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-02869

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 17 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of whether the recommendations of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service Delivery Review adequately address the risks posed by climate change, including wildfires.

The Service Delivery Review was carried out to ensure that the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) continues to provide a high level of service by realigning service provision to meet risk and demand.

Climate related emergencies are an increasing and evolving threat and the Service Delivery Review will lead to redistribution of resources to support emerging priorities including the preventative measures needed to continue to support the increase in these emergencies, including wildfires.

Question reference: S7W-02867

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 17 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the availability of decontamination facilities for firefighters operating in prolonged incident environments, including wildfires.

The provision of decontamination facilities is an operational matter for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS).

Scottish Government is aware that the SFRS has established decontamination arrangements to support firefighters operating at prolonged incidents, including wildfires. Where local facilities are unavailable, alternative arrangements are in place to support access to decontamination facilities.

Question reference: S7W-02870

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 17 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers that the current crewing arrangement for specialist wildfire firefighting resources is suitable.

Deployment of resources and crewing arrangements are operational matters for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS). It has the ability to mobilise resources nationally for any wildfire incident.

As part of the SFRS Wildfire Strategy, which was launched in 2023, 37 community fire stations across Scotland now provide enhanced wildfire response capability. While this forms the specialist wildfire response capability all other operational community fire station personnel are able to respond to wildfire incidents and support operational activity.

Question reference: S7O-00276

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 September 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 23 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to Audit Scotland’s report, Scotland’s colleges 2026.

Question reference: S7W-02865

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 15 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to the need for a greater focus on the prevention of, and response to, large-scale wildfires within the Civil Contingencies Act 2004.

The Civil Contingencies Act 2004 already provides the statutory framework concerning preventing, planning for and responding to emergencies in Scotland, including wildfires. To strengthen preparedness for wildfire specifically, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) have developed a multi-agency Wildfire Concept of Operations (CONOPS) for consideration by the Scottish Resilience Partnership. It promotes a greater emphasis on prevention, risk reduction, readiness and multi-agency coordination, alongside operational response.

The Scottish Government’s Wildfire Strategic Action Plan sets out a coordinated approach to preventing, preparing for and responding to wildfires, and was published on 5 March 2026.

Question reference: S7W-01806

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 17 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 5 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding Cooperative Development Scotland will receive under the 2026-27 Budget.

Funding allocations within Scottish Enterprise are operational matters for the agency. I am advised by Scottish Enterprise that, through its most recent Letter of Engagement, it has been directed to ensure that it supports social enterprises, co-operatives and employee-owned businesses. Businesses using these models can access wider Scottish Enterprise services, provided they meet the general business criteria for those services.

Question reference: S7W-01804

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 17 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 5 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how many specialist advisers are directly employed to provide advice and support through Cooperative Development Scotland.

Question reference: S7W-01805

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 17 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 5 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how many businesses and people have been supported by Cooperative Development Scotland in each year since 2021-22.

These are operational matters for Scottish Enterprise. I am advised by Scottish Enterprise that, since 2021-22, Cooperative Development Scotland has provided direct support to a total of 199 employee-owned companies and 94 co-operatives.

The following table shows the number of employee-owned companies and co-operatives that received direct support in each financial year:

Year	Direct Support to Employee ownership companies	Direct Support for Co-operatives
25-26	49	20
24-25	26	17
23-24	30	18
22-23	50	19
21-22	44	20

Question reference: S7W-01803

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 17 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 4 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what role it plans for Cooperative Development Scotland in delivering the provisions of the Community Wealth Building (Scotland) Bill.

The Community Wealth Building (Scotland) Act 2026, passed by the Scottish Parliament on 10 February, requires public bodies to work together and actively implement the approach more systematically across Scotland by producing local Community Wealth Building Action Plans, and reporting progress. While Co-operative Development Scotland is not a specified public body in the Act, Scottish Enterprise, of which CDS is a part, must work with local authorities and other public bodies within local ‘community wealth building partnerships’ across Scotland to produce local action plans within three years of commencement of the Act. The local partnerships also have a duty to implement the community wealth building plans and report on progress.

Question reference: S7W-01807

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 17 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 4 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the Fair Work Agenda, whether Cooperative Development Scotland support is dependent on businesses and people adhering to fair work principles.

Through our flagship Fair Work First approach, we are applying fair work criteria to public sector grants, other funding and contracts where it is relevant to do so – driving fair work practices across the labour market. As part of this approach, Scottish Enterprise, of which CDS is a part, have committed to Fair Work First principles. There is currently no obligation from Scottish Government for the businesses and organisations supported through CDS to make the same commitment, as CDS does not provide grant funding.