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: S7O-00148

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 August 2026
Current Status: Due to be taken in the Chamber on 2 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support the development of affordable housing in island communities.

Question reference: S7W-02261

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 26 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding its proposed mandatory price cap on essential food items, what its response is to the reported concern raised by the Scottish Retail Consortium that a food price cap policy in Hungary led to shortages of some food products, an increase in abuse towards shop workers and food domestically produced losing out to imports.

The Scottish Government is aware of concerns raised regarding the operation of food price controls in other countries. International experience demonstrates that different approaches can have different impacts, depending on the detailed design of the scheme and wider market conditions.

That is why we are engaging constructively with all relevant stakeholders to support considered and informed discussion on this. We intend to consult on draft proposals before any final decisions are taken. The consultation will seek views and evidence from consumers, retailers, producers and other stakeholders on the potential benefits, risks and unintended consequences of any food price cap scheme including impacts on product availability, supply chains and implementation.

Question reference: S7W-02260

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 24 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to a targeted approach to alleviating cost of living pressures, including the enhancement of the Best Start Foods and Scottish Welfare Fund schemes or the introduction of shopping vouchers, similar to those implemented by Glasgow City Council in 2022.

The Scottish Government recognises the continuing pressure that cost-of-living challenges place on low-income households and is allocating around £3.5 billion in 2026-27 to policies that tackle poverty and support household incomes. This includes investment in a range of targeted measures, such as Best Start Foods and the Scottish Welfare Fund.

As part of our work towards ending the need for food banks in Scotland, we invested over £1.5 million in a three-year Cash-First Programme, which concluded on 31 March 2026, to provide funding and practical assistance to eight area-based Partnerships to improve urgent access to cash in a crisis alongside wider support. An interim evaluation of the Programme was published July 2025 and the final evaluation will be published shortly.

To alleviate the cost of living, we are also taking forward plans to introduce a cap on the price of essential food items to ensure supermarket prices are affordable, expanding support for childcare to all children from nine-months to the end of primary school by the end of this Parliament, and introducing a £2 nationwide cap on bus fares to lower the cost of people’s commute.

Question reference: S7W-02232

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 03 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Alison Thewliss on 20 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how many people in the NHS Orkney area currently have (a) sight loss and (b) severe sight loss.

The number of people recorded as sight or severely sight impaired is held by individual local authorities and/or agents acting on their behalf in line with the Certificate of Visual Impairment (CVI) process.

In order to be registered as sight impaired or severely sight impaired, patients over the age of 16 must first be assessed and certified by an ophthalmologist to determine their level of sight impairment. Once assessed, the ophthalmologist will complete a CVI form and, with the patient's permission, send this to the local authority who maintain registration. Patients with a visual impairment under the age of 16 are not registered and are instead managed through the Visual Impairment Network for Children and Young People (VINCYP).

As the question relates to the number of patients who have gone through the certification process with NHS Orkney and agreed to be registered as sight impaired or severely sight impaired with Orkney Council, this is a matter for those bodies. The information requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government.

Question reference: S7W-02128

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Hannah Mary Goodlad on 20 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the rate of interest that it anticipates to pay on the forthcoming Scottish Government bond programme compared with borrowing through the National Loans Fund.

Question reference: S7W-02141

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 17 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how it will determine which projects are funded through the sale of Scottish Government bonds.

Question reference: S7W-02130

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 17 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what estimate it has made of the total savings or additional costs arising from borrowing through Scottish Government bonds rather than through existing borrowing mechanisms over the next (a) five and (b) 10 years.

In November 2025 the Scottish Government published a summary Outline Business Case (OBC) assessing the case for the Bonds Programme. This provides an assessment of the range of total present value of additional costs in 2024-25 prices across different issuance options compared to borrowing via the NLF.

The Summary OBC can be accessed from Scottish Government bonds programme: outline business case summary - gov.scot

Question reference: S7W-02147

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 17 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how many Scottish Ambulance Service call-outs were made in Orkney between 1 and 31 May 2026, including, for each incident, the (a) date, (b) time that the first 999 call was made, (c) time that the call-out was completed, (d) priority colour-code(s) assigned and (e) times of any follow-up 999 calls concerning the same incident.

Question reference: S7W-02138

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 17 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what expenditure has been incurred to date in developing the Scottish Government bond programme, broken down by category of spending.

Question reference: S7W-02127

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 17 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the reported statement by S&P that its credit rating would likely be cut if it took "material steps towards independence from the UK".

All Credit Rating reports will cite factors that could influence a rating action.

Importantly, the Credit Rating results confirmed the Scottish Government as high investment grade, after assessing the credit fundamentals of the Scottish economy, the Scottish Government’s financial stewardship and the approach to debt management. These strengths remain.

In the event of fundamental constitutional change, the Scottish Government would be rated as a Sovereign Government, under a different methodology.