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-03186

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Fife North East, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 24 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the reported proposals to replace the current fleet of Pendolino trains that operate on services between Scotland and London with new tilting trains capable of running on the HS2 line, including any implications for passengers travelling to and from Scotland.

The Scottish Government has not made an assessment of these reported proposals.

Maintaining competitive journey times, reliability and capacity is vital for rail connectivity between Scotland and London. We would be disappointed by any change that led to longer journey times for passengers travelling to and from Scotland.

Responsibility for HS2, including decisions arising from the programme's revised scope, the HS2 reset announced earlier this year, and the work of West Coast Partnership Development, lies with the UK Government.

Question reference: S7W-03021

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Fife North East, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 23 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide information on the 10 transport infrastructure projects for which it has incurred the highest consultancy costs.

The Scottish Government engages external multi-disciplinary support services to provide specialist technical, engineering, environmental and project delivery expertise that is essential to the planning, design, promotion, procurement and delivery of major transport infrastructure projects. This provides access to the specialist skills and resources required to support informed decision-making and successful project delivery.

These services have ensured the successful delivery of projects such as the Queensferry Crossing, Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route and M8 M73 M74 Motorway Improvements, enhancing connectivity across Scotland.

Multi-disciplinary support services are being provided on our current programme of transport infrastructure projects, including: A9 Dualling Programme, A96 Dualling Inverness to Nairn (including Nairn Bypass), A9/A96 Inshes to Smithton, A83 Rest and Be Thankful, A720 Sheriffhall, A90 Laurencekirk, A75 Springholm to Crocketford and M8 Woodside.

Information on all of these schemes can be found on the Transport Scotland website.

In addition, grant funding is provided to Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited (CMAL) and Network Rail to support the delivery of harbour, pier and rail infrastructure projects.

Transport Scotland publishes monthly and annual reports detailing expenditure, including consultancy costs, over £25,000. This can be found here: Expenditure | Transport Scotland

Question reference: S7W-02720

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Fife North East, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Gethins on 22 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to use the estimated £140 million in additional block grant funding it is expected to receive between 2026-27 and 2029-30 as a result of the £1.5 billion funding announced by the UK Government in the 2025 UK Budget for its Warm Homes Plan.

Block grant consequentials accrue to the Scottish Government as a whole and it is for the Scottish Ministers to decide how best to allocate these based on their priorities. The £140 million in consequentials was taken into account as part of the 2026-27 Parliamentary budget setting process.

To help households install clean heat and energy efficiency measures, over £330 million funding has been allocated in 2026-27, part of £1.3 billion support over the spending review period. Our schemes have already supported thousands of households to save between £300 and £500 per year on their energy bills and we estimate 20,000 households will benefit from our schemes this year, with around 60% targeted at those most at risk of fuel poverty. We also continue to invest in heat networks and decarbonising public sector buildings.

Question reference: S7W-02721

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Fife North East, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Gethins on 22 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Government and the home energy installers since March 2026 regarding the end of the ECO4 scheme.

We continue to discuss the closure of the ECO4 scheme with the UK Government, our main focus is ensuring that poor quality work delivered to homes in Scotland as part of the ECO4 scheme is promptly remediated. We engage regularly with our stakeholders in the retrofit supply chain, as well as meeting with individual home energy installers and other businesses impacted by the UK Government decision to end the ECO4 scheme.

Question reference: S7W-02719

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Fife North East, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Gethins on 22 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will introduce additional measures or expand existing programmes to support continued delivering of home energy improvements, following the end of the ECO4 scheme.

The Scottish Government's fuel poverty and energy efficiency schemes continue to deliver the same range of retrofit measures as the ECO4 scheme. However Scottish Government schemes already include some measures, such as battery storage, that are not available from ECO4 installers.

In most cases, households that were eligible for ECO4 finance will continue to be eligible for retrofit measures delivered through Area Based Schemes (ABS), Warmer Homes Scotland (WHS) or the Home Energy Scotland (HES) Grant and Loan scheme. We encourage households interested in making their homes warmer and less expensive to heat to get in touch with Home Energy Scotland for further advice about the assistance available from the Scottish Government.

Question reference: S7W-03187

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Fife North East, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 21 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with the UK Government regarding the procurement of trains for future services between Scotland and London once HS2 is operational.

Scottish Government officials engage regularly with UK Government counterparts on a range of rail matters. While the procurement of trains, or fleet replacement, for services between Scotland and London has not been the subject of formal discussions, decisions regarding procurement are a matter for the UK Government.

Competitive end-to-end journey times, reliability and capacity are all important for cross-border passenger rail connectivity. The Scottish Government continues to emphasise the importance of these outcomes in its engagement with the UK Government and would be disappointed with any increase to the current Scotland to London journey times.

The UK Government is responsible for the HS2 programme, its reduced scope, the HS2 reset announced earlier this year, the procurement of future rolling stock, and the work of West Coast Partnership Development.

Question reference: S7W-02968

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Fife North East, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 04 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 18 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the claim in the Serious Organised Crime & Anti-Corruption Evidence Research Programme research paper, Russian War-Related Illicit Trade in the Black Sea: International Networks and Policy Options, that central Glasgow property is owned by a company linked to the owner of a Russian port, and that this may raise questions about the screening of inbound investment.

Since Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, the Scottish Government has taken a clear stance in support of the people of Ukraine and has encouraged organisations to review their links with Russia. In March 2022, the then Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Economy called on businesses in Scotland to review their links to Russia and sever them wherever possible. This was an additional discretionary measure taken by the Scottish Government, over and above the legally binding UK sanctions regime.

However, the Scottish Government cannot compel businesses to sever links where activity is lawful and does not breach UK sanctions. The regulation of companies, inward investment screening, anti-money laundering measures and the sanctions regime are largely reserved matters for the UK Government.

While we do not comment on allegations relating to specific properties or companies, any evidence of sanctions breaches, money laundering or other criminality should be referred to the appropriate authorities for investigation. We continue to work with partners to support measures to strengthen transparency, tackle economic crime and ensure that Scotland is not a destination for illicit finance.

Question reference: S7O-00286

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Fife North East, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 September 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 24 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will support the proposal to reopen a railway station at Newburgh, Fife.

Question reference: S7W-02693

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Fife North East, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 15 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the availability of graduate apprenticeships in early learning and childcare in Scotland and what steps it is taking to ensure that there is adequate provision to support a highly-skilled early learning and childcare workforce.

The Scottish Government recognises that a highly skilled early learning and childcare (ELC) workforce is central to delivering high-quality outcomes for children and families.

Graduate Apprenticeships (GAs) are employer-led and designed to align with current and future skills needs. They provide one route into the sector, alongside other pathways such as college qualifications, Modern Apprenticeships and university-based study.

We continue to monitor demand for GAs through engagement with employers, labour market intelligence and consultation with organisations such as the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC). This helps to ensure that provision remains responsive to the needs of the sector and supports the development of a skilled ELC workforce.

Question reference: S7W-02692

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Fife North East, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 11 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of whether the size of the early learning and childcare workforce is sufficient to meet the needs of childcare provision in Scotland, including funded childcare provision and private and voluntary sector provision.

The Scottish Government keeps the sufficiency of the early learning and childcare (ELC) workforce under continual review through a range of national data sources, including Care Inspectorate statistics, Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) workforce data, engagement with local authorities and providers, and the ELC census.

The latest SSSC workforce statistics, published on 8 September 2026, show that the daycare of children services workforce increased to 42,450 in 2025, representing the highest recorded headcount for the sector.

We recognise that parts of the sector continue to face workforce and sustainability challenges. We are therefore working with local authorities, providers, sector bodies and other partners to support workforce sustainability through ongoing workforce planning activity, investment in training and qualifications, childminder recruitment, and additional funding to support payment of at least the real Living Wage for staff delivering funded ELC in private and third sector settings.

We will continue to monitor workforce and capacity trends closely to help ensure that funded childcare remains available to children and families across Scotland.