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-35909

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 1 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to a presumption in favour of underground energy infrastructure, where feasible.

Legislation and regulations relating to energy networks are reserved to the UK Government and regulated by Ofgem.

The Scottish Government does not develop energy infrastructure, nor does it manage any aspects of building energy infrastructure projects. All energy infrastructure projects are nevertheless subject to robust planning and consenting procedures.

Where new development proposals come forward, our Fourth National Planning Framework (NPF4) ensures the impacts of proposals on communities and nature, including cumulative impacts, are important considerations in the decision-making process. NPF4 Policy 11 (energy) says that in the case of proposals for grid infrastructure consideration should be given to underground connections where possible. All applications are subject to site specific assessments, including Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), where applicable.

Question reference: S6W-35900

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 1 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to address reported concerns that the cost of rail travel in the Highlands is disproportionately higher than that in urban areas, and what consideration it has given to supporting rail routes serving rural and remote communities to provide a viable alternative to car travel.

Eligible residents of the Highlands benefit from the Highland Railcard, which provides 50% off rail fares at any time of the day and is now available with ScotRail’s ‘Kids for a Quid’ offer.

Following the conclusion of Peak Fares Removal Pilot, ScotRail has introduced a 20% discount on all season tickets until 27 September 2025 and permanently improved the value for money of Flexipass tickets, which offer significant savings to passengers.

ScotRail will continue to develop fare initiatives to attract more passengers while providing savings and additional value to existing rail users.

Question reference: S6W-35881

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 1 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to its engagement with the UK Government on proposed reforms to electricity infrastructure consenting in Scotland, what its response is to the reported suggestion that accelerating the end-to-end electricity consenting process risks undermining thorough scrutiny of environmental impacts.

Question reference: S6W-35883

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 1 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to its engagement with the UK Government on proposed reforms to electricity infrastructure consenting in Scotland, how it will address reported concerns that statutory consultees may be placed under additional pressure from new time limits, potentially weakening their ability to provide robust input into proposed developments.

Question reference: S6W-35888

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 1 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to its engagement with the UK Government on proposed reforms to electricity infrastructure consenting in Scotland, how many electricity consents it has suspended, revoked or corrected in each of the last five years, and how it took account of any concerns about investor and community uncertainty in proposing to expand its powers to vary consents without an application.

Legislation does not currently allow for modifications, suspensions or revocations consents when errors in consents are found. Should any issues arise, an applicant must apply for a section 36 consent variation and go through the full variation process, including payment of a fee.

The number of section 36 variation applications consented in the past 5 years are as follows:

2024 – 5

2023 – 5

2022 – 4

2021 – 6

2020 – 1

I also refer the member to the answer to question S6W-35884 on 1 April 2025. 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-35886

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 1 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to its engagement with the UK Government on proposed reforms to electricity infrastructure consenting in Scotland, what evidence it considered in developing the “Acceptance Stage” for section 36 and 37 applications, and whether it will publish data showing how this stage could affect overall timescales and local input into project proposals.

The proposed reforms will make pre-application consultation for electricity infrastructure projects a statutory requirement and also introduce an Acceptance Stage when Scottish Ministers can decline to accept applications which have not fulfilled the necessary requirements. These reforms will reduce timescales for processing applications and increase local input into project proposals.

The Scottish Government will publish detailed guidance on the Acceptance Stage and what happens if the relevant planning authority objects or if an application is not accepted.

Question reference: S6W-35889

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 1 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to its engagement with the UK Government on proposed reforms to electricity infrastructure consenting in Scotland, how many applications for electricity infrastructure developments it projects will be submitted annually from 2025, and whether it has made any assessment of whether introducing new fees for pre-application functions could reduce application numbers.

Question reference: S6T-02457

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 31 March 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 1 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the recent NASUWT survey, which recorded that 49% of female teachers in Scotland had reported physical abuse or violence in the last 12 months.

Question reference: S6F-03977

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 31 March 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 3 April 2025

To ask the First Minister what engagement the Scottish Government has had with the UK Government regarding what assessment has been made of the potential impact of an extension of US tariffs on Scottish businesses that export to the US market.

Question reference: S6F-03996

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 31 March 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 3 April 2025

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's position is on whether the reported increased annual cost of Scotland's prisons to over £77,000 per prisoner represents good value for public money.