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: S6W-43081

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 January 2026
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 29 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what effect the proposal to remove small business rates relief from country sport shoots is expected to have on conservation and land management associated with shoots, and how this aligns with its climate and biodiversity targets.

During Stage 3 of the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill Scottish Ministers committed to explore how non-domestic rates reliefs, particularly Small Business Bonus Scheme relief, can be better targeted.

Following consideration and engagement through the budget process, the draft Budget for 2026-27 set out that shootings and deer forests will be excluded from eligibility for Small Business Bonus Scheme relief and Fresh Start relief, with prescribed exclusions. For example, where shooting rights in shootings or deer forests are exercised solely for the purposes of environmental management, eligibility for Small Business Bonus Scheme will be maintained.

We recognise the vital role rural land managers have in delivering on key outcomes including reducing deer populations, and will ensure their concerns are considered to minimise any unintended consequences.

Question reference: S6W-43080

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 January 2026
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 29 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what the impact will be on (a) rural employment and (b) local supply chains of the proposal to remove small business rates relief from country sport shoots, broken down by (i) local authority area and (ii) and rural area classification type, and what mitigations are planned.

Question reference: S6W-43113

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 January 2026
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 29 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what arrangements are in place to ensure that there is operational separation between decisions on Electricity Act 1989 consents and decisions relating to capital investment, infrastructure financing or budget allocation.

The Minister for Public Finance has no role in decisions relating to funding, financing or financial guarantees for electricity transmission infrastructure projects that are subject to Electricity Act 1989 consents.

Legislation and regulations relating to electricity networks are reserved to the UK Government, with the National Energy System Operator (NESO) responsible for the strategic approach to the development of the electricity system across Great Britain.

Regulation of the electricity network including approval of investment in infrastructure is carried out by the independent energy regulator Ofgem.

Question reference: S6W-43082

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 January 2026
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 29 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what (a) gross and (b) net revenue it forecasts over each of the next five years from the proposal to remove small business rates relief from country sport shoots.

Question reference: S6W-43072

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 January 2026
Current Status: Answered by Angus Robertson on 29 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government after what length of time would it consider its Building a New Scotland series of papers to be out of date.

The Building a New Scotland series is intended to inform public debate on Scotland’s constitutional future, including independence. The papers will remain relevant as long as the content within them remains of relevance to the context in Scotland and in which Scotland operates.

Since the independence referendum in 2014, significant factors changed about Scotland’s place in the UK, and about the UK’s place in the world. Many of the changes do not reflect the predictions or promises made during the debate about Scottish independence, and many could not have been predicted at the time. The Scottish Government believes that the people of Scotland should have the opportunity to consider their constitutional future, and the Building a New Scotland series helps inform that consideration.

The Scottish Government will continue to keep the people of Scotland updated with the information they need to make a decision about their constitutional future.

Question reference: S6W-43097

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 January 2026
Current Status: Answered by Natalie Don-Innes on 29 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what information it currently holds regarding the need for a review of the legislative landscape around care experienced people, and whether it will publish this information.

In line with the conclusions of the Independent Care Review, The Promise Scotland have published various reports and route-maps outlining the case for a consolidation of the legislative landscape of Scotland’s children’s services.

These publications are all available to read on the Promise Scotland’s website: https://thepromise.scot/

These reports note that this is a starting point, and further consideration of the broader legislative landscape will be required.

When published, the findings of the Independent Review of Scotland’s Legislative Framework for Children’s Care will empower the Scottish Government to make an evidence-based, well-informed decision at a later date as to if the legislative framework would benefit from being amended and, if so, how this can be best achieved.

Question reference: S6W-43021

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 January 2026
Current Status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 29 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding has been identified for youth work in the draft Scottish Budget 2026-27.

The Scottish Government remains committed to youth work and continues to provide support through a range of funding streams. This includes the local authority block grant, which gives councils significant flexibility to allocate resources for youth work in their area.

In recognition of their critical role in delivering localised services, including youth work, the Scottish Government is increasing the total resources available to local government in 2026-27 by almost £651 million.

We are also investing significant funding in youth work through programmes such as Cashback for Communities which the Scottish Government has committed to finance for a further three years, supported by a record budget of up to £26 million - an increase of £6 million from the previous phase.

This is in addition to £150,000 of new funding for youth work in 2025-26, announced on 27 October, supporting measures to help re-engage young people from low-income backgrounds with school and address anti-social behaviour, and deliver investment in grassroots youth work.

Since 2023 the Scottish Government has also invested more than £2 million in community-based youth work through national youth work organisations, including YouthLink Scotland and Youth Scotland, to reach young people outside school. This includes funding for over 5,500 youth workers in 2025-26 to develop skills, knowledge and confidence to deliver youth work through training opportunities.

Question reference: S6W-42987

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 January 2026
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 29 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to close any (a) survival and (b) research gap for the less survivable common cancers of the lungs, liver, brain, oesophagus, pancreas and stomach, in light of reports that they collectively result in over 9,000 deaths, or around 44% of all cancer deaths, in Scotland each year.

Key to improving survival rates for less survivable cancers is ensuring timely diagnosis. The updated Scottish Referral Guidelines for Suspected Cancer, published on 6th August 2025, now include a nationally agreed non-specific symptoms referral criteria for the first time, which is a common feature of less survivable cancers.

Further, The Scottish Government committed to implementing a lung screening pilot in the Population Health Framework published in June 2025. It is anticipated this pilot will begin operation in early 2027.

Considerable work is being undertaken to standardise care pathways for those with less survivable cancers. The Scottish Government has commissioned the Scottish Hepato Pancreato Biliary (HPB) Network to develop recommended national pathways for (HPB) Cancers, working with the SCN and the Centre for Sustainable Delivery.

In addition, The Scottish Cancer Network has developed a number of Clinically Managed Pathways (CMPs), including for lung cancer and adult brain tumours, to be implemented on a national basis. The purpose of CMPs is to outline the patient with cancer journey from diagnosis onwards.

Further, Scotland’s first optimal cancer diagnostic pathway for lung was published in December 2022. The redesigned pathway for lung cancer services sets an optimal timeframe for each step to enable diagnosis by day 21 and treatment for most to start by day 42.

In terms of research funding, since 2024, the Scottish Government’s Chief Scientist Office (CSO) funded 5 projects or fellowships for Glioblastoma, Osophageal Adenocarcinoma and Pancreatic cancer. Applications with regards to less survivable cancers are welcomed by CSO. Any such applications would go through CSO’s standard independent expert review process to enable funding decisions to be made.

I met with the Less Survivable Cancer Taskforce a number of times in 2025 and am committed to continuing to engage with them on our shared aims.

Question reference: S6O-05472

Asked by: Maggie Chapman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 January 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 5 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how it is ensuring that the local authorities involved with the RAAC Housing Leadership Group are engaging appropriately and are including residents and RAAC campaigners in their activities.

Question reference: S6O-05469

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 January 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 5 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what work it is doing to improve access to thrombectomy services across the Scottish Borders.

Parliament dissolved ahead of election

Chamber and committees

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