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 3573 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S7W-01043

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh North Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 15 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 9 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how many pupils have been excluded from school for possession of a knife or offensive weapon in each of the last five years.

Question reference: S7W-01079

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 9 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether CMAL has secured a Builders Refund Guarantee in the design and build contract with Guangzhou Shipyard International Co. Ltd for two Northern Isles freight flex vessels.

Question reference: S7W-01402

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 29 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 9 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how many ScotRail services between Aberdeen and Edinburgh or Glasgow have used Class 158 trains since January 2025, broken down by month, and what proportion this represents of all passenger services allocated to those routes.

Question reference: S7W-01248

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 9 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what the projected whole-life cost is of the battery electric multiple units (BEMUs) to be used on stretches of Scotland's railway network with discontinuous electrification, and how this compares with the equivalent whole-life cost for locomotives with fully electric engines.

Question reference: S7W-01211

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 22 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 9 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to review the findings from CalMac’s deck space reservation pilot on Mull, Coll and Tiree ferry services.

Question reference: S7W-01249

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 9 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of Scotland's greenhouse gas emissions is attributable to rail transport.

Question reference: S7W-01080

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 9 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government when the first milestone payment is due for two Northern Isles Freight flex vessels, under the terms of the design and build contract between CMAL and Guangzhou Shipyard International Co. Ltd.

Question reference: S7W-01361

Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 9 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government when it will begin the process of appointing the new Land and Communities Commissioner to the Scottish Land Commission, in order to enable the implementation of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2025.

Question reference: S7W-01434

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 9 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Scottish National Party’s 2026 manifesto commitment to making land ownership transparent and implementing robust anti-avoidance measures, whether it plans to increase land data transparency and accessibility for the public.

Question reference: S7W-01400

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 29 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 9 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers that the use of Class 158 trains on ScotRail services between Aberdeen and the Central Belt provides an appropriate standard of rolling stock for these journeys, and what discussions it has had with ScotRail regarding the allocation of rolling stock to these routes.