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-39128

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 July 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 31 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many staff are currently employed in the nuclear sector in Scotland, and what alternative employment or training will be available following the closure of any nuclear facilities.

Question reference: S6W-39150

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 July 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 31 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on reports that some deaf children who attend private school are not being provided with the required support from local authorities.

Question reference: S6W-39131

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 July 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 31 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on what proportion of private landlords who exited the sector in 2024-25 were small investors with only one property.

Question reference: S6W-39111

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 July 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 31 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many housing developers have received direct investment, in the form of debt or equity finance, from the Scottish National Investment Bank since its inception; what the total value of any such investment is, and how many homes have been built in each year as a result of any such investment, also broken down by the (a) investment type and (b) purpose of the investment.

Question reference: S6W-39144

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 July 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 31 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many skilled jobs it estimates will be lost when Torness nuclear power station closes, and whether it will implement a transition plan.

Question reference: S6W-39145

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 July 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 31 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has modelled any potential energy security risks for Scotland as a result of completely removing nuclear from the energy mix.

Question reference: S6W-39140

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 July 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 31 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many former Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) senior staff will transfer to the new body without needing to apply for a role as part of an open recruitment process.

Question reference: S6W-39134

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 July 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 31 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether independent schools are entitled to receive NHS-delivered services in the same way as state schools.

Question reference: S6W-39029

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 3 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the reported findings in the Royal College of Radiologists report, Clinical Oncology: Workforce Census 2024, that 80% of cancer centre leaders reported that staff shortages have led to delays in patients starting systemic anti-cancer therapy treatment and 100% reported that shortages have caused radiotherapy delays in their hospitals.

The Scottish Government has established the National Oncology Coordination Group to provide a coordinated and collaborative response to immediate and foreseeable service pressures. This group provides rapid real-time assessment of highest risk services and proactively develops risk mitigation proposals, in line with the overall strategic aim for cancer. Officials also meet with Boards’ Cancer Management Teams monthly to identify immediate challenges, explore solutions and share best practice to reduce delays and improve patient outcomes.

We have mobilised an ambitious Oncology Transformation Programme and are working closely with NHS Boards and regional leaders from across the country to address longer-term pressures. We have also committed to further funding for chemotherapy and acute oncology services using a phased approach to ensure we build a sustainable workforce. The funding will reach up to £10 million per annum by 2027 and will support increased regional working, workforce recruitment, and maximise capacity across the existing workforce. £6.6 million has been provided in 2025-26 and will support NHS Boards to develop sustainable plans.

Question reference: S6W-38657

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 3 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the potential impact of its amendment to the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill, to reduce the threshold at which provisions apply to land from 3,000 hectares to 1,000 hectares, on the (a) likely number of sales and transfers of land and (b) costs to rural businesses.

Amendment 38 to the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill, agreed to by the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee at Stage 2, lowered the threshold in relation to the land which community engagement obligations (the primary of these being the land management plans) may be imposed from 3,000 to 1,000 hectares. This aligns the thresholds for these provisions with those for the pre-notification and transfer test provisions, which relate to transfers of land. The threshold for pre-notification and transfer test provisions were already set at 1,000 hectares at Bill introduction.

To understand the impact of all the Bill's proposals on businesses, the Scottish Government conducted a Scottish firms impact test, involving engagement with landowners, land agents and representative organisations of land-based businesses. The assessment of the potential impacts of the Bill provisions applying to land over 1,000 hectares on a) transfers of land and b) costs for rural businesses can be found in the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill - Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment.