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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

Filter your results Hide all filters

Displaying 4323 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S7W-00673

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 01 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 11 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the vulnerability of sole traders and small creative businesses to legal and financial pressure arising from civil disputes.

All businesses – wherever they are in the country – can access support from a wide variety of public sector organisations through the Find Business Support website.

Many civil disputes are settled through alternative dispute resolution mechanisms such as mediation or arbitration. Where court action is necessary, the courts and tribunals system is designed to ensure that disputes are resolved in the most proportionate way possible. This may be through free to the user tribunals or lower cost court actions such as Simple Procedure which is used for disputes with a value of less than £5000 and legal advice is often unnecessary

Question reference: S7W-00677

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 01 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 11 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the commitment outlined in the Scottish National Party's 2026 manifesto, when it will commence work on a public health campaign on the safe use of social media for young people.

Question reference: S7W-00695

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 01 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Hannah Mary Goodlad on 11 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to review its Planning Advice Note 50, which provides advice on controlling the environmental effects of surface mineral workings, and associated annexes.

Question reference: S7W-00577

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 May 2026
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 11 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-44204 on 23 March 2026 by Mairi McAllan, how many homes have been built through the Rural and Islands Housing Fund in the 2025-26 financial year, broken down by local authority area.

I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-00181 on 5 June 2026. 42 homes were delivered through the Rural and Islands Housing Fund between 1 April 2025 and 31 December 2025 in 7 local authorities. This data is based on management information and may be subject to change. Figures for 1 January 2026 to 31 March 2026 are not yet available.

The Rural and Islands Housing Fund is a demand-led scheme open to a range of organisations, including community organisations, development trusts, private landowners, private developers, and traditional housing providers.

Local Authority	RIHF Completions 1 April 2025 to 31 December 2025
Argyll and Bute	6
Highland	6
North Ayrshire	18
Orkney	1
Scottish Borders	3
Shetland	1
West Lothian	7
Total	42

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.

Question reference: S7W-00425

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 11 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how many Child Winter Heating Payments were paid out in April 2026.

The Scottish Government is delivering the strongest package of winter support in the UK. Child Winter Heating Payment is an automatic payment unique to Scotland that helps families and carers of disabled children under 19 with winter heating costs. It is paid to those who receive the highest rate of the care component of Child Disability Payment or the enhanced rate of the daily living component of Adult Disability Payment.

Official statistics published on 19 May 2026 shows that as of 31 March 2026, over 44,000 Child Winter Heating Payments were made to eligible clients, with the vast majority paid automatically in December 2025. The information requested for April 2026 is not yet published.

Further details are available on Social Security Scotland’s website at: Winter Heating Benefits: Statistics for Winter 2025/2026 - Social Security Scotland.

Question reference: S7W-00617

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 May 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Gethins on 11 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has regarding the price per MWh of electricity generated (a) for Hunterston B prior to its closure and (b) is for Torness nuclear power station.

Question reference: S7W-00630

Asked by: Joe Fagan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 May 2026
Current Status: Answered by Hannah Mary Goodlad on 11 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what the (a) gross and (b) net running costs are of its operations, and how these have changed since its records began.

The Scottish Government’s running costs are reported in the annual consolidated accounts in note 5f Outturn Income and Expenditure - Operating Costs (2019-20: note 6f). The consolidated accounts can be found here: Financial reports and accounts - Government finance - gov.scot.

The table within the 2022-23 annual consolidated accounts restates the 2021-22 figures, therefore this should be used instead of the data in note 5f to the 2021-22 accounts.

Information is provided on a financial year basis which is consistent with our annual accounts publications. Therefore, the running costs for 2025-2026 will be published in the same location when available.

In 2019-20, a change in approach to operating costs was implemented, which means that comparable figures for earlier years cannot be provided. Previously, costs, including staffing, were held centrally as part of the administration budget and also as part of portfolio budgets for staff who were implementing and delivering specific public services. Since 2019-20, Total Operating Costs have been aligned with the portfolio budgets they support, replacing the dual system where both administration and portfolio budgets funded operating costs.

Question reference: S7O-00089

Asked by: Laura Moodie, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 June 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking, through the education system, to support the local delivery of measures to prevent and eradicate violence against women and girls, in light of COSLA’s recent white paper, Strengthening Local Delivery to Prevent and Eradicate Violence Against Women and Girls.

Question reference: S7O-00061

Asked by: Heather Anderson, MSP for Dundee City West, Scottish National Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 June 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 16 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to calls from The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh for a national pilot programme to monitor air pollution around city primary schools.

Question reference: S7O-00096

Asked by: David Linden, MSP for Glasgow Baillieston and Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 June 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the adequacy of provision for Islamic cemeteries and burial grounds in Scotland, including the support or guidance that it provides to local authorities in meeting the needs of Muslim communities.