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Current Status:
Withdrawn
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 23 July 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi McAllan on 19 August 2026
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-43897 by Angus Robertson on 4 March 2026, how it is progressing work to ensure that listed places of worship in Scotland are not disproportionately affected by the end of the UK-wide Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-01941 on 19 August 2026. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers.
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 23 July 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi McAllan on 19 August 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to introduce an equivalent to the UK Government's Places of Worship Renewal Fund for England.
Answer
The Scottish Government welcomes the Scotland's Places of Worship Fund announcement by Historic Environment Scotland (HES) on 18 August 2026. This new pilot scheme for 2026-27 will provide up to £1 million to help eligible listed places of worship across Scotland recover VAT costs associated with repair and conservation works.
The Fund has been developed in direct response to the closure of the UK-wide Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme and is expected to open for applications in autumn 2026.
The Scottish Government and HES have worked closely to explore options to ensure that Scotland's listed places of worship are not disproportionately affected by the withdrawal of the UK-wide scheme. This pilot scheme will help assess demand and gather evidence to inform consideration of future arrangements.
Listed places of worship may also continue to access support through HES's wider grant programmes, details of which can be found on the HES website.
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 23 July 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Ben Macpherson on 18 August 2026
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S7W-01102 by Ben Macpherson on 13 July 2026, what oversight it has of colleges' compliance with relevant health and safety legislation and guidance issued by the Health and Safety Executive.
Answer
Responsibility for regulation and enforcement of health and safety requirements rests with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) while the Scottish Funding Council retain oversight of the college sector on key issues of accountability and compliance. The Scottish Government engages regularly with the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) on their oversight. The SFC expects colleges to comply with their legal obligations and seeks assurance on this through its ongoing monitoring, and engagement with institutions.
As a result of the measures established by the SFC, the Scottish Government remains assured that appropriate governance and compliance arrangements are in place across the sector.
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 20 July 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Hannah Mary Goodlad on 18 August 2026
To ask the Scottish Government whether it maintains, or plans to create, a list of the number, location and size of all current and proposed data centres in Scotland, and whether this is available to the public.
Answer
This matter is under active consideration by the Scottish Government, and Parliament will be kept informed of the outcomes of those considerations – including the potential for planning guidance – in due course.
Planning applications for data centres are a matter for the relevant local authority in the first instance. Planning applications and supporting documentation are available to view on the relevant local authority web pages.
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 20 July 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi McAllan on 17 August 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has, if any, to introduce guidance for schools to minimise requirements for branded items as part of school uniforms.
Answer
Responsibility for school uniform rests with individual schools and education authorities.
The Scottish Government published national guidance on school uniform and clothing in 2024. It supports headteachers, school leaders and education authorities to work collaboratively with their school communities to develop affordable and sustainable uniform and clothing policies that meet the needs, circumstances and identities of their pupils.
The guidance has a strong focus on affordability and makes clear that schools are expected to do all they can to minimise costs for families, in line with wider efforts to tackle child poverty and reduce the cost of the school day. The guidance is clear that branded items should not be compulsory and that schools should not expect families to purchase them. Schools are encouraged to adopt flexible uniform policies that promote the use of pre-loved clothing to improve affordability and reduce waste.
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 20 July 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi McAllan on 17 August 2026
To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to increase the level of school clothing grant for primary and secondary pupils.
Answer
The Scottish Government is providing increased funding of £14.6m in 2026-27 financial year to support local authorities to maintain the School Clothing Grant. This includes a £400k inflationary increase on the previous year’s funding and represents an increase of £2.8m since 2021-22. We have committed to uprating funding in line with inflation during this Parliament.
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 20 July 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi McAllan on 17 August 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of whether the current school clothing grant is sufficient to cover the cost of school uniforms for primary and secondary school pupils.
Answer
The national minimum amounts for School Clothing Grant were agreed with local government. Local authorities are responsible for administering the School Clothing Grant, including setting eligibility criteria, and have the flexibility to pay families more than the national minimum. The Scottish Government is providing increased funding of £14.6m in 2026/27 financial year to support local authorities to maintain the School Clothing Grant. We have committed to uprating funding in line with inflation during this Parliament.
Our 2024 national guidance on school uniform and clothing makes clear that schools should consider their uniform policies in the context of the national minimum School Clothing Grant and design those policies on the basis that families can purchase all items needed for the school year within that budget. The guidance was developed in collaboration with key stakeholders and informed by a range of evidence and stakeholder engagement, including consultation with pupils, parents and carers.
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 20 July 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 11 August 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any potential cumulative impact of hyperscale data centres on water supply in Scotland.
Answer
Any proposals for new data centres would be subject to the statutory planning process, which would consider a range of factors including water resources, environmental impacts and wider infrastructure capacity. It is Scottish Ministers' expectation that new developments are designed and located in a way that supports long-term sustainability and water resilience.
Scotland's existing data centres account for a very small proportion of public water demand, and early engagement with developers is important to ensure proposals are aligned with local infrastructure and environmental considerations. There are opportunities for some future developments to make use of treated wastewater, helping to support economic growth while protecting drinking water supplies and the environment.
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 20 July 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 11 August 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to requiring data centres to run closed loop water systems or to require the reuse of treated wastewater.
Answer
It is important that data centres are as sustainable as possible. This means minimising water use through closed-loop systems and considering whether there are alternative sources of water, such as treated wastewater. Where drinking water is used, the needs of existing populations must take priority, as our priority is the protection of human health.
Any decisions about data centres would be subject to the statutory planning process and the use of water resources would form part of that consideration. Most existing data centres in Scotland already operate as closed-loop systems and it is Scottish Ministers’ expectation that sustainable solutions are identified for any new data centre proposals. Scottish Water’s assessment is that data centres currently account for around 0.006% of public water demand in Scotland and, as part of wider considerations, they have suggested that there may be options available for using effluent from their wastewater treatment process as part of a closed loop system to reduce the impact on water resources.
