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-35545

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 20 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many cases it estimates the Victims and Witnesses Commissioner for Scotland will deal with in the postholder's first year in office.

Question reference: S6W-35563

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 20 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has regarding what proportion of prisoners released under each early release programme in each of the last five years has an outstanding warrant for arrest, also broken down by what proportion has left the UK.

The information requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government and could only be obtained at a disproportionate cost. Outstanding warrants are an operational matter for Police Scotland and other relevant authorities.

Emergency early release regulations have been utilised twice within the last five years (May 2020 and June/July 2024).

Any individuals who were identified during the assessment process as having any outstanding warrants, or court processes, were not eligible for release during either emergency process.

Question reference: S6W-35586

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 20 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government (a) how many and (b) what percentage of police cars are fitted with telematics technology, also broken down by Police Scotland division.

Question reference: S6W-35703

Asked by: Pam Gosal, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 14 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Kaukab Stewart on 20 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many schools were covered by the Equally Safe at School programme in 2022-23.

Question reference: S6W-35672

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 14 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Kaukab Stewart on 20 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has regarding how many people seeking asylum are living in hotels in Scotland, and how many hotels are being used (a) partially and (b) wholly to accommodate asylum seekers.

Under current constitutional arrangements in the UK, asylum is reserved to the UK.

Parliament and handled by the Home Office. This includes the provision of accommodation for people seeking asylum if they would otherwise be destitute while waiting for a decision on their asylum application from the Home Office. The Scottish Government has no control of these processes.

The Scottish Government is aware that hotels have been procured as contingency asylum accommodation in Scotland. Published Home Office statistics indicate that at the end of December 2024 there were 1,421 people seeking asylum accommodated in contingency hotels in Scotland. As the Home Office is responsible for the provision of asylum accommodation, including the use of contingency hotels, questions relating to their operation should be directed to the Home Office.

Question reference: S6W-35685

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 14 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 20 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether the proposed review of the NHS Scotland patient travel scheme will include the impact of local authority visitor levies on NHS patients travelling for treatment.

While the Scottish Government provides the overarching guidance for patient travel expenses reimbursement, NHS Boards are responsible for developing local policy to best meet the needs to their populations, and for assessing eligibly for financial support and level of that support. This includes setting and reviewing reimbursement rates.

Boards are expected to consider local and individual circumstances, ensuring patient care is at the centre of all decisions made.

Question reference: S6W-35684

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 14 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 20 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-29010 by Neil Gray on 28 August 2024, when it will confirm a start date for the review of the NHS Scotland patient travel scheme.

A start date for the review is not confirmed at this time – it is important that the scope and timing of the review is considered within the context of wider reform on access to health care, which is already underway.

It is recognised that transport to health is a key enabler to ensure equitable access to healthcare, and work to bring travel/transport and health planning closer together is in progress. This work will include bringing local bodies together at a regional level to consider the options for transport to health.

Question reference: S6W-35557

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 20 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has regarding what proportion of prisoners released under each early release programme in each of the last five years (a) were employed, (b) requested voluntary throughcare and (c) were homeless within six months of release.

Emergency early release regulations have been utilised twice within the last five years (May 2020 and June/July 2024).

On both occasions, the conditions of release were as they would have been at the individual’s original scheduled liberation date. Therefore, as those eligible for release were serving short-term sentences, they were not routinely supervised or monitored following their release.

Therefore, information with regards to their housing circumstances, use of voluntary throughcare, and employment status is not held by the Scottish Government.

Question reference: S6O-04486

Asked by: Evelyn Tweed, MSP for Stirling, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 March 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, as part of the development and delivery of its economic strategy, what assessment it has made of the contribution of the net zero sector to the economy.

Question reference: S6O-04484

Asked by: Roz McCall, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 March 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to tackle long-term economic inactivity in Fife.