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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Displaying 2014 questions Show Answers

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Question reference: S7W-00624

Asked by: Max Bannerman, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Reform UK
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 May 2026
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 3 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what planning and practice scenarios have been undertaken with rural Scottish Fire and Rescue Service stations to address the practicalities of it responding to a potential battery energy storage scheme fire.

Planning and training for tackling fires are operational matters for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) to consider. SFRS continually reviews its operational response concerning emerging technology, including battery storage, to keep communities safe and has the ability to deploy a range of resources that can be utilised by highly skilled crews to successfully bring incidents to a safe conclusion.

Question reference: S7W-00429

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 May 2026
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 3 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what legislation it plans to introduce in relation to the social security portfolio in the current parliamentary session.

The Government will bring forward such social security legislation as is necessary to continue to ensure the effective operation of delivery and improved outcomes for clients. That will include in due course the regulations required to introduce Scottish Child Payment for children under 1, which will increase the total payment amount to £40 per week during 2027-28, benefitting an estimated 12,000 children, to implement measures in the Social Security (Amendment) (Scotland) Act 2025, and to uprate social security benefits on an annual basis.

Question reference: S7W-00596

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 May 2026
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 3 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding it has allocated to projects through the Croft House Grant Scheme, broken down by local authority area, in each year since 2016.

This Government is committed to continuing to help crofters and their families to live on and work their croft, contributing to the sustainability of our rural and island communities.

Area *	Croft House Grant Funding Awarded since 2016 (£)
Argyll	1,169,281.54
Barra	447,442.68
Caithness	509,045.36
Harris	300,473.60
Inverness	468,281.18
Lewis	2,776,910.16
North Uist	728,162.72
Ross-shire	746,022.80
Shetland	1,099,077.61
Skye	2,131,492.36
South Uist	992,556.44
Sutherland	996,751.92

*Figures are broken down by the Rural Payments and Inspections Division by area not by local authority area.

Question reference: S7W-00614

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 May 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Gethins on 3 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assistance is being provided to households that are reliant on domestic heating oil and are facing substantial increases in cost.

Global events continue to reinforce the impact of high energy prices with the crisis in the Middle East significantly increasing the cost of heating oil and liquid petroleum gas ("LPG"). That is why the Scottish Government launched the Scottish Emergency Heating Oil Scheme on 1 April, more than doubling the support made available from the UK Government. Eligible households can apply for support of £300 towards the cost of heating oil or LPG.

The Scottish Government also proactively supports vulnerable households through our energy efficiency schemes, winter heating benefits, investment in free income maximisation support, welfare and debt advice. We have maintained investment in the Scottish Welfare Fund, providing vital support to those in crisis.

However, energy pricing and regulation is fully reserved to the UK Government, and that is why the Scottish Parliament recently passed a motion calling for energy powers to be immediately devolved to the Scottish Parliament.

The UK Government must take their responsibilities seriously by putting in place robust and effective consumer protections and introducing targeted energy bill discounts, available to all fuel users, to reduce the number of households in fuel poverty.

Question reference: S7W-00562

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 May 2026
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 3 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government when provisions will be in place to allow Social Security Scotland to recover debt from any clients who were overpaid benefits through the Sheriff Court system.

Question reference: S7W-00422

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 May 2026
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 3 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans on introducing legislation that will compel people to repay social security benefits that were overpaid.

Question reference: S7W-00155

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 May 2026
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 3 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the R100 broadband upgrade programme will be completed by 2028.

While delivery under the R100 North contract was previously scheduled for completion in 2028, aligning deployment with Project Gigabit presents a unique opportunity to optimise coverage across some of the most rural communities in the Highlands and Islands.

For instance, coordinating R100 and Project Gigabit delivery in Timsgarry, Na h-Eileanan an Iar, will enable us to connect additional premises, drive efficiencies and minimise disruption for the community.

Maximising these alignment opportunities may, in certain circumstances, require elements of the R100 North contract build to be extended beyond 2028. Where alignment is expected to impact completion timelines in specific areas, this will be communicated at the earliest opportunity via our online address checker.

Question reference: S7W-00398

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 May 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 3 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Scottish National Party’s 2026 manifesto commitment to establish a private jet tax, whether it will carry out an island communities impact assessment before laying draft legislation.

The Private Jet Tax will be implemented as higher rates of Air Departure Tax (ADT)which will apply to the carriage of passengers by air on private jet flights from Scottish airports.

ADT will replace Air Passenger Duty (APD) from 1 April 2027 and the Scottish Government will implement higher rates of tax on private jet flights from 1 April 2028.

The Scottish Government ran a consultation between January and March 2026 on the implications of applying higher rates of ADT to private jet flights and invited views on how the proposals could impact island communities. The Scottish Government will publish its analysis and response to the consultation in due course. It will also undertake and publish all required impact assessments as part of the secondary legislation which will give effect to this measure.

Question reference: S7W-00339

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 May 2026
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 3 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what support it has offered to The Queen's Own Highlanders Regimental Association following its temporary eviction from Cameron Barracks in Inverness.

Question reference: S7W-00147

Asked by: David Green, MSP for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 May 2026
Current Status: Answered by Hannah Mary Goodlad on 3 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any impact of the current planning system on rural areas, and what discussions it has had with local authorities and rural stakeholders regarding proposed rural planning reforms.

National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4), adopted by the Scottish Ministers in February 2023, sets out national planning policy and a long term spatial strategy for Scotland. It was subject to extensive consultation, including with rural stakeholders, and impact assessment and Parliamentary scrutiny.

The last Scottish Parliament’s Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee conducted annual reviews of NPF4 to assess its impact in practice.

The Scottish Government, in partnership with the National Planning Improvement Champion, monitors performance of planning policy and the planning system through close engagement with key stakeholders, including planning authority colleagues.