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: S7W-02331

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scot and Lothians West, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 27 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government (a) how many applications for funding have been submitted to the Registered Social Landlord Adaptations Programme in 2026-27, and (b) what is the total value of funding requested through these applications.

Question reference: S7W-02328

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scot and Lothians West, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 27 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government (a) how many housing adaptations have been approved through the Registered Social Landlord Adaptations Programme in 2026-27 so far, broken down by registered social landlord, and (b) what proportion this represents of the estimated 8,500 adaptations associated with the programme that were budgeted for as part of its Budget for 2026/27.

Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) are invited to submit an application for the amount of funding required to deliver a programme of general adaptations across the financial year based on their understanding of need among their tenants and for any major adaptations required by their tenants.

For the 2026-27 financial year, funding requests from 82 RSLs were received for general adaptations funding with 32 requests for major adaptations funding. Every RSL which requested funding has received and accepted its funding offer.

The estimate of 8,500 general adaptations contained in the 2025 Programme for Government was for the 2025-26 financial year. This was calculated by dividing the funding available in 2025-26 by the average cost of a general adaptation delivered in 2024-25 to estimate how many general adaptations could be delivered. As the average cost of adaptions delivered in 2025-26 has increased, these calculations have been revised for 2026-27. It is estimated that the £20.9m budget for 2026-27 could deliver 6,935 general adaptations and 32 major adaptations.

Question reference: S7W-02336

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scot and Lothians West, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 27 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it collects national data on waiting lists, waiting times and unmet demand for housing adaptations and, if not, what consideration it has given to collecting such data in the future.

The Scottish Government does not collect national data on waiting lists, waiting times and unmet demand for housing adaptations. Since the integration of health and social care, overall responsibility for the planning and delivery of adaptations, and for developing services to improve outcomes for people who require adaptations, lies with Integration Joint Boards through powers and budgets delegated from Local Authorities.

A review of the housing adaptations system in Scotland is ongoing and it is anticipated that a report and recommendations will be produced in the autumn.

Question reference: S7W-02333

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scot and Lothians West, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 27 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what evidence, data, assumptions and modelling were used to arrive at its estimate that funding allocated to the Registered Social Landlord Adaptations Programme in its Budget for 2026-27 would support approximately 8,500 housing adaptations, and whether it will publish the methodology used to make that estimate.

The estimate of 8,500 general adaptations contained in the 2025 Programme for Government was calculated as follows:

Total budget for general adaptations in 2025-26 divided by the average cost of a general adaptation in 2024-25 = estimated number of general adaptations which could be supported.

These calculations have been revised for 2026-27 using the average cost of a general adaptation delivered in 2025-26. The £20.9m budget for 2026-27 is estimated to deliver 6,935 general adaptations and 32 major adaptations.

Question reference: S7W-02332

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scot and Lothians West, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 27 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government (a) how many applications for funding have been approved through the Registered Social Landlord Adaptations Programme in 2026-27, and (b) what percentage this is of the total number of applications submitted.

Question reference: S7W-02183

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 31 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 27 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how much public money is being spent on promoting so-called chestfeeding.

The Scottish Government does not provide funding to promote chestfeeding. It has provided more than £12m additional investment since 2018 to support new mothers to achieve their breastfeeding goals, with more babies in Scotland now being breastfed for longer than ever before.

We are aware of media reporting that has incorrectly characterised a voluntary-led community group, Queer Milk, as a service that trains people to breastfeed or supports medical interventions. The Scottish Government has received clear and unambiguous assurance that the group is not training men to lactate and feed infants. Any claim to the contrary is untrue.

The Scottish Government does not provide funding for Queer Milk.

Question reference: S7W-02151

Asked by: Kristopher Leask, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 July 2026
Current Status: Holding Answer by Stephen Gethins on 27 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what community consultation took place prior to the renewal of the lease for Whitelee Windfarm and whether any opportunities were provided for local community organisations to bid for the lease and, if so, what those opportunities were.

Question reference: S7W-02152

Asked by: Kristopher Leask, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 July 2026
Current Status: Holding Answer by Stephen Gethins on 27 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that opportunities for community ownership are maximised as part of the repowering of Whitelee Windfarm.

Question reference: S7W-02337

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scot and Lothians West, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 27 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how much, by (a) percentage and (b) value, of the increase in funding allocated to the Registered Social Landlord Adaptations Programme in its Budget for 2026-27 is new investment, and how much has been provided through reductions, transfers or reprofiling of expenditure elsewhere in the Scottish Budget.

The Scottish Government has protected the Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) Adaptations Programme budget, maintaining this at £20.9 million for 2026-27. This reflects our ongoing commitment to support social landlords to deliver necessary adaptations for older tenants and disabled tenants to ensure they can live safely and independently in their own home for as long as they choose to do so.

Demand for this programme is high, due to the increased need for adaptations to support people to live safely and independently at home, maintaining the significant increase to this budget for a second year reflects this.

All funding available to the Scottish Government is allocated through the annual budget process. It is not possible to attribute a specific funding source to a particular budget line.

Question reference: S7W-02427

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Gethins on 27 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how it will deliver the commitment set out in the SNP's 2026 election manifesto to develop proposals to ensure community benefit works better for areas impacted by renewable energy projects.

The Scottish Government will deliver this commitment through a refresh of the Good Practice Principles for Community Benefits from Onshore Renewable Developments (GPPs), building on proposals set out in the working paper Onshore renewable energy: refreshing the Good Practice Principles for community benefits, published on 18 February 2026. These proposals include updated recommendations on community benefit fund levels, clearer expectations across different technologies and development types, and measures to strengthen the guidance, tools and support available to communities. Officials are currently considering feedback received on these proposals. Subject to the completion of this work, the Scottish Government plans to publish the refreshed Good Practice Principles before the end of 2026.