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: S6O-04981

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 September 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with NHS Orkney regarding reported delays in ophthalmology appointments for patients.

Question reference: S6O-04941

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 September 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 17 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports of concerns being raised in communities across the Highlands and Islands in relation to land auctions involving potentially misleading advertising, what action it will take to ensure that people who believe they have been affected by such practices have recourse under Scots law, including access to legal representation and support.

Question reference: S6W-40050

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 05 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Kaukab Stewart on 10 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the conclusions of the scoping exercise that it committed to undertake under the Equally Safe strategy of the qualitative and quantitative data on violence against women and girls that exists locally and nationally, to identify gaps and areas for future improvement.

As part of our Equally Safe governance arrangements, we have a progress reporting cycle in place which will see an annual progress report published by the end of this year, providing updates on the actions it contains and sets out the work that will be undertaken over the next period.

An interim progress report is also compiled for the Equally Safe Joint Strategic Board to monitor progress, the most recent one in February 2025. I would be more than happy to share a copy of this with the elected member.

Question reference: S6W-40049

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 05 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Kaukab Stewart on 10 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what work it has done to (a) consider how it connects and shares data with other public protection areas and (b) use data and evidence to support conversations to (i) prevent and reduce harm to and (ii) improve outcomes for (A) adult and (B) child victim-survivors of violence against women and girls.

Violence against women and girls is a fundamental violation of human rights and has no place in our vision for a safe, strong, successful Scotland.

Our Equally Safe Delivery Plan contains a range of actions to build a robust and joined up approach to the prevention of violence against women and girls across all education settings in Scotland. Action 4.3 commits us to consider how we connect and share data with other public protection areas and use data and evidence to support conversations to prevent and reduce harm and to improve outcomes for adult and child victim-survivors of VAWG.

Tackling the difficult issues of having the right data for improvement and assurance and risk escalation at local and national level, is a workplan priority for the National Public Protection Leadership Group (NPPLG). A medium-term action for the NPPLG will look at how we progress interconnectedness of strands to inform policy and practice. The work of the Scottish Government Cross-Government Public Protection Team will complement the work of the NPPLG and support this action.

In relation to adult victim-survivors, the Adult Support and Protection National Minimum Dataset collects data on primary harm, including categories on physical harm’, ‘sexual harm’, ‘psychological/ emotional harm’ and ‘domestic abuse’. This data is shared with Local Health and Social Care Partnerships on a quarterly basis as unpublished management information and can be used to inform broader local discussions on public protection.

Adult Support and Protection contribute to the Equally Safe strategy as a partner in public protection and data will be available from wider sources.

For child victim-survivors, the Scottish Government are continuously looking to improve local and national data and evidence around child protection. A National Child Protection Data Group with members from the Scottish Government, Care Inspectorate and the Centre for Excellence for Children’s Care and Protection (CELCIS) oversees this work. The group meets regularly and organises annual in-person events to bring together individuals with an interest in local and national child protection data from across the country.

A national dataset is published on an annual basis to support the publication of the Scottish Government’s annual children’s social work statistics. The publication of these statistics is important to allow us to follow long term trends in child protection data. The data collection specification has been revised to ensure alignment with the National Guidance for Child Protection in Scotland 2021 – updated 2023. Child protection registrations linked to domestic abuse are collected as part of this publication.

A minimum data set for Child Protection Committees (CPCs) has been developed which aims to support the delivery of continuous improvement and self-evaluation responsibilities. The minimum dataset is a ‘package’ of data collation, presentation, analysis, reporting and scrutiny supports to support child protection improvement, local planning and service development, and expanded analytical capacity. Child Protection Committees can supplement the minimum dataset with additional information depending on the needs of their area. Version 2 of the minimum dataset for Child Protection Committees was launched in June 2021 and aligns with the National Guidance for Child Protection in Scotland.

Since 2021, our partners CELCIS have administered the Children’s Care and Protection Data Community of Practice Scotland Knowledge Hub site. The site is open to all people interested in children’s data. The Hub will facilitate a more co-ordinated strategic approach to sharing learning and to help inform local planning and service development.

Question reference: S6W-40442

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 September 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 24 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to seek stakeholder input into the development of the Agri-Environment and Climate Scheme, and what the timeline is for any stakeholder engagement.

Question reference: S6W-40056

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 05 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 9 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government when it last met with the Scottish Police Federation to discuss the presence of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) in four police stations, and what was discussed.

I meet regularly with the Scottish Police Federation (SPF), where we discuss a range of issues which affect their members. At our meeting on 19 December 2024, the SPF raised concerns about the condition of buildings in the Police Scotland estate, and we discussed the Police Scotland Estates Masterplan.

Management of the Police Scotland estate, including assessments of the condition of its buildings, is an operational matter for the Chief Constable under the oversight of the Scottish Police Authority. The Scottish Government supports the work undertaken by Police Scotland to address the issue of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC), which has been identified in four locations across the Police Scotland estate, and Police Scotland’s commitment to providing a safe environment for officers, staff and the public.

We are investing a record £1.64 billion in policing in 2025-26. This includes £70 million of capital funding for investment in police assets, including the police estate.

Question reference: S6W-40380

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 08 September 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 23 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the work that it is carrying out to reduce the use of single-use plastic.

Question reference: S6W-40382

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 08 September 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 23 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the work that it is carrying out to maximise the efficiency of household recycling systems.

Question reference: S6W-40381

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 08 September 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 23 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the work that it is carrying out towards the regulation of companies contributing to marine litter pollution.

Question reference: S6W-40048

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 05 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Natalie Don-Innes on 4 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what work it has done to (a) identify any specific barriers preventing girls from feeling safe in public play spaces and (b) develop guidance for public bodies to address any such barriers.

Every child has the right to play under the United Nations Conventions of the Rights of the Child. The Scottish Government wants every child to be able to play across all stages and aspects of their life to support their social development, resilience, language and communication development, health, physical and mental wellbeing.

In May 2023, we introduced regulations regarding Play Sufficiency Assessments which require planning authorities to assess and provide statements as regards to the quality, quantity and accessibility of both formal and informal play spaces for children in their areas. Considerations should be given to equality of access and inclusion. A planning guidance was published in December 2023 to support the implementation of the PSA Regulations.

Additionally, on 24 March 2025 we published our Play Vision Statement and Action Plan 2025-2030, which recognises girls as one of the groups of children whose right to play are most at risk. In collaboration with our key partners in local authorities and the third sector we are leading on an action to share effective practice on maintenance and development of free, accessible and inclusive public spaces by the end of 2026. This will include principles for the design and maintenance of public spaces to create an environment where girls feel safe and welcome in public play spaces.