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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

Filter your results Hide all filters

Displaying 88 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S7W-01890

Asked by: Julie MacDougall, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Reform UK
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Kirsten Oswald on 29 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how it is cooperating with HM Revenue & Customs and other UK authorities, in light of reports that 58,000 fraudulent Scotland football kits were seized, amounting to a total of £5 million in potential profit.

The Scottish Government works with HM Revenue & Customs and other partners on the Serious Organised Crime Taskforce, including the National Crime Agency and Border Force, to disrupt all aspects of organised criminality including the production, distribution and sale of counterfeit and illicit goods.

The Scottish Government also supports the Scottish Anti Illicit Trade Group which was re-launched in March 2025 bringing together a wide range of agencies, including HMRC, and brand representatives to identify and develop interventions and tactics that improve the combined effectiveness of enforcement activity.

Question reference: S7W-01748

Asked by: Julie MacDougall, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Reform UK
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Kirsten Oswald on 29 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to introduce stricter penalties for antisocial behaviour on buses.

The National Bus Travel Concession Schemes (Miscellaneous Amendment) (Scotland) Order 2026 enables Scottish Ministers to suspend or withdraw concessionary travel from any cardholder who breaches a national Code of Conduct. It applies to every user of the National Concessionary Travel Schemes, irrespective of age. Transport Scotland is working with bus operators, Police Scotland and local authorities to finalise the Code and the processes that will sit behind it.

We are separately reviewing the Antisocial Behaviour etc. (Scotland) Act 2004 in order to establish whether the wider statutory framework remains fit for purpose.

Question reference: S7W-01745

Asked by: Julie MacDougall, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Reform UK
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 28 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to review the funding it provides to local authorities, in light of reports that these bodies are increasingly unable to deliver critical infrastructure and capital investment projects for residents.

The Scottish Government recognises the pressures facing Local Government and that is why the Local Government Settlement provided record funding of £15.7 billion for 2026-27. Local authorities also have a range of revenue raising powers that are not available to other public services and the ability to borrow to fund their capital programme.

The vast majority of funding allocated by the Scottish Government is provided by means of a block grant and it is then for individual Local Authorities to allocate the total resources available to them, on the basis of local needs and priorities.

The Scottish Government have had to take difficult decisions in light of the disappointing capital settlement from the UK Government’s Spending Review. However, the Scottish Government has a long history of working with COSLA and Local Authorities to make sure Council finances are sustainable and that available resources can meet long-term commitments.

Decisions on future Local Government Settlements will be the subject of negotiations with COSLA on behalf of all 32 Local Authorities and announced as part of the outcome of future Scottish Budgets.

Question reference: S7W-01744

Asked by: Julie MacDougall, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Reform UK
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 28 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the decision of some local authorities to introduce or increase charges for services while simultaneously increasing council tax rates.

Decisions on council tax levels and charges for local services are a matter for Councils to determine locally.

The Scottish Government encourages Local Government to consult with their communities to inform decisions and consider the potential impacts of charges or taxation, particularly on low-income households and vulnerable groups. However, as long as they act lawfully, it is up to each local authority how it manages its day-to-day business and decision-making processes.

Question reference: S7W-00603

Asked by: Julie MacDougall, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Reform UK
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 May 2026
Current Status: Answered by Hannah Mary Goodlad on 10 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to produce specific guidance on and to make regulatory changes to the approval of data centres within current or future planning frameworks.

The Scottish Government recognises the importance of data centres to Scotland’s digital infrastructure and is engaging with planning authorities, the energy sector and other stakeholders to understand emerging development trends. Whilst there are no current proposals for sector-specific guidance or regulatory changes, the need for further guidance will be kept under review and considered as part of ongoing work, and the National Planning Hub will continue to work on Data Centres, developing knowledge, capacity and understanding with Local Government.

Question reference: S7W-00262

Asked by: Julie MacDougall, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Reform UK
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 May 2026
Current Status: Answered by Hannah Mary Goodlad on 9 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to address the budget gap forecast by COSLA in its report, National Strategy and Guidance - Charges Applying to Social Care Support for people at home, in which it projects the gap to increase to £528 million in 2026-2027.

Local Authorities are legally required to set a balanced budget for each upcoming financial year and all 32 councils agreed balanced budgets for 2026-27, ahead of the statutory deadline of 11 March 2026.

The Scottish Government appreciate the pressures facing Local Government and that’s why the Local Government Settlement provided record funding of £15.7 billion for 2026-27, including a quarter of a billion pounds of unrestricted General Revenue Grant and full flexibility on council tax. The vast majority of funding allocated by the Scottish Government is provided by means of a block grant and it is then for individual Local Authorities to allocate the total resources available to them, on the basis of local needs and priorities, including for Social Care Support for people at home.

The Scottish Government has a long history of working with COSLA and Local Authorities to make sure council finances are sustainable and that available resources can meet long-term commitments. Decisions on future Local Government Settlements will be the subject of negotiations with COSLA on behalf of all 32 Local Authorities and announced as part of the outcome of future Scottish Budgets.

Question reference: S7O-00052

Asked by: Julie MacDougall, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Reform UK
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 June 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update regarding the future of the Elmwood Campus of Scotland’s Rural College in Cupar.

Question reference: S7W-00261

Asked by: Julie MacDougall, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Reform UK
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 May 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Gethins on 3 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to fund local authorities to enable them to fulfil their social housing stock obligations to make every property net zero compliant by the relevant deadline.

Since 2021, we have provided almost £90 million of funding to social housing providers, including local authorities, through the Social Housing Net Zero Heat Fund (SHNZHF). This has supported the installation of clean heating and energy efficiency measures to over 13,000 homes, helping tenants reduce their energy bills and emissions, while addressing poor energy efficiency as a driver of fuel poverty.

In our 2026-27 budget, we committed over £300 million to Heat in Buildings capital programmes for retrofit and energy efficiency improvements, including in social housing. I can confirm that the SHNZHF opened to new applications on 23 March and closed on 11 May, with the appraisal of the applications received now underway.