes in the UK Government an extension was agreed for submission of the final progress report to November 2024. The Scottish Government contributed to the final progress report. May 2025 represented an informal opportunity to provide any additional substantial updates ahead of the meeting of the Compliance Committee on 2 June. The Scottish Government continues to work towards strengthening compliance but had no substantial updates to add to the update already provided in November 2024.

Question reference: S6W-38757

Asked by: Jackie Dunbar, MSP for Aberdeen Donside, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Kaukab Stewart on 9 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how it will support LGBTI+ people (a) during Pride month and (b) in the coming year.

The Scottish Government remains committed to advancing equality for LGBTQI+ people, and promoting, protecting and realising the rights of every LGBTQI+ person in Scotland. We recognise that policies that value diversity and advance equality and inclusion are under threat around the world and the impact this has for the LGBTQI+ community. The Scottish Government respects the call from several Pride organisers in Scotland for no political representation during marches. During Pride season, the Scottish Government has met with LGBTQI+ organisations to discuss key issues impacting on the community and how we are advancing equality for this group as outlined in our Programme for Government 2025-26.

Actions include providing support of over £1.1 million in funding to organisations working to promote LGBTQI+ equality. This delivers a range of projects to tackle inequality and realise rights for LGBTQI+ people across all areas of Scottish life.

We are also working to implement our non-binary equality action plan and take forward our commitment to ending conversion practices. We will continue to work with a wide range of third sector organisations to ensure that the voices of those with lived experience can help to improve outcomes for LGBTQI+ communities across Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-38920

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 23 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 9 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what recent assessment it has made of seafarer employment conditions on the MV (a) Helliar and (b) Hildasay freight vessel owned by CMAL, and whether these conditions are compliant with its Fair Work Framework.

Scottish Ministers require that those who deliver public contracts adopt fair employment practices for all workers engaged on delivering these contracts. Crew on board the freight vessels MV Helliar and MV Hildasay continue to benefit from the principles set out in the Fair Work Framework such as; access to training, genuine workforce engagement and payment of at least the Living Wage. Transport Scotland hold regular meetings with SNF to cover a variety of matters, including updates on union and employment issues. Scottish Ministers regularly engage with Trade Unions.

Question reference: S6W-39049

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 27 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 9 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of whether employee ownership is a sustainable business ownership model, and on what evidence its assessment of this matter is based.

The independent review, ‘Developing Scotland’s Economy: Increasing the Role of Inclusive and Democratic Business Models’, looked at a range of inclusive and democratic business models (IDBMs), including employee ownership, and outlined their important contributions to the Scottish economy. The Economic Democracy Group was formed following the review and will examine the review’s recommendations with the objective of devising a workplan to realise their implementation where this is feasible.

Question reference: S6W-38938

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 9 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many buses have been ordered by Transport Scotland or the Scottish Government from manufacturers in China in the past five years.

Neither Transport Scotland nor the Scottish Government have ordered any buses in the past five years.

Since 2020, Transport Scotland has supported the Scottish bus sector with over £150 million of grant funding to support operating companies to acquire 800 zero emission buses and their supporting charging infrastructure. This is a rapid increase from the 20 zero emission buses on the road in 2020, and we have been right to set ambitious targets for the sector.

Question reference: S6W-38990

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 9 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many adults with learning disabilities have spent time in prison in the last five years.

The information requested is not held by Scottish Government, SPS or NHS.

The term learning disability covers a wide spectrum of clinical and supportive needs which vary on an individual basis. A holistic, person-centred approach is taken to support people with their healthcare and any additional learning support needs. An assessment is made of specific individual needs and a care plan will be tailored to these.

Question reference: S6W-38914

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 23 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 9 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how much Integration Joint Boards have spent on dementia services in each financial year since 2020-21, and what the notional budget is for 2025-26.