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-38758

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 June 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 16 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the report, Older People’s Economic Wellbeing Index: Scotland 2024–25, by Independent Age, which found that almost one in four (24%) older people with a health condition are not aware of Pension Age Disability Payment or its predecessor, Attendance Allowance, how it will raise awareness of the financial support available to older disabled people.

Question reference: S6W-38759

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 June 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 16 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the report, Older People’s Economic Wellbeing Index: Scotland 2024–25, by Independent Age, which found that almost one third (32%) of older people with a health condition have skipped meals because of costs and that 58% of people with a health condition or disability are more likely to have reduced their social interactions because of financial difficulties.

Question reference: S6T-02570

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 09 June 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 10 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the removal of dangerous building cladding, in light of the recent publications by Scotland’s Cladding Remediation Programme.

Question reference: S6O-04772

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 June 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what the estimated value is of the contribution that disabled people make to the Scottish economy annually.

Question reference: S6W-37672

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 3 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-37429 by Jim Fairlie on 12 May 2025, how many (a) canaries, (b) budgerigars, (c) other finches, (d) pigeons and (e) parrots are included in the 142,450 captive birds of other species that have been registered on the Scottish Kept Bird Register.

The number of birds registered on the Scottish Kept Bird Register has increased since the numbers provided in the answer to question S6W-37429 on 12 May 2025. The number of birds registered on the Scottish Kept Bird Register has increased to 15,621,470 as at 28 May 2025. It is not possible to provide the requested breakdown of categories exactly into (a) canaries, (b) budgerigars, (c) other finches, (d) pigeons and (e) parrots. The categories of birds available for a more detailed breakdown from the register are: avian zoo collections (BIAZA Registered); aviary birds; birds of prey; ducks; emus; geese; guinea fowl; other birds; ostriches; partridges; pheasants; pigeons; psittacines; quails; rheas; and turkeys.

Excluding species classified as poultry or birds of prey the register currently holds records of 61,046 aviary birds, 3,570 other birds, 1,289 psittacines and 77,140 pigeons.

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

Question reference: S6W-37673

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 3 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-37428 by Jim Fairlie on 12 May 2025, and in light of reported errors within the February 2025 version of the general licence to arrange a fair, market, show, exhibition or other gathering involving the collecting together of birds in Scotland (EXD 178 (AI) (S)), whether it sought legal advice whilst drafting the general licence, and, if not, for what reason it chose not to do so.

Scottish Government sought legal advice whilst drafting the general licence.

The licence is made under article 4(1) of the Avian Influenza (Preventive Measures) (Scotland) Order 2007 and issued by a veterinary inspector. It permits the collection of birds at fairs, markets, shows, exhibitions or other gatherings subject to the conditions set out in the Schedule. A veterinary inspector shall only grant a licence if a veterinary risk assessment has been carried out, in accordance with article 4(2) of that Order, and the veterinary inspector is satisfied that the gathering and the transit of birds to and from the gathering would not significantly increase the risk of the transmission of avian influenza virus (in particular of virus of the subtype H5N1). These licences are regularly reviewed to reflect the changing risk from avian influenza. General licence changes will also take into consideration feedback from industry and members of the public.

Question reference: S6O-04761

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 May 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 5 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to part 5 of the Housing (Scotland) Bill, when the homelessness prevention pilots will commence.

Question reference: S6W-37333

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 19 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the number of Child Winter Heating Payments reportedly increased by 115% during the winter of 2024-25, compared with 2020-21.

The latest published Official Statistics for Child Winter Heating Payment show the number of payments issued increased from 18,365 for winter 2020-2021 to 39,590 for winter 2024-2025.

Of the winter 2024-2025 payments issued by 8 April 2025, 93% were for children or young people eligible through Child Disability Payment, with the remaining 7% for those eligible through Adult Disability Payment. Published statistics for Child Disability Payment and Adult Disability Payment show there has been an increase in the respective caseloads over time, which will have contributed to an increase in those receiving Child Winter Heating Payment.

Entitlement to Child Winter Heating Payment was expanded in November 2021 to include anyone up to the age of 19 in receipt of the enhanced rate of the daily living component of Personal Independence Payment.

In addition to this, since winter 2022 it has also paid to young people up to the age of 19 in receipt of the enhanced rate of the daily living component of Adult Disability Payment.

Social Security Scotland pays Child Winter Heating Payments automatically to eligible children and young people, so most families do not need to apply.

Question reference: S6W-37428

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 12 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has plans to make the Scottish Kept Birds Register publicly searchable, and, if not, for what reason.

The Scottish Government has no plans to make the Scottish Kept Birds Register publicly searchable.

The Scottish Kept Bird Register is a mandatory register for bird keepers in Scotland under the Avian Influenza (Preventive Measures) (Scotland) Amendment Order 2024. It was established to allow Scottish Government and its deliver body, the Animal and Plant Health Agency, to send vital biosecurity information to bird keepers to minimise the risk of the spread of notifiable avian diseases, particularly highly pathogenic avian influenza. The register also supports mandatory surveillance activities during disease outbreaks. The information has also been used to help support public health response in the offer of vaccinations to poultry keepers.

In accordance with Data Protection Act 2018 a commitment was made to those registering, in the Scottish Kept Bird Register Privacy Notice, as to how the data collected would be used. This can be summarised as to determine the size and location of the kept bird population in Scotland, for communication and disease control activities during notifiable avian disease outbreaks, and for promoting bird welfare and public health.

To make this data public would be in breach of the Data Protection Act of 2018, as the Scottish Government would be unable to control the uses to which the data was being put. The Scottish Government is legally required to make arrangements to ensure that the data collected is retained securely and protected from data breach. This is in common with registers for other animals and livestock across Scotland held by Scottish Government.

Question reference: S6W-37429

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 12 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many people have registered under the Scottish Kept Bird Register, and whether it will provide a breakdown of the number of (a) poultry, (b) birds of prey and (c) other captive birds.

As of 8 May 2025, there are 10,786 bird keepers registered on the Scottish Kept Bird Register. In total, they have registered 15,539,346 birds. 15,393,511 of these birds are classified as poultry (which are defined as birds kept for the production of meat or eggs for consumption, or other products, or for restocking and breeding programmes). This category includes chickens, turkeys, ducks, gamebirds and geese. 3,383 of the registered birds are birds of prey and 142, 450 are captive birds of other species.