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-43020

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 January 2026
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 26 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the points made by the Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs in the debate on Non-fatal strangulation Laws and intimate partner homicides on 8 January 2026, (a) when the public consultation referred to will (i) be published, (ii) open for responses and (iii) close, (b) when any conclusions and outcomes will be ready to be progressed, and (c) what requirement will be placed on any future government to have regard to or progress the findings of the consultation if it is not completed before the beginning of May 2026.

The public consultation referred to in the debate on 8 January 2026 will be published in the coming weeks. It will be open for responses up to, including and after the pre-election period with the exact closing date yet to be set. It will be for the administration in place after the May 2026 election to consider any next steps arising from the consultation as part of the administration's assessment of priorities.

Question reference: S6W-43005

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 January 2026
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 23 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how much has been spent on the Aberdeen-Central Belt Service Improvements Project in each financial year since 2021-22, including the current financial year to date.

To 6 December 2025 (End Of Railway Period 09 2025-26) a total of £24.7 million has been spent on schemes to reduce journey times between Aberdeen and the Central Belt.

Further detail is provided in the following table.

	Dundee – Aberdeen Improvements	Barnhill Improvements
Cumulative Spend to 31-3-2022	£3.9m	£2.6m
Cumulative Spend to 31-3-2023	£6.7m	£6.8m
Cumulative Spend to 31-3-2024	£11.7m	£6.8m
Cumulative Spend to 31-3-2025	£17.7m	£6.8m
Cumulative Spend to 6-12-2025 – Railway Period 09	£17.9m	£6.8m

Question reference: S6W-43003

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 January 2026
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 23 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding it has allocated to the Low Emission Zone Support Fund for Households since its introduction; what proportion of that has been allocated to be used for eligible households within the relevant area in Aberdeen, and how much of that allocation has been distributed to eligible households.

The Low Emission Zone (LEZ) Support Fund has allocated £15,414,650 to households and businesses within 20km of any LEZ in Scotland since 2020. To date £9,136,003.87 has been paid out to households in Scotland.

There was no set allocation per city, to households or to businesses. This allowed flexibility to respond to demand dependant on applications received each year.

I can advise that £551,427.13 of this funding has been awarded to households within 20km of the Aberdeen LEZ.

Question reference: S6W-43004

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 January 2026
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 23 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-37327 by Fiona Hyslop on 19 May 2025, whether it will provide an update on how many businesses and individuals it has provided funding to since 1 January 2021 to date “through the LEZ Support Fund to assist small businesses and individuals with the cost of complying with the LEZ requirements", broken down by (a) how much was provided to each recipient and (b) the city location, or nearest city, of each recipient.

Due to the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the privacy policy agreed by applicants to the LEZ Support Fund, we are unable to disclose personal details of the funds recipients.

However, I can advise that in the Aberdeen area 210 households received grants with a total value of £551,427, 73 microbusinesses in the area received a further £156,500 for the disposal of a non-compliant vehicle and 2 microbusinesses received grants totalling £14,066 to retrofit vehicles to meet LEZ standards.

In the Dundee area 261 households received grants with a total value of £646,293, 49 microbusinesses in the area received a total of £107,500 for the disposal of a non-compliant vehicle and 1 microbusiness received a grant of £7,033 to retrofit a vehicle to meet LEZ standards.

In the Edinburgh area 847 households received grants with a total value of £2,203,593, 443 microbusinesses in the area received a total of £1,023,631 for the disposal of a non-compliant vehicle and 146 microbusinesses received grants totalling £1,118,852 to retrofit vehicles to meet LEZ standards.

In the Glasgow area 2241 households received grants with a total value of £5,734,691, 762 microbusinesses in the area received a further £1,723,350 for the disposal of a non-compliant vehicle and 415 microbusinesses received grants totalling £3,345,089 to retrofit vehicles to meet LEZ standards.

Question reference: S6O-05422

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 January 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the five National Performing Companies are essential infrastructure investment and whether the funding that it provides to them is sufficient.

Question reference: S6W-42913

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 January 2026
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 21 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether weaknesses in tackling cryptocurrency-enabled organised crime risk depriving communities of potential funding through the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 that could otherwise be reinvested in Scotland.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that cryptocurrency-enabled organised crime is tackled and does not consider that weaknesses in this area risk depriving communities of potential POCA funding.

Law enforcement agencies in Scotland are equipped with significant POCA powers. These powers will be further enhanced when new powers for law enforcement to search, seize and detain cryptoassets and cryptoasset-related items come into force on 31 March 2026.

The Scottish Government continues to support operational partners to use all available tools to disrupt organised crime, including in the digital and cryptoasset space.

We remain committed to reinvesting recovered proceeds of crime to benefit young people and communities across Scotland. The Cashback for Communities Programme, funded through POCA receipts, will continue to invest in projects which support activity for young people at risk of becoming involved in anti-social and criminal behaviour. Phase 7 of the Programme, running from April 2026 to March 2029, will receive up to £26 million of funding, which is an increase of £6 million from Phase 6.

Question reference: S6W-42911

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 January 2026
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 21 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how much money has been recovered in Scotland through the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 that originated from cryptocurrency or digital assets in each of the last five financial years.

Question reference: S6W-42914

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 January 2026
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 21 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what specialist capability exists in Scotland to trace, freeze and recover cryptocurrency assets linked to organised crime.

The Government has increased police funding year on year since 2016-17. The Scottish Police Authority (SPA) budget will increase to a record £1.7 billion in 2026-27 to support Police Scotland to deliver on its priorities including frontline service delivery. This is £81.7 million more than the published 2025-26 Autumn Budget Revision (ABR) SPA budget. The allocation of police resources, including specialist capability to trace, freeze and recover cryptocurrency assets, is an operational matter for the Chief Constable of Police Scotland.

In addition, the Civil Recovery Unit, acting on behalf of Scottish Ministers, can recover crypto assets derived from unlawful conduct, and additional powers were created to facilitate this in the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 (ECCTA).

Question reference: S6W-42912

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 January 2026
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 21 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact that any failure to seize and recover cryptocurrency-linked criminal assets has on the level of funding available for community programmes supported through receipts from the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002, including CashBack for Communities.

POCA receipts in Scotland are primarily used to fund the CashBack for Communities, which has been delivered successfully in each of its six phases so far. These funds are drawn from the overall level of POCA receipts rather than from any specific category of recovered asset.

In 2024-25, 15,077 young people at risk of becoming involved in anti-social and criminal behaviour were supported to take part in projects that promote safe spaces, trusted adults and a range of positive diversionary and support activities.

Phase 7 of CashBack for Communities will run from April 2026 to March 2029 and will be supported by a record budget of up to £26 million – an increase of £6 million from the previous phase. CashBack for Communities will continue to be funded entirely from POCA receipts.

Question reference: S6T-02850

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 19 January 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 20 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that grooming gangs are targeting children living in residential care homes in Scotland.