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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

Filter your results Hide all filters

Displaying 40714 questions Show Answers

Order by |

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-03975

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 31 March 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 3 April 2025

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6F-03982

Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
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 response is to reported comments made by the chair of the North Sea Transition Task Force that the North Sea’s future should be a “national mission”.

Question reference: S6F-03976

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 31 March 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 3 April 2025

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6W-35749

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 31 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions ministers have had with COSLA regarding redrawing school catchment areas.

Under the Education (Scotland) Act 1980, the statutory responsibility for the provision of education in Scotland rests with individual local authorities.

School catchment arrangements are a matter for individual local authorities, which have the responsibility to manage their own school estates in consultation with local communities.

Any proposal to redraw school catchment areas is subject to the requirements of the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010, which sets out clear procedures for public consultation to ensure that local communities have the opportunity to express their views.

There have been no discussions between Scottish Ministers and COSLA about the redrawing of school catchment areas – that is because a decision pertaining to changing catchment areas for Schools in Scotland is a matter for Local Authorities, not Scottish Ministers.

Question reference: S6W-35711

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 17 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 31 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to amending the regulations governing the location of battery energy storage systems to account for any community safety concerns where developments are close to housing and other public amenities and services, such as schools and parks.

We have no current plans for legislative change regarding battery energy storage systems. Our Fourth National Planning Framework (NPF4) guides spatial development, sets out national planning policies, designates national developments and highlights regional spatial priorities. It is an integral part of the development plan and so influences planning decisions across Scotland. NPF4 Policy 11 part e) (energy) recognises that potential impacts on communities and individual dwellings, including residential amenity are important considerations in the decision making process and all applications are subject to site specific assessments.

Question reference: S6W-35714

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 17 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 31 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has asked the UK Health Security Agency to conduct a review into any health effects of electromagnetic fields from overhead lines.

The Scottish Government recognise there could be public concerns relating to the potential health effects of electromagnetic fields from overhead lines.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) take the lead on public health matters associated with radiofrequency electromagnetic fields for the UK.

Central to their advice is that exposure to radio waves should comply with the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP).This is the approach adopted by officially mandated authoritative organisations and these bodies conclude overall that a causal relationship between exposure and long-term health effects has not been established.

UKHSA is committed to carefully continue monitoring the emerging scientific evidence in between the publication of comprehensive evidence reviews and providing any necessary advice to Scottish Government.

Therefore, the Scottish Government have not requested the UK Health Security Agency to conduct a review into any health effects of electromagnetic fields from overhead lines.

Question reference: S6W-35594

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 17 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 31 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether there are any plans to allow people who received Zostavax when they became eligible for a shingles vaccination in recent years, before it was replaced by Shingrix, to receive a further inoculation with Shingrix, in light of reports that it provides a greater level of protection and for a longer duration.

There are no plans to revaccinate individuals who have had a previous Zostavax vaccination. The need for booster doses following previous vaccination has not yet been determined by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).

A statement on the shingles vaccination programme was published on 13 November 2024, advising that the offer of Shingrix vaccination should be expanded to include older adult cohorts aged 80 years and over.

JCVI recognise that some of these individuals will have already received a Zostavax vaccination. However there is a clear cost-effective benefit from offering a single dose of Shingrix to this age group as this would help prevent severe illness and other serious complications from shingles, which can cause illness or hospitalisation.

The Scottish Government, Public Health Scotland and NHS Boards will work together to consider these recommendations.

Question reference: S6W-35722

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 17 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 31 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the Camphill organisation regarding long-term funding for its work.

Question reference: S6W-36033

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 31 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government when it last reviewed the approach of local authorities to issuing parking fines, and what its position is on whether any local authority has introduced policies in relation to penalty charge notices specifically to make a profit and not to respond to illegal or inappropriate parking.

A public consultation was undertaken in 2021, which looked at levels of Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs). Following this, on 1 April 2023, the maximum PCN amount was raised to £100. Local authorities must ensure that they issue PCNs only when it is lawful to do so. It is important to note that PCNs are a penalty for illegal parking and are not to be used specifically to generate income, though any profit from PCNs is ring-fenced and must only be used by the local authority for transport related purposes. Local authorities also report the income and expenditure annually and these reports are published on the Transport Scotland website.