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-02131

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 17 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what criteria it will use to determine whether market conditions are sufficiently favourable to proceed with an issuance under the Scottish Government bond programme, and under what circumstances ministers would decide not to proceed with a bond issuance where market pricing is considered unfavourable.

The Scottish Government is working closely with its appointed bookrunners to assess market conditions and achieve the most favourable terms available.

Releasing information on the criteria underpinning a potential bond issuance prior to execution could prejudice the Government's position in the market. Such disclosure may shape investor expectations, constrain pricing flexibility and adversely affect the terms on which borrowing can be secured. To do so before a transaction has taken place could therefore risk higher costs to the taxpayer and poorer value for money.

Question reference: S7W-02305

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 17 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding animal use in scientific research, what assessment it has made of the alignment between its publication, Life Sciences Strategy for Scotland 2035 Vision, and the guiding 3Rs ethical framework principles of replacement, reduction and refinement.

The Life Sciences Strategy for Scotland is primarily designed to maximise growth, innovation and competitiveness across Scotland's life sciences sector. The 3Rs are fundamental ethical principles which seek to minimise the use of animals in scientific research and improve animal welfare, while enhancing scientific quality. The Life Sciences Strategy does not position 3Rs adoption as a core driver of growth, however there are opportunities for Scotland to build a competitive advantage through leadership in alternative methods, AI-enabled modelling, organoids, human-relevant research technologies and responsible innovation.

Question reference: S7W-02300

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 17 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what information it receives from the UK Government's Animals in Science Regulation Unit (ASRU) regarding licensed establishments carrying out procedures under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 in Scotland, including whether it has received any information relating to investigations, compliance concerns or enforcement action.

The Scottish Government does not routinely receive such information. The Animals in Science Regulation Unit (ASRU) publishes an annual report which includes information pertaining to investigations, compliance and enforcement action. In addition, the ASRU publishes detailed annual statistics that includes data on the number of licences granted, nature and number of procedures undertaken, species used etc. The publication of this information is a statutory requirement under the 1986 Act and all reports are available to view on the ASRU web site.

Question reference: S7W-02014

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 24 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 17 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to improve public education and knowledge about animal welfare in relation to (a) domesticated pets, (b) exotic animals kept in domestic settings, (c) wildlife, and (d) farmed animals.

The Scottish Government undertakes work to improve public awareness and knowledge of animal welfare matters on an ongoing basis and recognises the importance of continuing to educate and inform the wider public on the best practice for animal welfare.

Recent examples include the publication of updated welfare guidance for pigs and ongoing work on updating welfare guidance for equidae, cattle and sheep, and funding support for Farm Advisory Service events providing education on new tail docking and castration techniques for lambs, among a range of other education and awareness work.

Question reference: S7W-01828

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 20 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 17 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the (a) condition, (b) reliability and (c) availability of the Caledonian Sleeper rolling stock since the service entered public ownership, including (i) the number of train failures, (ii) fleet availability and (iii) technical defects in each year since June 2023, and how these figures compare with the final three years prior to public ownership

Caledonian Sleeper Limited (CSL) is responsible for the assessment of rolling stock on its services, with oversight from Scottish Rail Holdings (SRH). The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) is responsible as the safety regulator for ensuring that the rolling stock is maintained in line with the safety management system. The Member may wish to contact these organisations directly regarding this matter. The Scottish Government does not hold the information centrally.

Question reference: S7W-02258

Asked by: Andrew Baxter, MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 17 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the reported increase in video recordings by police officers using body-worn filming devices, what additional resources it is providing to Police Scotland to ensure that members of the public can access such footage through Subject Access Requests, in line with their rights under the Data Protection Act 2018.

Decisions on workforce deployment and the allocation of resources in respect of data protection functions are operational matters for the Chief Constable and the Scottish Police Authority. This reflects the statutory governance arrangements established by the Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012.

This year, the Scottish Government have increased police funding to over £1.7 billion, an increase of £81.5 million on the 2025-26 Autumn Budget Revision (ABR) budget, to deliver on its priorities including frontline service delivery.

Question reference: S7W-02178

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scot and Lothians West, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 17 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has assessed the consistency of prioritisation arrangements for patients with aggressive cancers across NHS boards.

The Scottish Government has not undertaken work to this end.

It is important to note that there is no single nationally agreed Scottish definition of ‘rapidly progressing cancer’ or ‘aggressive cancer’. Whilst clinicians may use terms such as these on occasion to support patients understand their diagnosis, they are not recognised as clinical descriptors.

However, our Cancer Action Plan for Scotland 2023 – 2026 includes a commitment to carry out a clinically led review of cancer waiting times. This will determine whether there is merit in additional or alternative standards, including for different types of cancer.

This review, being led by the Centre for Sustainable Delivery, has been initiated with evidence reviews being commissioned through key partners such as Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) and Cancer Research UK.

Question reference: S7W-02019

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 24 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 17 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what (a) its position is on the use of cages in poultry farming, and (b) research it has (i) commissioned, (ii) reviewed, and (iii) otherwise relied upon to come to this position.

The Scottish Government is committed to improving laying hen welfare and in 2024 consulted on proposals to phase out cages in Scotland’s laying hen sector. Analysis of the responses received continues. More recently we agreed to jointly consult with the other devolved administrations on phasing out the use of cages for laying hens, pullets and breeding hens.

The analysis of the responses to both consultations will inform future policy to ensure that improvements in poultry welfare are achieved and that Scottish producers are not disadvantaged compared to their wider UK counterparts.

We will continue to listen and work with the industry and stakeholders on how best to achieve improvements in animal welfare as well as monitoring industry information to allow us to determine how to ensure best practice is delivered.

Question reference: S7W-01646

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 24 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 17 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of the non-domestic rates regime in Scotland on environmental horticulture businesses in terms of their competitiveness relative to such businesses operating in England and Wales.

The Scottish Government has not made any specific assessment of the impact of the non-domestic rates regime in Scotland on environmental horticulture businesses, however the Scottish Budget 2026-27 delivered a competitive rates package including decreasing the Basic, Intermediate and Higher Property Rates in 2026-27, delivering the lowest Basic Property Rate since 2018. The Budget also continues to support businesses and communities with a strong relief package worth over £870 million, including the Small Business Bonus Scheme, which remains the most generous of its kind in the UK. We estimate that over 100,000 properties will remain eligible for the Small Business Bonus Scheme in 2026-27.

Question reference: S7W-01827

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 20 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 17 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what the overall passenger satisfaction score for the Caledonian Sleeper service has been in each year since 2019-20, also including measures of (a) journey experiences, (b) cabin comfort, (c) staff helpfulness, (d) punctuality, (e) cleanliness, (f) value for money and (g) overall service quality.

Caledonian Sleeper and Transport Focus, the independent passenger watchdog, publish statistical information on passenger satisfaction. Recent survey results can be accessed here: Caledonian Sleeper_GSS_Dashboard_2027_RP03 https://www.sleeper.scot/about/our-performance/#3; and https://www.transportfocus.org.uk/publication/caledonian-sleeper-guest-satisfaction-survey-25/.

Previous results of surveys undertaken by Transport Focus can be found in the ‘Publications’ section of its website: https://www.transportfocus.org.uk/publications/?hba_otd_searchable_posts%5BrefinementList%5D%5Bpost_year%5D%5B0%5D=2022.