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-41030

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 06 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 17 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what support is available for Scottish businesses that are seeking to reshore their manufacturing to Scotland.

We want a strong manufacturing sector to help drive Scotland's economic growth and resilience. Our significant investment of £75m in the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS) lies at the heart of our ambitions. At the same time, we are developing a Skills Action Plan for Manufacturing to help ensure a steady flow of talent into the sector. This package includes the £2m already committed to Glasgow City Region to support the development of engineering skills programmes in the area and through delivery of the Scottish Manufacturing Advisory Service (SMAS) we are helping businesses drive sustainable change by investing in productivity, performance, and people.

Question reference: S6W-41156

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 October 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 6 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has undertaken of what the potential impact could be of removing Land and Buildings Transaction Tax on the purchase of a primary residence.

Question reference: S6W-41149

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 October 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 6 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to introduce a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week thrombectomy service, in light of the recent announcement that such a service has been introduced at Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham.

Question reference: S6W-40791

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 26 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 9 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking in response to reports of over 40,000 breaches of homelessness laws by local authorities in recent years.

Question reference: S6W-40811

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 26 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 9 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has identified any police stations that are at risk regarding the presence of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC).

Question reference: S6W-40822

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 26 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 9 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the reported link between reduced public confidence in community safety and police officer shortages.

The Scottish Government recognises the importance of visible policing for public confidence. However, perceptions of community safety are shaped by a range of factors, including falling levels of crime, local police engagement, and broader community support.

Crime in Scotland has fallen significantly under this administration.

Scotland is a safer place since this government took office. Recorded crime remains below the position immediately prior to the pandemic (2019-20), and is down 39% since 2006-07.

The proportion of adults who were a victim of violent and property crime has also fallen from one-in-five (20.4%) in 2008-09 to one-in-eight (12.1%) in 2023-24 and the Scottish Crime & Justice Survey (2023-24) showed more people feel safe walking alone in their neighbourhood after dark increasing from 66% in 2008-09 to 75% in 2023-24. Over the same time period the proportion of adults who thought violence between groups of individuals or gangs was common in their area fell from 26% to 13%.

The Scottish Government have increased police funding year on year since 2016-17, investing more than £14.6bn since the creation of Police Scotland in 2013. In 2025-26, we will increase the police funding to £1.64 billion , an increase of £90 million on 2024-25, to support police capacity and capability.

Our investment in policing enabled Police Scotland to take on more recruits last financial year than at any time since 2013, with further intakes planned throughout 2025. The latest official statistics show there were 16,427 full time equivalent police officers at 30 June 2025.

Police Scotland also has a healthy recruitment pipeline having welcomed around 1,500 new officers since the beginning of 2024 including a further 136 new recruits on 1 September 2025.

Specific Police Scotland officer number statistics by division, can be found by following the link.

Question reference: S6W-40809

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 26 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 9 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what funding it will allocate to Police Scotland to meet any repair needs.

The management of the Police Scotland estate, including the allocation of resources to the police estate, is an operational matter for the Chief Constable under the oversight of the Scottish Police Authority.

We are investing a record £1.64 billion in policing in 2025-26. This includes £70 million of capital funding for investment in police assets, including the police estate.

Planning for the Scottish Spending Review has begun, and the review will identify opportunities to optimise the use of Scottish Government funding over the longer term. As part of this process, we are working closely with the Scottish Police Authority and Police Scotland to understand their 2026-27 budget requirements.

Question reference: S6W-40815

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 26 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 9 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has met with the Scottish Police Federation to discuss any Police Scotland building repair needs.

Question reference: S6W-40810

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 26 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 9 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any impact on officer morale of Police Scotland buildings that are in a poor condition.

The Scottish Government welcome’s Police Scotland’s commitment to providing a safe environment for officers, staff and the public.

Management of the Police Scotland estate, including assessing the impact of the condition of police buildings on staff morale, is an operational matter for the Chief Constable under the oversight of the Scottish Police Authority (SPA).

It is for the SPA and the Chief Constable to allocate resources to meet their priorities and I expect they will be reflecting fully on any health and safety issues, and of course on the wellbeing of officers and staff.

Question reference: S6W-40814

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 26 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 9 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what contingency plans exist for police operations in the event that any Police Scotland buildings are deemed unsafe.