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-40385

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 08 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angus Robertson on 23 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its international development strategy, what its position is on discussing with the UK Government (a) legislating to compel private creditors to participate in debt restructuring on equal terms with other lenders and (b) supporting the establishment of a UN debt workout mechanism.

The Scottish Government recognises the huge pressure that escalating debt levels are putting on countries in the Global South, particularly when compounded with the climate crisis and with the recent cuts to aid budgets. We agree that there must be a fair, effective and long-term resolution to the global debt crisis, so that resources can be freed up for investment in health, education and climate action.

To date, there have been no discussions with the UK Government in relation to the specific proposals in the question. The First Minister recently met with Humza Yousaf MSP, SCIAF and Christian Aid, to discuss their Cancel Debt, Choose Hope campaign, including proposals put forward by debt campaigners for UK legislation to enhance private sector participation in sovereign debt restructurings and for the establishment of a UN sovereign debt framework.

Question reference: S6O-04974

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 September 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 24 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what funding it has allocated from its Budget 2025-26 to support local authorities to improve waste management services, in line with its plan for a transition to a circular economy.

Question reference: S6W-40366

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 16 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-37772 by Gillian Martin on 3 June 2025, how it will track (a) how local authorities spend extended producer responsibility funds dispensed to them and (b) any subsequent improvement to waste services arising from such spend.

As set out in the answer to question S6W-37772, payments made under Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for packaging are not part of the Scottish Government’s budget and are made directly by PackUK (the scheme administrator) with the purpose - to pay for the cost of managing an efficient and effective household packaging waste service – set out in UK-wide packaging EPR legislation.

Packaging EPR funding is subject to local authorities’ own budget setting process and local decision-making on its use. The Scottish Government therefore has no plans to directly track how local authorities spend packaging EPR funds. However, there are mechanisms established within packaging EPR regulations requiring PackUK to assess the effectiveness of each local authority’s waste management service in relation to household packaging waste.

The Scottish Government will also continue to track and monitor local authority recycling outcomes. Local authorities are guided by both local and national waste management performance policies, recycling obligations, and reporting frameworks, which support the effective oversight and improvement of waste services. In order to monitor waste service performance, SEPA publish annual statistics on household waste data generated and managed by or on behalf of local authorities in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-40312

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angus Robertson on 10 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will recognise podcasting and audio as a part of the creative sector.

The Scottish Government Statement on Creative Industries in 2019 did not include podcasting and audio as part of the Creative Industries sector.

Since the publication of that statement it is clear that consumers are now using both a wider range of devices to access media content as well as a larger variety of services.

Whilst there are no plans at present to revise the definition of the creative industries within Scotland the expanded, and continually innovating, variety of delivery channels will be a crucial factor to consider in any future work.

Question reference: S6O-04915

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 September 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting entrepreneurship.

Question reference: S6W-40007

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 August 2025
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 3 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of the number of dog thefts reported in each or the last five years, and how many of those dogs reported stolen were reunited with their owners.

Information is not held centrally on the number of dog thefts in Scotland. When the theft of a dog is reported to the police, it may be recorded under a number of crimes, depending on the circumstances (for example theft, housebreaking or robbery). The data the Scottish Government receive from Police Scotland on recorded crime is a simple count of recorded crimes by crime type and does not contain any detail on the specifics of each crime e.g. the type of item stolen.

Question reference: S6W-39543

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 July 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 21 August 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has conducted on the impact on (a) retail crime and (b) the safety of shop workers in Scotland of the proposals in the UK Tobacco and Vapes Bill.

The UK-wide impact assessment on the Tobacco and Vapes Bill noted that there is not sufficient evidence to be able to provide an estimate for how this policy may impact the number of incidences of violence or abuse towards retail workers or monetise the impact. Further impact assessments will be undertaken by the Scottish Government before making any Regulations under powers in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill that rest with the Scottish Ministers.

Retail workers (as well as all other workers) are protected by a wide range of criminal laws (i.e. the statutory offence of threatening or abusive behaviour; the common law offence of assault; and the common law offence of breach of the peace).

In addition, the Protection of Workers (Retail and Age-Restricted Products) (Scotland) Act 2021(“the 2021 Act”) came into force in August 2021 and created a statutory offence of threatening, abusing, or assaulting a retail worker, adding to the offences that can already be used to prosecute those who abuse retail workers.

Scottish Government partners, like the Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC) and Scottish Grocers’ Federation (SGF), share best guidance and resources, such as the free Grocery Aid helpline, and Victim Support, for victims of violence and abuse in a retail setting. We will continue to work closely with retailers to support them in preparing for and implementing the Bill.

As part of its budget for 2025-26, the Scottish Government is making an additional £3 million available for Police Scotland to work with the sector to tackle retail crime.

Question reference: S6W-39539

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 July 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 18 August 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what impact any delay to the completion of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill by the UK Parliament might have on the timeline of the implementation of vape and tobacco restrictions in Scotland.

The Tobacco and Vapes Bill is expected to complete its passage within the current UK Parliamentary session (2024-2025). The Bill provides that the changes to the age of sale for tobacco products will come into force on 1 January 2027 and that date would not be impacted by any delay to the Bill passing. When other parts of the Bill come into force depends on when the Bill is passed, and it will not be possible to make any regulations in advance of the Bill coming into force. However, Scottish Government is working with officials across the 4-nations to prepare for implementation and, in the event of any delay, the impact is expected to be minimal. Once the Bill has passed, Parliament will be updated on a confirmed timescale for implementation.

Question reference: S6W-39545

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 July 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 18 August 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what additional measures it plans to introduce to support cessation among smokers who wish to quit, in light of the proposed restrictions of nicotine vaping products set out in the UK Tobacco and Vapes Bill.

Our Tobacco and Vaping Framework renewed our commitment to cessation services as part of decisive action to reduce smoking rates to ensure we meet our 2034 Tobacco-Free Scotland target.

The Scottish Government are continuing to implement the recommendations from the Public Health Scotland (PHS) Review of Smoking Cessation Services in Scotland and to consider how these important services can continue to develop in the future. This includes the Public Health Action Team on Smoking Cessation, a collaboration between PHS, Scottish Government and NHS Boards, which is supporting the continuous improvement of local smoking cessation services.

The NHS stop smoking service Quit Your Way Scotland offers free expert advice and direct users to local services where they can access a range of support, medications and products.

Question reference: S6W-39542

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 July 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 18 August 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to introduce any further measures to reduce the impact of illicit trade of tobacco and nicotine vape products on businesses and communities in Scotland.

The illicit trade of tobacco and vapes falls largely under subject matters which are reserved to the UK Government.

However, the Tobacco and Vapes retail register has been an asset to enforcement authorities in Scotland for over 15 years and a banning order can be granted on the basis of 3 or more relevant enforcement actions, one of these being a conviction for an offence of selling counterfeit goods. Through the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, if passed, the retail register will be expanded to cover nicotine products, such as pouches, and herbal smoking products.

Part 5 of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill contains a suite of regulation making powers to enable requirements to be set in relation to product standards, including packaging and features of products, to enable establishment of a registration scheme for products and for information to be provided to support registration and check for compliance with product standards, and for testing of products for quality and safety.

The powers are exercisable by the Secretary of State but any regulations made under Part 5 of the Bill which contain devolved provision require the consent of the Scottish Ministers and my officials will work closely with officials across the other nations in connection with any such regulations.