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-38488

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 09 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 19 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-36825 by Gillian Martin on 8 May 2025, whether local authorities will be permitted to use funds from the extended producer responsibility scheme to cover payments to emissions trading schemes.

In line with the Verity House Agreement, funding resulting from extended producer responsibility for packaging (pEPR) will not be ring-fenced or directed, unless there is a clear joint understanding to do so. However, the purpose of the funding, to pay for the cost of managing household packaging waste - is clearly set out in legislation.

Payments under pEPR will support the costs of effective and efficient collection systems for household packaging waste. This includes the costs of incineration. Payments will be adjusted in future years to account for additional costs that local authorities may face, including those incurred under the proposed expansion of the emissions trading scheme.

Question reference: S6W-38596

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 19 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what public awareness campaigns it currently supports to educate the public on the correct way to dispose of wet wipes.

The Scottish Government has continually supported Scottish Water’s public awareness campaigns on the correct disposal of sanitary items, including wet wipes. Their current ‘Nature Calls’ campaign has a specific focus on binning and not flushing wet wipes. In addition, we have supported various public awareness campaigns run by environmental NGOs, including the Marine Conservation Society which is a valued member of our Marine Litter Strategy Steering Group.

Question reference: S6W-38492

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 09 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 19 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding drinking water and public health in Scotland, what its response is to reports that the United States Environmental Protection Agency includes asbestos-cement pipes in its overall assessment of asbestos as a hazardous material, in light of reported studies showing that asbestos fibres can penetrate the digestive tract and that there is an association between asbestos exposure and gastrointestinal cancer.

The Scottish Government takes the quality of Scotland’s drinking water very seriously, with drinking water standards prescribed in the Public Water Supplies (Scotland) Regulations 2014, as amended. These Regulations reflect the standards set out in the EU’s recast Drinking Water Directive which follows the public health advice from the World Health Organisation (WHO).

As the WHO has concluded that there is no need to establish a health-based guideline value for asbestos in drinking water, there are no prescribed limits in the Regulations. Should that advice be amended, the Scottish Government will review its position.

Question reference: S6W-38525

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Monday, 09 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 19 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how much it has paid to GB Railfreight to undertake shunting duties at Carstairs for Caledonian Sleeper in each of the last two financial years.

Question reference: S6O-04822

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 19 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the Armed Forces Covenant obligation on NHS boards to have due regard for the unique challenges faced by service children, what discussions the veterans minister has had with ministerial colleagues in relation to ensuring that relocations for military postings do not lead to service children being reprioritised to the back of NHS waiting lists, including through the provision of guidance to clinical teams to ensure that this does not happen.

Access to NHS treatment is based on clinical need, however we recognise that service children should not be disadvantaged when accessing the NHS as a result of their parent’s service in the Armed Forces.

We regularly communicate the Covenant legal duty and paying ‘due regard’ to all NHS Boards via the NHS Armed Forces and Veterans Champions, who are responsible for ensuring its implementation.

Additionally, the General Practice Armed Forces and Veterans Recognition Scheme aims to raise awareness of the health challenges that veterans and Armed Forces families face as a result of military service.

Question reference: S6O-04823

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 19 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking in response to the consultation by Alexander Dennis on the future of its facilities in Falkirk and Larbert.

This will be a hugely worrying time for the workforce at ADL, their families and the wider community. We have engaged extensively with Alexander Dennis and its parent company NFI to ensure that every possible avenue is explored to mitigate the need for redundancies. This has included discussions with myself, the First Minister, leadership within Scottish Enterprise, Transport Scotland, trade unions, and the UK Government.

The Scottish Government will continue to explore any and all options throughout the consultation period to allow the firm to retain their hard-working employees and manufacturing and production facilities at Falkirk and Larbert.

Question reference: S6O-04851

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 June 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to review planning laws regarding the provision of private purpose-built student accommodation, in light of reported concerns over the concentration of student accommodation in certain localities and objections from local residents.

Question reference: S6O-04852

Asked by: Sue Webber, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 June 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to undertake a regulatory check of existing Transport (Scotland) Act 2001 powers to allow local authorities and regional transport partnerships to implement local road user charging schemes.

Question reference: S6O-04853

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 June 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has plans to reform the planning appeals process.

Question reference: S6O-04855

Asked by: Keith Brown, MSP for Clackmannanshire and Dunblane, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 June 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with NHS Forth Valley regarding access to health services for communities that rely on local bus links.

Parliament dissolved ahead of election

Chamber and committees

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