Questions and answers

Question reference: S6W-42672

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 18 December 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 5 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-37444 by Ivan McKee on 10 September 2025, how many meetings its ministers and officials have held with organisations listed on the UN database of businesses involved in activities related to the Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, in the period since motion S6M-18686 was passed by the Parliament on 3 September 2025.

A cross-government exercise to seek information on any meetings with the 158 businesses listed identified a small number of meetings at official level with representatives of Airbnb and Booking.com. These meetings were focussed on matters of domestic policy, including the development of guidance, licence requirements and the Visitor Levy.

No ministerial meetings were identified as part of this exercise.

Question reference: S6W-40837

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 06 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 5 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what changes it plans to make to the (a) Scottish Procurement Policy Manual and (b) Scottish Procurement Policy Handbook, in light of motion S6M-18686 as amended on 3 September 2025 calling for it to "immediately impose a package of boycotts, divestment and sanctions targeted at the State of Israel and at companies complicit in its military operations and its occupation of Palestine".

The Scottish Procurement Policy Handbook is aimed at public bodies across Scotland, while the Scottish Procurement Policy Manual relates specifically to Scottish Government procurement activity. Both are intended to be live documents which flag key policy considerations, and signpost readers to sources of more detailed guidance, such as that contained in Scottish Procurement Policy Notes.

It is the long-standing view of the Scottish Government that the exploitation of assets in illegally occupied territory is likely to constitute grave professional misconduct for the purposes of procurement law. Scottish Procurement Policy Note 3/2026 was published on 5 February 2026 and sets out the options available to public sector buyers in relation to bidders which are engaged in grave professional misconduct, including human rights violations. It can be found on the Scottish Government website, at: https://www.gov.scot/publications/public-procurement-human-rights-and-grave-professional-misconduct-sppn-3-2026/

Question reference: S6W-41561

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 03 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 5 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-40836 by Jackson Carlaw, on behalf of the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB), on 28 October 2025, what its position is on whether there is a need for a Scottish Procurement Policy note to ensure that the SPCB and other public bodies implement a package of boycotts, divestment and sanctions, in light of motion S6M-18686 as amended on 3 September 2025, and when any such note will be issued.

It is the long-standing view of the Scottish Government that the exploitation of assets in illegally occupied territory is likely to constitute grave professional misconduct for the purposes of procurement law.

Scottish Procurement Policy Note 3/2026 was published on 5 February 2026 and sets out the options available to public sector buyers in relation to bidders which are engaged in grave professional misconduct, including human rights violations. It can be found on the Scottish Government website, at: https://www.gov.scot/publications/public-procurement-human-rights-and-grave-professional-misconduct-sppn-3-2026/.

That notwithstanding, it is for each autonomous public body to ensure that it complies with its own procurement policies, and associated legal obligations.

Question reference: S6W-40838

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 06 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 5 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to conduct a review of existing public sector procurement contracts, in light of motion S6M-18686 as amended on 3 September 2025 calling for it to "immediately impose a package of boycotts, divestment and sanctions targeted at the State of Israel and at companies complicit in its military operations and its occupation of Palestine".

On 3 September the First Minister announced measures which the Scottish Government is taking within its powers in response to the situation in Gaza.

It is the long-standing view of the Scottish Government that the exploitation of assets in illegally occupied territory is likely to constitute grave professional misconduct for the purposes of procurement law.

Scottish Procurement Policy Note 3/2026 was published on 5 February 2026 and sets out the options available to public sector buyers in relation to bidders which are engaged in grave professional misconduct, including human rights violations. It can be found on the Scottish Government website, at: https://www.gov.scot/publications/public-procurement-human-rights-and-grave-professional-misconduct-sppn-3-2026/.v

Question reference: S6W-43201

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 January 2026
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 4 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how much of the £1.8 billion that it committed in 2021 for energy efficiency and decarbonisation measures has been (a) allocated and (b) spent to date in each year, and how much funding remains uncommitted or unspent.

Of the £1.8bn commitment made in our Heat in Buildings Strategy, over £1.67bn has been allocated to date, of which, over £886m has been spent to the end of December 2025.

In the early years 2021-22 and 2022-23 demand for schemes was blunted by both covid and cost of living pressures.

The demand for our schemes has continued to grow, with a much reduced underspend in 2023-24 and 2024-25. Underspends are largely driven by the demand led nature of our schemes.

Year	Allocated £000’s	Spent £000’s
2021-22	338,900	68,100
2022-23	337,700	175,400
2023-24	356,100	249,200
2024-25	342,300	277,300
2025-26	333,300	116,300

Question reference: S6W-43202

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 January 2026
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 3 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how much has been (a) allocated and (b) spent in each year since 2021 on each of its energy efficiency and decarbonisation programmes.

Data for 2025-26 is to Quarter 3 (December 2025)

Programme	Allocation 2021-22 £m’s	Spend 2021-22 £m’s	Allocation 2022-23 £m’s	Spend 2022-23 £m’s	Allocation 2023-24 £m’s	Spend 2023-24 £m’s	Allocation 2024-25 £m’s	Spend 2024-25 £m’s	Allocation 2025-26 £m’s	Spend (Dec 25) 2025-26 £m’s *
Home Energy Scotland Advice Service	12.0	12.0	17.6	17.6	21.0	20.6	20.1	19.4	18.2	12.0
Area Based Schemes	64.0	39.6	64.0	41.5	64.0	58.3	55.0	59.7	59.0	16.1
HES Grants and Loans	21.0	11.7	42.0	35.7	39.9	62.3	45.8	40.0	44.0	15.6
Warmer Homes Scotland	50.0	20.7	55.0	38.8	55.0	59.8	65.0	90.4	90.0	57.5
SME	9.5	5.9	5.5	4.2	8.0	5.4	3.0	6.3	5.0	1.2
Social Housing	20.0	0	30.0	4.0	39.5	29.5	35.0	19.0	36.0	0.2
Public Sector	8.0	20.2	25.0	8.8	50.0	27.7	40.0	29.1	32.0	1.9
LCITP/Heat Networks	57.0	4.0	30.0	18.5	27.0	16.0	15.0	2.6	35.0	0.9
Other	92.3	(45.7)	58.5	6.4	37.1	(29.8)	23.4	13.2	16.4	0
Affordable Housing **	5.0	0	10.0	0	15.0	0	40.0	0	0	0

*Whilst spend for 2025-26 appears low, many claims are received in the final quarter of the year.

**Allocation transferred to Affordable Housing

Question reference: S6W-43204

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 January 2026
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 3 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how many households have received support from investment delivered under its energy efficiency and decarbonisation programmes in each year since 2021, including how many have (a) upgraded to clean heating systems and (b) received energy efficiency measures.

Investment delivered under energy efficiency and decarbonisation Heat in Buildings programmes are as follows:

Data for 2025-26 is to Quarter 2 (September 2025)

	2021-22	2022-23	2023-24	2024-25	2025-26
Households Supported	14,700	17,800	26,000	18,500	6,400
Clean Heating Measures	874	1,612	3,902	4,415	1,200
Energy Efficiency Measures	15,500	16,200	18,900	15,200	11,900

A further breakdown of measures delivered can be found in the following progress reports;

Heat in Buildings: progress report 2025 - gov.scot

Question reference: S6W-43513

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 02 February 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 16 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-42757 by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 15 January 2026, for what reason the Pension Age Winter Heating Payment is not made in advance of, or at the outset of, winter.

Question reference: S6W-42288

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 December 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 17 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the proposal for mandatory owners' associations for tenements, which it has asked the Scottish Law Commission to consider drafting legislation on, could be extended to include associations for outdoor areas, such as back lanes, which are generally owned by all adjacent private owners and can pose ongoing maintenance challenges.

Question reference: S6W-42242

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 01 December 2025
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 17 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what mechanism exists, or is being considered, to enable financial costs for local authority services to be shared across Scotland when they result from policy decisions not made locally, such as changes to asylum policy.

Funding for local government is distributed to councils on the basis of a needs-based formula agreed with COSLA on behalf of all 32 local authorities. Any changes to that funding, including new funding or changes to distribution, are subject to formal financial governance processes through the joint Scottish Government and COSLA Officers’ Settlement and Distribution Group (SDG). SDG recommendations are then subject to political sign-off from Scottish Ministers and COSLA Leaders.

This mechanism allows for the costs of targeted interventions to be shared across Local Authorities if Leaders accept recommendations from SDG to do so.

Similarly, in the past the Scottish Government has sought to prioritise funding for specific Local Authorities to reflect unique situations or circumstances or to recognise their contribution to the roll-out of national policies such as Ukraine resettlement funding. However, it is important to note that targeting of funding in this way can be at odds with the principles set out in the Verity House Agreement.

The vast majority of funding to Local Government is provided by means of a block grant. It is then the responsibility of individual local authorities to manage their own budgets and to allocate the total financial resources available to them, on the basis of local needs and priorities, having first fulfilled their statutory obligations and the jointly agreed set of national and local priorities. Should councils wish to work together to share costs on a regional or national basis, they are at liberty to do so outside the auspices of SDG.

Chamber and committees