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-44034

Asked by: Paul McLennan, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 March 2026
Current Status: Answered by Angus Robertson on 17 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what support it has provided to Médecins Sans Frontières in relation to its humanitarian work in Gaza.

The Scottish Government has not funded the Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) humanitarian response in Gaza. MSF is primarily funded by private donations, as opposed to government funding, as a way of prioritising operational neutrality.

However, Scottish Government funding through other organisations and UN-led pooled funds has directly responded to the pressing humanitarian needs of the civilian population in Gaza.

Since the outset of the current conflict, the Scottish Government has committed £2.3 million in humanitarian funding for Gaza and the wider Middle East. This includes £750k for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), £550k to the Disasters Emergency Committee Appeal, Mercy Corps and Scottish Catholic Aid Fund (SCIAF) and a £600K contribution to the multi-donor pooled fund led by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs(OCHA) for the Occupied Palestinian Territories. This funding has funded the provision of life-saving health services, food and nutrition assistance, emergency shelter, water and sanitation, protection services, education support and cash for families, ensuring aid reaches those most at risk.

The Scottish Government has also recently provided £400,000 to the Dundee-based global health charity Kids Operating Room to establish the Gaza HOPES Field Readiness Hub which will support a rapidly deployable hospital in Gaza for provision of essential surgical, maternity and paediatric services, and facilitate the future recovery of the decimated healthcare sector through ongoing training of medical staff.

The Scottish Government has repeatedly expressed its concern about the humanitarian situation in Gaza. Scottish Ministers have called for the unfettered access of humanitarian aid throughout the conflict and reiterated the importance of an immediate influx of humanitarian aid following the ceasefire agreement that commenced on 19 January 2025.

Question reference: S6W-44339

Asked by: Paul McLennan, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2026
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Ben Macpherson on 13 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the review of modern apprenticeship contribution rates.

The review of modern apprenticeship contribution rates will be undertaken in two stages. The first stage of the review will begin imminently, in March 2026, and the initial evidence gathering work will be complete by the end of June 2026. The second stage will commence in February 2027 and will involve a more in-depth consideration of contribution rates.

The scope and terms of reference for the MA contribution rates review can be found on the Scottish Government website at: https://www.gov.scot/publications/modern-apprenticeship-contribution-rates-review-scope-and-terms-of-reference

Question reference: S6W-43807

Asked by: Paul McLennan, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 February 2026
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 4 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to introduce regional variation in Land and Buildings Transaction Tax relief for first-time buyers to reflect differing housing market conditions across Scotland.

There are no plans to amend the LBTT legislation to reflect different housing market conditions. Such significant changes could create considerable complexity in terms of the administration of the tax by Revenue Scotland; and impact on both revenues and the Scottish Government’s ability to effectively respond to our national priorities.

We recognise the value this relief provides, and its operation is being considered as part of the ongoing review of LBTT. That review is the appropriate forum for assessing the effectiveness of existing reliefs and ensuring they remain properly targeted and proportionate. The outcomes of this review will be published before the end of this Parliamentary term.

Question reference: S6W-43806

Asked by: Paul McLennan, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 February 2026
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 4 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on which stakeholders it has engaged with during its review of Land and Buildings Transaction Tax.

Question reference: S6W-43805

Asked by: Paul McLennan, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 February 2026
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 4 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on when it will conclude its review of Land and Buildings Transaction Tax, and when it will publish its findings.

All aspects of LBTT review work remain on track for ultimate report publication before the end of this Parliamentary term

Alma Economics were appointed to undertake independent research on various aspects of the legislation and engaged with a range of relevant organisations to support this. We have now received their final report, and officials are currently considering our initial response to the findings ahead of the report’s publication in the coming weeks.

Officials are currently finalising internally led review strands following close engagement with relevant stakeholders, including industry experts, Registers of Scotland and Revenue Scotland.

As set out in Scottish Budget 2025-26, the review will support decisions in the next Scottish Parliament on whether any legislative changes should be brought forward.

Question reference: S6W-43808

Asked by: Paul McLennan, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 February 2026
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 3 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the number of residential buildings affected by unsafe cladding, and what proportion of remediation costs it expects to be met through levy funding.

The precise number of buildings is dependent on the outcome of the Single Building Assessment process and whether that assessment deems a building of tolerable risk. Assessment and remediation progress is published in the Cladding remediation - gov.scot.

The Scottish Government’s Key points - Scotland’s cladding remediation estimates: June 2025 - gov.scot that around 250 of the residential high-rise (18m+) buildings in Scotland and around 1,020-1,200 of the mid-rise (11-18m) residential buildings in Scotland might require work to alleviate external wall system (EWS) life-safety fire risk.

Using these estimated figures, early, indicative forecasts: Cladding remediation: capital spend forecasting - gov.scot suggest it could require public capital funding in the range of £1.7 billion to £3.1 billion over a potential 15-year programme of work. This estimate includes adjustments for construction price inflation and for optimism bias, which reflects the usual tendency to underestimate costs at the outset of a capital project.

The Scottish Building Safety Levy (SBSL) is intended to raise between £360 million and £450 million over 12 to 15 years: Building Safety Levy - Taxes - gov.scot. Using the lower ends of both ranges (£360 million compared with £1.7 billion) and the upper ends (£450 million compared with £3.1 billion), the levy is estimated to contribute around 15% to 21% of the total capital funding required for the Cladding Remediation Programme.

Question reference: S6W-43809

Asked by: Paul McLennan, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 February 2026
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 3 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what the target date is for carrying out remediation of unsafe cladding in Scotland to ensure that all high-risk buildings are made safe.

Question reference: S6O-05526

Asked by: Paul McLennan, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 February 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how the recently announced legal aid reforms will ensure the accessibility of justice.

Question reference: S6O-05455

Asked by: Paul McLennan, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 January 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 4 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what implications the recent announcement of next steps for its £1.5 billion bonds programme will have for the financing of major capital projects across Scotland.

Question reference: S6O-05435

Asked by: Paul McLennan, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 January 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 29 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made on improving accommodation standards in relation to legislation that currently exists in Scotland for seasonal agricultural workers.