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-43887

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 23 February 2026
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 5 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will undertake an urgent assessment of the five contracted partners in SSEN Distribution’s £950 million framework for improving subsea grid connections for Scotland’s island communities, in relation to upholding the aims of the Fair Work Convention, which was renewed on 19 February 2026.

SSEN’s £950 million framework does not include any public funding, and the Scottish Government does not have the levers to enforce Fair Work conditions on private investments.
Employment law is reserved to the UK Government.
The Scottish Government strongly encourages all employers in Scotland to follow Fair Work principles as part of its wider Fair Work agenda, and is using all the levers available to us to make Fair Work the norm by promoting and embedding Fair Work within every Ministerial portfolio and across the economy, including through our Fair Work First conditionality policy.

Question reference: S6W-43886

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 23 February 2026
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 4 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with CalMac regarding any anticipated increase in commercial shipping activity in the west of Scotland over the next five years.

The Scottish Government meets regularly with CalMac to discuss a wide variety of matters related to the Clyde & Hebrides Ferry Services.

For example, SSEN Transmission’s Lewis Hub will lead to an increase in demand for commercial vehicle movements to Stornoway over the next five years. CalMac and Transport Scotland have been working closely with SSEN Transmission to understand their plans to minimise impact on the Stornoway to Ullapool route and ensuring that our lifeline ferry services remain resilient for those who rely on them.

Question reference: S6F-04731

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 02 March 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 5 March 2026

To ask the First Minister, in light of the theme of this year’s International Women’s Day being equal rights and equal justice, what action the Scottish Government is taking to improve the legal rights of women and girls.

Question reference: S6W-43888

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 23 February 2026
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 2 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the number of seafarer jobs that will be created in Scotland by SSEN Distribution’s five-year contract for improving subsea grid connections for island communities in the west of Scotland.

Scotland’s strengths and areas of competitive advantages positions us well to seize the opportunities of net zero.

The Scottish Government welcomes the investment by SSEN Distribution, which will help upgrade the subsea network serving Scotland’s islands, improving its resilience, and supporting Scotland’s net zero ambitions. It will also support thousands of high-quality green jobs and drive growth across the local, regional, and national economies as part of our net zero transformation.

SSEN estimate the investment will support more than 450 specialist jobs for every year the agreements are in place with a minimum contract period of 5 years.

Question reference: S6W-43767

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 16 February 2026
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 24 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what financial assessment it has made of any impact on the fiscal sustainability of Ferguson Marine of its decision to reduce the annual subsidy provided to the shipyard by almost half.

Question reference: S6O-05561

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 February 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that local authorities receive fair and sustainable funding settlements.

Question reference: S6O-05499

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 February 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 12 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the greater use of private bodies to deliver public services, what its position is on whether freedom of information law should be reformed to close loopholes, strengthen the powers of the Scottish Information Commissioner and enable the speedier extension of the coverage of freedom of information to relevant bodies.

Question reference: S6T-02866

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 26 January 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Scottish Information Commissioner taking legal action against it in relation to it missing deadlines to produce documents regarding James Hamilton’s investigation into alleged breaches of the Ministerial Code.

Question reference: S6F-04603

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 19 January 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 22 January 2026

To ask the First Minister whether the Scottish Government will comply with the Scottish Information Commissioner’s ruling that files relating to James Hamilton's investigation into whether the former First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, broke the ministerial code must be published by 22 January 2026.

Question reference: S6W-42785

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 December 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 9 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how many adults diagnosed with phenylketonuria (PKU) have been assessed for responsiveness to sapropterin treatment in each of the last five years.