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-04036

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 October 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 3 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the potential impact of the Building Safety Levy on the viability of small and medium-sized housebuilders operating in the Highlands and Islands.

Question reference: S7W-03911

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 October 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 3 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how many times the Glen Sannox used liquefied natural gas (LNG) when docking prior to its 2026 annual overhaul, for what reason the decision was made to no longer use LNG when docking, and when that decision was made.

Question reference: S7W-04037

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 October 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 3 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to introducing a reduced rate, exemption or other mitigation for developments in remote, rural and island communities under the Building Safety Levy.

Question reference: S7W-04035

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 October 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 3 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the potential impact of the Building Safety Levy on the cost of constructing new homes in the Highlands and Islands.

Question reference: S7W-03619

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Gethins on 6 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the finding by the Competition and Markets Authority, in its final report into the retail supply of home heating oil, that the lowest numbers of competitors supplying home heating oil are concentrated in the Highlands and Islands, and what measures it will take to improve consumer choice in these areas.

While we are actively considering how we can address the significant concerns for our rural and island communities that were raised in the report, only the UK Government has the power to deliver the structural reform needed for meaningful change. Given the current and ongoing volatility of international events, it is critical that they make urgent progress on implementing the report’s recommendations.

In the meantime, we will continue to provide support through our Scottish Emergency Heating Oil Scheme which enables eligible households to apply for £300 towards their heating oil and liquid petroleum gas bills.

Question reference: S7W-03618

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Gethins on 6 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the findings and recommendations of the Competition and Markets Authority's final report on the retail supply of home heating oil, and what action it plans to take in response to the report's recommendations concerning consumers.

The Scottish Government is carefully considering the recommendations of the report. Officials are actively engaging with the Competitions and Markets Authority as well as key stakeholders including Consumer Scotland, the UK and Ireland Fuel Distributors Association, the UK and Northern Ireland Governments and consumer advice organisations on how these can be progressed within our devolved powers, including the feasibility of developing a permanent heating oil price checker tool for Scotland.

We continue to make the case to the UK Government that it is critical that it makes urgent progress on implementing the report recommendations.

Question reference: S7W-03617

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Gethins on 6 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with home heating oil suppliers and other relevant organisations about the resilience of heating oil supplies, in light of the Competition and Markets Authority's finding that Scotland is particularly affected by wholesale supply issues.

The Scottish Government welcomed the Competition and Markets Authority's report, which illustrates the higher prices faced by Scottish households, and reinforces our longstanding concerns about the disparity in consumer protections for those reliant on heating oil.

We remain in close contact with key fuel suppliers across Scotland to ensure that we have the information necessary to monitor the current situation and in turn to inform our planning for all eventualities.

Given the current and ongoing volatility of international events, it is critical that UK Government makes urgent progress on implementing the report recommendations. Ultimately, only they have the power to deliver the structural reform needed for meaningful change.

In the meantime, we will continue to deliver support through our Scottish Emergency Heating Oil Scheme. The scheme enables eligible households to apply for £300 towards their heating oil and liquid petroleum gas bills.

Question reference: S7W-03592

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 6 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of what the £20 million fund for Orkney and Shetland, which was announced on 11 December 2024, was spent on.

The vast majority of funding available to Local Authorities is provided by means of a block grant. It is then the responsibility of individual local authorities to manage their own budgets and to allocate the total financial resources available to them, including on inter island connectivity, on the basis of local needs and priorities.

Ultimately, locally elected representatives are best placed to make local decisions on how to allocate resources in their communities.

Local authorities have a statutory duty under the Local Government in Scotland Act 2003 to report on their outcomes, alongside a requirement to prepare and publish annual accounts. Shetland and Orkney Island Councils would be expected to set out how they have allocated the totality of funding available to them in 2025-26, including the £20 million, in their accounts for the year.

Question reference: S7W-03589

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 6 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how many of the 252 new zero-emission buses and coaches that it announced on 23 July 2024 have been delivered.

A total of 263 zero-emission buses and coaches were delivered through Phase 2 of the Scottish Zero Emission Bus Challenge Fund (ScotZEB2). This exceeds the original commitment to support 252 vehicles. All vehicles supported will be brought into service by operators in line with their own deployment plans.

Through ScotZEB2, the Scottish Government has supported significant investment in zero-emission vehicles and charging infrastructure, accelerating the decarbonisation of Scotland's bus and coach fleet while helping to improve air quality and deliver cleaner, greener public transport services for communities across the country.

Question reference: S7W-03590

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 6 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how much of the £41.7 million grant funding that it announced on 23 July 2024 for the purpose of delivering 252 new zero-emission buses and coaches was spent, and whether any additional funding was requested by any of the eight operators that received the funding.

A total of £41,649,182.68 was spent through Phase 2 of the Scottish Zero Emission Bus Challenge Fund (ScotZEB2) supporting delivery of 263 zero-emission buses and coaches. No additional funding was requested by participating operators.

With every £1 of public funding leveraging in £3 of private investment, ScotZEB2 has successfully demonstrated how collaboration between operators, manufacturers, energy providers and financiers can accelerate the transition to zero-emission public transport across Scotland.