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-04989

Asked by: Karen Adam, MSP for Banffshire and Buchan Coast, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 September 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of the UK Government’s energy policy, including licensing decisions and investment priorities, on jobs in Scotland’s offshore energy sector and on progress towards a just transition.

Question reference: S6O-04991

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 September 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what measures it is taking to improve night-time public transport connections between city centres and suburban areas, including support for late-night bus and rail services to improve affordability, safety and service reliability.

Question reference: S6W-39745

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 August 2025
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 17 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of Scotland’s economic growth in the last two years has been attributable to (a) public and (b) private sector activity.

The statistics for Scotland’s gross domestic product (GDP) cannot be split precisely into separate contributions from the public and private sectors. This is because they are produced using data classified by industry and there are public sector bodies in many part of the economy. As an approximation, the contribution to GDP growth over the last two years from the public sector dominated industries of public administration and defence, education, health and social work is presented in the following table. Note that there are some public sector bodies in the rest of the economy, and the education, health and social work industries also contain private sector businesses and organisations. These contributions are calculated using the latest quarterly GDP statistics available at https://www.gov.scot/publications/first-estimate-of-gdp-2025-q2/.

	Total GDP	Public administration and defence, education, health and social work	Rest of Economy
Percentage growth: 2023 Q2 to 2025 Q2	2.0%	2.6%	1.9%
Weighted contribution to Total GDP growth: 2023 Q2 to 2025 Q2 (percentage points)	2.0p.p	0.6p.p	1.5p.p.
Proportion of Total GDP growth: 2023 Q2 to 2025 Q2	100%	28%	72%

Note: contributions may not sum to the total due to rounding

Question reference: S6W-40162

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 August 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 17 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether any financial benefits of carbon sequestration and other ecosystem services should be directed to the parties that are carrying out the work and/or have their use rights, including grazing rights, restricted through such projects.

Scotland’s Natural Capital Market Framework sets out our principles for responsible investment in natural capital. These include the principles that investment should deliver public, private and community benefit, and that investment should support diverse and productive ownership. The Framework includes public sector actions to implement the principles, however, the apportionment of any financial benefits arising from investment in carbon sequestration and other ecosystem services is negotiated on a case-by-case basis.

Question reference: S6W-40172

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 29 August 2025
Current Status: Answered by Kaukab Stewart on 17 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how it will ensure that its forthcoming high-level action plan, to respond to the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights’ (CESCR) Concluding Observations on the seventh periodic report of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, mainstreams intersectional gender equality considerations.

We continue to take forward work to protect, promote and improve gender equality in Scotland, working with the First Minister’s National Advisory Council on Women and Girls (NACWG). The Scottish Government accepted the NACWG’s 21 recommendations for systemic change and has begun implementing them, including publishing the first annual statement on gender policy coherence.

Intersectional gender equality considerations will continue to be recognised in the Scottish Government’s policy and practice, including our forthcoming high-level action plan in response to the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Right’s recent Concluding Observations. This plan will serve as an important milestone in our work to strengthen transparency and accountability around the implementation of human rights and we intend to publish our response later this year.

Beyond this, our draft mainstreaming strategy will intend to set out an ambitious and progressive agenda to further embed equality and human rights in all we do.

Question reference: S6W-40165

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Independent
Date lodged: Friday, 29 August 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 17 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how much has been spent on (a) peat restoration and (b) the provision of equipment, training or other assistance for tackling wildfires, in each of the past three years.

a) In the past three years the Scottish Government has spent the following on peatland restoration. Figures below include capital and resource:

2022-23: £17.3m
2023-24: £26.2m
2024-25: £24.6m

b) The Scottish Government is working with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) to support full implementation of its wildfire strategy this year. SFRS continues to invest significantly in equipment, vehicles, and training to strengthen its response to wildfires, particularly in rural areas. Over the past three years, planned spend of around £1.6 million has supported the roll-out of the Service’s wildfire strategy, including:

Specialist wildfire PPE (400 sets): £300,000;
10 All-terrain Vehicles (ATVs) with specialist firefighting fogging units: £334,500;
10 ATV trailers: £76,700;
10 4x4 towing vehicles for ATVs: £440,500;
4 dedicated 4x4 wildfire support vans: £318,800;
Specialist wildfire equipment: £134,190; and
This is also supplemented by the creation of 14 wildfire tactical advisor roles around Scotland.

Alongside this, SFRS has delivered a comprehensive programme of specialist training to ensure crews are fully prepared to tackle wildfires safely and effectively. This includes:

Tiered wildfire training through Learning Content Management System (LCMS), classroom sessions, and practical instruction;
Specialist equipment training covering ATVs, fogging units, suppression tools, leaf blowers and brush cutters;
Driver and operator training for 4x4 support units, trailers, and ATVs;
Prescribed burning training provided by external partners (approx. £180 per person); and
Wildfire tactical advisor training delivered in collaboration with Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service (Level 3 and 4 courses, approx. £2,000 per person).

Question reference: S6W-39746

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 August 2025
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 17 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its response it to reports of a recent trend of businesses increasingly relocating production from Scotland to other parts of the UK.

Thriving businesses are key to Scotland’s prosperity, and their success is critical to delivering the First Minister’s priorities.

That’s why our Programme for Government includes measures that will make it easier to invest and do business by creating better certainty and stability for business. The programme includes actions to improve regulatory best practice, support entrepreneurs, boost planning capacity and reduce barriers to delivery.

NatWest’s New Startup Index shows Scotland's strong performance in business formations, with the fastest relative growth in new companies being incorporated from H2 2024 led by the North East of England (19.0%), followed by Scotland (17.9%).

According to the latest EY Attractiveness Survey, Scotland remains the best-performing part of the United Kingdom for inward investment, outside London, for the 10th year in a row.

Question reference: S6W-40156

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 August 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 17 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what it will do to support crofter-led environmental initiatives, including woodland creation and peatland restoration on common grazings, as set out by the provisions proposed in the Crofting and Scottish Land Court Bill.

We want to encourage productive use of common land, whether that is led by the grazing committee and crofters, the landowner, or through a joint venture. Environmental uses of common grazings are a key priority. Current legislation puts a number of barriers in the way of crofters, and the Crofting and Scottish Land Court Bill (“the Bill”) will make it easier to take forward such projects.

The Bill will broaden the provisions in existing legislation for crofter-led and joint venture forestry projects, so that they apply to any initiative on the common grazing which has an environmental purpose, including peatland restoration, habitat creation and restoration, and water management. This will encourage crofters and their communities to have a greater say in how land in their area is used.

Question reference: S6W-40063

Asked by: Lorna Slater, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 August 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 17 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what support it is providing to any transgender pupils who have reported an increase in harassment and bullying issues since the Supreme Court ruling in For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers.

The Scottish Government published revised guidance for education authorities and schools in November 2024. This guidance includes advice on prejudice-based bullying and is available from Anti-bullying guidance for adults working with children and young people - gov.scot. In addition, in 2025/26 we are providing £298,480 to respectme, Scotland’s national anti-bullying service, to provide advice and resources to schools, parents and carers to support and educate young people on the impact of bullying and build confidence and capacity to address bullying.

Since 2021, Scotland has led globally on embedding LGBT inclusive education across the curriculum, providing online resources, staff training modules, teaching toolkits, and creative materials like Scots-language poetry, all aimed at helping schools integrate LGBT+ themes and foster equality. In December 2024, the Scottish Government published the National Approach to LGBT inclusive education guidance for Scottish schools and teachers, which sets out the steps we have put in place to ensure LGBT inclusive education can be delivered consistently in schools across Scotland. The Scottish Government also continues to support LGBT and other organisations to help address concerns about bullying in schools. This includes support for LGBTQI+ equality by funding organisations such as respectme, LGBT Youth Scotland and Time for Inclusive Education (TIE).

LGBT Youth Scotland’s Charter Programme also helps schools, colleges, and universities create safe, inclusive environments for LGBTQ+ learners and staff, an effort made more urgent by rising attacks on the community.

Question reference: S6W-40061

Asked by: Lorna Slater, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 August 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 17 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is consulting directly with (a) transgender pupils, (b) their guardians and (c) their teachers on any changes to guidance on toilets and changing rooms in schools.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that the Supporting Transgender Young People in Schools guidance remains up to date and fit for purpose. As with any significant legal or policy developments, we are considering whether the guidance requires to be updated to reflect these. That consideration is ongoing.

The Scottish Government will engage with organisations representing a range of interests, as appropriate.