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-04688

Asked by: Julie MacDougall, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Reform UK
Date lodged: Monday, 02 November 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 16 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide further details on how it plans to address social housing waiting lists for properties run by local authorities, as part of its recent proposals for local government reform.

Question reference: S7W-04687

Asked by: Julie MacDougall, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Reform UK
Date lodged: Monday, 02 November 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 16 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide information on how local authorities will be further supported to build new and maintain current social housing stocks, as part of its proposals for local government reform.

Question reference: S7W-04689

Asked by: Julie MacDougall, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Reform UK
Date lodged: Monday, 02 November 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 16 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide more autonomy to local authorities and head teachers to enable them to adequately meet the additional support needs of pupils in schools, as part of its plans for local government reform.

Question reference: S7W-04259

Asked by: Julie MacDougall, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Reform UK
Date lodged: Monday, 12 October 2026
Current Status: Answered by Kirsten Oswald on 29 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers that there are any gaps in the collection of data relating to male and female domestic abuse incidents across Scotland and, if so, whether it will commit to addressing any such gaps, including in relation to Fife.

The Scottish Government produces a wide range of Official Statistics on domestic abuse in Scotland.

At the broadest level the Scottish Crime and Justice Survey estimates the proportion of adults living in Scotland who have experienced partner abuse, split into male and female victims and whether the latest incident of abuse was reported to the police. The survey has been revamped to include new questions on partner abuse, reflecting the latest legislation and public concern. The first results for these new questions, covering 2023-24 and 2024-25 combined, will be published next year.

Where domestic abuse comes to the attention of police, information is available in the recorded domestic abuse incidents statistics (Domestic abuse: statistics recorded by the police in Scotland, 2024-25 - gov.scot). Further details are provided in the recorded crime official statistics (for crimes recorded under the Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2018 (Recorded Crime in Scotland, 2025-26 - gov.scot – see Table 2A), as well as the homicide statistics for cases involving partners or ex-partners (Homicide in Scotland 2025-26 see Table 8 for relationship between victim and accused). For each of these three products data is available split by male and female victims, and for the Fife council area (either through existing publications or on request). In line with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics, each publication invites feedback on people’s use of our statistics and any suggestions for improvement.

Question reference: S7W-04260

Asked by: Julie MacDougall, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Reform UK
Date lodged: Monday, 12 October 2026
Current Status: Answered by Kirsten Oswald on 29 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will commit to provide any additional funding to Victim Support Scotland's Fife division to support its work assisting victims in the local area.

The Scottish Government provide funding to Victim Support Scotland (VSS) through the Scottish Government’s Victim Centred Approach Fund (VCAF). VSS have received over £30m in funding for the period 01 April 2022 to 31 March 2027 from VCAF. The Scottish Government is not involved in distribution of the grant to its localised services as this is a matter for VSS.

VSS has also received £2.4 million from the Victim Surcharge Fund since it was established, to provide immediate and practical support to victims of crime and their families.

The Victim Surcharge Fund has recently reopened for applications from organisations that provide support to victims of crime across Scotland, closing on 17 November 2026.

Question reference: S7W-04115

Asked by: Julie MacDougall, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Reform UK
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 October 2026
Current Status: Answered by Hannah Mary Goodlad on 29 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Bannockburn Rising project, what assessment it has made of whether there will be an increased need for parking and other infrastructure at the site and around Scotland’s other cultural centres where there is planned redevelopment.

Question reference: S7W-04062

Asked by: Julie MacDougall, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Reform UK
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 October 2026
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 28 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Scottish Sentencing Council paper, Public Perceptions of Sentencing: 2025 Survey Report, published in February 2026, which found that 60% of respondents believed that sentencing for domestic abuse crimes is generally too lenient, what action it is taking to strengthen criminal sanctions against the perpetrators of domestic abuse.

The maximum penalty for the offence of 'abuse of a partner or ex-partner' at section 1 of the Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2018 is 14 years imprisonment, where the offender is convicted on indictment and sentenced in the High Court. Other offences used to prosecute acts of domestic abuse include assault and sexual assault, which carry maximum penalties of up to life imprisonment.

Sentencing in individual cases is a matter for the independent judiciary, within the overall legal framework, taking account of all the relevant facts and circumstances of each individual case, and of any relevant sentencing guidelines produced by the Scottish Sentencing Council. This preserves the operational independence of the criminal justice system and keeps it free from the risk of political interference. In any given case involving domestic abuse, the independent judiciary has extensive powers to impose an appropriate sentence on domestic abusers.

The Scottish Sentencing Council paper, Public Perceptions of Sentencing: 2025 Survey Report which can be found at Public perceptions of sentencing, found that 60% of respondents to a poll commissioned by the Council thought that sentencing is either 'much too lenient' or 'a little too lenient'. These findings related to sentencing generally and was not directly related to sentencing for domestic abuse crimes.

The survey asked respondents for their views on sentencing of people convicted of domestic abuse offences. It found that a majority of participants thought a community or other non-custodial sentence was the most appropriate sentence for offences involving either a violent assault or a pattern of coercive control. In line with this, most people were supportive of requiring people convicted of these offences to attend courses aimed at addressing their offending behaviour as an alternative to prison.

The Scottish Sentencing Council, which is independent from the Scottish Government, has the statutory functions of

promoting consistency in sentencing practice;
assisting the development of policy in relation to sentencing; and
promoting greater awareness and understanding of sentencing policy and practice.

One of the main ways it does this is via the production of sentencing guidelines for the Scottish courts. Sentencing guidelines help to ensure sentences are consistent, fair and proportionate. The Council recently consulted on a draft guideline on sentencing for domestic abuse offences. More information about this work can be found on their website at: Domestic abuse | Scottish Sentencing Council.

Question reference: S7W-03709

Asked by: Julie MacDougall, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Reform UK
Date lodged: Monday, 28 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 26 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government when it will amend the Local Government (Allowances and Expenses) (Scotland) Regulations to update the motor mileage rate to 55p per mile, as agreed by local authorities.

The amount councillors can claim in expenses, including the motor mileage rate, is set in the Local Government (Allowances and Expenses) (Scotland) Regulations 2007. These regulations are ordinarily updated on the advice of the Scottish Local Authorities Remuneration Committee (SLARC). COSLA has approached us regarding the recommendation SLARC made in February 2024 relating to councillor expenses. The Scottish Government accepted this recommendation in principle in July 2024 but considered it required further consideration by local government.

As part of engagement with COSLA, the updated HMRC mileage rate has been raised. Discussions are ongoing and no decisions have been taken regarding any changes to the current arrangements at present. We expect COSLA to keep councillors updated on any progress in this area.

Question reference: S7W-04025

Asked by: Julie MacDougall, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Reform UK
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 October 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 23 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will commit to supporting increased tourism across Fife, in light of data sourced from VisitScotland indicating that the region is ranked on the lower end of tourist numbers for the whole country, recording 1.1 million overnight visitors compared to Edinburgh's 4.5 million visitors and the Highlands' 2.8 million.

The Scottish Government recognises tourism’s importance to Fife’s economy and continues to work through VisitScotland, Fife Council and local partners to promote the region, support tourism businesses and encourage year-round visitation. This includes supporting destination development projects such as the Fife Pilgrim Way and maximising opportunities from major events, including The Open 2027 in St Andrews, while also engaging with local stakeholders to help strengthen and grow Fife’s visitor economy.

Question reference: S7W-04421

Asked by: Julie MacDougall, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Reform UK
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 October 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 18 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of Fife Council's decision to not take into account 431 objections to Uber Scot Limited's booking office licence application, particularly regarding the electronic communication and authentication provisions of paragraph 16A of Schedule 1 to the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982, and whether it plans to review the adequacy of guidance to local authorities on the acceptance and validation of electronic objections.