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-00062

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 18 May 2026
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 2 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the pledge in the Scottish National Party's 2026 manifesto to enact a statutory price cap on essential food items, what discussions it has had with the Strategic Business Forum regarding this proposal.

The Scottish Government routinely engages with a broad range of stakeholders and is committed to sustaining meaningful and constructive engagement throughout the policy making process.

We recognise the importance of working with relevant stakeholders, including retailers, suppliers, producers and specific public bodies in order to ensure measures are practical and deliverable.

We will continue to build on our strong relationships with these stakeholders, and through engagement with businesses of all sizes we seek ensure that impacts are fully understood and reflected in a proportionate and workable approach.

Helping people with the cost of living is a top priority of this government. Our aim is to see the necessary legislation passed, subject to the approval of parliament, by the end of this year. Should any stakeholders wish to take actions to reduce food costs to consumers prior to this that would be welcome progress in advance of the legislation coming into effect.

Question reference: S7W-00067

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 18 May 2026
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 2 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the pledge in the Scottish National Party's 2026 manifesto to enact a statutory price cap on essential food items, on what basis it plans to set price caps and whether it plans to take into account real-time supply chain costs and retailers’ operating costs.

Question reference: S7W-00063

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 18 May 2026
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 2 June 2026

Question reference: S7W-00068

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 18 May 2026
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 2 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the pledge in the Scottish National Party's 2026 manifesto to enact a statutory price cap on essential food items, whether it plans to take into account the cumulative impact of any forthcoming devolved and reserved policies that will reportedly have an impact on grocery retailers, as referenced in the New Deal for Business Implementation Plan.

Question reference: S7W-00065

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 18 May 2026
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 2 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the pledge in the Scottish National Party's 2026 manifesto to enact a statutory price cap on essential food items, what discussions it has had with Scotland Food & Drink regarding this proposal, including any potential impact on support from food businesses for its supplier development programmes.

Question reference: S7W-00093

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 18 May 2026
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 2 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the pledge in the Scottish National Party's 2026 manifesto to enact a statutory price cap on essential food items, what its response is to comments made by the former managing director of John Lewis & Partners as reported in The Sunday Times on 17 May 2026, that prices of other goods will rise to offset the impact of such a policy.

Question reference: S7W-00096

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 18 May 2026
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 2 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the pledge in the SNP's 2026 manifesto to enact a statutory price cap on essential food items, whether smaller stores, including newsagents and convenience stores, will be included in the scope of the proposal, and, if so, what the rationale is for this.

Question reference: S7W-00095

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 18 May 2026
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 2 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the pledge in the Scottish National Party's 2026 manifesto to enact a statutory price cap on essential food items, what impact assessment or modelling it undertook prior to the unveiling of this proposal.

Question reference: S7W-00070

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 18 May 2026
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 2 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the pledge in the Scottish National Party's 2026 manifesto to enact a statutory price cap on essential food items, what alternatives it has considered before pledging a statutory cap.

Question reference: S7W-00305

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 May 2026
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 2 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government when it will introduce a reformed National Performance Framework, in light of it pausing and abandoning its previously proposed national outcomes in 2025 after a full statutory review.

Following the statutory review, Ministers committed the Scottish Government to a period of reform of the National Performance Framework (NPF). During this period, no changes were made to the current national outcomes and indicators. These remain in operation as is the duty, under the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015, on public bodies to have regard to them.

We are making positive progress on reform of the NPF. The intention is to deliver a reformed NPF which will be Scotland’s wellbeing framework, setting the vision for the kind of Scotland we would all like to see, and providing strategic direction for better public services.

Subject to final decisions by Ministers, we expect to launch the reformed NPF and national outcomes soon. We will provide an update to Parliament in due course.