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-03661

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 25 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Ruth Charteris on 2 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how many drivers have been (a) charged and (b) prosecuted for driving while using a mobile phone, in each year since 2021.

The following table has been produced in answer to the above question. It should be noted that these figures relate to charges reported to COPFS, rather than individual drivers. COPFS uses a live, operational database to manage the processing of reports submitted to Procurators Fiscal by the police and other reporting agencies throughout Scotland. It is designed to meet business needs in the processing of criminal cases, rather than for statistical analysis and the information within it is structured accordingly.

The database has been searched for charges received by COPFS under the Scottish Government classification as mobile phone driving offences. This covers offences under S41D(b) of the Road Traffic Act 1988.

During the period 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2026 the following charges were reported to COPFS in each financial year (1 April to 31 March).

	Financial Year reported
	2021-22	2022-23	2023-24	2024-25	2025-26
Charges reported	832	1210	1461	1420	1846

Charges prosecuted	567	730	1090	1062	1236

This data includes all charges under this classification with a first substantive marking for court action.

Question reference: S7W-03577

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 2 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the factors contributing to the reported decline in the number of veterans approved for support under the Low-cost Initiative for First-Time Buyers (LIFT) scheme to one per year between 2024 and 2026, and what targeted outreach it plans to introduce to increase uptake.

The Open Market Shared Equity Scheme (OMSE), which is a part of LIFT, is a demand led scheme which provides support for first time buyers and priority access groups, including veterans who have left the armed forces within the past two years, to purchase a property on the open market.

The administering agent for OMSE, Link Housing, market the scheme on behalf of the Scottish Government. Marketing was paused while the scheme was closed during 2024-25 and the end of 2025-26.

An insert on OMSE was included in Pathfinder magazine (Armed Forces resettlement magazine) for the reopening in June 2025 and another is planned for October’s edition.

More information on OMSE is also available on the Scottish Government’s help to buy your home website (Open Market Shared Equity scheme - mygov.scot) as well as the UK Government’s finding a civilian home as a veteran website (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/finding-a-civilian-home-as-a-veteran).

Question reference: S7W-03688

Asked by: Julie MacDougall, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Reform UK
Date lodged: Friday, 25 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 2 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will commit to increasing the number of holding cells available in local police stations to address concerns regarding capacity pressures within existing facilities.

The management of the police estate - including the operation, capacity and availability of custody and holding cell facilities - is an operational matter for Police Scotland under the direction of the Chief Constable.

Police Scotland is undertaking work to assess custody demand and capacity requirements across its estate, to ensure facilities continue to support the effective and safe delivery of policing services. This is part of a strategic transformation initiative which aligns with the Estate Strategy Vision for an estate that is effective, sustainable, accessible and inclusive, as well as the wider 2030 Vision.

Question reference: S7W-03635

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 2 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has commissioned a business case for the integration of the database systems used by the Scottish Prison Service, the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service and the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.

Question reference: S7W-03594

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Alyn Smith on 2 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S7W-02595 by Alyn Smith on 17 September 2026, what the policy rationale is for the Student Awards Agency Scotland paying the student contribution fee for eligible Scottish-domiciled students undertaking approved first-degree courses at specified higher education institutions in the Republic of Ireland, while Scottish-domiciled students undertaking courses elsewhere in the UK are required to fund their tuition fees through a repayable tuition fee loan, including where the chosen course is unavailable at any higher education institution in Scotland.

Under the Free Fees Initiative of the Irish Government, Scottish-domiciled students may be eligible for free tuition fee funding for approved full-time undergraduate courses at higher education institutions in the Republic of Ireland. Students still incur the cost of the annual student contribution charge.

The student contribution charge is not a tuition fee but is an additional charge to cover general costs such as student services, libraries, registration and examination fees at a higher education institution in the Republic of Ireland. 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 under a long-standing historical arrangement.

Scottish-domiciled students studying in the rest of the UK are required to pay the fees set by the UK Government. The Scottish Government has had to make a difficult decision therefore, that in order to continue free tuition in Scotland for Scottish-domiciled students, and as the majority of Scottish-domiciled students choose to study in Scotland, tuition fee loans will be offered to Scottish students who study in the rest of the UK.

Question reference: S7W-03533

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 2 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is satisfied that an application made under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989 accurately reflects the development that an applicant plans to construct, particularly where an applicant is simultaneously progressing materially different generating capacity, storage capacity or other project parameters through separate regulatory processes.

Question reference: S7W-03584

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh North Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 2 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how many people have applied to the Scottish Welfare Fund for a crisis grant in each of the last three years.

Question reference: S7W-03689

Asked by: Julie MacDougall, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Reform UK
Date lodged: Friday, 25 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 2 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what data it holds on how many police officers are deployed on street patrols at any given time and whether it considers the current number to be appropriate for the volume and types of crimes committed across all areas of Scotland.

Question reference: S7W-03636

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 2 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has been provided with a business case for the integration of the database systems used by the Scottish Prison Service, the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service and the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.

The Scottish Government received a collaborative application from a range of Justice partners, including Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service, through the invest to save initiative, for funding to support the development of a system-wide business case and roadmap for long-term digital and service modernisation across the criminal justice system.

While that application did not prove successful, the Cabinet Secretary for Public Service Reform and I have recently met and discussed the proposal with the Chief Executive of Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service, who led on this work, and the Crown Agent. In recognising the importance of the challenge outlined within the bid, we have invited the development of a further justice system proposal, out with the invest to save structure.

Question reference: S7W-03587

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh North Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 2 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the historically high numbers of people presenting as homeless and being housed in temporary accommodation for extended periods of time, what action it plans to take to ensure that people experiencing homelessness can eat well and maintain good nutrition during periods spent in temporary accommodation and while longer term ambitions to reduce the numbers of people housed in temporary accommodation are realised.

The legal duty for housing and homelessness services, including responsibility for the provision and management of temporary accommodation, rests with local authorities. Under The Homeless Persons (Unsuitable Accommodation) (Scotland) Order 2014, temporary accommodation provided to households must meet specified standards, including access to adequate cooking facilities. Access to suitable cooking facilities is important in enabling households to prepare meals and make their own choices about the food they eat while living in temporary accommodation.

The Scottish Government provides funding to regional community food networks to work with local authorities and health boards to help improve access to healthier food options and improve diets, including for people living in temporary accommodation.