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-41982

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angus Robertson on 2 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its position regarding the reported community request to introduce an entry fee for non-residents at the Calanais Standing Stones Visitor Centre, to support the site's long-term care.

The Scottish Government has granted ministerial approval for the introduction of charging for access to Calanais Standing Stones.

This decision follows a community consultation exercise and will ensure a sustainable income for the site management, ongoing conservation work and help support the local economy. The income generated will also be essential to sustaining the adjoining Calanais Visitor Centre which has key investment from the Scottish and UK Government jointly funded Islands Growth Deal as part of the Outer Hebrides Destination Development programme. Importantly the local community will retain free access.

Question reference: S6W-41926

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 2 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-41527 by Kaukab Stewart on 11 November 2025, what the eligibility status is for homelessness support for individuals who have been placed in temporary accommodation in each local authority since April 2025.

Question reference: S6W-42088

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 2 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide information on its policy regarding the use of revenue collected from the Scottish Government carbon levy on business flights, including (a) the objectives of the levy, (b) the criteria and process for selecting carbon reduction projects on the core estate to be funded from the levy, (c) the governance and oversight arrangements for managing the levy funds, including which directorates are responsible, (d) how often the rate and operation of the levy have been reviewed since its introduction and (e) what changes have been made as a result of any such reviews.

(a) The objectives of the levy

The levy is designed to raise money from business flights to be invested in carbon reduction and active travel projects to reduce the impact of business travel and improve health and wellbeing.

In 2018 the Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform approved a proposal to focus the money raised from the levy to reduce the Scottish Government’s carbon emissions to help compensate for the carbon emitted from business travel, which was the original purpose of the Levy. This has the benefit of reducing the Scottish Government’s carbon emissions in a measurable and reportable way.

(b) Projects are selected based on the potential for carbon reduction either via fully or partially funding projects, funding behaviour change initiatives, training or promoting active travel options.

(c) The carbon levy is administered by the Environmental Management Team within Workplace Division in the Scottish Procurement & Property Directorate.

(d) The rate of the carbon levy has not been reviewed since it was created in 2009. Officials are currently carrying out a review. The operation of the levy was reviewed in 2018.

(e) A review is currently underway. No changes have been made to the rates since the levy was introduced. The review in 2018 resulted in a change to the way the levy was spent. Agreement was given to support using the levy to fund carbon reduction projects on the Core Scottish Government Estate.

Question reference: S6W-42049

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 2 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to allow previously successful applicants to the Future Farming Investment Scheme to apply again in 2026, should the scheme continue.

Question reference: S6W-42027

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 2 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its Just Transition Plan for the Mossmorran Industrial Site.

Question reference: S6W-42058

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 2 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government when discussions were held with the (a) British Medical Association, (b) Royal College of General Practitioners and (c) Royal College of Nursing regarding the plans for the network of walk-in GP clinics.

Question reference: S6W-41959

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 17 November 2025
Current Status: Holding Answer by Richard Lochhead on 2 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration has been given to funding schemes for battery backup units or alternative technologies for households in areas prone to long power cuts, in light of the planned switch-off of the Public Switched Telephone Network in January 2027.

Question reference: S6W-41957

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 17 November 2025
Current Status: Holding Answer by Richard Lochhead on 2 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of the planned switch-off of the Public Switched Telephone Network on rural and island communities, particularly those with poor mobile coverage and frequent power cuts.

Question reference: S6W-41946

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 17 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 2 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve processing times for agricultural support payments.

Streamlining and process improvements have been made across a wide range of activities including application assessments, inspections, land maintenance records, and performance monitoring. These processing improvements allow us to continue to make payments at the earliest opportunity, for example commencing Basic Payment Scheme and Greening advance payments in September and achieving the majority of payments in the autumn, well in advance of the 30 June payment window closing in the following year. For example in 2025, by 30 November, we processed and issued payments to 98.04% of eligible businesses totalling 96.63% by value of the total BPS, Greening and Young Farmer Payment value due. In addition we have processed applications for the first LFASS 2025 payment run in early December 2025 to a total of 96.60% of businesses and 95.17% of the total scheme value due.

Issuing payments at the earliest opportunity for each scheme has been a feature of our payment service over recent years. We will continue to review how we administer payments to enhance customer experience and to meet delivery of our regulatory targets and payment strategy timetable, of which both are on course to be met again this year. Consistent delivery of payments aligned to the payment strategy provides farmers and crofters with financial stability and some assurance over cash flow.

Question reference: S6W-41935

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 17 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 2 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will mandate public ownership of all new rolling stock for Scotland's railways, to transition away from the current reliance on private rolling stock companies.