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-01518

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 28 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what the current resourcing levels are within the Energy Consents Unit, and whether it considers those levels to be sufficient to manage the projected increase in application volumes.

Question reference: S7W-01417

Asked by: Paul McLennan, MSP for East Lothian Coast and Lammermuirs, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Hannah Mary Goodlad on 28 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Scottish National Party’s 2026 manifesto commitment to simplify regulation and reform of the planning system to support jobs and economic growth, how and when it plans to implement the findings of the Compulsory Purchase Order review.

Question reference: S7W-01517

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 28 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how many applications under section (a) 36 and (b) 37 of the Electricity Act 1989 are currently awaiting determination by the Energy Consents Unit, and what proportion of applications in each category have exceeded the 52-week determination target.

As of 14 July 2026, at the time of answering, the Energy Consents Unit (ECU) has the following live caseload of development applications which are yet to be determined:

SECTION 36	TOTAL
Wind farm	92
Battery Energy Storage System	49
Hybrid/solar	16
Hydro	5
Gas	1
Section 36c (variations)	3

SECTION 37	TOTAL
Overhead Line	64

Please note that that the 52-week determination ambition does not explicitly refer to all applications.

The Priority Applications for Transmission Infrastructure Guidance, published in February 2025, includes a 52-week ambition to determine section 37 applications that deliver essential upgrades to the high-voltage energy network, also known as the Accelerated Strategic Transmission Investment (ASTI) framework.

Two section 37 ASTI applications have been determined so far, both within the 52-week determination target.

For onshore wind application information, I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-01423 on 28 July 2026. 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: S7W-01694

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Edinburgh and Lothians East, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 28 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how many missed GP appointments there have been in each year since 2021, broken down by NHS board.

The Scottish Government does not hold data on how many missed GP appointments there have been in each year since 2021, broken down by NHS board.

PHS publishes information relevant to this question using GP encounters data as part of the General Practice in-hours activity visualisation publication. Encounters are not the same as appointments as not all encounters will be recorded on an appointment booking system. Further information on the limitations of this data can be found on the publication website.

Question reference: S7W-01788

Asked by: Jenny Young, MSP for Central Scot and Lothians West, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 28 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how much Social Security Scotland has spent in each of the last five years on welfare payments to 16- to 24-year-olds, broken down by benefit type,

Question reference: S7W-01744

Asked by: Julie MacDougall, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Reform UK
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 28 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the decision of some local authorities to introduce or increase charges for services while simultaneously increasing council tax rates.

Decisions on council tax levels and charges for local services are a matter for Councils to determine locally.

The Scottish Government encourages Local Government to consult with their communities to inform decisions and consider the potential impacts of charges or taxation, particularly on low-income households and vulnerable groups. However, as long as they act lawfully, it is up to each local authority how it manages its day-to-day business and decision-making processes.

Question reference: S7W-01792

Asked by: Jenny Young, MSP for Central Scot and Lothians West, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 28 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of 16- to 24-year-olds in receipt of Adult Disability Payment are in employment (a) when they first receive the payment and (b) (i) 12 to 23, (ii) after 24 to 35 and (iii) 36 or more months after receiving their first payment.

Question reference: S7W-01716

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 28 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the Scottish Law Commission project, Consolidation: Nature Conservation, whether it has requested that opportunities to strengthen or harmonise protections for different species be considered as part of that project.

The aim of consolidation legislation is to bring together, restate and simplify existing legislation, not to review or change the underlying policy framework or levels of protection afforded to particular species.

The Scottish Government has therefore not asked the Scottish Law Commission to consider strengthening or harmonising protections for different species as part of their consolidation of nature legislation project.

Question reference: S7W-01521

Asked by: Lorna Slater, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Hannah Mary Goodlad on 28 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government when it expects to introduce legislation to (a) modernise Compulsory Purchase Orders and (b) implement Compulsory Sales Orders and Compulsory Lease Orders, to give local authorities more powers to deal with empty homes.

The Scottish Government’s legislative programme will be agreed by Ministers and announced to Parliament in due course in the usual way.

The Scottish Government will shortly publish a summary of responses to the compulsory purchase reform consultation, and associated analysis of the questions on compulsory sale and compulsory lease orders, and will provide an update on next steps in line with our commitment for the first 100 days of government.

Question reference: S7W-01421

Asked by: Kristopher Leask, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Gethins on 28 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made in taking forward legislative options to allow the escorting of abnormal loads for onshore wind projects by an agency other than Police Scotland or Transport Scotland, and what timeline it is working to for bringing forward any such legislation.

The Scottish Government recognises the continued pressures facing Police Scotland’s ability to support abnormal load movement requirements for the energy industry and continues to meet regularly with Police Scotland and industry.

The escorting of abnormal loads often requires traffic to be stopped and directed and in Scotland such action can only be undertaken by police officers. The legislation which underpins this requirement is reserved to the UK Government.

The Scottish Government is working closely with the UK Government to identify workable solutions. However, any legislative change in this area would require action by Westminster.