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-43863

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 February 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 26 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the suggestion by Lobular Moonshot Project for a ringfenced £20 million fund to be established by it and the other UK governments in the UK to support, over five years, research on the basic biology of lobular breast cancer.

Question reference: S6W-43864

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 February 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 26 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of the cancer research funding that it has awarded to date has been allocated to research on lobular breast cancer, and whether this has been in proportion to the prevalence of the condition, which accounts for a reported 15% of breast cancer cases.

The Scottish Government’s Chief Scientist Office supports open competitive grant and fellowship schemes for applied health research in Scotland across a wide remit that is inclusive of consideration of applications for research relating to cancers, including lobular breast cancer. Applications submitted to these schemes are assessed through independent expert peer-review with funding recommendations made by independent expert committees. While funding has been awarded for breast cancer research, none has been for research on lobular breast cancer specifically.

Question reference: S6O-05585

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 February 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 4 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government when the new Future Farming Investment Scheme will be open for applications.

Question reference: S6W-43656

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 February 2026
Current Status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 25 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further the Scottish Funding Council report, College Statistics 2024-25, which was published on 4 February 2026, what assessment it has made of the impact that enrolling primary and secondary 1 to 3 pupils with colleges has on colleges’ capacity to meet demand from senior-phase pupils and young people aged 16–24, including in regions where colleges report unmet demand.

The Scottish Government notes that SFC’s 2024–25 guidance directed colleges to prioritise senior-phase pupils and cap activity outwith the senior phase at 1.5% of credits, and colleges have responded accordingly. Senior-phase enrolments rose by around 7% to over 30,000, while primary and S1–S3 enrolments fell by 19.2%. This shift shows that colleges are directing capacity toward senior-phase learners and 16–24-year-olds. Given the small, capped, and declining scale of activity for younger pupils, the Government assesses that their enrolment does not constrain colleges’ ability to meet demand from priority age groups.

Question reference: S6W-43655

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 February 2026
Current Status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 25 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the current levels of college enrolment for pupils below the senior phase represents value for money for the public purse, in light of the potential duplication of funding between the school and college sectors.

College enrolments for school pupils b demonstrate the important role colleges play in supporting an improved learner journey for all age groups. Between 2023-24 and 2024-25 enrolments below the senior phase fell by 19.2% (from 11,420 to 9,230), while senior-phase enrolments rose by 7.4% (from 27,950 to 30,030), in line with Scottish Funding Council (SFC) guidance directing colleges to prioritise senior-phase learners and limit activity for younger pupils to 1.5% of credits. Given this clear shift in activity, the small and regulated scale of below-senior-phase provision, and the safeguards in SFC credit guidance to avoid duplication of funding between schools and colleges, the Government considers current enrolment levels to represent value for money. SFC has confirmed that it will review this approach for future years in consultation with the sector.

Question reference: S6W-43514

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 02 February 2026
Current Status: Answered by Natalie Don-Innes on 16 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-40593 by Natalie Don-Innes on 30 September 2025, when it will publish a full report on the evaluation of the early learning and childcare expansion to 1140 hours for the period 2018-25.

As stated in the answer to S6W-40593, it is our intention to publish our overarching report on the Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) 1140 expansion evaluation for the period 2018-2025 in the coming weeks. This report will draw together findings from across the main strands of the outcomes evaluation, including the Scottish Study of Early Learning and Childcare and parent and carer surveys carried out before, during and after the ELC expansion.

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers.

Question reference: S6W-43285

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 23 January 2026
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 3 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to support people with Raynaud's phenomenon and other cold-related conditions; whether it provides any guidance to people affected by these conditions, and whether it has engaged with the UK Government regarding protections for medically vulnerable people in relation to energy market regulation.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that people living in Scotland with Raynaud’s phenomenon and other cold-related conditions are able to access safe, effective and person-centred healthcare and support.

We set the policy direction for health services and provide the resources that enable healthcare professionals to offer appropriate clinical care and advice. Public-facing information and guidance for people living with Raynaud’s phenomenon is available through NHS Inform Raynaud's phenomenon | NHS inform, supporting individuals to better understand and manage their condition.

Whilst energy pricing and regulation remain fully reserved to the UK Government, we continue to engage regularly with them and have consistently called for stronger protections for medically vulnerable households. This includes the introduction of an automatic, targeted energy bill discount for people with unavoidably higher costs due to medical need. Our proposals together with published modelling suggests around 155,000 households with medical need could benefit, with estimated fuel bills reduced by £1000 on average.

We also recognise the important role that warm, energy-efficient homes play in protecting health. Retrofitting measures such as loft and wall insulation can significantly reduce exposure to cold. The Scottish Government delivers a range of energy efficiency and clean heating support schemes and advice services, targeted at those most in need, to help people live in warmer, healthier homes.

Question reference: S6O-05446

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 January 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 29 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that newly qualified teachers are able to secure stable, long-term employment, in light of recent reports that only one in four newly qualified teachers secured permanent posts in 2024-25.

Question reference: S6W-43036

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 January 2026
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 21 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it has taken to ensure that expertise in criminal law is represented among those appointed as Scottish Law Commissioners.

When a Commissioner vacancy arises at the Scottish Law Commission, the skills and experience sought will be informed by the skills and experience needed to deliver their Programme of Law Reform. The Programme of Law Reform is the subject of extensive consultation by the Scottish Law Commission and is agreed by the Scottish Ministers and laid in the Scottish Parliament. The current Programme of Law Reform includes the law of homicide and a Report on Homicide was published at the end of 2025.

Commissioner appointments are regulated by the Ethical Standards Commissioner who ensures that appointments are made on merit and reflect the diversity of Scottish society.

Question reference: S6W-42751

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 19 December 2025
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 15 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to bring forward regulations to bring section 75 of the Housing (Scotland) Act 2025 into force.

Section 75 of the Housing (Scotland) Act 2025 was commenced through commencement regulations and came into force on 12 January 2026.

Separately, the Scottish Government intends to lay regulations later this month which, subject to Parliamentary approval, will remove the existing legislative cap on Council Tax premiums. If agreed, this would meet the Programme for Government 2025 commitment and enable local authorities to determine the level of Council Tax premium that applies from 1 April 2026 to second homes and long-term empty homes, reflecting local housing pressures and circumstances.