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-39059

Asked by: Maggie Chapman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 27 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 9 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it reportedly did not contribute to the UK progress update to the Aarhus Convention Compliance Committee on 29 May 2025.

The Aarhus Convention Compliance Committee issued Decision VII/8s in October 2021, which found that Scotland and the UK are not compliant with the requirements of the Aarhus Convention in relation to access to justice. The UK was required by the Compliance Committee to submit an action plan and progress reports detailing how compliance was to be achieved.

The Scottish Government contributed to the action plan submitted in July 2022 and the progress report submitted in October 2023. A final progress report was initially due to be submitted in October 2024, however following changes in the UK Government an extension was agreed for submission of the final progress report to November 2024. The Scottish Government contributed to the final progress report. May 2025 represented an informal opportunity to provide any additional substantial updates ahead of the meeting of the Compliance Committee on 2 June. The Scottish Government continues to work towards strengthening compliance but had no substantial updates to add to the update already provided in November 2024.

Question reference: S6W-39015

Asked by: Maggie Chapman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 4 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the Scottish Civil Justice Council (SCJC) remains a competent body to review the rules governing legal expenses for Aarhus cases, in light of reports of the Aarhus Convention Compliance Committee (ACCC) granting admissibility to a complaint submitted by the Environmental Rights Centre for Scotland (ERCS) alleging that the SCJC breached the Convention's article 8 public participation requirements by failing to publicly consult on its review of court rules.

The Aarhus Convention Compliance Committee (ACCC) has indicated that communication ACCC/C/2025/216, which alleges a failure on the part of the Scottish Civil Justice Council to publicly consult on amendments to the rules governing Protective Expenses Orders contained in the Act of Sederunt (Rules of the Court of Session 1994 Amendment) (Protective Expenses Orders) 2024, has been found to be admissible on a preliminary basis. Further procedure is to be followed before a decision is taken on admissibility by the ACCC and it would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage.

The Scottish Civil Justice Council was established under the Scottish Civil Justice Council and Criminal Legal Assistance Act 2013. It is an independent statutory body with responsibility for preparing draft rules of procedure for the civil courts, and advises the Lord President on the development of the civil justice system in Scotland.

The Scottish Government has every confidence in the work of the Scottish Civil Justice Council.

Question reference: S6W-38217

Asked by: Maggie Chapman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 12 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-37095 by Alasdair Allan on 8 May 2025, when it will publish the results of the SCO2T Connect project feasibility study.

Question reference: S6W-37972

Asked by: Maggie Chapman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 12 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to each of the key messages identified in the Just Transition Commission's report, Just Transition for Aberdeen and the North East, and whether it will provide a timeline for initiating a planning process for regions that sets out the (a) scope, (b) core objectives, (c) principles, (d) roles and responsibilities and (e) governance arrangements to "enable rapid progress in bringing together key stakeholders to begin joint planning efforts".

The Scottish Government set out its response to the Just Transition Commission Report A Just Transition for Aberdeen and the North East in a statement to parliament on 3 June. This confirmed that we accept the headline recommendations in principle and will take time to consider the report in detail before providing a full response.

Before we can undertake some of the planning that the sector needs, we need clarity from the UK Government in several key reserved areas, including the future regulatory and fiscal regimes for North Sea oil and gas.

The Scottish Government will also continue to provide support to the region and energy workforces within our devolved competence. This support includes the new £8.5 million round of the Just Transition Fund for the North East and Moray and our £125 million investment in the Aberdeen City Region Deal.

Question reference: S6O-04764

Asked by: Maggie Chapman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 May 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 5 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the recently published report by the Just Transition Commission, A Just Transition for Aberdeen and the North East.

Question reference: S6O-04663

Asked by: Maggie Chapman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 15 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how it is working with the NHS and local authorities to support disabled people and carers in the North East Scotland region.

The Scottish Government is committed to supporting disabled people and carers across Scotland.

This is demonstrated by our record investment of £21.7 billion in health and social care in 2025-26 which includes almost £2.2 billion for social care and integration and £88.4m per year in local carer support through the local authority Carers Act funding.

We will continue to work with Health and Social Care Partnerships, local authorities, and other partners across North East Scotland in the delivery of the NHS Renewal Framework, social care reform and Disability Equality Plan to drive improvements in support for disabled people and carers.

Question reference: S6O-04689

Asked by: Maggie Chapman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 May 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 22 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the justice secretary has had with ministerial colleagues regarding the reported findings from a survey by the Fire Brigades Union that there is support and a need for 52 weeks of full pay for firefighters on maternity leave.

Question reference: S6W-37095

Asked by: Maggie Chapman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 8 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the feasibility study for the transport of carbon dioxide by pipeline to St Fergus in the north east of Scotland, and if the study has not concluded, when it is expected to do so.

Question reference: S6O-04585

Asked by: Maggie Chapman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 April 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Aberdeenshire Council regarding the reported financial pressures that it is experiencing.

Question reference: S6W-36492

Asked by: Maggie Chapman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 22 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the recommendations in the Shelter Scotland report, In Their Own Words: Children’s Experiences in Temporary Accommodation, what steps it is taking to encourage (a) social and (b) private landlords to explore all options before a household with children faces eviction proceedings.

There are robust measures in place in Scotland to help all social and private sector tenants in rent arrears, including those with children, to sustain their tenancy. Pre-action requirements/protocols for tenants facing eviction for rent arrears are in place in both the social and private rented sectors. This ensures that social landlords have exhausted all attempts to resolve rent arrears with the tenant before taking action to evict and that tenants in rent arrears in the private rented sector are provided with information and sign-posted to support to sustain their tenancy wherever possible.

Tenancy sustainment is also a key outcome which social landlords must aim to achieve for their tenants and other customers as part of the Scottish Social Housing Charter. This includes tenants who may be in, or at risk of falling into, arrears with their rent and who may need support to maintain their tenancy. The Scottish Housing Regulator monitors social landlord performance against the standards and outcomes in the Social Housing Charter on an annual basis to help drive up performance.

We have strengthened the protection against eviction for tenants in the private rented sector. In line with the social rented sector, all grounds for eviction are now discretionary. This enables the First-tier Tribunal to consider the specific circumstances of each individual case, including how an eviction order would affect both the tenant and the landlord, before making a decision on whether an eviction order should be issued.

We have also committed to further rented sector reform and the Housing (Scotland) Bill 2024 includes provisions to further strengthen eviction protections in both the private and social rented sectors by placing a duty on the Court and Tribunal to always consider whether there should be a delay to the enforcement of an eviction order granted on rent arrears grounds based on the circumstances of the individual case.