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-01427

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Gethins on 21 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any impact of further delays to the finalisation of the Sectoral Marine Plan for Offshore Wind Energy on consenting decisions for offshore wind projects that are currently at planning stage.

All consenting decisions are made on a case-by-case basis in line with the planning, consenting and assessment framework available at the time. No delays to individual project determinations have occurred because of the development timeline of the Updated Sectoral Marine Plan for Offshore Wind Energy, which remains on track for adoption in Summer 2026. Due to the conclusions of the plan-level Appropriate Assessment, adoption of the Updated Sectoral Marine Plan is contingent on UK Ministerial agreement.

Question reference: S7W-01271

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 21 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether any Barnett consequential funding has arisen from the introduction of the Places of Worship Renewal Fund in England, which replaced the UK-wide Listed Places of Worship Scheme.

The Scottish Government has not identified any Barnett consequential funding specifically linked to the introduction of the Places of Worship Renewal Fund in England.

Under the Barnett formula, changes to the Scottish Government’s funding are calculated at the level of overall UK Government departmental spending, rather than individual programmes or schemes. UK Government ministers have confirmed that the funding for the Places of Worship Renewal Fund is included within the wider Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) settlement, and that Barnett consequentials are applied to the total departmental allocation rather than to specific funding lines.

Decisions on how to allocate funding received through the block grant are a matter for the Scottish Government, in line with devolved responsibilities.

The final decision to end the UK-wide scheme was also only confirmed to the Scottish Government after the 2026-27 Scottish Budget was set, further limiting Scottish Ministers' options. However, Ministers will continue to seek options.

Question reference: S7W-01829

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 20 July 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 17 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what the total cost to the public purse has been of operating the Caledonian Sleeper service in each year since 2019-20, including (a) operating subsidy, (b) loans, (c) grants, (d) capital funding, (e) shareholder support, (f) management fees and (g) any other direct financial support from (A) it, (B) Transport Scotland and (C) any other related public body.

Question reference: S7W-01827

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 20 July 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 17 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what the overall passenger satisfaction score for the Caledonian Sleeper service has been in each year since 2019-20, also including measures of (a) journey experiences, (b) cabin comfort, (c) staff helpfulness, (d) punctuality, (e) cleanliness, (f) value for money and (g) overall service quality.

Question reference: S7W-01826

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 20 July 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 17 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what the (a) public performance measure, (b) cancellation rate and (c) right-time arrival performance for the Caledonian Sleeper service has been in each year since 2019-20.

Question reference: S7W-01828

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 20 July 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 17 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the (a) condition, (b) reliability and (c) availability of the Caledonian Sleeper rolling stock since the service entered public ownership, including (i) the number of train failures, (ii) fleet availability and (iii) technical defects in each year since June 2023, and how these figures compare with the final three years prior to public ownership

Question reference: S7W-01830

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 20 July 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 17 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what key performance indicators or success measures it established prior to the Caledonian Sleeper entering public ownership in June 2023, also broken down by the targets set for each measure, and whether each target has subsequently been met.

Question reference: S7W-01431

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Gethins on 20 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how it is working to support coexistence between the offshore wind and fisheries sectors.

The Scottish Government has an important role in managing Scotland’s marine space, ensuring the interests of all marine users are appropriately considered. We want to see a prosperous future for the offshore wind and fisheries sectors.

The Scottish Government participates in the Scottish Offshore Wind Energy Council (SOWEC) Barriers to Deployment Group, which brings together representatives from the offshore wind industry and fishing sector to discuss coexistence matters between the two sectors. Through this group, the Scottish Government is working with stakeholders to scope potential options to support coexistence, drawing on input from both sectors before reporting these options to Scottish Ministers for consideration.

Fishing interests also play an active role in both sectoral planning and project consenting processes, and developers are required to engage with fishers to agree appropriate fisheries mitigation, monitoring and communication as part of the consenting process.

This reflects the Scottish Government’s commitment to ensuring that offshore wind deployment is delivered sustainably while recognising the importance of Scotland’s fishing industry.

Question reference: S7W-01394

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 29 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Gethins on 20 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the November 2025 report by the Nuclear Regulatory Taskforce, Nuclear Regulatory Review 2025, and whether it plans to implement the recommendations in relation to devolved policy areas.

The UK Government’s Nuclear Regulatory Review specifically excluded devolved issues in Scotland and Wales in its consideration. Therefore, recommendations covering such matters are set out for England only.

The Scottish Government remains firmly opposed to new nuclear power stations in Scotland under current technologies and so recommendations regarding new nuclear energy will not be considered. Where there are recommendations about the wider management of existing nuclear sites concerning devolved areas of competence, we will consider the merits of any measures once we receive more detailed proposals from UK Government. Our focus remains on managing Scotland’s nuclear legacy in a way that protects people and the environment.

Question reference: S7W-01270

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 20 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government following the closure of the Listed Places of Worship Scheme, whether it will implement a replacement scheme as has been done in England.