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-43102

Asked by: Clare Haughey, MSP for Rutherglen, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 January 2026
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Kate Forbes on 16 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its progress in implementing the accepted recommendations of the UK Covid-19 Inquiry’s Module 1 report, which was published on 18 July 2024.

We welcomed the publication of the UK Covid-19 Inquiry’s Module 1 report on pre-pandemic preparedness and resilience on 18 July 2024. We published our initial response on 16 January 2025, where we set out the actions and steps we are taking to address the Inquiry’s recommendations.

Today we publish our second progress report, setting out the steps taken over the past twelve months to make effective, practical and measurable improvements in pandemic planning and preparedness.

During Autumn 2025, the Scottish Government participated in the UK-wide pandemic exercise, Exercise Pegasus, to test our national and local preparedness for future pandemics. This is the first exercise of its kind in almost a decade and the learnings identified will inform our future plans and actions.

In September 2025, the Scottish Government laid before the Scottish Parliament titled, “the Scottish Government Report on Whole System Civil Emergency Preparedness”. The is the first report in a series, which will follow every three years and on 12 January 2026, we submitted a close out report to the UK Covid-19 Inquiry Chair, stipulating that we consider this recommendation closed.

The Scottish Government remains committed to ensuring that Scotland is as resilient as possible to future risks, and we continue to taking the necessary steps to achieve this. We look forward to continuing to work closely with our partners and stakeholders to deliver these recommendations.

A copy of the progress report is available online at: www.gov.scot/isbn/9781806436248

Our next progress report will be provided within six months.

Question reference: S6W-43113

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 January 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 29 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what arrangements are in place to ensure that there is operational separation between decisions on Electricity Act 1989 consents and decisions relating to capital investment, infrastructure financing or budget allocation.

Question reference: S6W-43114

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 January 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 29 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether the Minister for Public Finance has any role in decisions on funding, financing or financial guarantees for electricity transmission infrastructure projects that are also subject to Electricity Act 1989 consents.

Question reference: S6W-43068

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 January 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 29 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the potential impact of its proposed budget reduction of 1.3% to the Rural Affairs and Islands budget in its draft Budget 2026-27.

Question reference: S6W-43076

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 January 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 29 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made with the development of an updated National Performance Framework.

Question reference: S6W-43080

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 January 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 29 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what the impact will be on (a) rural employment and (b) local supply chains of the proposal to remove small business rates relief from country sport shoots, broken down by (i) local authority area and (ii) and rural area classification type, and what mitigations are planned.

Question reference: S6W-43069

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 January 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 29 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-33135 by Jim Fairlie on 22 January 2025, when the Minister for Agriculture and Connectivity plans to update the Rural Affairs and Islands Committee on the work undertaken to establish a bracken mapping layer for Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-43085

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 January 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 29 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the Scottish Spending Review 2026, what savings are expected in each year from each (a) territorial and (b) special NHS board to achieve the savings of £247 million in 2026-27, £290 million in 2027-28 and £220 million in 2028-29.

Question reference: S6W-43118

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 January 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 29 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether the criteria used to assess Electricity Act 1989 consent applications have changed following the transfer of responsibility to the Minister for Public Finance and, if so, what changes have been made.

Question reference: S6W-43082

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 January 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 29 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what (a) gross and (b) net revenue it forecasts over each of the next five years from the proposal to remove small business rates relief from country sport shoots.