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: S6O-05066

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 October 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 29 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the validity of HMRC's analysis of Scottish Income Tax statistics, including the July 2025 outturn publication.

Question reference: S6O-05089

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 October 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what powers local communities will have to raise objections in relation to new energy infrastructure projects.

Question reference: S6O-05069

Asked by: Audrey Nicoll, MSP for Aberdeen South and North Kincardine, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 October 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 29 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the progress being made against its Public Service Reform Strategy.

Question reference: S6O-05082

Asked by: Willie Coffey, MSP for Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 October 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider making improvements to the Glasgow to Kilmarnock Sunday evening rail service.

Question reference: S6O-05058

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 October 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 29 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the potential impact on regional economies and employment, what assessment it has made of the extent to which projected transmission-related job opportunities are dependent on the consenting outcome for proposed overhead line projects within the current network upgrade programme.

Question reference: S6O-05059

Asked by: Meghan Gallacher, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 October 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 29 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the potential impact on businesses and the economy, what steps it is taking to ensure that business and regulatory impact assessments properly reflect the real-world impact of new policies on small and medium-sized enterprises.

Question reference: S6W-41449

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S6W-40852

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 29 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 22 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has considered seeking to amend the definition of peatland under the Wildlife Management and Muirburn (Scotland) Act 2024 to cover areas of peat with a thickness of 30 centimetres or greater, and if so, what the outcome was, in light of the recent decision by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to restrict burning of upland peat in England to a maximum depth of 30 centimetres, except where covered by a licence.

We are aware of the decision by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to restrict burning of upland peat in England to a maximum depth of 30 centimetres, except where covered by a licence. However, we are also aware of the extensive damage which can be caused to peatlands by wildfires which are becoming more prevalent and can be exacerbated by increased fuel load.

Therefore, the Scottish Government has not given consideration to amending the definition of peatland under the Wildlife Management and Muirburn (Scotland) Act 2024 to cover areas of peat with a thickness of 30 centimetres or greater.

We will continue to work in partnership with key stakeholders, experts and scientists to better understand the relationship between muirburn and peatlands to ensure our peatlands are protected.

Question reference: S6W-41123

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 22 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what the new traineeship scheme for legal aid will look like.

In order to increase the capacity and capability of the legal aid profession in Scotland, the Scottish Government is planning to create a new Legal Aid Traineeship Fund. This new fund will build on the success of the first fund announced in December 2020 which provided funding of up to £1 million to support 40 new legal aid trainees across Scotland. The 2020 fund was managed by the Law Society of Scotland and supported new talent through the duration of their traineeships.

The Scottish Government is committed to taking on feedback from an evaluation of the 2020 fund. My officials are closely engaging with the Law Society of Scotland and the wider legal profession, and discussions on the specific design of the scheme, including eligibility criteria, are ongoing. A commitment has been given to funding up to 20 traineeships in the first instance.

Question reference: S6W-41040

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 22 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has held with livestock marts, particularly those specialising in cattle trading, regarding its policy to mandate the use of ultra-high frequency (UHF) cattle electronic identification (EID) tags by 2026.

An industry led EID pilot has directly engaged with 18 auction marts, 14 abattoirs and 425 farms from across Scotland, as well as those across the border. The pilot has concluded its findings with a report published in 2023, highlighting improved Health and Safety as one of the many advantages of ultra-high frequency (UHF) due to reduced animal handling. The Scottish Government also meets regularly with the Bovine EID Industry Stakeholder group, which includes the Institute of Auctioneers and Appraisers in Scotland (IAAS).