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-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: S6W-38954

Asked by: George Adam, MSP for Paisley, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 23 June 2025
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 23 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government when the timeline for curriculum improvement and qualifications reform will be published.

In this year’s Programme for Government we committed to setting out a single combined timeline for reform to curriculum and qualifications in June 2025, with the aim of providing clarity about next steps for the education system. The Scottish Government has worked closely with our lead delivery partners Education Scotland and the SQA to produce a timeline for the Curriculum Improvement Cycle and Reforms to Qualifications and Assessment. The document sets out progress to date and next steps and was published today (23 June 2025): Curriculum, Qualifications and Assessment Reform – Progress to Date and Next Steps - gov.scot.

The publication provides an initial timeline to give clarity to partners and practitioners across the education and skills system, as well as to parents and carers and young people, about when they will start to see changes in teaching and assessment.

While change to curriculum, qualifications and assessment should be expected, the focus will remain on the enhancement of excellent learning and teaching as we know this will make the greatest impact on outcomes for our children and young people.

The work aims to support more consistent teaching, learning and assessment experiences, and improved attainment and achievement of our children and young people.

The Scottish Government is actively delivering a programme of reform that is coherent, realistic, practical and deliverable.

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-38387

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 23 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-02239 by Roseanna Cunningham on 20 September 2016, which states that the Scottish Law Commission had agreed to consider the Division of Commonties Act 1695 as part of its work on statute law repeals, what the outcome was of that work.

The Division of Commonties Act 1695 was discussed at the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee’s stage 2 consideration on 17 June 2025 and I undertook to provide an update on the Scottish Law Commission’s work on it as part of its work on statute law repeals. I can confirm that following a request by the Scottish Government, the Scottish Law Commission undertook preliminary work on the Division of Commonties Act 1695, and the issues arising in relation to it. The Commissioners took the view that a review of the Act would not be an appropriate law reform project for the Scottish Law Commission and advised Scottish Government of this in August 2018.

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-38493

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 encourage regularly funded organisations to adopt the use of the Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) Fair Work for Freelancers Checklist within the STUC report, Freelance and Forgotten: a report on worker exploitation in Scotland’s creative industries.

The Scottish Government’s Fair Work First Guidance already explains the Scottish Government approach, provides good practice examples to guide employers’ approaches and, importantly, explains the benefits of fair work for workers and organisations.

This guidance has been developed through engagement with key stakeholders, including trade unions and the STUC, the Fair Work Convention, Flexibility Works, CIPD Scotland, and business, public and third sector partners.

In addition organisations applying for funding from Creative Scotland are already referred to a range of existing best practice as part of Creative Scotland application guidance and are expected to demonstrate how they will meet fair pay requirements.

The current evaluation of Fair Work First by the Scottish Government is providing an opportunity to look closely at how effectively Fair Work First is delivering our policy intent, and to consider what more we can do to shape the future direction of the policy and strengthen our approach.

This includes an examination of appropriate resources and guidance to deliver the intended outcomes together with how Fair Work First conditions could be extended to other forms of support, and to different types of workers, ensuring all have the opportunity to participate in fair and respectful work environments.

Question reference: S6W-38502

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 09 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 23 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government when it last asked the UK Government when the results of the UK National Screening Committee consultation on offering HPV self-sampling will be released.

The Scottish Government is represented on the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) and receives updates regarding significant developments in the Committee’s work. It is expected that the UK NSC will be issuing an official update later this month on the potential for self-sampling to be introduced to the cervical screening programme. The update will be published on their website.

In the event of a positive recommendation, the organisations that oversee screening will move at pace to begin realising the potential benefits of self-sampling.

Question reference: S6W-38495

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 give Creative Scotland a role in monitoring and enforcing fair working practices within the sector, in light of the Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) report, Freelance and Forgotten: a report on worker exploitation in Scotland’s creative industries.

Supporting Fair Work is one of Creative Scotland's current strategic priorities.

The Review of Creative Scotland - which was announced in the Programme for Government last September as part of wider work into how the culture sector is supported - will consider Creative Scotland’s purpose and functions; structure and performance; governance and leadership, finances and distribution of funds; and collaboration, relationships and partnerships

The Review is independent of the Scottish Government and will deliver its recommendations in November 2025.

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.