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-03921

Asked by: Joe Fagan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Friday, 02 October 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 30 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with COSLA since the publication of the Programme for Government regarding its plan to replace Integration Joint Boards.

Question reference: S7W-03920

Asked by: Joe Fagan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Friday, 02 October 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 30 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding its Local Governance proposal, whether it will publish its starting point proposals to replace Integration Joint Boards.

Question reference: S7O-00362

Asked by: Joe Fagan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 September 2026
Current Status: Due to be taken in the Chamber on 7 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to engage with the public sector workforce and trade unions regarding its public service reform proposals.

Question reference: S7W-03626

Asked by: Joe Fagan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 September 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 8 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government to what extent it consulted local authority leaders in shaping its recently published proposals for local government reform.

Question reference: S7W-03627

Asked by: Joe Fagan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 September 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 8 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government to what extent it consulted COSLA in shaping its recently published proposals for local government reform.

Question reference: S7W-03628

Asked by: Joe Fagan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 September 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 8 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government to what extent it consulted trade unions in shaping its recently published proposals for local government reform.

Question reference: S7W-02965

Asked by: Joe Fagan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Friday, 04 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 21 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the Programme for Government, how the new regional structures will be accountable to local authorities and local electorates.

As outlined in the Programme for Government, the Scottish Government will be engaging in an extensive dialogue over the next three months with partners in Local Government, across Parliament, and with stakeholders including representatives from local communities, to reach a clear shared direction about the future of local governance in Scotland. As part of this engagement, the Scottish Government will explore with Local Government partners the potential benefits of a regional model for local governance, while ensuring that decisions are taken at the most appropriate level.

Question reference: S7W-02999

Asked by: Joe Fagan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 07 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 21 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the use of green bonds or alternative financing mechanisms such as EUROFIMA, to procure publicly owned rolling stock as part of ScotRail’s future intercity procurement, in light of savings bonds being identified as a potential option in ASLEF’s report, A Public Vision for Financing Scotland’s Railways and in the recommendations set out in its report, Money on Track, Not Offshore as part of the union's Own Our Trains campaign.

Question reference: S7W-02998

Asked by: Joe Fagan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 07 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 21 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the implications for ScotRail’s Fleet Transition Strategy, including any plans for the procurement of publicly owned rolling stock, if the UK Government were to accede to the EUROFIMA Treaty, as proposed by ASLEF in its report, Money on the Track, Not Offshore as part of the union's Own Our Trains campaign.

Question reference: S7W-02966

Asked by: Joe Fagan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Friday, 04 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 21 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the Programme for Government announcement on local government reform, what discussions it had with COSLA prior to the announcement, what criteria it will use in identifying local authorities that might be candidates for merger, and whether it has identified any potential such local authorities and, if so, which.

Discussions with Local Government partners over the summer established an agreed need for reform of public services to meet the complex demographic, fiscal and demand-led challenges facing those services. Alongside engagement at an official level, the Cabinet Secretary for Public Service Reform, First Minister and I each held discussions with COSLA on behalf of local authorities which informed the approach.

As the Scottish Government takes forward implementation of this work and considers the wider reform agenda, we will continue to work closely with our Local Government partners to build consensus around a shared vision for the future of local governance. As part of this process, we will consider which functions and responsibilities may be more effectively delivered at a regional level, alongside the powers and resources that should sit closer to communities.