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: S7W-00724

Asked by: Donald MacKinnon, MSP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 16 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with Loganair regarding the cost of island flights.

As a key provider of air services in Scotland, the Scottish Government regularly engages with Loganair on a variety of issues, including in relation to fares. Fare levels are, however, entirely a matter for the airline and the Scottish Government has no power to directly intervene in the operation of air services. The Scottish Government continues to operate the Air Discount Scheme which provides residents of Shetland, Orkney, the Western Isles, Islay, Jura, Colonsay, Caithness and north-west Sutherland with a 50% discount on the core air fare on eligible services. We currently expect the scheme to provide support to registered scheme members of around £15 million in 2026-27.

Question reference: S7W-00714

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 16 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is regarding the adequacy of the current national reporting frameworks to identify and highlight gaps in bridge inspection and asset knowledge.

There are no national reporting frameworks for identifying and highlighting gaps in bridge inspections or asset knowledge.

Each bridge is inspected every two years as set out in the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges. For bridges within the trunk road network, which fall under the responsibility of Transport Scotland, our Operating Companies are contractually obliged to validate every piece of information we hold on every structure. This amounts to approximately 3 million data points and is currently underway.

Question reference: S7W-00717

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 16 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is regarding the need to ensure that A roads have a speed limit of 30mph instead of 20mph, particularly in larger towns.

Question reference: S7W-00730

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 16 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide any direction or guidance to Local Government Pension Scheme funds regarding potential investment in affordable housing, and if so, on what statutory basis.

As set out in our manifesto, we will work in partnership with others, including administering authorities in the Scottish Local Government Pension Scheme, to progress funding models that safeguard fiduciary duties, provide secure inflation linked returns, and can accelerate the delivery of affordable homes.

Investment strategies are the responsibility of administering authorities, who make decisions in line with their fiduciary duties and the relevant statutory framework.

We have an open dialogue with the administering authorities and are encouraged by signs of collaboration across these funds. We will continue working with the funds and partners to support opportunities for increased investment in projects and businesses in Scotland, including housing, within fiduciary and statutory parameters.

Question reference: S7W-00713

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 16 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on the number of local authority-maintained bridges that are currently subject to (a) lapsed inspections, (b) missing load capacity assessments and (c) unassessed scour risk.

Question reference: S7W-00722

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Gethins on 16 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in the event of the establishment of an independent or fully devolved energy market, what assessment it has made of any legal and financial liabilities regarding existing 15- and 20-year Contracts for Difference agreements entered into by Scottish generators with the UK-owned Low Carbon Contracts Company, and whether any such liabilities would be transferred entirely to consumers in Scotland.

Question reference: S7W-00731

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Hannah Mary Goodlad on 16 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the total costs incurred by local authorities as a result of the legislative error in the Non-Domestic Rates (Scotland) Act 2020 that provided no legal basis on which to levy rates on unoccupied properties from 1 April 2023.

The Non-Domestic Rates (Liability for Unoccupied Properties) (Scotland) Act 2026 clarified the legal basis to levy non-domestic rates on the owners of unoccupied properties, subject to any reliefs that local authorities may choose to put in place, with retrospective effect from 1 April 2023. The Act brought the statute book into line with the original policy intention and the position as understood by local authorities and ratepayers, and applied by local authorities.

The Financial Memorandum accessible for the Non-Domestic Rates (Liability for Unoccupied Properties) (Scotland) Bill set out the estimated costs associated with the measures introduced by the Bill including costs for local authorities.

Local authorities have not specifically reported any exceptional costs in relation to this Act to the Scottish Government.

Question reference: S7W-01043

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh North Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 15 June 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 13 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how many pupils have been excluded from school for possession of a knife or offensive weapon in each of the last five years.

Question reference: S7W-01030

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 15 June 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 13 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of armed policing capacity in Greater Glasgow.

Question reference: S7W-01042

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh North Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 15 June 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 13 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how many incidents involving possession of a knife or bladed article have been recorded in schools in each of the last five years.