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: S6F-04342

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 29 September 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 2 October 2025

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6F-04343

Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 29 September 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 2 October 2025

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6W-40541

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 29 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason there has been a reported reduction in police attending the scene of, or investigating, retail theft and burglaries, in light of reports of an increase in such crimes.

Decisions to attend the scene of a reported crime and follow-up investigations are operational matters for Police Scotland.

All reports made to the service are assessed under THRIVE (Threat, Harm, Risk, Investigation, Vulnerability and Engagement) to gauge how they should be prioritised. THRIVE enables call handlers and officers assess whether there is a threat or potential harm, how likely it is to happen, whether there are investigation opportunities, whether the person is vulnerable and how best to engage.

Police Scotland have confirmed that, under the THRIVE model, reports of burglary, either in a retail setting or a private residence, would result in attendance from local officers.

In terms of retail crime, Police Scotland have used the £3 million additional funding provided this year to establish a Retail Crime Taskforce made up of uniformed officers, detectives and specialist analysts. The team is targeting repeat offenders of retail crime by using analytical data and intelligence to carry out proactive enforcement activities in areas most heavily impacted.

As highlighted in Police Scotland's recently published Quarter 1 performance report, their dedicated Edinburgh team has delivered significant results for the capital’s retailers, including 234 charges brought against retail crime offenders in the first three months of operations.

Question reference: S6W-40311

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 29 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what specific measures it is putting in place to create a self-sufficient, low-carbon steel industry in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-40523

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 15 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 29 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking in light of the reported threatened closure of Forth Valley College’s Alloa campus.

Question reference: S6W-40524

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 15 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 29 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an outline of the discussions it has had with the Scottish Funding Council to ensure that Forth Valley College is funded sufficiently to keep the Alloa campus open and operational.

Question reference: S6W-40055

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 29 August 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 29 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the comment by the former General Secretary of the Scottish Police Federation (SPF), Calum Steele, to the Justice Sub-Committee on Policing on 30 May 2019 that "the Ayr office was probably carved out of asbestos”, when it last met the SPF to discuss the reported presence of asbestos in more than 170 police stations, and what was discussed.

I meet regularly with the Scottish Police Federation (SPF), where we discuss a range of issues which affect their members. At our meeting on 19 December 2024, the SPF raised concerns about the condition of buildings in the Police Scotland estate, and we discussed the Police Scotland Estates Masterplan.

Management of the Police Scotland estate, including assessments of the condition of its buildings, is an operational matter for the Chief Constable under the oversight of the Scottish Police Authority. The Scottish Government supports Police Scotland’s commitment to providing a safe environment for officers, staff and the public, and notes that Ayr police station moved from old and outdated premises to a new modern location in May 2023.

We are investing a record £1.64 billion in policing in 2025-26. This includes £70 million of capital funding for investment in police assets, including the police estate.

Question reference: S6W-40565

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 29 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will engage with the UK Government regarding the UK–US nuclear power partnership.

Question reference: S6W-40569

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 29 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has carried out of the reported decision by some EU member states to reverse their previous policy and expand nuclear power, and what assessment it has made of any implications of this for Scotland’s energy policy.

The Scottish Government position remains - new nuclear under current technologies, which includes small modular reactors, is very expensive and takes decades to deliver, creating a legacy of radioactive waste which is difficult and costly to manage. Instead, we are focussed on supporting growth and creating jobs by capitalising on Scotland’s immense renewable energy capacity rather than expensive new nuclear.

Question reference: S6W-40567

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 29 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what estimate it has made of the contribution of the nuclear power sector to the economy of East Lothian in the last five years.

The Scottish Government recognises the significant contribution Torness nuclear power station has made to Scotland’s energy system and to the East Lothian economy over several decades.

A Scottish Government commissioned report, Electricity system security of supply Scotland, published in 2023, found that the increase in renewable generation capacity along with the installation of storage technologies would provide security of supply in Scotland.

Although the Scottish Government commissioned this report, security of supply is a reserved matter that the National Energy Systems Operator (NESO) is responsible for.