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-03733

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 28 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Alyn Smith on 26 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of whether the cost of student accommodation is affecting students’ choice of university by making it financially necessary for some to study within commuting distance of their family home, and what action it is taking to ensure that accommodation costs do not create a barrier to accessing higher education.

Question reference: S7W-03730

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 28 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Alyn Smith on 26 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of whether the cost of student accommodation is limiting university choice for students from lower-income households by making it financially necessary for them to study within commuting distance of their family home.

It is open to students to accept any placement offer made to them and a number of factors will contribute to that decision.

Please refer to the response to PQ S7W-03729 on 26 October 2026 for information regarding the research/data that is available.

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.

Question reference: S7W-03716

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 28 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Alyn Smith on 26 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider introducing measures to limit annual rent increases in purpose-built student accommodation, and what assessment it has made of any potential impact of such measures on student affordability.

Rent controls or measures to limit annual rent increases in purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) were recently considered during parliamentary consideration of the Housing (Scotland) Act 2026. Full transcripts are available on the Scottish Parliament website.

At that time concerns around affordability of PBSA were considered, recognising that it is a complex issue with affordability itself difficult to define.

Rental costs, which usually include utility costs, broadband and other provisions are currently a matter for accommodation providers.

Question reference: S7W-03719

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 28 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Hannah Mary Goodlad on 26 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will review planning and building standards guidance to determine whether additional safeguards are required regarding businesses that store significant numbers of lithium-ion battery-powered products in or adjacent to listed, historic or architecturally significant buildings.

The planning and building standards systems have limited scope to control what specific goods are sold within shops.

However, the storage of lithium-ion batteries, which are used in a range of products, should be informed by a fire risk assessment carried out by a competent fire risk assessor. Fire risk assessments are already a legal requirement for duty holders of all relevant (non-domestic) premises.

Question reference: S7W-03727

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 28 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 26 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Government and British Transport Police regarding police officer numbers and resources available to police Scotland’s railways, in light of the reported increase in assaults across the rail network.

Scottish Government officials maintain regular engagement with rail industry stakeholders, including the British Transport Police (BTP), on a range of matters relating to the safe operation of Scotland's railway.

Decisions regarding police officer numbers, deployment and operational resources are matters for the BTP and the British Transport Police Authority (BTPA). The Scottish Government has not held any specific discussions with the UK Government regarding police officer numbers on Scotland's railways in response to the latest Office of Rail and Road statistics.

However, I recently wrote to the Chair of the BTPA highlighting the importance of maintaining an effective and visible policing presence across Scotland's rail network and encouraging the Authority to reflect Scotland's distinct operational circumstances in future resource and estate planning.

Question reference: S7W-04474

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 23 October 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 20 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S7W-04191 by Ruth Charteris on 22 October 2026 regarding the Code of Practice on the investigative functions as set out in section 57 of the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 2016, whether it will provide details regarding the established legal and procedural safeguards that are in place for investigative functions in the absence of the Code of Practice.

Question reference: S7W-04472

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 23 October 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 20 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government following the answer to question S7W-04191 by Ruth Charteris on 22 October 2026, for what reason it considers that the absence of a published Code does not mean that investigative functions have operated without established legal and procedural safeguards.

Question reference: S7W-04473

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 23 October 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 20 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S7W-04191 by Ruth Charteris on 22 October 2026 regarding the Code of Practice on the investigative functions as set out in section 57 of the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 2016, for what reason (a) this work was not completed before the coronavirus pandemic and (b) work on development of the Code was deemed an insufficient priority by the Lord Advocate's office at the time.

Question reference: S7W-03976

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 05 October 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 23 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what recent assessment has been made of the condition of ScotRail carriages.

Transport Scotland's Service Quality Incentive Regime (SQUIRE) inspectors carry out service quality audits on approximately 250 train services during each four-week railway reporting period. These audits assess a range of factors, including cleanliness, presentation and the condition of train interiors and exteriors, providing a regular and comprehensive assessment of the condition of ScotRail carriages across the network.

Where issues are identified through routine inspections, maintenance activities or the SQUIRE regime, appropriate remedial action is taken to maintain standards and support a safe, reliable and comfortable environment for passengers.

Question reference: S7W-03975

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 05 October 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 23 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether there is a renovation plan for ScotRail trains.