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: S6W-37852

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 10 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the University of Edinburgh regarding reports that the university plans to reduce jobs by up to 1,750.

The Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills has met recently with the Principal of Edinburgh University to discuss its cost-saving programme and potential impact on staff.

Staffing and operational matters are the responsibility of individual universities as autonomous institutions, however the Scottish Government and Scottish Funding Councill will continue to engage closely with the sector and offer appropriate support to universities, including Edinburgh, as they develop their plans to address financial challenges.

Whilst Ministers cannot compel institutions to commit to no compulsory redundancies, the Scottish Government’s expectation is that universities work with staff to make every effort to protect jobs, and for compulsory redundancies to be considered as a last resort, after all other cost saving measures have been fully explored.

Question reference: S6W-37636

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 10 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the number of potential job losses in the north east that could result from a possible “presumption against new exploration for oil and gas", as set out in its Draft Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan.

Decisions on offshore oil and gas licensing, as well as on consenting and the associated fiscal regime, are matters currently reserved to the UK Government.

The Scottish Government is clear in its own support for a just transition for Scotland’s valued offshore oil and gas sector, which recognises the maturity of the North Sea basin and is in line with our climate change commitments and energy security.

Question reference: S6W-38151

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 10 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the enforcement of the wrasse fishery licensing conditions, how many fixed penalty notices (FPN) have been issued since April 2021, and how many of those went unpaid; of those FPNs that went unpaid, how many have (a) been referred to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service and (b) proceeded in the courts, and, of any that resulted in convictions, what the (i) nature of the offence, (ii) value of the original FPN and (iii) court disposal was.

Question reference: S6W-38108

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 10 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the detailed Project Willow report by EY-Parthenon, what its position is on whether it is feasible to use approximately 240,000 hectares of agricultural land for the production of cover crops for Project 6 (HEFA), as set out at page 124, and, if it considers it to be feasible, whether it has any concerns regarding competition with food production.

Question reference: S6W-38139

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 10 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what weight is given to (a) local authority planning refusals and (b) the findings of a public inquiry reporter in a final ministerial decision on renewable energy developments.

Question reference: S6W-38067

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 10 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to section 3(3) of the Good Food Nation (Scotland) Act 2022, by what date the Scottish Ministers will (a) lay the national good food nation plan before Parliament under section 1(1) and (b) deliver a statement setting out details of any (i) representations, (ii) resolutions and (iii) reports mentioned in subsection (1)(b); what changes they made to the plan in response to any such (A) representations, (B) resolutions and (C) reports, and what the reasons were for any such changes.

Question reference: S6W-38105

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 10 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the detailed Project Willow report by EY-Parthenon, what Government decisions that are to be made before the end of 2025 in respect of Project (a) 5, (b) 6, (c) 7, (d) 8 and (e) 9 are being referred to at page 44.

Question reference: S6W-38142

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 10 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance is currently in place to inform ministers’ decisions when they depart from the recommendations of a public inquiry reporter in renewable energy cases.

Question reference: S6T-02570

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 09 June 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 10 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the removal of dangerous building cladding, in light of the recent publications by Scotland’s Cladding Remediation Programme.

Question reference: S6T-02583

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 09 June 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 10 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports of claims by a whistleblower at Police Scotland that officers are being “coerced” into logging individuals in line with their gender identity, even in serious sexual assault cases.