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: S6F-03941

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 24 March 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 March 2025

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to the UK Government’s Spring Statement.

Question reference: S6O-04489

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 March 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what the impact will be on discretionary funding in the current financial year of the International Financial Reporting Standard 16 changes outlined in its Spring Budget Revision.

Question reference: S6O-04445

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S6W-34898

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 4 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how much the annual cost would be to provide free ferry tickets for island-based residents of (a) Argyll and Bute, (b) North Ayrshire and (c) the Highlands and Islands who are aged under 22.

We intend to provide free foot passenger travel on inter-island ferries for under 22-year-old island residents within the Outer Hebrides, Orkney, and Shetland Island groups.

We also intend to extend the existing ferry concessionary scheme - which provides 4 journeys to or from the mainland each year for 16-18 year-old islanders - up to and including 21 year olds across Scotland.

We have no current plans to extend this further and have therefore not considered in detail any operational issues or matters such as implementation costs.

High level estimates, based on a range of assumptions, for annual spend on CalMac and NorthLink ferry passenger fares for island-based residents under 22 years old would be as follows:

(a) – Argyll and Bute Council area: Between £0.5m and £0.7m.

(b) – North Ayrshire Council area: Between £0.3m and £0.4m

The figures are rounded to the nearest £0.1m and the range in costs reflects potential travel behaviour change.

Question reference: S6O-04407

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 February 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how the proportion of ScotRail trains that were cancelled in 2023-24 compares with other rail operators across the UK.

Question reference: S6W-34810

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 25 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason there has reportedly been limited progress in taking forward the Ayrshire Growth Deal.

The Ayrshire Growth Deal has faced significant challenges - including cost inflation, technical complexities and the COVID-19 pandemic - which have adversely affected project timelines and budgets. In addition, development of two key projects resulted in them no longer being deemed commercially viable. These challenges have largely been beyond the control of the Growth Deal,

Despite such challenges, partners across the three Ayrshire local authorities have been progressing substantive development work, including a reassessment of capital projects as part of a wider programme review aimed at accelerating progress.

Scottish Government officials continue to work closely with Deal partners to ensure projects are delivered within the remaining period of the Growth Deal and within budget.

Question reference: S6O-04318

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 February 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 19 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, as part of the cross-government co-ordination on islands, including connectivity, what discussions the rural affairs secretary has had with ministerial colleagues regarding support in the draft Budget 2025-26 to improve ferry services to Arran.

Question reference: S6W-33997

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 24 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 5 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government in what year it was decided that the community benefit for wind farms should be £5,000 per megawatt.

Despite the powers to mandate community benefits being reserved to the UK Government, Scotland has made significant progress with the voluntary approach through the Scottish Government’s Good Practice Principles (GPPs) for Onshore Developments, which recommends community benefit equivalent to £5,000 per MW per annum. This was first published in the GPPs in 2014 and maintained in the 2019 refresh, following a public consultation and co-development with communities and industry. These Principles have been widely adopted with over £30 million offered to Scottish communities in the last 12 months.

We are currently undertaking a consultation on our Good Practice Principles for onshore and offshore renewable energy developments, which closes on the 11 April. We want to gather a wide range of views to ensure Scottish guidance supports sustainable and meaningful outcomes, and encourage everyone to take part in the consultation.

Question reference: S6O-04309

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 January 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the importance of the A737 to North Ayrshire.

Question reference: S6W-33787

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 20 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 29 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding private finance initiative (PFI) and public private partnership (PPP) contracts, what the total amount in unitary charge payments is that (a) has been paid since 1997-98, up to and including the latest financial year for which figures are available, for all (i) expired and (ii) active projects, and (b) remains to be paid for all active projects until contract expiry by (A) local authorities, (B) NHS Scotland, (C) the Scottish Funding Council, (D) Transport Scotland, (E) the Scottish Prison Service, (F) Scottish Water, (G) Police Scotland and (H) the Scottish Children's Reporter Administration.

The latest published data as at 31 March 2023 relating to (a) the total unitary charge payments associated with PFI and PPP contracts including NPD (Non-Profit Distributing) which were paid across the public sector in Scotland from 1997-98 to 2022-23 comprising both (i) expired and (ii) active contracts are contained within the following table.

Contract Type	1997-98 to 2022-23	1997-98 to 2022-23
	(a)(i) Expired Contracts	(a)(ii) Active Contracts
	(£m)	(£m)
PFI	372	15,437
NPD (pre-2010)	-	758
NPD Programme	-	1,573
Total	372	17,768

The latest published data as at 31 March 2023 relating (b) the total estimated remaining unitary charge payments associated with PFI and PPP contracts including NPD from 2023-24 until contract expiry for (A) local authorities, (B) NHS Scotland, (C) the Scottish Funding Council, (D) Transport Scotland, (E) the Scottish Prison Service, (F) Scottish Water, and (G) Police Scotland are contained within the following table (the PFI contract relating to (H) the Scottish Children's Reporter Administration expired in 2012-13 when the last payment was made).

Contract Type	Procuring Authority	2023-24 onwards
		(b) Active Contracts
		(£m)
PFI	(A) Local Authorities	8,147
	(B) NHS Boards	3,999
	(C) Scottish Funding Council / Colleges	6
	(D) Transport Scotland	644
	(E) Scottish Prison Service	511
	(F) Scottish Water	1,376
	(G) Police Scotland	17
NPD (pre-2010)	(A) Local Authorities	1,025
	(B) NHS Boards	274
NPD Programme	(A) Local Authorities	1,986
	(B) NHS Boards	1,955
	(C) Scottish Funding Council / Colleges	662
	(D) Transport Scotland	2,510