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-04383

Asked by: Ben Macpherson, MSP for Edinburgh Northern and Leith, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 February 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 5 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting Edinburgh’s economy.

Question reference: S6W-34823

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 26 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of the reported decline in the number of fully qualified GPs from 4,514 in 2022 to 4,438 in 2024 on people's access to primary care services.

Question reference: S6W-34993

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 26 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to encourage responsible dog ownership, specifically with relation to the use of crates for domestic pets.

The vast majority of dog owners are responsible people who take good care of their animals and enjoy the widespread benefits of dog ownership and companionship.

The Scottish Government Code of Practice on the Welfare of Dogs, approved by the Scottish Parliament, provides dog owners with information on caring for their pets. This has been promoted by various marketing campaigns in recent years working in partnership with the relevant stakeholders.

Furthermore The Scottish Government would encourage all dog owners to follow the guidance and advice from reputable organisations such as the Scottish SPCA, the Dogs Trust and others if they require assistance with the use of crates for their dogs and crate training.

Question reference: S6W-34994

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 26 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has any plans to introduce legislation aimed at reducing the amount of time domestic pets can be left unaccompanied in crates.

Question reference: S6W-34874

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Kaukab Stewart on 26 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many positions in the Scottish Government include (a) diversity, (b) equality and (c) inclusion in their job title, and what the total staffing cost is of these positions.

As at 30 September 2024, the date of the most recently published Scottish Government workforce statistics, the total number of job titles registered in our HR management information system including a) diversity (including neurodiversity) was 8 b) equality (including equalities) was 35 and c) inclusion was 9. Some job titles include a combination of these terms, the total number of individual positions is therefore 46.

The total staffing cost for these positions for the period April to September 2024 (our most current figures) was £1,985,502.

Question reference: S6W-35013

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 26 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what action it has taken to develop an industry around the decommissioning of oil and gas sites.

Whilst regulation for decommissioning of offshore oil and gas infrastructure is a reserved matter, the Scottish Government supports this vital activity happening in a way that facilitates an orderly, managed and just transition to net-zero and maximises the benefits for Scotland’s businesses and communities.

Through the Decommissioning Challenge Fund, the Scottish Government invested over £10 million over the period 2017 to 2020 to support innovation and build capacity in the Scottish decommissioning sector.

Question reference: S6W-34979

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 26 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to deliver a fairer, long-term replacement for non-domestic rates that will more equitably support the licensed hospitality sector, and whether it plans to consult on the implementation of any such replacement ahead of planned revaluations in 2026.

Since the independent Barclay Review of Non-Domestic Rates, a range of key reforms to the NDR system have been implemented to support growth, improve administration and increase fairness.

Following the implementation of the final recommendations of the Barclay Review on 1 April 2023, a consultative sub-group on Non-Domestic Rates (NDR) was established under the New Deal for Business to advise on further enhancements to the NDR system. This sub-group provides a forum for ongoing dialogue and engagement on NDR issues with members who come from a range of business representative organisations, including the hospitality sector, as well as Scottish Assessors and local authorities who are also represented.

The Scottish Government has no plans to consult on a long-term replacement for the NDR system in advance of the next revaluation on 1 April 2026 but remains committed to the NDR sub-group and to working with the hospitality sector on the long-term issues that have been raised by the sector.

Question reference: S6W-34870

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Kaukab Stewart on 26 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding it has provided to Intercultural Youth Scotland in each year since 2021, and what the objectives of that funding were.

Since 2021, the Scottish Government has provided £1,672,922 of funding to Intercultural Youth Scotland (IYS) across various funding streams.

IYS receive funding from the Equality and Human Rights Fund (EHRF) to enable and support participation and representation of young Black and People of Colour (BPoC), ensuring they are represented in decision-making that affect their lives in a range of areas.

IYS also receive funding from the Employability and Advancement Project (formerly the Restless Natives Project). This funding is to ensure equitable support for young BPoC school leavers as they prepare for and take their first steps into the world of work.

The Curriculum and Qualifications Division has provided funding to IYS to support schools with embedding anti-racism and to ensure they are better equipped to respond to racist incidents, and that curriculums are decolonised.

During 2021-22, IYS received funding for a programme to expand the quality and quantity of support to marginalised BPoC children and young people, tackling social isolation and loneliness.

During 2023-24, IYS received funding to conduct a series of workshops over a nine-month period with children and young people. This was to scrutinise the Anti-Racism in Education Programme’s (AREP) four workstreams and provide recommendations for each of them.

Question reference: S6W-34859

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 26 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will work with Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) and Edinburgh Trams Ltd to extend the discount available to those aged under 22 from Glasgow and Edinburgh to other young people in Scotland who hold a Scottish National Entitlement Card or Young Scot National Entitlement Card.

The Scottish Government provides funding for the National Concessionary Bus Travel Schemes for Older and Disabled People and for Young People which provide free bus travel throughout Scotland for eligible National Entitlement Card holders.

We have no plans to extend the Young Persons Free Bus Travel Scheme to Edinburgh trams or the Glasgow subway.

Local authorities have discretionary powers under the Transport Act 1985 to provide and fund local concessionary travel schemes for their residents. The extent and terms of any such scheme are for individual local authorities to decide.

Although the Scottish Government contributed to the cost of the trams and the Glasgow Underground, it is for City of Edinburgh Council and Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) to determine whether to offer travel concessions for those travelling on these services.

Question reference: S6W-34869

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Kaukab Stewart on 26 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding it has provided to Scottish Trans in each year since 2021, and what the objectives of that funding were.

Scottish Trans is funded by the Equality and Human Rights Fund through the Equality Network. The Equality Network’s funding covers their general LGBTI project and the Scottish Trans Alliance project. The Equality Network received £503,322 in 2021-22, £503,207 in 2022-23, £503,265 in 2023-24 and £503,265 for the period 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025.

The objectives of the funding are:

People have greater access to their human rights and how to access them
People with protected characteristics have increased participation in public life
People with protected characteristics have increased influence in decisions that affect them
The Scottish Government has better access to data and depth of information about the experiences of people with protected characteristics
The experience of people with protected characteristics is increasingly used to inform the policy and practice of public bodies

Parliament dissolved ahead of election

Chamber and committees

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