Questions and answers

Question reference: S6W-43704

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 February 2026
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 26 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on solar PV installations between 2021 and 2025 and its rate of deployment, and whether it plans to publish this information.

Data on the number of solar PV installations is available from the “Energy Trends” publication, produced by the UK Government Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, as reported in the tables on the number of renewable electricity generating sites by region and technology.

According to the latest data, the total number of solar PV installations in Scotland has increased from 89,639 at the end of 2020 to 187,580 at the end of 2024. This is equivalent to a total of 97,941 installations across this period, and an average number of installations of 24,485 per year.

Data for 2025 will be made available in September 2026.

Question reference: S6W-43873

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 20 February 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 6 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the £60 million Bus Infrastructure Fund is included under the Active and Sustainable Travel budget, rather than having its own line in the 2026-27 Budget.

Question reference: S6W-43855

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Friday, 20 February 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 6 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of severe weather conditions in Scotland on (a) port infrastructure and (b) the road network supporting private ferry services operated between Scotland and Northern Ireland, since 1 November 2025 to date, and whether it will raise these matters with its counterparts in the UK Government.

Question reference: S6W-43870

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 20 February 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 6 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, following the pause to the publication of The Long Term Conditions Framework in December 2025, what progress has been made in establishing an advisory board for grouped long-term conditions, including myalgic enchephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) and long COVID, and when the initial recommendations will be provided to the Scottish Government.

Question reference: S6W-43872

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 20 February 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 6 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the active travel budget being underspent over the last two years of budget decisions, for what reason it was reduced in the Autumn revision of the Budget.

Question reference: S6W-43869

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 20 February 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 6 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how many urgent child and adolescent mental health service (CAMHS) referrals have been rejected in each of the last three years, broken down by local authority.

Question reference: S6W-43854

Asked by: Bob Doris, MSP for Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 February 2026
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 20 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the recent fares freeze announcement, what measures are being taken by ScotRail to reduce fare evasion.

The recent fares freeze has been implemented to help people with the cost of living while ensuring ScotRail services are sustainable in the longer term and has been supported by Scottish Government funding.

It will be important in going forward that ScotRail budgets align with the overall funding available and therefore improving the effectiveness of securing revenue from tickets will be needed.

ScotRail undertake significant public revenue protection activities, including ticket barriers at the busiest stations and visits to other stations by revenue protection teams. The result of these activities is that 95% of passengers travel with a ticket.

However, fare evasion does remain an issue, and is estimated to cost ScotRail over £11 million per year in lost revenue. It is right that ScotRail take action to ensure that all passengers pay the correct fare - protecting the significant investment being made in Scotland’s Railways to keep rail travel affordable for passengers.

We have therefore accepted ScotRail’s proposal to introduce a minimum fares policy from 1 April 2026 when staff will start informing passengers and educating them but the formal implementation of this will take effect from July 2026

We expect ScotRail to publish more details of this policy imminently.

Question reference: S6W-43593

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 February 2026
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 20 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is regarding the calculations provided by the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) that to uplift pay in commissioned services from the real Living Wage in 2025-26 to that for 2026-27 would cost more than has been allocated in the draft Budget and amounts to a shortfall of £15 million for adult social care and £4 million for children’s social care and early learning and childcare.

The Scottish Government heard the concerns raised by local government and social care providers regarding the funding challenges in relation to the uplift to the Real Living Wage in commissioned care services.

In direct response to those concerns, the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government confirmed to the Scottish Parliament our intention to amend the Budget Bill at Stage 2 to allocate a further £20 million of funding to the Local Government Settlement. In tandem with the original budget commitment, that funding is sufficient to meet the uplift to the Real Living Wage in full across adult social care, children social care and early learning and childcare and highlights the benefits of open and robust engagement.

Question reference: S6W-43205

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 January 2026
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 20 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding its draft Budget 2026-27, what its response is to the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities' (COSLA) assessment that there is a £15 million funding gap in meeting the estimated £175 million cost of delivering the real Living Wage to adult social care workers.

The draft Budget 2026-27 set out a further £160 million investment to enable the payment of the Real Living Wage to adult social care workers in commissioned services in the next financial year.

The Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government has subsequently announced that a further £20 million will be allocated to the Local Government Settlement for Social Care, which can be used towards funding the Real Living Wage for adult and childcare sectors. This ensures that there is budget available to fully meet the £175 million required to enable the payment of the Real Living Wage for adult social care workers in the next financial year.

This will take the total Scottish Government investment in adult social care pay to over £1.1 billion annually, reaffirming our commitment to fair work and recognising the essential contribution of social care workers.

Question reference: S6W-43592

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 February 2026
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 20 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what potential risks to supported people and jobs it considered before deciding to change the baseline calculation for the social care commissioned services pay uplift for 2026-27, and what mitigations it put in place to address any such risks.

The Scottish Government heard the concerns raised by local government and social care providers regarding the funding challenges in relation to the uplift to the Real Living Wage in commissioned care services.

In direct response to those concerns, the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government confirmed to the Scottish Parliament our intention to amend the Budget Bill at Stage 2 to allocate a further £20 million of funding to the Local Government Settlement. In tandem with the original budget commitment, that funding is sufficient to meet the uplift to the Real Living Wage in full across adult social care, children social care and early learning and childcare and highlights the benefits of open and robust engagement.

Chamber and committees