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-04321

Asked by: Sanne Dijkstra-Downie, MSP for Edinburgh Northern, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 16 October 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 13 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to publish a named lead, an implementation plan and a timetable for responding to the COVID-19 Inquiry’s findings on ventilation and air filtration.

Question reference: S7W-04317

Asked by: Sanne Dijkstra-Downie, MSP for Edinburgh Northern, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 16 October 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 13 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what action is being taken in response to paragraph 1.105 of the COVID-19 Inquiry Module 3 report, which states that "all hospitals built in England in the context of the UK government’s New Hospital Programme – and any new facilities built in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland – ought to be designed in a way that maximises the opportunities for effective ventilation" and that "In the short term, the use of HEPA filters should be prioritised within healthcare across the UK."

Question reference: S7W-04318

Asked by: Sanne Dijkstra-Downie, MSP for Edinburgh Northern, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 16 October 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 13 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will commit to prioritising HEPA filtration in healthcare settings where adequate ventilation cannot otherwise be achieved.

Question reference: S7W-03467

Asked by: Sanne Dijkstra-Downie, MSP for Edinburgh Northern, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 21 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Gethins on 5 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that local communities receive meaningful financial benefits from new onshore renewable energy developments.

The Scottish Government has already made significant progress in ensuring communities receive meaningful financial benefits from onshore renewable energy developments. In 2025 alone, around £40 million was offered to communities, supported by our Good Practice Principles for Community Benefits from Onshore Renewable Energy Developments.

To build on this, we plan to publish refreshed onshore Good Practice Principles by the end of 2026. This will support local communities to continue to receive meaningful, lasting benefits, by updating the recommended community benefit fund levels, setting clearer expectations across technologies and development types, and strengthening the guidance, tools and support to help communities manage and distribute funds.

Question reference: S7W-03469

Asked by: Sanne Dijkstra-Downie, MSP for Edinburgh Northern, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 21 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 1 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish its updated Wildfire Strategic Action Plan and what additional measures the plan will contain to reduce the risk of wildfires.

The Scottish Government and key partners are currently reviewing the Wildfire Strategic Action Plan to ensure it continues to reflect the increasing wildfire risk, and to identify if further measures are required.

The review is being undertaken alongside continued delivery of the existing action plan and a number of priority areas, including aerial firefighting support, public awareness and prevention communications activity, wildfire danger assessments, and strengthened multi-agency communication and operational arrangements have been identified for increased focus.

It is expected that progress will be delivered on a number of the priority areas ahead of the 2027 wildfire season, with further updates to be provided as the review progresses.

Question reference: S7O-00368

Asked by: Sanne Dijkstra-Downie, MSP for Edinburgh Northern, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 September 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made in developing a new national funding framework for hospice care.

Question reference: S7W-03468

Asked by: Sanne Dijkstra-Downie, MSP for Edinburgh Northern, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 21 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Gethins on 30 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how many of the 100,000 properties identified in its Programme for Government are expected to have benefited from energy efficiency measures by the end of financial year 2026-27.

Question reference: S7W-03163

Asked by: Sanne Dijkstra-Downie, MSP for Edinburgh Northern, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 24 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it has abandoned the Learning Disabilities, Autism and Neurodivergence Bill despite the significant work undertaken by various stakeholders and organisations to develop the Bill.

We remain committed to improving outcomes for people with learning disabilities, autistic people and neurodivergent people.

After careful consideration we have concluded that action is needed now through policy reform, service improvement and targeted investment, rather than by the Learning Disabilities, Autism and Neurodivergence (LDAN) Bill, which would take time to progress and implement.

The focus will be on delivering practical improvements, while retaining the option of future legislation should evidence show that additional statutory measures are required to achieve the outcomes that people expect and deserve.

Question reference: S7O-00335

Asked by: Sanne Dijkstra-Downie, MSP for Edinburgh Northern, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 September 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 1 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government when it will commission feasibility studies on bringing sections of the Water of Leith and Wardie Bay into safe public usage, in light of its Programme for Government commitment.

Question reference: S7W-02903

Asked by: Sanne Dijkstra-Downie, MSP for Edinburgh Northern, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 16 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how many high-priority illegal waste sites SEPA is currently monitoring, broken down by (a) estimated tonnage of waste and (b) site location.

SEPA has advised that it uses a risk model that provides a score to allow prioritisation. At the start of 2026-27 there were 76 sites classified as high priority. Of these, 45 sites were identified as deposit of waste or disposal of waste by burial. Investigation and Enforcement action has concluded at one site with full compliance achieved and this will not be included in the data set.

Since the start of 2026-27 a further six high-priority illegal waste sites have been identified, providing a total of 50 high-priority waste sites being actively investigated. Of these 50 sites, 7 have been sufficiently disrupted to reduce the risk to the environment and communities however, investigations will continue until the identified outcome has been achieved.

High priority 1 monitored illegal waste sites.

Site Location (SEPA Geographic Locations)	Site identifier	Estimated Tonnage
Argyll, Hebrides and South Highlands	Site 1	145
Edinburgh, Lothian and Borders	Site 1	725
Site 2	725
Fife, Angus and Dundee	Site 1	725
Site 2	>725
Site 3	145
Site 4	145
Falkirk, Alloa, Stirling and Perth	Site 1	300
Grampian & Speyside	Site 1	300
Site 2	145
Greater Glasgow and Clyde Estuary	Site 1	300
Site 2	>725
Site 3	75
Site 4	300
Site 5	>725
Site 6	725
Site 7	145
Site 8	>725
Site 9	145
Site 10	145
Site 11	>725
Site 12	725
Lanarkshire	Site 1	>725
Site 2	725
Site 3	725
Site 4	>725
Site 5	300
Site 6	725
Site 7	145
Site 8	300
Site 9	>725
Site 10	725
Site 11	>725
Site 12	145
Site 13	>725
Site 14	>725
Site 15	145
Site 16	145
North Highland and Northern Isles	Site 1	145
Site 2	300
Site 3	300
Site 4	300
Site 5	145
South West Scotland	Site 1	145
Site 2	725
Site 3	145
Site 4	300
Site 5	>725
Site 6	>725

1 For prioritisation purposes SEPA do not record exact or estimated tonnages. SEPA record estimated financial benefit so a calculation using estimated financial benefit and the UK landfill tax rate of £130.75 per tonne has been used to estimate tonnage. SEPA’s Digital Transformation Project will improve the data captured as part of a centralised repository of investigations. Where SEPA investigations are still active the tonnage may not yet be fully determined or it may be part of the evidence. As such, any data released into the public domain could compromise the investigation, influence witness statements, affect future court proceedings or impact the privacy of those involved. The data provided is set out to protect detection and investigative processes.

Throughout an investigation the calculated tonnage on site may increase or decrease, e.g. it may be determined that the illegal deposit initially identified as being above ground extends below ground level upon further investigation resulting in an increase in tonnage. Definitive tonnages of waste on significant waste disposal sites will only ever be available following site removal of the waste.

The data provided is based on the investigation progress as of 7 September 2026.

Further Information is available from SEPA.