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: S6W-41939

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 1 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a timescale for the statutory consultation on the appointment of a new chair for the Sheku Bayoh Inquiry.

The appointment of a new Chair for the Sheku Bayoh Inquiry is an immediate priority, and steps to progress this have already commenced at pace. However, this is a complex process that must comply with statutory requirements. Under section 10 of the Inquiries Act 2005, consultation with the Lord President is required if a serving judge is being considered. While there is no statutory requirement for the Chair to be a serving or former member of the judiciary, continuity within the judiciary is considered important to maintain confidence among core participants. It is also essential that the Inquiry continues to meet the State’s obligations under Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights, and a legally qualified Chair may be best placed to ensure those obligations are fully met. For these reasons, it is not possible to provide a definitive timescale at this stage, but the process is being treated as a matter of urgency.

Question reference: S6O-05191

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 November 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what recent work it has undertaken with the agricultural sector to reduce the number of fatalities within the industry.

Question reference: S6O-05124

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 November 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 12 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take to prevent the permanent loss of church buildings with significant cultural or heritage value, in light of the decision by the Church of Scotland to reduce its estate.

Question reference: S6W-41344

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 29 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-40662 by Jim Fairlie on 1 October 2025, what the value is of the bareboat charterparty agreement with the operator, Serco NorthLink.

Question reference: S6W-41343

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 29 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-40664 by Jim Fairlie on 1 October 2025, how many seafarer (a) deck ratings and (b) officers are currently employed on the MV (i) Helliar and (ii) Hildasay roll-on/roll-off freight vessel under the Northern Isles Ferry Services contract, and in each case, how many of the posts are held by seafarers who live in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-41342

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 29 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government when it last discussed crew accommodation standards on the MV (a) Helliar and (b) Hildasay roll-on/roll-off freight vessels with the operator of the Northern Isles Ferry Services contract.

Question reference: S6W-41050

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 15 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether the ability to finance the removal of peak rail fares is a consequence of an improved UK budget allocation.

Question reference: S6W-41051

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 15 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it expects that modal shift or changes in passenger usage, resulting from the removal of peak rail fares, will allow the policy to be self-financing, and, if so, by when it expects the policy to be cost neutral.

Question reference: S6W-41052

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 15 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government (a) how it plans to fund and (b) what the expected cost will be of the removal of peak rail fares, in each of the next five years.

Question reference: S6W-41049

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 15 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what adjustments have been made to the transport budget to finance the removal of peak rail fares.