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: S6W-34183

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 10 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what most recent assessment it has made of the value for money of media training provided to (a) ministers and (b) civil servants.

Media training offers Ministers and civil servants skills to represent the Scottish Government professionally and effectively in media appearances. Since 2016, all media training for Ministers or civil servants has been provided by Scottish Government Communications Division staff at no additional cost. Executive Agencies are responsible for their own training provision and information is not held centrally.

Question reference: S6W-34184

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 10 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what guidelines it has regarding the provision of media training to (a) ministers and (b) civil servants, including how costs are approved and monitored.

On appointment, all Ministers are offered media training options as part of their induction. Civil servants who may carry out media interviews in the course of their duties can request media training through the Scottish Government’s Communications Division. Courses are provided by Communications Division staff at no additional cost. Executive Agencies are responsible for their own training provision and information is not held centrally.

Question reference: S6W-34354

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 31 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 7 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how it is working to ensure that (a) local authorities and (b) housing associations provide social housing suitable for families with multiple disabled people.

We want disabled people in Scotland to have choice, dignity and freedom to access suitable homes, built or adapted to enable them to participate as full and equal citizens.

As the statutory housing authority for their area, local authorities are responsible for assessing housing need and demand, including specialist housing requirements, and for setting out how this will be met through their Local Housing Strategies and Strategic Housing Investment Plans. This includes the location, size and type of housing required.

Local authorities are also required to include all-tenure wheelchair accessible housing targets as part of their Local Housing Strategy.

The Affordable Housing Supply Programme provides a flexible grant system to local authorities and registered social landlords to support the delivery of specialist affordable housing, including wheelchair accessible homes.

In addition, the draft budget includes funding of £20.9 million for 2025-26 to enable registered social landlords to deliver necessary adaptations to ensure disabled people can live independently at home for as long as possible.

Question reference: S6W-34319

Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 31 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 7 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many local authority planning decisions the Scottish Ministers have overturned in each year since 2021, broken down by local authority.

Question reference: S6W-34306

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 7 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a list of postcode areas that would be eligible for house building through funding from the Islands Housing Fund.

The Rural and Islands Housing Fund operates in categories 4, 5 and 6 of the six-fold urban rural classification. We do not publish a list of postcode areas and applicants can check if a proposed project is located within an eligible area by using the National Records of Scotland’s Scottish Postcode Directory (SPD) at Geography products - National Records of Scotland (NRS)

National Records of Scotland publishes an updated SPD every six months and an update is planned for publication in March 2025.

Question reference: S6W-34308

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 7 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a list of postcode areas that would be eligible for house building through funding from the Rural Housing Fund.

Question reference: S6W-34138

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 7 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has carried out of trends in road traffic offences on each trunk road, with a particular focus on the A90 and its section north of Dundee.

Data on recorded road traffic offences is contained in the annual Scottish Government "Recorded Crime in Scotland" publication. Information on road traffic offences in the 2023-24 publication is at:

Recorded Crime in Scotland, 2023-24 - gov.scot

This publication includes data for 2023-24 as well as data relating to the last ten years. Data is provided at Scotland level as well as being broken down by local authority area. No information is provided broken down by trunk road.

Question reference: S6W-34000

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 24 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 7 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it still plans to publish a bill to implement the recommendations of the Working Group on Misogyny in the current parliamentary session, and, if so, when.

The Working Group on Misogyny and the Criminal Law recommended the creation of 'gendered' laws which specifically provide protection to women and girls.

There is currently a case before the Supreme Court concerning the definition of 'women and girls'. It will be important to carefully consider the implications, if any, of the judgment in that case for the proposed Bill before any Bill might be introduced in Parliament.

Question reference: S6W-34307

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 7 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a list of postcode areas that would be eligible for house building through funding from the Rural Affordable Homes for Key Workers Fund.

The Rural Affordable Homes for Key Workers Fund operates in categories 4, 5 and 6 of the six-fold urban rural classification. We do not publish a list of postcode areas and applicants can check if a proposed project is located within an eligible area by using the National Records of Scotland’s Scottish Postcode Directory (SPD) at Geography products - National Records of Scotland (NRS)

National Records of Scotland publishes an updated SPD every six months and an update is planned for publication in March 2025.

Question reference: S6W-34139

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 7 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what the estimated cost of road traffic offences on trunk roads is regarding (a) enforcement, (b) legal processes and (c) accidents, broken down by trunk road.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-34138 on 7 February 2025 for information on recorded levels of road traffic offences in Scotland. No information is held centrally relating to the costs associated with enforcement activity, legal processes and accidents arising from road traffic offences in Scotland.

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