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-39675

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 31 July 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 28 August 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what the total underspend has been in its housing capital budgets since 2007, and what assessment it has made of how any underspend has affected affordable home delivery.

Question reference: S6W-39641

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 31 July 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 28 August 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many cases of bankruptcy were declared in the past five years, broken down by local authority area.

Question reference: S6W-39640

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 31 July 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 28 August 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how much was spent on local authority housing, including for repairs and new housebuilding, in the North Ayrshire local authority area, in each of the last five years.

Question reference: S6W-39616

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 July 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 26 August 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that the economic benefits of Scotland’s role in hosting the 2028 UEFA European foootball championships benefit communities in all areas of the country, and what legacy planning it has conducted.

Question reference: S6W-39615

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 July 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 26 August 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many people are currently in apprenticeships in the digital and engineering and manufacturing subject areas and how many new newly qualified apprentices have entered the workforce in each of the past five years.

Question reference: S6W-39471

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 18 July 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 28 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what data it has collected from local authorities on the number of streets assessed for compliance with the pavement parking ban, and how many enforcement officers each local authority has allocated to enforce the ban since December 2023.

The Scottish Government does not hold central data on the number of streets assessed or enforcement officers allocated. Local authorities are responsible for deciding their enforcement approach based on local priorities.

The latest Decriminalised Parking Enforcement (DPE) Report 2023–2024, published in December 2024, includes data on Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) issued, including those for pavement parking. The report is available at:
Decriminalised Parking Enforcement (DPE) Report 2023-2024

Transport Scotland continues to engage with COSLA and SCOTS to support effective enforcement.

Question reference: S6W-39551

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 25 July 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 22 August 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that businesses, particularly small and medium-sized businesses, are equipped and supported to implement artificial intelligence into their work.

Question reference: S6W-39553

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 25 July 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 22 August 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) paramedics are currently working in Scotland, (b) newly qualified paramedics entered the NHS in each of the last five years and (c) individuals are currently in training to become paramedics.

Question reference: S6W-39510

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 July 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 20 August 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of public electric vehicle charge points met the minimum power output standards for (a) rapid and (b) ultra-rapid charging in each of the last five years, including the most recent figures available.

Question reference: S6W-39263

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 July 2025
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 23 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-38588 by Richard Lochhead on 17 June 2025, whether it will provide comparative data for each year since 2015.

Data are available on the number of SMEs operating in Scotland, that are registered for VAT and/or PAYE, broken down by Scottish parliamentary constituency. These estimates, sourced from the Businesses in Scotland 2024 publication, are shown in the following table.

Table 1: Number of registered SMEs operating in Scotland, by Scottish Parliamentary Constituency, March 2015-2024

Scottish Parliamentary Constituency	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024
Aberdeen Central	4,515	4,440	4,315	4,235	4,315	4,265	4,065	3,915	3,930	4,170
Aberdeen Donside	2,430	2,405	2,310	2,250	2,285	2,270	2,245	2,115	2,045	1,995
Aberdeen South and North Kincardine	3,420	3,380	3,255	3,200	3,185	3,175	3,050	2,850	2,680	2,660
Aberdeenshire East	4,505	4,490	4,430	4,415	4,330	4,280	4,115	4,030	3,890	3,875
Aberdeenshire West	4,635	4,635	4,555	4,480	4,620	4,575	4,455	4,305	4,145	4,110
Airdrie and Shotts	1,485	1,525	1,565	1,545	1,570	1,595	1,635	1,650	1,660	1,725
Almond Valley	2,075	2,140	2,190	2,235	2,275	2,260	2,245	2,195	2,175	2,220
Angus North and Mearns	3,275	3,235	3,185	3,150	3,150	3,155	3,085	2,975	2,860	2,850
Angus South	2,210	2,275	2,290	2,285	2,295	2,275	2,270	2,290	2,260	2,225
Argyll and Bute	3,205	3,185	3,210	3,155	3,150	3,160	3,175	3,260	3,270	3,245
Ayr	2,135	2,205	2,260	2,195	2,270	2,185	2,225	2,170	2,195	2,190
Banffshire and Buchan Coast	3,405	3,420	3,460	3,455	3,500	3,515	3,455	3,390	3,305	3,290
Caithness, Sutherland and Ross	3,965	3,995	3,935	3,930	3,950	3,880	3,845	3,725	3,630	3,625
Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley	2,295	2,340	2,345	2,375	2,350	2,420	2,345	2,335	2,320	2,320
Clackmannanshire and Dunblane	1,800	1,825	1,835	1,825	1,810	1,775	1,730	1,695	1,715	1,715
Clydebank and Milngavie	1,735	1,820	1,840	1,820	1,805	1,810	1,800	1,735	1,720	1,725
Clydesdale	2,595	2,650	2,650	2,660	2,680	2,645	2,605	2,605	2,595	2,615
Coatbridge and Chryston	1,440	1,530	1,585	1,605	1,625	1,610	1,610	1,610	1,590	1,595
Cowdenbeath	1,560	1,650	1,960	2,175	2,115	1,980	1,795	1,570	1,555	1,545
Cumbernauld and Kilsyth	1,435	1,510	1,565	1,495	1,555	1,570	1,530	1,490	1,435	1,435
Cunninghame North	1,970	1,975	2,020	1,980	1,965	1,945	1,955	1,900	1,840	1,830
Cunninghame South	1,275	1,300	1,370	1,365	1,375	1,430	1,390	1,285	1,290	1,275
Dumbarton	1,640	1,670	1,705	1,690	1,685	1,805	1,790	1,655	1,620	1,615
Dumfriesshire	3,350	3,320	3,320	3,355	3,380	3,390	3,375	3,410	3,405	3,460
Dundee City East	1,545	1,580	1,575	1,550	1,550	1,565	1,585	1,590	1,560	1,570
Dundee City West	1,830	1,810	1,890	1,850	1,935	1,985	2,005	2,040	2,030	2,055
Dunfermline	1,955	2,020	2,090	2,065	2,085	2,090	2,040	1,965	1,920	1,895
East Kilbride	1,895	1,915	1,955	1,985	2,000	1,975	1,990	2,000	2,015	2,015
East Lothian	2,430	2,545	2,580	2,615	2,660	2,645	2,595	2,565	2,550	2,580
Eastwood	2,030	2,125	2,180	2,170	2,175	2,170	2,180	2,175	2,120	2,155
Edinburgh Central	7,045	7,265	7,365	7,540	7,785	7,840	7,710	7,585	7,535	7,580
Edinburgh Eastern	1,450	1,580	1,690	1,705	1,785	1,775	1,735	1,735	1,720	1,745
Edinburgh Northern and Leith	3,070	3,235	3,280	3,250	3,330	3,360	3,175	3,100	3,085	3,130
Edinburgh Pentlands	1,375	1,475	1,520	1,505	1,560	1,630	1,555	1,520	1,465	1,470
Edinburgh Southern	2,465	2,540	2,575	2,535	2,585	2,610	2,500	2,350	2,260	2,215
Edinburgh Western	2,325	2,455	2,545	2,565	2,685	2,715	2,525	2,420	2,390	2,370
Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire	3,230	3,205	3,185	3,180	3,180	3,150	3,165	3,215	3,205	3,205
Falkirk East	1,710	1,740	1,755	1,695	1,700	1,755	1,710	1,645	1,600	1,605
Falkirk West	2,070	2,135	2,160	2,170	2,175	2,130	2,105	2,055	2,050	2,065
Galloway and West Dumfries	3,155	3,115	3,080	3,060	3,065	3,020	2,975	3,005	2,980	2,955
Glasgow Anniesland	1,245	1,335	1,395	1,395	1,355	1,335	1,305	1,295	1,275	1,250
Glasgow Cathcart	1,365	1,415	1,530	1,535	1,520	1,500	1,520	1,525	1,515	1,505
Glasgow Kelvin	6,820	7,060	7,125	7,420	7,670	7,720	7,670	7,630	7,710	7,870
Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn	1,270	1,280	1,370	1,390	1,410	1,420	1,410	1,425	1,410	1,380
Glasgow Pollok	1,185	1,240	1,370	1,340	1,395	1,415	1,440	1,455	1,430	1,405
Glasgow Provan	875	945	1,015	1,005	1,105	1,125	1,150	1,150	1,105	1,105
Glasgow Shettleston	2,080	2,180	2,275	2,320	2,360	2,380	2,400	2,435	2,440	2,455
Glasgow Southside	2,505	2,595	2,695	2,710	2,820	3,200	3,240	3,325	3,225	3,225
Greenock and Inverclyde	1,340	1,380	1,415	1,390	1,370	1,370	1,340	1,295	1,295	1,270
Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse	1,760	1,835	1,890	1,910	1,975	1,990	1,990	1,955	1,930	1,945
Inverness and Nairn	3,150	3,230	3,185	3,195	3,245	3,200	3,200	3,240	3,240	3,290
Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley	2,190	2,220	2,300	2,245	2,275	2,285	2,285	2,315	2,270	2,240
Kirkcaldy	1,715	1,720	1,695	1,705	1,755	1,990	1,915	1,760	1,730	1,745
Linlithgow	2,370	2,490	2,540	2,540	2,640	2,610	2,575	2,560	2,550	2,605
Mid Fife and Glenrothes	1,635	1,655	1,695	1,685	1,705	1,680	1,665	1,630	1,620	1,620
Midlothian North and Musselburgh	2,175	2,235	2,320	2,330	2,250	2,305	2,270	2,340	2,320	2,385
Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale	2,585	2,635	2,665	2,645	2,790	2,815	2,790	2,800	2,780	2,770
Moray	2,655	2,715	2,720	2,710	2,775	2,765	2,710	2,685	2,690	2,660
Motherwell and Wishaw	1,560	1,625	1,695	1,690	1,710	1,735	1,740	1,775	1,760	1,775
Na h-Eileanan an Iar	1,190	1,180	1,175	1,205	1,200	1,200	1,200	1,205	1,210	1,225
North East Fife	2,405	2,440	2,375	2,365	2,415	2,430	2,385	2,425	2,425	2,395
Orkney Islands	1,510	1,490	1,485	1,515	1,525	1,490	1,460	1,500	1,490	1,490
Paisley	1,900	1,920	1,975	1,970	2,040	2,040	2,080	2,070	2,045	2,090
Perthshire North	3,230	3,205	3,225	3,210	3,295	3,245	3,235	3,280	3,240	3,285
Perthshire South and Kinross-shire	2,940	2,990	3,055	3,105	3,030	3,030	3,010	3,045	3,055	3,050
Renfrewshire North and West	1,970	2,060	2,095	2,100	2,030	2,055	2,065	2,035	2,000	1,960
Renfrewshire South	1,395	1,415	1,445	1,425	1,515	1,495	1,495	1,485	1,470	1,490
Rutherglen	1,680	1,760	1,845	1,805	1,850	1,855	1,850	1,915	1,900	1,900
Shetland Islands	1,440	1,480	1,510	1,530	1,515	1,520	1,565	1,600	1,605	1,595
Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch	3,905	3,930	3,930	3,965	4,070	4,050	4,035	4,130	4,140	4,215
Stirling	3,235	3,310	3,260	3,240	3,280	3,335	3,315	3,310	3,270	3,280
Strathkelvin and Bearsden	1,985	2,095	2,135	2,100	2,125	2,090	2,055	2,020	2,000	1,985
Uddingston and Bellshill	1,970	1,990	2,070	2,055	2,090	2,155	2,120	2,150	2,150	2,125
Scotland Total	168,040	171,630	174,035	173,915	176,355	177,020	174,735	172,835	170,995	171,660

Source: Businesses in Scotland 2024

Notes:

1.Excludes central and local government.

2.Excludes unregistered businesses. Unregistered businesses are the smallest businesses that have a turnover below the VAT threshold (£85,000) and do not employ others, and so are registered neither for VAT nor for PAYE.

3.SMEs are Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, that is businesses with fewer than 250 employees. Enterprise size is defined based on the number of employees that the business employs across the UK.

4.Business counts are rounded to the nearest five. Totals may not equal the sum of the constituent parts due to rounding.

5.Each business is counted once in each area it operates in. The sum of the area business counts does not equal the overall Scotland total because each business is only counted once in the Scotland total.