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-01048

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh North Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 15 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Kirsten Oswald on 8 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of community policing on levels of antisocial behaviour.

The Government recognise that policing is an important part of tackling antisocial behaviour. To this end, the Strategic Police Priorities set out the importance of the police maintaining relationships and engaging with local communities. Under the Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012, the Chief Constable of Police Scotland is under a duty to ensure that there are adequate arrangements in place for policing within each local authority area and is required to submit a local police plan to the local authority for its approval. The plan must set out the main priorities and objectives for policing the local authority area, based on intelligence and aligned with national Police Scotland strategic objectives.

The Chief Constable has previously set out her intention for community policing to be prioritised in Police Scotland and programmes such as Policing our communities are designed to help in this regard. The Scottish Government supports this through our funding settlement whilst respecting the operational independence of the Chief Constable and Police Scotland to best allocate this funding to support these priorities.

Question reference: S7W-01039

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh North Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 15 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Kirsten Oswald on 8 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to address reports of intimidation and disorder in town centres by groups of youths.

We are aware of collaborative approaches being adopted by a number of local authorities alongside Police Scotland to tackle antisocial behaviour in town centres. The Scottish Government supports local authorities and Police Scotland through record funding.

We seek to complement local action through a range of national programmes aimed at prevention and early intervention. For example, through our CashBack for Communities programme, we support diversionary activities and positive opportunities for young people who may be at risk of becoming involved in antisocial behaviour or offending.

Question reference: S7W-01017

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh North Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 15 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Kirsten Oswald on 8 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of the illegal use of (a) quad bikes and (b) off-road motorcycles on rural communities.

The Scottish Government recognise the particular concerns that the illegal use of quad bikes and off-road motorcycles can cause in rural areas, including road safety risks, damage to agricultural land and property, and disturbance to local communities.

All instances of illegal use should be reported to Police Scotland, which has responsibility for enforcing the law and taking action where appropriate. Reports can also be made anonymously to Crimestoppers Scotland.

Question reference: S7W-01042

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh North Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 15 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Kirsten Oswald on 7 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how many incidents involving possession of a knife or bladed article have been recorded in schools in each of the last five years.

Table 1 shows the number of police recorded crimes of having in a school an article with a blade or point over 2021-22 to 2025-26.

Table 1: Crimes of having in a school an article with a blade or point, Scotland, 2021-22 to 2025-26

Crime category	2021-22	2022-23	2023-24	2024-25	2025-26
Having in a school an article with a blade or point (not used in other criminal activity)	98	112	94	121	99
Having in a school an article with a blade or point (used in other criminal activity)	37	27	35	28	28
Total crimes of having in a school an article with a blade or point	135	139	129	149	127

Source: Accredited Official Statistics Recorded Crime in Scotland, 2025-26

Question reference: S7W-01016

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh North Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 15 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Kirsten Oswald on 7 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how many complaints regarding the illegal use of (a) quad bikes and (b) off-road motorcycles have been recorded by Police Scotland in each of the last five years, broken down by local authority area.

Question reference: S7W-01037

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh North Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 15 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Kirsten Oswald on 7 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how many incidents involving groups of young people causing public disorder have been recorded by Police Scotland in each of the last five years.

Question reference: S7W-01046

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh North Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 15 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Kirsten Oswald on 6 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what funding has been provided for programmes aimed at reducing knife carrying among young people.

The Scottish Government has invested over £6 million to support implementation of the Violence Prevention Framework since its publication in May 2023. It has also provided over £2 million over 2026-27 to continue delivery of the violence prevention work. This funding supports a range of targeted prevention and early intervention activity in schools, hospitals and across communities, working with partners to tackle violence and its harms including the use of any form of weapon including knives.

Question reference: S7F-00021

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh North Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 June 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 June 2026

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S7W-00761

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh North Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 08 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 22 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how it is planning to ensure that young people will still be able to access low experience jobs despite the rise of AI.

Careers support is provided to school-age pupils through teaching in the curriculum, access to professional careers advisers, Developing the Young Workforce(DYW).and specialist additional support is available as required.

DYW, funded by the government, was set up specifically to connect young people with employers and experience the world of work. Activities include visits to and from employers, skills projects and challenges, work tasters and careers fairs. Careers support is also provided by colleges and universities to prepare students for their destination post-education.

Through our No One Left Behind approach, we are delivering an all-age employability offer across Scotland. Young people who are unemployed or economically inactive are eligible for support with provision designed locally, with input from a range of partners, including Skills Development Scotland, colleges, and third sector provision ensuring it reflects local labour market needs.

As set out in the Scottish budget, we are investing up to £90million in 2026-27 for the delivery of devolved employability services, ensuring people of all ages, including eligible young people, receive a tailored offer of support based on their needs and circumstances.

Young people who require ongoing or intensive support as they transition from secondary education towards a positive destination, can access tailored support to help them progress towards employment, or move into another positive destination, such as higher or further education, where that is more appropriate to their aspirations, including routes that build skills for evolving job roles.

Published in 2026, Scotland’s AI Strategy sets out the Scottish Government’s five-year plan to harness the potential of AI to drive responsible and inclusive growth across our economy and make a positive difference at every level of society. In the Strategy’s first year, the Scottish Government will establish a Future Jobs panel to assess AI’s impact on workforce and to help guide national skills planning.

Question reference: S7W-00760

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh North Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 08 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 22 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how it is planning to ensure the safety of jobs available for graduates in the ever-increasing world of AI.

The Scottish Government recognises the challenges facing graduates from changes in technology. Our 2026-27 Budget invests over £2.4bn in post school education and skills and reinforces our steadfast commitment to free education. The Scottish Government seeks to ensure Scotland has a strong, responsive skills system, as this is key to Scotland’s future.

Our investments in apprenticeships, careers support, Developing the Young Workforce and adult learning will strengthen pathways into and through employment. This budget supports learners to progress into and through work, helping address poverty and cost of living pressures.

This support is reflected in the statistics for positive destinations for graduates with 89% of 2023-24 UK graduates from Scottish universities in work or further study 15 months after graduation and 85.4% of 2023-24 College qualifiers went on to work or further study.

We want this close alignment with the skills employers to continue. The Scottish Government has introduced a new skills planning model, being developed with partners, to ensure the post-school education and skills system is more responsive to Scotland’s strategic skills priorities. Digital has been identified as an early area of focus within this model, reflecting current and emerging skills needs and its alignment with national policy priorities.

In parallel Scotland’s AI Strategy published in 2026, sets out the Scottish Government’s five-year plan to harness the potential of AI to drive responsible and inclusive growth across our economy and make a positive difference at every level of society. In the Strategy’s first year, the Scottish Government will establish a Future Jobs panel to assess AI’s impact on workforce and to help guide national skills planning.