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-03154

Asked by: Julie MacDougall, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Reform UK
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 September 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 24 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether any proposed reforms to local government will include a review of community councils, with the aim of strengthening their role and influence over decisions that affect their local communities.

Question reference: S7W-03092

Asked by: Julie MacDougall, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Reform UK
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 September 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 24 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on what it deems to be the minimum expected standards of behaviour and social values for people seeking asylum while residing in Scotland.

Question reference: S7O-00213

Asked by: Julie MacDougall, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Reform UK
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 September 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 15 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will assess the potential economic impact on Scotland's labour market of recent updates to the UK Register of licensed sponsors.

Question reference: S7W-03028

Asked by: Julie MacDougall, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Reform UK
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 September 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 23 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Rural Affairs has decided not to appoint a replacement for Calum MacLeod following his resignation from the Scottish Land Commission, resulting in the Commission having four commissioners rather than the five provided for in the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2016.

Question reference: S7W-02413

Asked by: Julie MacDougall, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Reform UK
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 4 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has any plans to reinstate a Scottish VAT grant scheme for listed places of worship, similar to the scheme administered by the UK Government in England, to assist with the costs of repair and maintenance.

Question reference: S7W-02414

Asked by: Julie MacDougall, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Reform UK
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 4 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what work it is undertaking to support listed places of worship with the costs of repairs.

Question reference: S7W-02352

Asked by: Julie MacDougall, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Reform UK
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Simita Kumar on 3 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government in which local authority and NHS board areas LGBT Health and Wellbeing deliver services, and which NHS boards have provided funding to the charity.

LGBT Health and Wellbeing is a national charity. The Scottish Government does not hold information on funding received by charities from bodies other than the Scottish Government. Details of charities funding arrangements may be obtained from the organisation directly or through their published accounts.

NHS Boards and Local Authorities are responsible for their own operational decision-making, including how they engage with and respond to the needs of the communities they serve.

Question reference: S7W-02351

Asked by: Julie MacDougall, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Reform UK
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Simita Kumar on 3 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government if it has knowledge of how many biological men will be taking part in programs ran by the "LGBT Health and Wellbeing" charity to instruct them in "Queer Milk classes" on how to breastfeed, given the Scottish Government has provided nearly £262,000 in aid to this charity.

The Scottish Government has received clear and unambiguous assurance that the voluntary run parental group, Queer Milk, is not training men to lactate and feed infants. Any claim to the contrary is untrue.

Queer Milk is a small, volunteer-led peer-support group for LGBTQ+ parents and carers. The group forms part of LGBT Health and Wellbeing's wider community wellbeing programme, which aims to reduce social isolation, support mental wellbeing, and provide opportunities for peer connection. The Scottish Government does not directly fund Queer Milk.

It is important to be clear that Queer Milk is not a clinical service. The group does not prescribe medication, induce lactation, provide medical treatment, offer clinical advice on infant feeding, train individuals to breastfeed or replace professional healthcare services.

Any media reports, organisations or individuals claiming the contrary is false.

Question reference: S7W-02323

Asked by: Julie MacDougall, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Reform UK
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 3 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting Glasgow School of Art in its effort to restore the Macintosh Building.

The future of the Mackintosh building is of great importance to the Scottish Government and to me as Culture Secretary.

Following conclusion of a long running insurance matter, I met with the Glasgow School of Art to discuss their plans to invest in a significant enabling project, funded by an insurance settlement, and provide a platform for future rebuilding.

The clear preference of the Scottish Government is for the building to be faithfully reinstated, and we have welcomed the Glasgow School of Art’s commitment to exploring every opportunity with the support of partners for a faithful reinstatement. While the Glasgow School of Art are owners and custodians of the building, the Scottish Government will continue to engage closely with them on their plans. No request for public funding has been made, however we will work with the Glasgow School of Art and other partners to secure a prosperous future for the Mackintosh building.

Question reference: S7W-02161

Asked by: Julie MacDougall, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Reform UK
Date lodged: Monday, 17 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 3 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that high levels of E. coli have been found in the water around Kinghorn Harbour and, whether it considers that a previous decision by it to overturn a SEPA enforcement notice issued to Scottish Water in 2024, regarding the identification and elimination of sources of contamination in the Kinghorn area, has had any bearing on the current situation, and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.

We take all reports of poor water quality at bathing waters seriously. SEPA, Scottish Water and other relevant bodies continue to work together to understand the source of contamination at the bathing water at Kinghorn Harbour and identify any necessary actions to improve water quality.

Following an appeal against SEPA’s 2024 enforcement notice, the reporter determined that the notice was not valid, as it did not meet the requirements of the Water Environment (Controlled Activities) (Scotland) Regulations 2011. This finding was issued in February 2025.

The 2024 enforcement notice required Scottish Water to carry out investigative work. Scottish Water had already begun the scoping, resourcing and implementation of this work prior to receiving the revised enforcement notice in September 2025. In addition, SEPA continued to sample and investigate pollution sources between February 2025 and September 2025. This would suggest that the decision to overturn the enforcement notice had no material bearing on the reports of high levels of E.coli identified in the Kinghorn Harbour bathing water.