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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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Dates of parliamentary sessions
  1. Session 1: 12 May 1999 to 31 March 2003
  2. Session 2: 7 May 2003 to 2 April 2007
  3. Session 3: 9 May 2007 to 22 March 2011
  4. Session 4: 11 May 2011 to 23 March 2016
  5. Session 5: 12 May 2016 to 4 May 2021
  6. Current session: 13 May 2021 to 19 December 2025
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Displaying 2842 questions Show Answers

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Question reference: S6W-42683

  • Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Independent
  • Date lodged: Thursday, 18 December 2025
  • Current Status: Answer expected on 15 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the decision taken in the UK Government Budget to provide a permanent business rate discount for retail and hospitality businesses in England from April 2026, what analysis or assessment it has undertaken of the potential risk to the funding of Business Improvement Districts if Scotland does not introduce a commensurate reduction in business rates and commercial investment in retail and hospitality shifts to England.

Question reference: S6W-42682

  • Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Independent
  • Date lodged: Thursday, 18 December 2025
  • Current Status: Answer expected on 15 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the decision taken in the UK Government Budget to provide a permanent business rate discount for retail and hospitality businesses in England from April 2026, what analysis or assessment it has undertaken of the potential risk to the fulfilment of its Town Centre Action Plan if Scotland does not introduce a commensurate reduction in business rates and commercial investment in retail and hospitality shifts to England.

Question reference: S6W-42681

  • Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Independent
  • Date lodged: Thursday, 18 December 2025
  • Current Status: Answer expected on 15 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the decision taken in the UK Government Budget to provide a permanent business rate discount for retail and hospitality businesses in England from April 2026, whether it will adhere to its pledge in the New Deal for Business Group Implementation Plan to deliver a competitive business rates system.

Question reference: S6W-42658

  • Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Independent
  • Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 December 2025
  • Current Status: Answer expected on 14 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-41922 by Jim Fairlie on 1 December 2025, whether all of the £100,000 will be disbursed to local authorities and if not, by whom will it be spent and what it will it be used for.

Question reference: S6O-05352

  • Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Independent
  • Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 December 2025
  • Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to devise, and deliver to every school pupil, a programme that provides the opportunity to learn how to touch type.

Question reference: S6W-42628

  • Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Independent
  • Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 December 2025
  • Current Status: Answer expected on 13 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reported comments in The Scotsman on 16 December 2025 from the Scottish Retail Consortium, Scottish Tourism Alliance, UKHospitality Scotland, ukactive and the UK Cinema Association that, if Scotland does not follow England and introduce a permanent business rate discount for all retail, hospitality and leisure premises, it will be at odds with the vision of the Scottish Government’s New Deal for Business Group Implementation Plan to deliver the most competitive business rates regime.

Question reference: S6W-42626

  • Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Independent
  • Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 December 2025
  • Current Status: Answer expected on 13 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reported comments in The Scotsman on 16 December 2025 from the Scottish Retail Consortium, Scottish Tourism Alliance, UKHospitality Scotland, ukactive and the UK Cinema Association that Scotland should follow England and introduce a permanent business rate discount for all retail, hospitality and leisure premises.

Question reference: S6W-42627

  • Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Independent
  • Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 December 2025
  • Current Status: Answer expected on 13 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reported comments in The Scotsman on 16 December 2025 from the Scottish Retail Consortium, Scottish Tourism Alliance, UKHospitality Scotland, ukactive and the UK Cinema Association that, if Scotland does not follow England and introduce a permanent business rate discount for all retail, hospitality and leisure premises, it “would likely shift investment to other parts of the UK”.

Question reference: S6W-42467

  • Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Independent
  • Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 December 2025
  • Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 16 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the decision taken in the UK Budget to provide a permanent business rate discount for retail and hospitality in England from April 2026, what discussions it has had with its Tax Advisory Group regarding the possible implications of this for retail investment in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-42466

  • Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Independent
  • Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 December 2025
  • Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 16 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the decision taken in the UK Budget to provide a permanent business rate discount for retail and hospitality in England from April 2026, what discussions it has had with its Retail Industry Leadership Group regarding the possible implications of this for retail investment in Scotland.