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-37651

Asked by: Lorna Slater, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 May 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 29 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what action it (a) has taken in the last six months and (b) is planning to take to improve waiting times for autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) assessments in the Lothian region.

Question reference: S6W-37573

Asked by: Lorna Slater, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 May 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 27 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government when it will introduce legislation to require all public buildings and those supported by public funding to connect to district heating, to help provide demand assurance for heat networks.

Question reference: S6W-37571

Asked by: Lorna Slater, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 May 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 27 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government when it will launch the consultation on the necessary secondary legislation needed for the implementation of the Heat Networks (Scotland) Act 2021 to enable distributed heat provision to benefit from the same statutory undertaker rights as any other licenced utility in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-37574

Asked by: Lorna Slater, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 May 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 27 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to provide support, similar to that available for heat pump installation, to help households meet the cost of connecting to a heat network.

Question reference: S6W-37572

Asked by: Lorna Slater, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 May 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 27 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its plans are to legislate to require waste heat to be made available to heat networks to support Scotland’s transition to zero carbon heating.

Question reference: S6W-36687

Asked by: Lorna Slater, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 2 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government which incinerators, including those with accepted planning permission, are able to destroy persistent organic pollutants, in alignment with the SEPA guidance on the management of waste upholstered domestic seating.

As Scotland’s independent environmental regulator, SEPA determine the permitting of facilities and what waste streams they are allowed to accept. There are 8 municipal incinerators in operation in Scotland with a further 3 in construction. SEPA have advised that evidence shows the temperatures reached in municipal incinerators is sufficient to destroy the specific persistent organic pollutants (brominated flame retardants) which are found in elevated levels in waste upholstered domestic seating.

Question reference: S6W-36688

Asked by: Lorna Slater, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 2 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government which incinerators accept waste upholstered domestic seating for disposal.

Question reference: S6F-04026

Asked by: Lorna Slater, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 28 April 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 1 May 2025

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6W-36518

Asked by: Lorna Slater, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 22 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider increasing portion sizes in free school meals, in light of reported comments from young carers that the portions are too small, particularly for children who may be missing other meals at home.

Local authorities must ensure that school meals, free or paid for, meet the nutrient standards set out in the Nutritional Requirements for Food and Drink in Schools (Scotland) Regulations 2020. The nutrient standards are based on scientific evidence and dietary advice and designed to ensure that children and young people are provided with meals that contain an appropriate amount of energy and key nutrients to support their healthy growth and development. Operational decisions such as what food and drink to include on menus and what portion sizes should be provided are a matter for local authorities. The statutory Healthy Eating in Schools guidance contains practical advice on portion sizes recognising that needs are likely to be different across the school age ranges and notes that local policies should be in place to address that.

Question reference: S6O-04464

Asked by: Lorna Slater, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 March 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 20 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the deposit return scheme, including whether it will be appointing a deposit management organisation on schedule in April 2025.