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-42516

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Independent
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 December 2025
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 7 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what cumulative impact assessment it has carried out of the regulatory and fiscal changes affecting microtourism businesses over the last five years.

The Scottish Government undertakes a range of impact assessments when developing or introducing new policy, taking account of other ongoing policy development that may interact with the options being considered. Where relevant, this includes Business and Regulatory Impact Assessments, which consider businesses of all sizes and the cumulative impact of multiple policy changes and their timing.

The Scottish Government report on the 2023 non-domestic rates revaluation was published on 5 July 2023. The report set out the changes in rateable values for different property classes as a result of the 2023 revaluation. A report on the 2026 revaluation will be published once final values are available.

On Short-term lets we continue to work with stakeholders to monitor implementation of the licensing regime. In response to stakeholder feedback we commissioned VisitScotland to launch an expert group to revise short-term let guidance, bringing industry and local authorities together to provide recommend updates to short-term let licencing guidance.

In relation to the visitor levy, impact assessments were carried out to support the original Visitor Levy Bill/Act and we are revising them for the new Bill, but these were on the overall impact of a Visitor Levy. Each Local Authority must assess the impact of its proposed local Visitor Levy’s scheme while it is developing and consulting on it.

Question reference: S6W-42840

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 January 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 20 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has paid for services from the Global Disinformation Index since it was founded in 2018, and, if so, whether it will provide details of this, broken down by each year.

Question reference: S6W-42822

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 January 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 20 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-42464 by Ivan McKee on 23 December 2025, whether its decisions on non-domestic rates policy for 2026-27 will take account of the request from the Scottish Retail Consortium, Aberdeen Inspired BID, and other business improvement districts, that Scotland should follow England and introduce a permanent business rate discount for all retail, hospitality and leisure premises.

Question reference: S6W-42834

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 January 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 20 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the comments from the former chair of the Scottish Government’s Retail Industry Leadership Group, Andrew Murphy, in The Times on 22 December 2025, that if Scotland does not follow England and introduce a permanent business rate discount for all retail premises it would be “a huge mistake” and could see existing shops close and fewer new ones open.

Question reference: S6W-42829

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 January 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 20 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it is making to support the switch of freight transport from road to (a) rail and (b) water.

Question reference: S6W-42839

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 January 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 20 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason plastics are not referenced in its Circular Economy Strategy.

Question reference: S6W-42819

Asked by: Ash Regan, MSP for Edinburgh Eastern, Independent
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 January 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 20 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what estimate it has made of the (a) revenue and (b) capital cost of extending universal free school meal entitlement to all primary school children.

Question reference: S6W-42816

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 January 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 20 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what advice it has received from economists regarding the potential implications of the recently proposed 2026 non-domestic rates revaluation for the income generated by non-domestic rates, in light of reported concerns expressed by the Federation of Small Businesses, the Scottish Tourism Alliance, Scottish Agritourism, the Association of Scotland's Self Caterers, and Scottish Land and Estates, that the revaluation "poses a serious threat to the viability of thousands of businesses across the country".

Question reference: S6W-42838

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 January 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 20 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to reduce the impact of microplastics on people's health and wellbeing.

Question reference: S6W-42824

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 January 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 20 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the ongoing work to map out existing mental health services as part of the Delivery Framework for Miscarriage Care in Scotland, and a timeline for its publication.