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: S6T-02370

Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 24 February 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its role in ensuring that public bodies are meeting their legal obligations under the Equality Act 2010, following recent correspondence from the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

Question reference: S6F-03857

Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Falkirk West, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 24 February 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 February 2025

To ask the First Minister what assessment the Scottish Government has made of the recent study by the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit regarding the contribution of the net zero sector to the UK and Scotland’s economy.

Question reference: S6F-03839

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 24 February 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 February 2025

To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government is taking to support farmers responding to threats to livestock from disease.

Question reference: S6F-03851

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 24 February 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 February 2025

To ask the First Minister how the Scottish Government will protect the lives of racing greyhounds.

Question reference: S6F-03836

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 24 February 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 February 2025

To ask the First Minister when the Cabinet will next meet.

Question reference: S6F-03831

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 24 February 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 February 2025

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6F-03832

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 24 February 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 February 2025

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6W-34647

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 07 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 24 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of prisoners released under any early release programmes in each of the last five years secured (a) stable housing and (b) employment within three months of release.

Data in relation to the housing circumstances and employment status of individuals released from custody is not available.

Individuals serving short-term sentences are not routinely subject to any form of post-release supervision or monitoring, and those that had supervision or monitoring requirements post-sentence were automatically excluded from both the Coronavirus specific early release process in 2020 and the Emergency Early Release process in 2024.

Pre-release planning, including in relation to housing needs, was a key feature of both of the emergency early release processes (2020 & 2024). The Scottish Prison Service (SPS) worked closely with representatives from Local Government – including housing departments, wider public bodies, and the third sector in the planning and operation of the processes.

Question reference: S6W-34643

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 07 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 24 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what the average length of sentence reduction has been for prisoners released under any early release programmes in each of the last five years.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

The table below shows the average length of sentence reduction for prisoners released under either the 2020 COVID 19 Early Release Scheme or the 2024 Emergency Early Release Regulations within the last 5 years:

Year	Average sentence reduction (days)
2020	24.7
2021	NA
2022	NA
2023	NA
2024	60.3

Question reference: S6W-34591

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 07 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 24 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what action has been taken to embed the key messages of the paper, Improving relationships and behaviour in schools: ensuring safe and consistent environments for all, Joint action plan 2024 - 2027, which it published with COSLA in August 2024, in light of the decision by NASUWT members at Kirkintilloch High School to take industrial action, short of striking, due to reported concerns regarding staff safety and pupil behaviour.

Violent and abusive behaviours towards pupils or staff is unacceptable. Schools should be safe and consistent learning environments for all.

Since May 2023, we have responded to schools’ concerns about relationships and behaviour in a number of ways. This includes the publication of new guidance on gender-based violence, updating our guidance on mobile phones and anti-bullying, and providing £900k to local authorities to support training of support staff.

The joint relationships and behaviour in schools action plan was developed in collaboration with the Scottish Advisory Group on Relationships and Behaviour, of which NASUWT is a member. The plan sets out 20 actions to be taken over the next three years at both national and local level to help support schools to improve relationships and behaviour. This includes a number of actions under the theme of reducing violence and harm in schools.

The Programme for Government 2024-25 contains a commitment to report annually on progress of delivery against the plan. The first progress report will be published in the coming weeks.