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-39728

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 August 2025
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 20 August 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what structures are in place for determining the allocation of public funding to inquiries.

Public Inquiries which are established under the Inquiries Act 2005 are independent of the Scottish Government. Public Inquiries relevant costs under the Inquiries Act 2005 are funded via the sponsoring Ministerial portfolio within the Scottish Government, but publication in relation to costs is undertaken independently by each inquiry.

The cost of a public inquiry varies and is very much determined by the complexity of the issue to be investigated, the number of witnesses, and the amount of technical expertise that may be required. There is a statutory duty placed on Chairs of independent inquiries, set out at section 17 of the Inquiries Act 2005, the they "must act with fairness and with regard also to the need to avoid any unnecessary cost".

All Inquiries are encouraged to engage with sponsor teams to communicate likely budget requirements in order to inform development of the Scottish Government budget each year, and to advise sponsor teams if expected requirements change or evolve.

Question reference: S6W-39727

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 August 2025
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 20 August 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, for the purpose of Freedom of Information, which public body is considered to "hold" information relating to the direct staffing and remuneration costs associated with the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry, if not the Scottish Government itself.

Public inquiries established under the Inquiries Act 2005 are not designated as Scottish public authorities for the purposes of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA). As the member may be aware, information held by other authorities about the work of a public inquiry may be exempt from disclosure. In particular, under section 37 of FOISA information is exempt if it has been created by a person conducting an inquiry for the purposes of that inquiry. These are absolute exemptions under the Act. These arrangements are in place to protect the integrity and independence of public inquiries.

The Scottish Government understands that key information about the costs of the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry are published on the Inquiry website. It also understands that the Inquiry provided further detailed information about its costs in its Chair’s letter dated 22 May, to the Finance and Public Administration Committee. The Scottish Government would be happy to consider whether it holds any further relevant information in the event of any request for such, and would consider any such request in full compliance with its own obligations as a Scottish public authority under FOISA.

Question reference: S6W-39705

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 01 August 2025
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 20 August 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of the reported £98.7 million core running costs for the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry (SCAI) to date, by (a) secretariat costs, (b) legal team fees, (c) expert adviser fees, (d) overheads and (e) other.

Question reference: S6W-39699

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 01 August 2025
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 18 August 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many air weapon certificates were applied for under section 3 of the Air Weapons and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2015, in each year since 2017.

Question reference: S6W-39704

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 01 August 2025
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 18 August 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many of the air weapon certificates applied for in 2024 under section 3 of the Air Weapons and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2015, are still to be processed as of 31 July 2025.

Question reference: S6W-39701

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 01 August 2025
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 18 August 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many air weapon certificate applications were rejected under section 5 of the Air Weapons and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2015, in each year since 2017.

Question reference: S6W-39700

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 01 August 2025
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 18 August 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many air weapon certificate applications were granted under section 5 of the Air Weapons and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2015, in each year since 2017.

Question reference: S6W-39181

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 July 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 24 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider reviewing and updating the cross-compliance requirements for semi-natural grasslands, in light of new cross-compliance requirements coming into effect for peatlands and wetlands under the Good Agricultural and Environmental Conditions standards.

There are no plans at this time to introduce new requirements for semi-natural grasslands. Semi-natural grasslands sit within the definition of ‘rough grazing or other semi-natural areas’ which are currently protected under Cross Compliance. Requirements under GAEC 6 prohibit farmers and crofters from ploughing or cultivating areas of rough grazing or other semi-natural areas unless approved as part of an Environmental Impact Assessment. Further guidance is available at: Maintenance of soil organic matter (GAEC 6)Maintenance of soil organic matter (GAEC 6)

Support remains available via the Agri-Environment Climate Scheme (AECS) to land managers to conserve semi-natural habitats. Relevant options include Moorland Management, and alongside this, Summer Hill Grazing Cattle and Away Wintering Sheep. Further detail is available on the AECS webpage.

Question reference: S6W-38831

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 4 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-38220 by Maree Todd on 17 June 2025, what analysis it has carried out of whether missing data may reflect a failure to fulfil the legal obligations set out in section 298 of the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003, and, in the event that these legal obligations are not being fulfilled, what action the Scottish Government plans to take to address this.

Question reference: S6W-38830

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 4 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answers to questions S6W-38221 and S6W-38222 by Marie Todd on 17 June 2025, whether its answer means that fewer than five people under 18 have been subject to a place of safety order in each of the last five years, and, if this is not the case, in which of the last five years there were more than five people under 18 who were made subject to a place of safety order.

The Mental Welfare Commission publish an annual monitoring report on the use of the Mental Health Act which breaks down the percentage of individuals subject to a place of safety order by age. The publication does not provide the number of people subject to a place of safety order by age.

The requested information is not held by the Scottish Government. As it is a matter for the Mental Welfare Commission, you may wish to contact them directly at: [email protected].