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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

Filter your results Hide all filters

Displaying 942 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S6W-43658

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 February 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 25 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will take steps to establish the number of (a) Network Rail Scotland full-time equivalent employees and (b) Network Rail Scotland supply chain contractors allocated to drainage works on track infrastructure in Scotland since 2024 to date.

Question reference: S6W-43660

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 February 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 25 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how many additional full-time equivalent employees have been employed by Network Rail Scotland in each year since 2024, including tier 1 and 2 contractors in Network Rail Scotland’s supply chain.

Question reference: S6W-43659

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 February 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 25 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will take steps to establish Network Rail Scotland’s actual spend on drainage works to date in Control Period 7, and what percentage this represents of the total Control Period 7 budget for drainage works on Scotland’s rail infrastructure to 2029.

Question reference: S6W-43490

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Friday, 30 January 2026
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 6 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will outline the work that is being done in the development of Employment Injury Assistance to consider whether all current qualifying prescribed conditions for Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit will remain and if other conditions will be added.

The Scottish Government is prioritising longer-term reform so that Employment Injury Assistance best meets Scotland’s needs. This approach was backed by the largest number of responses to our consultation in 2024.

As set out in the consultation response, protecting the continuity of payments is our first priority during the devolution of disability benefits and it will continue to be our priority for the approximately 22,000 people currently in receipt of awards under the IIS in Scotland.

The Scottish Government established an Employment Injury Assistance Steering Group in June 2025. The Steering Group has been asked to consider overarching policy principles and identify priorities for reform. We expect the Group’s final report this summer.

Question reference: S6W-43491

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Friday, 30 January 2026
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 6 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what consultation and involvement it has had with trade unions in the development of Employment Injury Assistance.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring the involvement of trade unions in the development of Employment Injury Assistance. A public consultation was held in 2024 on the next steps for the delivery of Employment Injury Assistance. This consultation was targeted at organisations with a specific interest in industrial injuries benefits, including trade unions. For example, the Scottish Government ran online engagement events to enable trade unions to share their views on the development of Employment Injury Assistance.

The Scottish Trade Union Congress (STUC) is a core member of the Employment Injury Assistance Steering Group. The Steering Group was established in June 2025 to provide expert input to help address the unique complexities associated with replacing the UK Industrial Injuries Scheme. The Group is expected to produce a report with recommendations for Ministers’ consideration which will inform next steps.

Question reference: S6O-05514

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 February 2026
Current Status: Due to be taken in the Chamber on 12 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its work to ensure that seasonal workers can expect to be provided with accommodation, which meets agreed standards during their stay in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-43489

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 February 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 18 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the inquest into the death of former professional Scotland footballer Gordon McQueen and the findings by the senior coroner, Jonathan Heath, that “on the balance of probability that repeatedly heading footballs contributed to his developing chronic traumatic encephalopathy”, what its position is on the call, which is supported by the Professional Footballers’ Association Scotland, the Professional Footballers’ Association, Football Families for Justice (FFJ), dozens of former players and managers, including four managers of the Scotland national team, and research and legal experts, for dementia in former professional footballers to be a prescribed condition for Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit (IIDB) and any replacement benefit, including Employment Injury Assistance when IIDB is fully devolved.

Question reference: S6W-42306

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 December 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 30 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the development of standards for caravans and mobile accommodation for seasonal workers, and further to the answer to question S6W-41436 by Mairi McAllan on 19 November 2025, whether it will ensure that (a) there is a robust inspection regime, (b) those providing accommodation that does not meet the standards are penalised and (c) workers are not charged for or refunded any payments for substandard accommodation.

I would like to reiterate that the Scottish Government cannot accept that people need to live in substandard accommodation in Scotland.

At my meeting with you on 29 January my officials provided an outline of the work undertaken and the key aspects of this work, particularly the provisions within the Housing (Scotland) Act 1987 which oblige individual local authorities to make byelaws with respect to accommodation for agricultural and seasonal workers. We expect local authorities to exercise these provisions, suited to their area and in response to activity in their area.

In the meantime, we will continue to develop a longer term piece of work within which we propose to undertake a formal consultation and introduce bespoke regulations for seasonal worker accommodation.

Question reference: S6W-42307

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 December 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 30 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-41434 by Mairi McAllan on 18 November 2025, whether it plans to publish the final review report and options for ministers to consider for new accommodation standards for seasonal workers developed by its Housing Standards and Quality team, and, if so, by what date this will happen.

The unequal protection for seasonal workers is something we want to address as urgently as we can. The work undertaken by officials has not been compiled into a report but in my meeting with you on 29 January my officials provided an update on our work on seasonal worker accommodation, including a summary of findings from engagement with key stakeholders.

Relevant information will be included in a proposed consultation on the introduction of measures which will be published at an appropriate point in the future.

Whilst we focus on a longer term piece of work, considering whether a set of bespoke standards is appropriate, we expect local authorities to use existing laws to make provision in their area, suited to their area and in response to activity in their area by making byelaws.

Question reference: S6O-05426

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 January 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government when it last met the United States Consul General in Edinburgh to discuss Scotland’s international strategy.