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-04224

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 23 June 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 June 2025

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to reports that several local authorities are delaying the introduction of a visitor levy.

Question reference: S6F-04237

Asked by: Joe FitzPatrick, MSP for Dundee City West, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 23 June 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 June 2025

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to the Sarcoma UK report, Unique Among Cancers.

Question reference: S6F-04214

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 23 June 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 June 2025

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6F-04230

Asked by: Marie McNair, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 23 June 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 June 2025

To ask the First Minister what assessment the Scottish Government has made of the latest Office for National Statistics inflation statistics and any implications for its work to support low-income households.

Question reference: S6F-04213

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 23 June 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 June 2025

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6W-38676

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 23 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many formal enforcement actions it has taken against landlords providing unsafe or unfit housing in the last three years.

The information requested is not held by the Scottish Government.

Private landlords in Scotland are required to register with their local authority which has responsibility to investigate and take any necessary action arising from complaints from tenants of private rented properties.

Where a tenant believes their rented property does not meet the legal repairing standard, they can take their landlord to the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland (Housing & Property Chamber). The Tribunal can enforce repairs by issuing the landlord with a Repairing Standard Enforcement Order (RSEO) which compels the landlord to carry out specific repairs within a set timeframe.

Where a landlord fails to comply with an RSEO the Tribunal will send a copy of the failure to comply decision to the local authority. The Tribunal may also issue a Rent Relief Order restricting the rent payable until the RSEO has been complied with. A local authority has powers to apply to the tribunal on behalf of vulnerable tenants.

Question reference: S6W-38670

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 23 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what contingency plans it has in place to maintain legal representation services in the event of industrial action by the Solicitor Contact Line.

I have asked Colin Lancaster, Chief Executive of the Scottish Legal Aid Board to respond. His response is as follows:-

Business continuity arrangements already exist for the Solicitor Contact Line (SLC). Should the GMB Union notify SLAB that their SCL members intend to progress to industrial action, SLAB will consider whether further contingency planning is needed to mitigate any potential impact of that action on those in police custody who do not already have a solicitor.

SLAB’s approach to discussions with the GMB has been collaborative and consultative. SLAB continues to engage regularly with the GMB and SCL staff. GMB is supportive of engaging with ACAS, which SLAB is currently arranging.

Question reference: S6W-38673

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 23 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what funding has been allocated to the cladding remediation programme to date, and how much of this funding has been spent.

Question reference: S6W-38404

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 06 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 23 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what immediate action it is taking to protect classroom support staff, in light of reports that 100% have witnessed or experienced violence.

Violence towards pupils or staff is unacceptable.

Responsibility for addressing concerns in specific local authority areas rests with the local authority, as the employer of school staff.

In August, we published our action plan on relationships and behaviour in schools, jointly owned with COSLA. The plan sets out 20 actions to be taken by 2027, including actions to reduce violence in schools. In March we published the first progress report on delivery against the plan, which highlighted progress has been made across all 20 actions.

In response to the findings of the Behaviour in Scottish Schools Research 2023 about support staff’s experiences of violence, the Scottish Government provided £900k funding for training of support staff in direct response to findings of the research that staff would welcome such training.

As part of Programme for Government, we are investing £29m to support the recruitment, retention and training of the ASN workforce via local and national programmes.

On 17 June I published new guidance to support school staff on fostering a positive, inclusive and safe school environment, including the use of consequences. I also published guidance on risk assessments for violent, aggressive, and dangerous behaviour.

Question reference: S6W-38494

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 09 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angus Robertson on 23 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will revise its Fair Work First Guidance to account for freelancers, in light of the Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) report, Freelance and Forgotten: a report on worker exploitation in Scotland’s creative industries.

Following the Scottish Government commitment in the December 2023 Culture Strategy Action Plan the short-life Culture Fair Work Task Force was created with an independent Chair appointed in April 2024. The aim of the taskforce is to consider and develop actions to further implement Fair Work in Scotland’s Creative industries to be put forward as recommendations for a sectoral Culture Fair Work Agreement.

The details and narrative in the STUC report "Freelance and forgotten", together with other relevant evidence, will be considered as part of the work of the Task Force. This reflects a commitment to worker participation and consultation - although it is solely the responsibility of the members of the Culture Fair Work Taskforce to shape and agree the final proposed recommendations.

The final report of the Culture Fair Work Task Force will contribute to the current evaluation of Fair Work First by the Scottish Government which will provide another opportunity to look closely at how effectively Fair Work First is delivering our policy intent, and to consider what more we can do to strengthen the Scottish Government approach. The project will provide ample opportunities for stakeholder engagement.