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-44296

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 25 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide details of any work it has undertaken in relation to the remit and anticipated timescales of the recently announced public inquiry into grooming gang activity in Scotland.

The Inquiry is currently in its early set-up phase, and the detailed Terms of Reference for the Inquiry will be developed over the coming months with Professor Jay. I need to be clear that it is not for Ministers to direct an independent inquiry chair on costs and duration.

Through my discussions with Professor Jay so far, she has said she wants to ensure the Inquiry delivered at pace while ensuring it has the flexibility to investigate any areas it deems necessary. My officials continue to work at pace on the initial set-up of the inquiry.

Mr Findlay was amongst cross-party MSPs invited to a briefing session which I chaired on 16 March to engage with Professor Jay and the Inspectorates leading the National Review into group-based child sexual abuse and exploitation to hear more about progress on these matters.

Post-election, the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills will provide an update to the Scottish Parliament as work to formally establish the Inquiry advances.

Question reference: S6W-44304

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2026
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 25 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a detailed breakdown of all costs that it has incurred to date on all aspects of the Deposit Return Scheme.

The Scottish Government has spent £234,285.95 in setting up the Deposit Return Scheme since 2018. This includes the costs associated with consultation, publication of regulations and associated documents, evaluations, independent reviews and assurance.

In addition, as of January 2026, the costs incurred by the Scottish Government in the legal challenge from BIFFA Waste Services Ltd in relation to the Deposit Return Scheme is £447,092.

Civil Servants operate flexibly across a range of policies and programmes according to the specific requirements of their work at any given time. They do not, as a matter of course, record the proportion of their time spent working on particular matters. It is therefore not possible to provide an expenditure figure regarding how much the Scottish Government has spent on work by Civil Servants involved with the Deposit Return Scheme.

Question reference: S6W-44303

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 24 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Scottish National Party’s 2021 election manifesto pledge to provide free breakfasts to every primary school pupil, how many primary school pupils are not yet in receipt of a free breakfast at school.

Breakfasts in Scotland are currently being delivered through a range of provisions, including Scottish Government, Local Authority and schools funded services as well as private and third sector services. Mapping carried out by the Improvement Service in 2024 demonstrates that almost 50% of primary schools in Scotland already deliver a breakfast offer.

This builds on our Programme for Government 2021 commitment to “develop plans to deliver free breakfasts to all primary and special school children and to start pilot provision.

The school age childcare Programme has invested in delivery of funded breakfast clubs, after school clubs, and holiday clubs across this Parliamentary term to learn and understand what parents need to support work, and what children need to thrive with a strong focus on tackling poverty.

In 2025-26, we invested £3 million in our Bright Start Breakfasts fund which is currently supporting 20,000 children access breakfast across 490 clubs. In our 2026-27 Scottish Budget, we confirmed that we will continue to invest in the Bright Start Breakfasts Fund for delivery across the 2026-27 academic year.

As part of that delivery we will provide an additional £15 million in 2026-27 to expand breakfast club provision and help schools, councils and third sector partners prepare for the introduction of a national breakfast club offer. Further, from 2027-28, we will invest £44 million each year to ensure that there is a free breakfast club universally available to all children in primary and special schools across Scotland from August 2027.

Question reference: S6W-44302

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 24 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how many full-time equivalent teachers (a) were employed in 2021 and (b) are currently employed.

Question reference: S6F-04775

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 23 March 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 March 2026

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6W-44295

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2026
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 23 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answers by Angela Constance to question S6W-41854 on 25 November 2025 and question S6W-43390 on 28 January 2026, whether it will provide an update on any enquiries it has made regarding the likely timescales of the work conducted on behalf of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service in relation to the Scottish Government’s commitment to hold an inquiry into malicious prosecutions relating to Rangers Football Club.

As previous answers indicated, COPFS advise Shelagh McCall KC has been instructed to independently consider reports of criminal conduct relating to the Rangers prosecutions to ensure any allegations are considered fairly and objectively. COPFS has also advised as the investigation by Shelagh McCall KC is being progressed independently of COPFS, the timescale for concluding the investigation is a matter for Shelagh McCall KC.

Question reference: S6W-44328

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 23 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide details of all identified breaches of the Register of Tobacco and Nicotine Vapour Product Retailers since 2020-21, broken down by (a) year and (b) local authority area.

Question reference: S6W-44299

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2026
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 23 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how much of the (a) A9 and (b) A96 has been dualled since the start of the current parliamentary session in 2021 to date.

The A9 dualling programme will upgrade 83 miles (133 kilometres) of road from single to dual carriageway. As of March 2026, two out of the eleven sections of the A9 dualling programme have been completed totalling 11 miles (17kilometres). This includes the first section to be dualled, Kincraig to Dalraddy, which has been operational since September 2017, and the second section to be dualled, Luncarty to Pass of Birnam, which has been operational since August 2021. Since the start of the current parliamentary session in 2021 construction works have commenced on the third and fourth sections to be dualled, which together total 11 miles(17 kilometres), with contract award for the Tomatinto Moy contract in July 2024 and for the Tay Crossing to Ballinluig project in July 2025. Procurement of the4 mile(6.4 kilometre)fifth section, the Pitlochry to Killiecrankie project, also commenced in July 2025.

Turning to the A96, the Scottish Government remains committed to dualling the A96 and we are pressing forward with the steps to make this happen.

Investment in the trunk road network over the next four years will allow the Scottish Government to make further progress on dualling the A96 between Inverness and Nairn, including the Nairn Bypass. With the statutory procedures completed and land acquired in 2025, funding is included in the 2026/27 draft Budget to commence the delivery of advanced works for this scheme, with a view to commencing procurement of the main works construction contract within this Capital Spending Review period.

The Scottish Government’s preference would be to deliver the A96 Dualling Inverness to Nairn (including Nairn Bypass) as one project. However, due to the continued fiscal challenges which follow nearly 14 years of austerity and cost pressures under the previous UK Government, it is planned that we will take forward a phased approach to delivery, starting with the Nairn Bypass, followed by the remaining sections of the scheme, from Seafield, east of Inverness, to Balloch and then on from Balloch to the Nairn Bypass. Following the A96 Dualling Inverness to Nairn (including Nairn Bypass) scheme, the Scottish Government will continue to progress improvements to the A96 eastwards, including an Elgin Bypass.

Question reference: S6W-44330

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 23 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide details of all criminal prosecutions relating to breaches of the Register of Tobacco and Nicotine Vapour Product Retailers since 2020-21, broken down by (a) year and (b) local authority area.

Question reference: S6W-44331

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 23 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide details of all criminal prosecution disposals relating to breaches of the Register of Tobacco and Nicotine Vapour Product Retailers since 2020-21, broken down by (a) year and (b) local authority area.