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-03908

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 02 October 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 30 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding it will make available to support rural mental health initiatives delivered by the Royal Scottish Agricultural Benevolent Institution (RSABI) and Farmstrong Scotland, in each of the next five years, as set out in its Programme for Government.

Question reference: S7W-03913

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 02 October 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 30 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government when it will finalise the A9 Framework Agreement, as set out in its Programme for Government.

Question reference: S7W-03661

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 25 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Ruth Charteris on 2 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how many drivers have been (a) charged and (b) prosecuted for driving while using a mobile phone, in each year since 2021.

The following table has been produced in answer to the above question. It should be noted that these figures relate to charges reported to COPFS, rather than individual drivers. COPFS uses a live, operational database to manage the processing of reports submitted to Procurators Fiscal by the police and other reporting agencies throughout Scotland. It is designed to meet business needs in the processing of criminal cases, rather than for statistical analysis and the information within it is structured accordingly.

The database has been searched for charges received by COPFS under the Scottish Government classification as mobile phone driving offences. This covers offences under S41D(b) of the Road Traffic Act 1988.

During the period 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2026 the following charges were reported to COPFS in each financial year (1 April to 31 March).

	Financial Year reported
	2021-22	2022-23	2023-24	2024-25	2025-26
Charges reported	832	1210	1461	1420	1846

Charges prosecuted	567	730	1090	1062	1236

This data includes all charges under this classification with a first substantive marking for court action.

Question reference: S7W-03594

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Alyn Smith on 2 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S7W-02595 by Alyn Smith on 17 September 2026, what the policy rationale is for the Student Awards Agency Scotland paying the student contribution fee for eligible Scottish-domiciled students undertaking approved first-degree courses at specified higher education institutions in the Republic of Ireland, while Scottish-domiciled students undertaking courses elsewhere in the UK are required to fund their tuition fees through a repayable tuition fee loan, including where the chosen course is unavailable at any higher education institution in Scotland.

Under the Free Fees Initiative of the Irish Government, Scottish-domiciled students may be eligible for free tuition fee funding for approved full-time undergraduate courses at higher education institutions in the Republic of Ireland. Students still incur the cost of the annual student contribution charge.

The student contribution charge is not a tuition fee but is an additional charge to cover general costs such as student services, libraries, registration and examination fees at a higher education institution in the Republic of Ireland. Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) covers the student contribution fee on behalf of eligible Scottish-domiciled students undertaking an approved first-degree course at specified higher education institutions under a long-standing historical arrangement.

Scottish-domiciled students studying in the rest of the UK are required to pay the fees set by the UK Government. The Scottish Government has had to make a difficult decision therefore, that in order to continue free tuition in Scotland for Scottish-domiciled students, and as the majority of Scottish-domiciled students choose to study in Scotland, tuition fee loans will be offered to Scottish students who study in the rest of the UK.

Question reference: S7W-03533

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 2 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is satisfied that an application made under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989 accurately reflects the development that an applicant plans to construct, particularly where an applicant is simultaneously progressing materially different generating capacity, storage capacity or other project parameters through separate regulatory processes.

Question reference: S7W-03534

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 2 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether the Energy Consents Unit has sought clarification from Loch Kemp Storage Ltd regarding the discrepancy between the 600 MW development application currently being considered under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989 and the application for 660 MW capacity submitted through Ofgem’s Long Duration Electricity Storage scheme, and, if so, what clarification it has received.

Question reference: S7W-03893

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 October 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 29 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what protections or transitional arrangements are in place for responsible businesses that were operating before a control area was introduced but are subsequently facing administrative delays when trying to establish their planning status prior to licence renewal.

Question reference: S7W-03890

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 October 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 29 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers that the current planning and licensing framework is operating fairly and coherently for established short-term let businesses that pre-date the designation of short-term let control areas.

Question reference: S7W-03891

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 October 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 29 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the housing benefits arising from the Badenoch and Strathspey Short-Term Let Control Area, beyond changes in the total number or growth rate of registered short-term lets.

Question reference: S7W-03892

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 October 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 29 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to review the interaction between Mandatory Condition 13 of the short-term let licensing scheme, short-term let planning control areas and the treatment of long-established short-term let operators.