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-42112

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 21 November 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 8 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what monitoring system the Scottish Prison Service uses to track the use of restricted regime status across the prison estate.

Question reference: S6W-42113

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 21 November 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 8 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what internal thresholds or triggers the Scottish Prison Service uses to determine when a restricted regime status for a prison must be implemented.

Question reference: S6W-41746

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 18 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to referrals to Prevent in Scotland increasing by 42% in the last year.

Question reference: S6W-41745

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 18 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of a 42% increase in referrals to Prevent in Scotland in the last year, what it is doing to tackle each of the recorded types of concern.

National security and counter-terrorism, including Prevent, is reserved to the UK Government but is delivered in Scotland by devolved partners such as Education, Police, Local Authorities, Prisons and Health. The Scottish Government works closely with the Home Office and key delivery partners to ensure proportionate responses to a broad spectrum of threat. There are variations over time in the number of referrals to Prevent and the number of cases adopted to the programme. This is likely due to a combination of factors including improved training of frontline staff, increasing public awareness of terrorism, related events or high-profile incidents.

Prevent is focussed on early intervention to address all forms of ideology and does not target any one community, group, or individual. The Scottish Government’s work is centred on supporting partners, increasing awareness and improving access to training for professionals to tackle ideological causes. Our wider work to support resilient and safe communities in Scotland helps to stop people from becoming alienated or isolated, reduces susceptibility to radicalisation, and increases resilience to the narratives used to divide us.

Question reference: S6W-41598

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 10 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what recent engagement is has had with the National Records of Scotland regarding the operation of the Marriage (Scotland) Act 1977 and whether it needs to be updated.

The main focus of the Scottish Government's recent engagement with the National Records of Scotland regarding the Marriage (Scotland) Act 1977 has been in relation to our planned Family Law consultation, this includes (i) whether we should legislate to raise the minimum age of marriage and civil partnership to 18 and (ii) setting qualifying requirements for religious and belief bodies to meet when they solemnise marriage. The draft consultation is currently being finalised and we expect to be in a position to launch the consultation by the end of this year.

Question reference: S6W-41599

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 10 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to update the Marriage (Scotland) Act 1977.

Question reference: S6W-41518

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 7 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-40884 by Angela Constance on 17 October 2025, how much funding in total has been provided to any restorative justice test cases that have been conducted in the last 18 months.

Question reference: S6W-41517

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 7 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-40884 by Angela Constance on 17 October 2025, how many restorative justice test cases have been funded in the last 18 months, and what the outcomes were of these cases.

Question reference: S6O-05123

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 November 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 12 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how much money has been distributed by Creative Scotland in the previous 12 months.

Question reference: S6W-41137

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 4 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what actions it is taking to repond to the illicit cigarette trade.

We work closely with the Society of Chief Officers of Trading Standards in Scotland (SCOTSS) to support enforcement of existing legislation, including on illicit tobacco. SCOTSS manages the Enhanced Tobacco Sales Enforcement Programme (ETSEP) in Scotland, which is a key component in the Scottish Government’s Tobacco and Vaping Framework.

In 2025-2026, Scottish Government provided funding of £46k to SCOTSS support a National Coordinator post and specific enforcement projects that vary year on year.

In 2024-2025 SCOTSS received an additional £75k to support the UK-wide Operation CeCe, which is a joint initiative between National Trading Standards and HMRC to remove illicit tobacco product from sale. SCOTSS plays a key role in this operation, coordinating local authority activity in Scotland. From 2025-2026 Operation CeCe is being funded directly by UKG.

In 2024-2025 19 local authorities in Scotland engaged in a joint operation with HMRC and Police Scotland as part of Operation CeCe. This resulted in the seizure of 1.4 million cigarettes and 800 kg of hand-rolling tobacco. Scottish referrals accounted for over 40% of successful HMRC sanctions across GB.

Scottish Government Officials also meet regularly with HMRC, who work with Border Force to take action to tackle the import of illicit tobacco and vaping products at the border.