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-04035

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 October 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 2 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the potential impact of the Building Safety Levy on the cost of constructing new homes in the Highlands and Islands.

The Scottish Government has undertaken an assessment of expected impacts of the Building Safety Levy, which has been published alongside indicative rates on 31 July. At £30 million per annum, the Levy represents around 0.8% of the value of the chargeable new build housing market. This is consistent with fluctuations in house prices and other input prices that developers are accustomed to working with. The Scottish Government’s assessment of the long-term impact of the SBSL is that developers are likely to seek to pass on new costs associated with development through the price they pay for the land. This reflects evidence from the Competitions and Markets Authority and the Scottish Land Commission on the transmissibility of new costs associated with residential property development.

Through engagement with rural and island stakeholders, the Scottish Government recognises the increasing costs and supply-line challenges that developers on islands and in more rural areas face. To protect these developers, The Building Safety Levy (Scotland) Act 2026 exempts homes built on islands from the Levy and the Scottish Government will extend this to three mainland Highland areas, Cape Wrath, Knoydart and Scoraig, which are only accessible by boat.

In addition, the 29-unit levy free allowance will protect smaller developers from costs associated with the Levy, removing an estimated 85% of developers from scope. As smaller housing developments are more common in rural and island areas, including parts of the Highlands and Islands, the levy-free allowance will have a greater impact in these areas, with up to 89% of new homes in remote small towns and remote rural areas being exempt, depending on developer behaviour. Taken together, these protections will reduce the impact of the Levy on those developments and support the continued delivery of new homes across communities in the Highlands and Islands.

The Scottish Government will continue to engage with stakeholders and monitor the impacts of the Levy as we progress towards implementation. We will also produce triannual reports on the operation of the Levy, in line with our statutory duties under the 2026 Act.

Question reference: S7W-04036

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 October 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 2 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the potential impact of the Building Safety Levy on the viability of small and medium-sized housebuilders operating in the Highlands and Islands.

The Scottish Government has considered the potential impacts of the Building Safety Levy on small and medium-sized developers as part of the development of the Levy. Through consultation and engagement, stakeholders highlighted the particular challenges faced by small and medium-sized housebuilders, including development viability, cashflow pressures and administrative burdens. These considerations have informed the design of the Levy.

To protect smaller developers, the Levy will include an annual levy-free allowance of 29 units before a developer becomes liable for the Levy. The Levy Free Allowance removes from the scope of the Levy an estimated 85% of developers, meaning smaller developers will have no requirement to interact with or pay the Levy. As smaller housing developments are more common in rural and island areas, including parts of the Highlands and Islands, the levy-free allowance will have a greater impact in these areas, with up to 89% of new homes in remote small towns and remote rural areas exempt, depending on developer behaviour.

Question reference: S7W-03963

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 05 October 2026
Current Status: Holding Answer by Stephen Gethins on 2 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S7W-01690 by Stephen Gethins on 12 August 2026, in relation to its Emergency Heating Oil Scheme, whether it will provide an update on the number of applications in each local authority area that have been (a) received, (b) approved, broken down by the total amount paid out, and (c) rejected.

Question reference: S7W-04171

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 09 October 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 2 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government on what date ministers were made aware that Alexander Dennis was considering moving its Scottish operations to chassis assembly, and what action it took in response.

Question reference: S7W-04170

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 09 October 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 2 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of Alexander Dennis’s statement that the withdrawal of the additional ScotZEB2 funding created the order book shortfall that led to its decision to refocus its Larbert site on chassis manufacturing.

Question reference: S7W-04655

Asked by: Sanne Dijkstra-Downie, MSP for Edinburgh Northern, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 30 October 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 13 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how many spirometry tests were carried out by each NHS board in each year since 2016.

Question reference: S7W-04666

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 30 October 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 13 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether a handover meeting, or meetings, took place in 2026 between the outgoing Lord Advocate and her successor, whether agendas and minutes were recorded for any such meetings and, if so, whether these will be published.

Question reference: S7W-04650

Asked by: Sanne Dijkstra-Downie, MSP for Edinburgh Northern, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 30 October 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 13 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how many people were diagnosed with lung cancer in each NHS board area in each year since 2016.

Question reference: S7W-04639

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 30 October 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 13 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what support will be available for patients who are unable to attend orthopaedic surgery due to the increased travel requirements arising from the proposed reorganisation of orthopaedic care.

Question reference: S7W-04646

Asked by: Sanne Dijkstra-Downie, MSP for Edinburgh Northern, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 30 October 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 13 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what the prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) was in each NHS board area in the most recent year for which figures are available.