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: S6O-05682

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2026
Current Status: Due to be taken in the Chamber on 19 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what its response is to the Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee announcement on pastoral support for MSPs that was made in the Chamber on 10 March.

Question reference: S6W-44014

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 02 March 2026
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 11 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that election materials, including postal ballot papers, are delivered on time and to a high standard prior to the Scottish Parliament election on 7 May 2026, in light of reports from the Communication Workers Union that the decreasing postal service workforce in Scotland could pose a risk to these deliveries.

While Royal Mail and postal delivery services are reserved to the UK Government the Scottish Government is committed to the safe delivery of the parliamentary election on 7 May.

I have been concerned to see the recent reports from the BBC and other media outlets stating that Royal Mail are pursuing a policy of prioritising the delivery of parcels while letters remain undelivered for a much longer period of time than should be the case. This is why I have already written to Mr Alistair Cochrane, Interim CEO of the Royal Mail Group requesting a meeting to discuss with him how Royal Mail intend to ensure election materials are delivered within the required timescales. This meeting is scheduled to take place on 19 March 2026.

In addition, representatives of the Electoral Management Board for Scotland will be meeting with Royal Mail on a weekly basis from mid-March through to the election on 7 May. This has been normal practice in the run up to previous elections and provides an opportunity to deal with any issues as they arise.

Question reference: S6W-44149

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 March 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 24 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the adequacy of grid inertia in light of the planned closure of Torness Nuclear Power Station.

Question reference: S6W-44147

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 March 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 24 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of the closure of Torness Nuclear Power Station on grid stability.

Question reference: S6W-44150

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 March 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 24 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it supports the extension of the life of Torness Nuclear Power Station.

Question reference: S6W-44148

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 March 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 24 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of the closure of Torness Nuclear Power Station on consumer energy bills.

Question reference: S6T-02879

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 02 February 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 3 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reported concerns that pupils, parents and teachers may have to wait until 2031 for meaningful reform of the qualifications system, and that Qualifications Scotland will only be a rebrand of the Scottish Qualifications Authority, with many of the same structures and staff remaining in place.

Question reference: S6W-43098

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 January 2026
Current Status: Answered by Natalie Don-Innes on 29 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what its reasoning is for commissioning an independent review of the legislative landscape around children in care by Professor Kenneth Norrie, in light of the Minister for Children, Young People and The Promise noting in the Chamber on 14 January 2026 that the Scottish Government has already received legal advice from Melanie Barbour KC, which was commissioned by the independent body, The Promise Scotland.

The work by the Promise Scotland an excellent starting point for consideration of how to address challenges in our current legislative landscape. The Independent Review of Scotland’s Legislative Framework for Children’s Care will build upon that work, not replicate, and will engage widely across the Children’s services landscape. It is vital that this engagement takes place in order to produce clearer commendations on how best to make the maximum practical difference, including potential legislative change, to children and families, and those involved in the care and support of children, aligning with the principles of The Promise, UNCRC, and GIRFEC.

The Review will run until January 2027, with findings to be published on conclusion.

Question reference: S6W-43097

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 January 2026
Current Status: Answered by Natalie Don-Innes on 29 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what information it currently holds regarding the need for a review of the legislative landscape around care experienced people, and whether it will publish this information.

In line with the conclusions of the Independent Care Review, The Promise Scotland have published various reports and route-maps outlining the case for a consolidation of the legislative landscape of Scotland’s children’s services.

These publications are all available to read on the Promise Scotland’s website: https://thepromise.scot/

These reports note that this is a starting point, and further consideration of the broader legislative landscape will be required.

When published, the findings of the Independent Review of Scotland’s Legislative Framework for Children’s Care will empower the Scottish Government to make an evidence-based, well-informed decision at a later date as to if the legislative framework would benefit from being amended and, if so, how this can be best achieved.

Question reference: S6W-43021

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 January 2026
Current Status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 29 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding has been identified for youth work in the draft Scottish Budget 2026-27.

The Scottish Government remains committed to youth work and continues to provide support through a range of funding streams. This includes the local authority block grant, which gives councils significant flexibility to allocate resources for youth work in their area.

In recognition of their critical role in delivering localised services, including youth work, the Scottish Government is increasing the total resources available to local government in 2026-27 by almost £651 million.

We are also investing significant funding in youth work through programmes such as Cashback for Communities which the Scottish Government has committed to finance for a further three years, supported by a record budget of up to £26 million - an increase of £6 million from the previous phase.

This is in addition to £150,000 of new funding for youth work in 2025-26, announced on 27 October, supporting measures to help re-engage young people from low-income backgrounds with school and address anti-social behaviour, and deliver investment in grassroots youth work.

Since 2023 the Scottish Government has also invested more than £2 million in community-based youth work through national youth work organisations, including YouthLink Scotland and Youth Scotland, to reach young people outside school. This includes funding for over 5,500 youth workers in 2025-26 to develop skills, knowledge and confidence to deliver youth work through training opportunities.