Chamber and committees

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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-38041

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 30 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Natalie Don-Innes on 13 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what data it has on how the £60 million for play park renewal has been (a) allocated and (b) spent across all 32 local authorities.

Capital funding for the play park renewal programme is distributed to all 32 Local Authorities based on population of 0-14 year olds and rurality. In the first year, the formula was:

1.95% on population 0-14

2.5% on rurality

From 2022-23, the formula was:

1.93% on population 0-14

2.7% on rurality

The full table of allocations to each local authority by year is:

Local Authority	2021-22	2022-23	2023-24	2024-25	2025-26	Total
Aberdeen City Council	£188,000	£185,000	£373,000	£559,000	£932,000	£2,237,000
Aberdeenshire Council	£296,000	£308,000	£616,000	£924,000	£1,539,000	£3,683,000
Angus Council	£108,000	£111,000	£220,000	£330,000	£550,000	£1,319,000
Argyll and Bute	£76,000	£79,000	£157,000	£235,000	£391,000	£938,000
City of Edinburgh Council	£414,000	£406,000	£811,000	£1,216,000	£2,027,000	£4,874,000
Clackmannanshire Council	£47,000	£46,000	£93,000	£139,000	£231,000	£556,000
Comhairle nan Eilean Siar Council	£29,000	£32,000	£62,000	£93,000	£156,000	£372,000
Dumfries and Galloway Council	£140,000	£146,000	£291,000	£437,000	£728,000	£1,742,000
Dundee City Council	£125,000	£122,000	£243,000	£365,000	£609,000	£1,464,000
East Ayrshire Council	£112,000	£112,000	£224,000	£336,000	£561,000	£1,345,000
East Dunbartonshire Council	£102,000	£100,000	£202,000	£303,000	£505,000	£1,212,000
East Lothian Council	£108,000	£108,000	£218,000	£327,000	£545,000	£1,306,000
East Renfrewshire Council	£102,000	£101,000	£204,000	£306,000	£509,000	£1,222,000
Falkirk Council	£147,000	£145,000	£289,000	£434,000	£723,000	£1,738,000
Fife Council	£344,000	£342,000	£681,000	£1,022,000	£1,703,000	£4,092,000
Glasgow City Council	£525,000	£514,000	£1,028,000	£1,542,000	£2,570,000	£6,179,000
Highland Council	£234,000	£245,000	£488,000	£732,000	£1,219,000	£2,918,000
Inverclyde Council	£65,000	£63,000	£126,000	£189,000	£314,000	£757,000
Midlothian Council	£98,000	£97,000	£197,000	£295,000	£492,000	£1,179,000
Moray Council	£92,000	£94,000	£188,000	£282,000	£469,000	£1,125,000
North Ayrshire Council	£118,000	£117,000	£231,000	£347,000	£578,000	£1,391,000
North Lanarkshire Council	£324,000	£319,000	£635,000	£952,000	£1,586,000	£3,816,000
Orkney Islands Council	£24,000	£26,000	£51,000	£77,000	£128,000	£306,000
Perth and Kinross Council	£140,000	£144,000	£291,000	£437,000	£728,000	£1,740,000
Renfrewshire Council	£158,000	£155,000	£307,000	£461,000	£768,000	£1,849,000
Scottish Borders Council	£113,000	£117,000	£234,000	£352,000	£586,000	£1,402,000
Shetland Islands Council	£28,000	£31,000	£61,000	£91,000	£151,000	£362,000
South Ayrshire Council	£94,000	£94,000	£189,000	£283,000	£472,000	£1,132,000
South Lanarkshire Council	£298,000	£296,000	£597,000	£896,000	£1,493,000	£3,580,000
Stirling Council	£84,000	£85,000	£168,000	£253,000	£421,000	£1,011,000
West Dunbartonshire Council	£81,000	£79,000	£157,000	£235,000	£392,000	£944,000
West Lothian Council	£186,000	£184,000	£369,000	£553,000	£922,000	£2,214,000
Total	£5,000,000	£5,000,000	£10,000,000	£15,000,000	£25,000,000	£60,000,000

The Scottish Government does not hold data on local authorities receipted spend on play park renewals. In accordance with the reporting template agreed with COSLA in 2021, local authorities are not required to provide a detailed breakdown of the play park renewal funding. It is the responsibility of individual local authorities to manage their own budgets and to allocate the total financial resources available to them based on local needs and priorities.

Question reference: S6W-38040

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 30 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Natalie Don-Innes on 13 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has received any data on the inclusion of accessible or inclusive equipment in play parks renewed using its renewal funding, and whether this data will be published.

The Scottish Government does not receive data from Local Authorities on the inclusion of accessible or inclusive equipment in play parks renewed using the renewal funding. As noted in the answer to S6W-38036 on
13 June 2025, Local Authorities report annually every April on their play park renewals carried out as a result of the Scottish Government’s £60m play park renewal funding.

As noted in the answer to S6W-38037 on 13 June 2025 the Scottish Government has chaired quarterly network meetings of Local Authority play park leads. The network allows Local Authorities to provide updates and how funding is being used and to share best practice and common issues.

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: S6W-38042

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 30 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Natalie Don-Innes on 13 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has assessed the (a) geographic and (b) socio-economic spread of play park renewals funded through its £60 million fund, and, if so, whether it will publish any such assessment.

The £60 million play park renewal funding is allocated to local authorities to use across their whole play estate. It is the responsibility of individual local authorities to manage their own budgets and to allocate the total financial resources available to them based on local needs and priorities. The Scottish Government recognise that the extent of renewal and refurbishment will be influenced by local plans and investment priorities and engagement with children and young people.

The Scottish Government does not hold data centrally on the geographic and socio-economic spread of play parks within local authority estates.

Question reference: S6W-38003

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 June 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 26 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, as part of its work to further the case for Scottish independence, whether it has undertaken any internal economic modelling of the potential impact on trade of introducing customs checks at Gretna and Berwick in an independent Scotland, and, if so, whether it will publish this.

Question reference: S6W-38014

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 June 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 26 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, as part of its work to further the case for Scottish independence, whether it will commit to publishing a full impact assessment of the potential (a) economic and (b) social implications of any hard border between an independent Scotland and the rest of the UK, in advance of any future independence referendum being held.

Question reference: S6W-38002

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 June 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 26 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, as part of its work to further the case for Scottish independence, whether it has consulted with small business representative organisations regarding the potential impact on their members of a trade border between an independent Scotland and the rest of the UK.

Question reference: S6W-38001

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 June 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 26 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, as part of its work to further the case for Scottish independence, what assessment it has made of the potential administrative burden that could be placed on small Scottish exporters in the event that cross-border trade between an independent Scotland and the rest of the UK required customs declarations.

Question reference: S6W-38008

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 June 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 26 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, as part of its work to further the case for Scottish independence, what assessment it has made of any potential disruption to Scottish public procurement contracts held by suppliers based in England under any border regime in an independent Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-37999

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 June 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 26 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, as part of its work to further the case for Scottish independence, what economic modelling it has undertaken of the potential impact on Scotland’s GDP growth of introducing a hard border with the rest of the UK.

Question reference: S6W-38006

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 June 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 26 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, as part of its work to further the case for Scottish independence, what assessment it has made of the potential impact of any border delays on the viability of transporting perishable goods such as seafood and fresh produce from an independent Scotland to the rest of the UK.