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 1176 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S7W-00172

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 May 2026
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 28 May 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how much of the Rural Affordable Homes for Key Workers fund has been spent to date since the scheme was announced.

Since the fund's launch in April 2023 to 21 May 2026, a total of £4.489 million has been spent through the Rural Affordable Homes for Key Workers Fund. The Fund is demand-led, with expenditure dependent on project progress and delivery milestones.

The Scottish Government continues to work with local authorities to encourage further applications and ensure the fund is used effectively to meet local housing needs for key workers. The fund is in addition to our core Affordable Housing Supply Programme and our demand-led Rural and Islands Housing Fund. From April 2016 to March 2025 through all these funding routes we have supported delivery of more than 13,000 affordable homes in rural and island areas many of which will have provided homes for key workers.

Question reference: S7W-00173

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 May 2026
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 28 May 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how many homes have been acquired via its Rural Affordable Homes for Key Workers fund to date since the scheme was announced.

Since the demand-led Rural Affordable Homes for Key Workers Fund was announced in April 2023, of the 43 homes approved 30 homes have been reported as completed through the scheme.

These homes have been delivered across the following local authority areas.

Highland – 12
Moray – 3
North Ayrshire – 5
Orkney - 10

The Scottish Government continues to work with delivery partners to support uptake of the Fund and to ensure that it contributes to addressing local housing needs in rural and island areas.

Question reference: S7W-00082

Asked by: Laura Mitchell, MSP for Moray, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 18 May 2026
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 28 May 2026

To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to open the First Home Fund to support young people and families to purchase their own home.

On 27 May, the Scottish Government announced that the first round of applications for the First Homes Fund will open by the end of June, providing first-time buyers with a £10,000 contribution towards a deposit on their first home at a property value of up to £300,000.

It is expected the first round of the fund will support 2,000 households, supporting young people and families, over the first 100 days of this Government and 50,000 over the course of this Parliament.

Information on how to apply will be available ahead of the first round opening in June.

Question reference: S7W-00123

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 18 May 2026
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 28 May 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to address reported workforce shortages in accident and emergency departments and wider unscheduled care services across NHS Scotland.

We recognise there are workforce pressures across A&E and unscheduled care; however, these reflect wider whole system challenges, and our focus is on improving patient flow and reducing avoidable demand through the Operational Improvement Plan and early priorities this Parliament, including the expansion of community based alternatives to hospital care.

There have been substantial increases in the number of Emergency Medicine Consultants working for NHS Scotland, with the number increasing by 49% over the last decade, to stand at 313.4 Whole Time Equivalents as at 30 September 2025.

Question reference: S7W-00091

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 18 May 2026
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 28 May 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to halt any proposed fire service closures resulting from the Delivery of Service consultation.

Decisions on the location and configuration of fire stations are a matter for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) Board and Chief Officer. SFRS conducted a full public consultation on the 23 options for change contained in its Service Delivery Review (SDR) and the responses to the consultation have been independently analysed. The SFRS Board will take decisions before the end of June 2026 on which of the Service Delivery Review options should be taken forward for implementation over the next 5 years. These decisions will be based on the SFRS evidence for change along with the responses to the consultation.

Question reference: S7W-00073

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 18 May 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 28 May 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will reconsider the evidence base for the licensed killing of gannets on Sula Sgeir, in light of reports that no license has been applied for in 2026.

Since the lodging of the members question, NatureScot have now received a licence application to permit the taking of gannets on Sula Sgeir.

In determining an application for a licence, NatureScot must consider whether the hunt is sustainable, in that it would not have an adverse effect on the conservation status of the species concerned.

NatureScot will assess the application in accordance with existing legal frameworks, including provisions of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended) and the obligations set out in the Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c) Regulations 1994 (‘the Habitats Regulations’), which provide protection to the qualifying features of North Rona and Sula Sgeir Special Protection Area (SPA).

The assessment undertaken by NatureScot will be informed by the latest scientific evidence including an updated population viability analysis model.

Question reference: S7W-00092

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 18 May 2026
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 28 May 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what the minimum establishment number of police officers required is.

As the recruitment and deployment of police officers are matters for the Chief Constable, it for her to determine the minimum establishment number of police officers. The Chief Constable has indicated that the current establishment model is based around 16,500 police officers.

The Scottish Government is investing a record funding of over £1.7 billion in policing in 2026-27, a total increase of £81.5 million compared to the 2025-26 budget. The Chief Constable has confirmed that this allows her to maintain the establishment figure of around 16,500 police officers.

Question reference: S7W-00013

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 18 May 2026
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 28 May 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the publication of Award of DSF – Jury Deliberation Research, in February 2026, by what date it will publish the findings of the research commissioned that will explore jury deliberations in rape and attempted rape cases, and whether it will commit to publishing (a) the full report and (b) details of the methodology used, including any limitations that were encountered when carrying this out.

Question reference: S7W-00116

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 18 May 2026
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 28 May 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what contraband, including drugs, weapons, mobile phones and SIM cards, has been recovered from drones intercepted at each prison in each of the last three years.

I have asked Linda Pollock, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-00115 on 28 May 2026. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers.

Question reference: S7W-00126

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 18 May 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Gethins on 28 May 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what estimate it has made of the number of jobs that are directly and indirectly supported by the North Sea oil and gas industry.

The Scottish Government continues to monitor and consider a range of evidence in relation to the energy sector.

As part of this, we commissioned and published independent analysis on Scotland’s Energy System and Just Transition in 2023. An update, published in 2025, to the baseline data for this analysis found that the oil and gas sector supported an estimated 53,000 direct and indirect jobs in Scotland in 2022.