The Scottish Parliament

Question reference: S7O-00298

Asked by: Colin Beattie, MSP for Midlothian North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 September 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 24 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether it considers it equitable that staff employed by MSPs receive lower employer pension contributions than staff it and the Scottish Government directly employ, and what action it is taking to address any such disparity.

Question reference: S7W-02595

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Alyn Smith on 17 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how many Scottish-domiciled students have had their student contribution fee paid for in order to study at (a) Trinity College Dublin, (b) University College Dublin, (c) University College Cork, (d) the National University of Ireland, Galway (now the University of Galway), and (e) the National University of Ireland, Maynooth (now Maynooth University), in each year since 2007-08, and what the total value of those payments was in each year.

Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) covers the student contribution fee on behalf of eligible Scottish-domiciled students undertaking an approved first-degree course at specified higher education institutions in the Republic of Ireland.

Figures on the number of Scottish-domiciled students whose student contribution fees were paid and the total value of those payments in each year are provided in the following table.

Student contribution fees paid to specified Irish institutions for Scottish-domiciled students, academic years 2020-21 to 2025-26
Higher education institution	2020-21		2021-22		2022-23		2023-24		2024-25		2025-26		Total
Higher education institution	No of students	Amount (euros)	No of students	Amount (euros)	No of students	Amount (euros)	No of students	Amount (euros)	No of students	Amount (euros)	No of students	Amount (euros)	No of students	Amount (euros)
Maynooth University	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Trinity College Dublin	6	18,000	c	c	c	c	c	c	7	14,000	c	c	43	112,000
University College Cork	c	c	c	c	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	c	c
University College Dublin	c	c	c	c	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	6	18,508
University of Galway	-	-	-	-	c	c	c	c	-	-	c	c	c	c
Total	11	33,254	11	33,254	10	30,000	8	16,000	7	14,000	7	17,500	55	144,008
Source: SAAS
Note: Some figures have been replaced with ‘c’ due to low student numbers, including some where there are 5 or more where disclosure risks identifying individuals at other institutions in a given year.

Please note that the table includes readily available figures covering academic years 2020-21 onwards.

Question reference: S7W-02579

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 17 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the European Commission's approval of revised ship-financing arrangements in Spain following changes to the Spanish Tax Lease system, what financial mechanisms it has considered to help commercial shipyards in Scotland compete with European and international competitors that receive state support.

The Scottish Government supports Ferguson Marine through the provision of parent company guarantees when these are required to support new vessel and steel fabrication contracts. Scottish shipyards can also utilise the Shipbuilding Credit Guarantee Scheme delivered by UK Export Finance that provides a partial guarantee to a lender making a loan to a ship-buyer or operator, so that new vessels, or refits, retrofits or repairs of existing vessels can be procured from UK. Commercial shipyards and financial institutions in Scotland have not raised the Spanish tax lease system or the use of other international tax leasing frameworks with the Scottish Government.

Question reference: S7W-02580

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 17 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the potential for the Scottish National Investment Bank (SNIB) to provide refund guarantees or patient capital to Scottish shipyards to explicitly facilitate the use of cross-border, multi-party tax lease structures, such as the revised ship-financing arrangements in Spain following changes to the Spanish Tax Lease system.

The Scottish Government supports Ferguson Marine through the provision of parent company guarantees when these are required to support new vessel and steel fabrication contracts. Scottish shipyards can also utilise the Shipbuilding Credit Guarantee Scheme delivered by UK Export Finance that provides a partial guarantee to a lender making a loan to a ship-buyer or operator, so that new vessels, or refits, retrofits or repairs of existing vessels can be procured from UK. Commercial shipyards and financial institutions in Scotland have not raised the Spanish tax lease system or the use of other international tax leasing frameworks with the Scottish Government.

Question reference: S7W-02581

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 17 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether Transport Scotland or Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL) has evaluated the feasibility of procuring future vessels, including zero-emission ferries, through international tax lease structures such as the Agrupación de Interés Económico (AIE) in Spain to reduce final purchase prices while maintaining shipbuilding in Scotland.

Question reference: S7W-02574

Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 17 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has any plans to review maternity pay arrangements for teachers, specifically the point at which occupational maternity pay is reduced to statutory maternity pay.

Teachers’ terms and conditions of service, including maternity pay, are matters determined through the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers (SNCT), which comprises teaching unions, local government employers and the Scottish Government.

Maternity pay arrangements, alongside a broader range of family-friendly policies, are currently being reviewed through ongoing discussions within the SNCT.

This review is intended to ensure that these policies continue to meet the needs of a modern workforce, while taking account of equality considerations, service delivery requirements and affordability.

Any changes to maternity pay arrangements would require agreement between all SNCT parties.

Question reference: S7W-02582

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 17 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with commercial financial institutions regarding the use of international tax leasing frameworks to help offset the research, development and manufacturing costs associated with the construction of alternative propulsion and zero-emission vessels.

The Scottish Government supports Ferguson Marine through the provision of parent company guarantees when these are required to support new vessel and steel fabrication contracts. Scottish shipyards can also utilise the Shipbuilding Credit Guarantee Scheme delivered by UK Export Finance that provides a partial guarantee to a lender making a loan to a ship-buyer or operator, so that new vessels, or refits, retrofits or repairs of existing vessels can be procured from UK. Commercial shipyards and financial institutions in Scotland have not raised the Spanish tax lease system or the use of other international tax leasing frameworks with the Scottish Government.

Question reference: S7W-02924

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 17 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Prison Officers' Association Scotland report, Crisis Point Reached, which noted that the number of staff departures recorded by the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) as "Normal Resignations" doubled between 2015 and 2023, what discussions it has had with SPS regarding staff retention.

The Scottish Prison Service (SPS) is an Executive Agency of the Scottish Government and has responsibility for operation of prisons including staffing.

SPS has recruited record numbers of Prison Officers in recent years to support prison estate expansion, including HMP Stirling and HMP Kilmarnock, and address increasing prisoner numbers and complexity. Targeted attraction and engagement activities have also increased workforce diversity.

For 2025-26, the turnover rate across SPS was 7.7%, which represented a 1% reduction on the previous year (2024-25). SPS has also experienced a significant reduction in leavers from prison officer roles in the early part of this financial year in comparison to previous years.

SPS monitors staff retention through regular workforce planning discussions. The Workforce Planning Management Group reviews turnover trends, reasons for leaving, and actions to improve retention, informed by workforce data and employee feedback.

Question reference: S7W-02961

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 17 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how many of the recommendations contained in the University of Central Lancashire report, Minimising firefighters’ exposure to toxic fire effluents, have been implemented and how many remain outstanding.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) has made substantial progress in implementing the recommendations contained within the University of Central Lancashire report, Minimising Firefighters' Exposure to Toxic Fire Effluents.

Measures implemented include the introduction of a dedicated Fire Contaminants Standard Operating Procedure, enhanced decontamination arrangements, improvements to PPE and laundering arrangements, exposure recording processes and investment in firefighter welfare measures.

The majority of recommendations have been implemented or incorporated into ongoing programmes of work.

Further work continues in longer-term areas including health surveillance, exposure monitoring, welfare infrastructure and future estate improvements. SFRS continues to review emerging evidence and participate in research to inform future developments.

Question reference: S7W-02922

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 17 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Prison Officers' Association Scotland report, Crisis Point Reached, what discussions it has had with the Scottish Prison Service regarding (a) ending online interviews during the prison officer recruitment process and (b) increasing training for new prison officers.

The Scottish Prison Service (SPS) is an Executive Agency of the Scottish Government and has responsibility for operation of prisons including staffing.

SPS has committed to review the end to end recruitment and selection process for Prison Officer roles. This work has commenced and will be delivered to support continuous improvement and ensure recruitment processes remain effective and fit for purpose.

I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-02875 on 17 September 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.

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Question reference: S7O-00298

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