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-02411

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 10 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Gethins on 8 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to its consultation on the Draft Energy Efficiency (Domestic Private Rented Property) (Scotland) Regulations, which closed on 29 August 2025, when it will publish the responses received.

Due to delays to the UK Government’s implementation timeline for Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) reform in England and Wales, the former Cabinet Secretary for Housing confirmed to the Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee on 9 March 2026 that, due to the impact of this delay on introducing EPC reform in Scotland, it would not be appropriate to lay the Private Rented Sector (PRS) Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) regulations during that session of Parliament. The delay would impact landlords’ ability to obtain an EPC certificate which accurately reflects the new Heat Retention Rating. This letter can be found: https://www.parliament.scot/-/media/files/committees/local-gov/correspondence/2026/epc-reform-and-energy-efficiency-standards_cab-sec-housing-to-lghp_9-march-2026.pdf

The Scottish Government has now laid the draft Energy Performance of Buildings (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2026 before Parliament, which, if agreed, would see reformed EPCs introduced from April 2028. This new date reflects the UK Government’s revised timeline for EPC reform, to allow time for the roll-out of, and assessor training in, the new Home Energy Model, to be finalised during the second half of 2027. We will confirm the next steps to Parliament as soon as possible on our approach to the PRS MEES regulations.

Question reference: S7W-02452

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 4 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the timetable for rolling out the £2 bus fare cap in (a) Stirling, (b) Fife, (c) Perth and (d) Clackmannanshire.

Question reference: S7W-02450

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 3 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it can provide a timeline for when it will review section 40 of the Regulatory Reform (Scotland) Act 2014.

Question reference: S7O-00171

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 August 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 3 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has plans to further update planning guidance in relation to the development of hyperscale data centres, following the new data centre planning direction issued on 17 August 2026.

Question reference: S7W-02451

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 24 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what action it has taken to notify relevant officials and enforcement officers of new vehicle idling guidance for local authorities since its publication in March 2026.

Question reference: S7W-02449

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 24 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with ScotRail and relevant UK bodies in relation to the use of under 30s discount railcards on peak time trains?

Question reference: S7W-02448

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 21 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government for its response to Environmental Standards Scotland's Improvement Report on its investigation into the effectiveness and enforcement of engine idling laws in Scotland, published in June 2026, which found that the current £20 fixed penalty notice for engine idling risks no longer functioning as an effective deterrent, and whether it will increase the level of the fixed penalty notice for engine idling to a level commensurate with other equivalent driving offences.

Question reference: S7W-01754

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 12 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions and correspondence it has had with the UK Government and the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) regarding the impact of driving test waiting times on access to work, education, healthcare and other services in Scotland.

While driving tests are a fully reserved matter for the UK Government, extended waiting times have had a significant impact on learner drivers across Scotland.

In December 2024, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) introduced a seven-point plan aimed at reducing driving test waiting times and improving learners' experience of the booking process. A public consultation on further improvements to the driving test booking system subsequently ran between 28 May and 23 July 2025.

Following that consultation, the UK Government announced additional measures which were introduced from spring 2026. These changes include reducing the number of times a driving test can be changed from six to two; requiring learners to book and manage their own tests; prohibiting the use of unofficial booking services; and, limiting driving test changes to the three nearest test centres. These measures can be found at: Changes to driving test booking rules in 2026 - GOV.UK

As this is a reserved matter, the Scottish Government had no role in developing these measures, or in the work of DVSA. However we have had considerable correspondence from members of the public on these issues and Transport Scotland officials have met with DVSA to discuss these changes and their implications for Scotland and will continue to engage with the DVSA on these issues and to raise the concerns of learners.

Question reference: S7W-01319

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Gethins on 24 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answers to questions S7O-00110, S7O-00114 and S7O-00115 by Gillian Martin on 24 June 2026 and S7F-00023 by John Swinney on 25 June 2026, what action it is taking to assess the cumulative electricity demand and energy-security impact of all the proposed hyperscale AI data centres.

Regulation and management of the electricity market is a reserved matter, however through our existing work with NESO (National Energy Systems Operator), DESNZ and stakeholders, we are assessing future energy demand and energy security considerations in the production of the Strategic Spatial Energy Plan (SSEP) and the Regional Energy Strategic Plan. This includes data centres, and will enable us to plan for generation and demand scenarios from 2030-2050.

Question reference: S7W-01561

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 06 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 23 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-31971 by Gillian Martin on 12 December 2024, whether it still plans to bring forward proposals to improve water, wastewater and drainage policy, and if so, by what date it will do so.

The Scottish Government is considering its water related policies to ensure they continue to meet the public’s expectations and deliver adaptation to the growing impacts of drought and flooding arising from climate change. We will set out our commitments as usual in our Programme for Government.

Our publicly owned Water and Wastewater services are funded by customers. Any changes to policies or legislation must strike a balance of producing the right outcomes at an affordable price for customers.