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-01301

Asked by: David Linden, MSP for Glasgow Baillieston and Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 22 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the number of people currently held on remand who are from a care experienced background.

The Scottish Prison Service (SPS) operates a Corporate Parenting Strategy 2024-2026 which sets out its approach to supporting care-experienced individuals, including care leavers, within custody.

SPS collects information on care leaver status for individuals aged under 26 at the point of admission, based on self-reporting. As disclosure is voluntary, individuals may choose not to provide this information or may provide inaccurate details. As a result, the figures recorded are likely to underestimate the true number of care-experienced individuals within the remand population.

As of 25 June 2026, there were 52 individuals on remand who have reported being care-experienced, and 8 individuals on remand who have historic care-experienced markers. As the remand population changes on a daily basis, this will impact upon the numbers of those in our care on remand who are care-experienced.

Question reference: S7W-01337

Asked by: Steven Bonnar, MSP for Uddingston and Bellshill, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Hannah Mary Goodlad on 22 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the increasing scale and strategic significance of proposed data centre developments, whether it will consider establishing a centralised ministerial oversight framework, similar in principle to the Energy Consents Unit for major energy infrastructure, to ensure a coordinated national approach to assessing cumulative impacts on energy demand, water use, land use and infrastructure, while also ensuring meaningful community benefit and alignment with Scotland’s net zero ambitions.

The Scottish Government has on the 13th of July repositioned the energy consents unit within an expanded Planning Directorate, creating a single, stronger centre of expertise in planning and consenting within the Scottish Government.

As the First Minister set out in Parliament on 25 June 2026, we are giving active consideration to whether we should provide planning guidance to balance the potential economic opportunities from the creation of data centres, with concerns raised by communities, and our national energy and climate goals which are vital to our future prosperity.

All issues about local and national decision making and the implications for energy use will be considered fully.

Question reference: S7W-01317

Asked by: Laura Moodie, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 22 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how it is working with (a) Education Scotland and (b) other stakeholders in delivering the actions contained in Learning for sustainability: action plan 2023 to 2030.

The Scottish Government works with a range of stakeholders through the national Learning for Sustainability (LfS) Leadership Group, which meets quarterly to help oversee and co-ordinate delivery of the LfS Action Plan. The group is co-chaired by the Scottish Government and Education Scotland, and member organisations represent interests across, for example, local authorities, skills development, qualifications, the teaching profession, and the environment.

Scottish Government and Education Scotland officials also work together to deliver shared actions, such as the development of new sustainable learning settings guidance for educators, which Education Scotland published in March 2026. Through provision of funding, the Scottish Government further supports stakeholders to deliver climate action in schools, global citizenship training for practitioners, and resources for taking learning outdoors.

Question reference: S7W-01318

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Hannah Mary Goodlad on 22 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answers to questions S7O-00110, S7O-00114 and S7O-00115 by Gillian Martin on 24 June 2026 and S7F-00023 by John Swinney on 25 June 2026, what plans it has to provide a formal definition of a green data centre and, in the absence of such a definition, how it will develop guidance on how planning authorities can assess the environmental credentials of proposed hyperscale data centres.

Question reference: S7W-01316

Asked by: Laura Moodie, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 22 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the implementation of Learning for sustainability: action plan 2023 to 2030.

The refreshed Learning for Sustainability (LfS) Action Plan was published in 2023. Key achievements since then have included: publication of Sustainable Learning Settings guidance in English and Gaelic by Education Scotland, which will help to guide schools on how to achieve Target 2030; publication of a national framework for LfS in Initial Teacher Education to improve the embedding of LfS in initial teacher training, and; strengthening LfS as part of the Curriculum Improvement Cycle. In addition – and recognising that outdoor learning is a key aspect within LfS – the government is also working with partners to implement the Schools (Residential Outdoor Education) (Scotland) Act 2026.

Question reference: S7W-01881

Asked by: Martyn Day, MSP for Falkirk East and Linlithgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 July 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 18 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what the timetable is for the delivery of equitable 24/7 national access to thrombectomy services.

Question reference: S7W-01778

Asked by: Jenny Young, MSP for Central Scot and Lothians West, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 July 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 18 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government (a) how many and (b) what proportion of (i) 16- to 17-, (ii) 18- to 20-, (iii) 21- to 23- and (iv) 24-year-olds are classified as not being in employment, education or training (NEET).

Question reference: S7W-01866

Asked by: Maggie Chapman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 July 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 18 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that victims and survivors of rape and other serious sexual offences can have confidence that their cases will be investigated promptly, thoroughly and with appropriate specialist support, particularly in light of reported increasing numbers of such crimes.

Question reference: S7W-01883

Asked by: Martyn Day, MSP for Falkirk East and Linlithgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 July 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 18 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made towards delivering equitable national 24/7 access to thrombectomy services, and what milestones it expects to meet in 2026-27.

Question reference: S7W-01868

Asked by: Maggie Chapman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 July 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 18 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports that a number of individual officers might be responsible for investigating in excess of 200 rape cases alongside other serious offences, (a) whether it has sought information from Police Scotland regarding this and, if so, what information it has received and (b) what assessment it has made of the impact that high investigative caseloads might have on the confidence of victims and survivors in reporting offences.