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 46266 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S6F-04494

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 01 December 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 4 December 2025

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6W-42265

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 01 December 2025
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answer expected on 15 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to amend the Visitor Levy (Scotland) Act 2024 to provide additional flexibilities for local authorities during the remainder of the current parliamentary session.

Question reference: S6W-42264

Asked by: Jackie Dunbar, MSP for Aberdeen Donside, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 01 December 2025
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answer expected on 15 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish the Early Years Speech, Language and Communication Action Plan.

Question reference: S6W-42225

Asked by: George Adam, MSP for Paisley, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 November 2025
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Kate Forbes on 1 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on Scotland joining the UK bid to host the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2035.

The Scottish Government has worked closely with partners to assess the opportunity for Scotland to participate in the UK bid to host the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2035. Having considered the opportunity, the Scottish Government has decided to support the bid.

All four nations of the UK have committed to the bid, alongside the respective Football Associations and prospective host cities and stadia. Two Scottish cities – Edinburgh and Glasgow – will be put forward to FIFA for consideration. The bid was submitted to FIFA on 28 November 2025. FIFA is expected to announce its decision in April 2026.

Scotland’s reputation as a host of major events is strong. With Scotland co-hosting the men’s UEFA EURO 2028 event, it is right that we are equally as ambitious at exploring opportunities for women’s sport. The FIFA Women’s World Cup is the largest single sport women’s event in the world. It is a growing event with the 2023 tournament generating one billion television viewers and selling 1.9 million tickets. Supporting this unique opportunity will promote the visibility and participation of women and girls in sport and support delivery of Scotland’s National Event Strategy.

Question reference: S6W-42233

Asked by: Bob Doris, MSP for Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 November 2025
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Mairi McAllan on 1 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support people at risk of, or engaging in, rough sleeping over winter.

I can announce to Parliament today that this winter, the Scottish Government is investing over half a million pounds to support people at risk of rough sleeping. The majority of funds will be targeted in Edinburgh and Glasgow, where rough sleeping is most concentrated.

This includes £432,660 of funding provided to support the operation of rapid rehousing welcome centres in Glasgow and Edinburgh this year. These welcome centres provide a safe, dignified and inclusive alternative to night shelters and are part of a longstanding Scottish Government commitment to phase out the use of communal night shelter provision for people experiencing homelessness. Since 2020 we have delivered over £1.6 million of funding to support the operation of rapid rehousing welcome centres, which have provided over 6,500 people at risk of rough sleeping with accommodation and support.

We are also providing third sector homelessness organisations across Scotland with £100,000 of funding for personalised budgets this winter. Personalised budgets provide outreach teams with quick access to funds, enabling them to meet the immediate and individual needs of people at risk of rough sleeping and provide them with support in a person-centred way. This will bring total funding for personalised budget funding since 2020 to £415,000.

The UK Government’s no recourse to public funds (NRPF) policy prevents national and local government from providing accommodation to some of the most vulnerable and marginalised people in our society. In addition to frontline funding, which is designed to support everyone regardless of their immigration status, the Scottish Government funds Fair Way Scotland to enable this consortium of third sector organisations to provide people with no recourse to public funds with access to basic necessities, support, advocacy and accommodation.

Question reference: S6W-42215

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 November 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 12 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to its news release, Harnessing data and technology to revolutionise public services, on 20 November 2025, on what date in 2026 it will launch its new app to “help people access personalised public services more easily”.

Question reference: S6W-42207

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 November 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 12 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any psychosocial impact of living with long-term fluctuating conditions such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, including any impact on mental health and quality of life.

Question reference: S6W-42223

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 November 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 12 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the Audit Scotland report, Cyber-attack affecting operations and services: The 2023/24 audit of Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, which was published on 27 November 2025, what support it provides to local authorities to protect themselves against potential cybersecurity attacks.

Question reference: S6W-42221

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 November 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 12 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Audit Scotland report, Cyber-attack affecting operations and services: The 2023/24 audit of Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, which was published on 27 November 2025, in particular the comment that “all councils [should] prioritise preparation and testing of plans…recent high-profile cases have shown that nobody is immune, but everyone can be prepared so disruption is minimised. This is especially important for councils, whose staff provide services to many of the most vulnerable within our communities”.

Question reference: S6W-42222

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 November 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 12 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the Audit Scotland report, Cyber-attack affecting operations and services: The 2023/24 audit of Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, which was published on 27 November 2025, what recent discussions it has had with local authorities regarding their resilience to deal with cybersecurity threats, including what preparations they have in place should an attack occur, and whether such discussions are ongoing.