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-03918

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 02 October 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 30 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has formally instructed local authorities to pause any determinations on planning applications relating to hyperscale data centres.

Question reference: S7O-00376

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 September 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what decisions it has made regarding the timing and content of its proposed Better Buses legislation.

Question reference: S7O-00308

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 September 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 29 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will develop a strategy to respond to disinformation.

Question reference: S7W-02974

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 04 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Hannah Mary Goodlad on 22 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the comments by the First Minister during First Minister's Questions on 3 September 2026 regarding "a planning appeal relating to a proposed green data centre in Edinburgh", what specific characteristics of the proposed development led the First Minister to describe it as a "green data centre".

Question reference: S7W-02973

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 04 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Alyn Smith on 22 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what the Cabinet Secretary for Public Service Reform was referring to when, during the members' business debate on motion S7M-00428 (AI Data Centres) on 3 September 2026, he stated that "we are taking forward a strategy to consider all those issues", whether it plans to develop a new strategy in relation to data centres, and when any such strategy will be published.

The Cabinet Secretary for Public Sector Reform was referring to the commitment made as part of the Programme for Government 2026 – 2031 to publish a new strategic approach to attracting and securing responsible green data centre investment in Scotland. This will include clear expectations around environmental sustainability, resource use, community benefit and the economic and strategic value these developments should deliver. We are progressing on work to deliver this, and a timeline is currently being developed with more details to follow.

Question reference: S7W-02972

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 04 September 2026
Current Status: Holding Answer by Hannah Mary Goodlad on 21 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the comments by the First Minister during First Minister's Questions on 3 September 2026 that "green data centres must be powered from renewable energy sources, make use of energy-efficient technologies, seek to minimise water consumption and support the reuse of excess heat", (a) in which document or documents those requirements are specified, (b) what proportion of a data centre's energy consumption must be from renewable sources, (c) what level of energy efficiency is required, (d) what level of water consumption is permitted, and (e) how it enforces the requirement for the reuse of excess heat and the terms on which it is supplied.

Question reference: S7O-00261

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 September 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 23 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether its commitment to increase the Climate Justice Fund will match the 25% increase committed for the International Development Fund

Question reference: S7O-00236

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 September 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 16 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether the commitment in the Programme for Government "to ensure that, by the end of 2031, no one waits more than 26 weeks for treatment" applies to all forms of healthcare, including gender identity services.

Question reference: S7W-01668

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 13 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 7 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what criminal offences are available to address the dissemination of disinformation by individuals or communication platforms where there is intent to stir up conflict, hostility or disorder within communities, or where a person is reckless as to the likelihood of doing so, and whether it is considering the introduction of any new legislation to address such conduct.

There are a range of criminal offences that may be used to prosecute someone who disseminates false information either intending to stir up conflict, hostility or disorder or reckless as to whether their behaviour is likely to have that effect. Depending on the facts and circumstances of the particular case, these may include the common law offence of breach of the peace, the offence of threatening or abusive behaviour at section 38 of the Criminal Justice and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2010 and, where the information is disseminated using the internet or a mobile phone, communications offences at section 127 of the Communications Act 2003.

Where a person communicates a message which is threatening, abusive or insulting and either intends or is likely to stir up hatred against a group defined by reference to their race, or communicates a message that is threatening or abusive and intends to stir up hatred against a group defined by reference to their religion, sexual orientation, age, transgender identity, variations in sex characteristics or disability, the offences of stirring up hatred at section 4 of the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act 2021 may be relevant.

Decisions about whether a person's behaviour would amount to any of these laws is a matter for Police Scotland, COPFS and, ultimately, the court, to determine in any given case.

The Scottish Government has no plans at this time to reform the law in this area but we keep the law under continual review to ensure it is effective.

Question reference: S7W-01150

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 18 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 13 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has made a decision on the long-term future of the policy of fare-free bus travel for asylum seekers, following the pilot project, and, if not, by what date it will do so.