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-37074

Asked by: Pam Gosal, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Kaukab Stewart on 13 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it had with LGBTQ+ groups in relation to the For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers case.

No meetings were held with organisations or stakeholders to discuss the case of For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers prior to the Supreme Court judgment as it is not appropriate for the Scottish Government to comment on live legal proceedings. Following the Supreme Court ruling on 16th April, the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice met with key LGBTQI+ Equality stakeholders on 17th April to discuss the judgment and understand how the Scottish Government can support the LGBTQI+ community. The Scottish Government remains committed to advancing equality for LGBTQI+ people and will regularly meet with LGBTQI+ Equality organisations to ensure we continue to promote, protect and realise the rights of every LGBTQI+ person in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-36911

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 13 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what consultation it has undertaken with prison officers and women's advocacy groups on the reported proposal to make wigs and underwear available to transgender prisoners through a centralised repository.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

No consultation has been taken forward in response to the suggestion made in His Majesty’s Inspector of Prisons’ Full Inspection report on HMP Barlinnie published on 24 March 2025 for a central repository for items to support people on their transgender journey. SPS has no current plans to create such a repository.

Question reference: S6W-37276

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 13 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether any First Minister has ever (a) met and (b) requested to meet the Chairman of INEOS, Sir Jim Ratcliffe.

Question reference: S6W-37045

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 13 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether any guidance has been issued to NHS boards and public bodies regarding the practice of seeking private hearings or restricting access to tribunals.

Question reference: S6W-37224

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 28 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 13 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a list of all leases that are currently held by the Scottish public sector, broken down by (a) cost and (b) department or agency.

The Scottish Government does not hold information on all public sector leases centrally. The following table shows all current Scottish Government leased properties and the cost of each lease.

Property	Total lease cost	Department
10 Commerce Street (Fraserburgh Fishery Office)	£14,674.00	Scottish Government
28 Cunzie Street (Anstruther Fishery Office)	£12,223.00	Scottish Government
40 Hall Street (Campbeltown Fishery Office)	£8,839.00	Scottish Government
5 Atlantic Quay	£543,546.00	Scottish Government
7 Ferry Terminal Building (Kirkwall Fishery Office)	£2,500.00	Scottish Government
AB1 Building	£49,607.00	Scottish Government
Alexander Fleming House	£48,559.00	Scottish Government
Alexandra Buildings (Lerwick Fishery Office)	£26,392.00	Scottish Government
Bothwell House (Ground and First Floors)	£23,165.00	Scottish Government
Brooms Road - Dumfries	£259,827.00	Scottish Government
Bute House	£87,500.00	Scottish Government
Bute House Car Park	£8,250.00	Scottish Government
Caley Building (Peterhead Fishery Office)	£24,688.00	Scottish Government
Charlotte House	£83,645.00	Scottish Government
Compass House	£45,634.00	Scottish Government
Culag Pier (Lochinver Fishery Office)	£7,502.00	Scottish Government
Custom House (Stornoway Fishery Office)	£18,817.00	Scottish Government
Denholm House	£107,818.00	Scottish Government
Fishmarket Building (Eyemouth Fishery Office)	£10,688.00	Scottish Government
Garage No.2 Lockup, North St, Fraserburgh	£15,260.00	Scottish Government
Hadrian House	£96,061.00	Scottish Government
Harbour Buildings (Mallaig Fishery Office)	£4,037.00	Scottish Government
Inchbraoch House	£5,983.00	Scottish Government
James Street	£503.00	Scottish Government
Kinlochbervie Fishery Office - Number 7	£2,609.00	Scottish Government
Ocean Trade Centre	£141,572.00	Scottish Government
Office at Tarbert Fish Market	£788.00	Scottish Government
Russell House	£285,238.00	Scottish Government
Kinlochbervie Fishery Office - Number 5	£1,400.00	Scottish Government
Saughton House - land	£160,000.00	Scottish Government
Scotland House - Brussels	£373,930.00	Scottish Government
Scotland House - London	£439,230.00	Scottish Government
St Ola House (Scrabster Fishery Office)	£20,000.00	Scottish Government
Strathearn House	£393,722.00	Scottish Government
The Douglas Centre (Buckie Fishery Office)	£5,767.00	Scottish Government
The Island Centre, Crossapol	£6,300.00	Scottish Government
The Links, Golspie	£16,845.00	Scottish Government
The Zoology Building	£162,441.00	Scottish Government
Unit 4, Seagate, Peterhead	£5,946.00	Scottish Government
Unit 4B Kinlochleven Business Park	£5,416.00	Scottish Government
Unit 5, Old Quay - Campbeltown	£1,000.00	Scottish Government
West Shore Street (Ullapool Fishery Office)	£6,750.00	Scottish Government

Question reference: S6W-36897

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 13 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has engaged with the UK Government to explore joint ownership of Grangemouth refinery, and whether it has received any indication of support for such a proposal.

Scottish Ministers, including the First Minister, have urged UK Ministers on numerous occasions to take tangible and decisive action to secure the site’s long term and sustainable future. We have continued to assert that the Scottish Government stands ready to play its part but that we require the weight of the UK Government’s vast resources to be deployed.

The UK Government’s commitment of £200 million from the National Wealth Fund to support Grangemouth’s transition is welcome but it must be available now. I hope the member will join me in calling on UK Ministers to provide clarity as to how businesses at Grangemouth can access this money to ensure new employment opportunities are made available in the near future and not much further down the line.

Question reference: S6W-36896

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 13 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has held any discussions with Petroineos regarding public ownership of Grangemouth refinery, and if so, whether it will publish the minutes of those discussions.

Question reference: S6W-37044

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 13 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the conduct of NHS Fife, in relation to the ongoing employment tribunal, is consistent with the principles of transparency and accountability in public service.

Question reference: S6W-37152

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 13 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether poor parental attitudes contribute to rising pupil indiscipline in schools, in light of reports that NASUWT members expressed such views at its recent annual conference.

The Behaviour in Scottish Schools Research, published in 2023, identified a range of factors that staff identified as contributing to the rise in challenging pupil behaviour, particularly following the COVID-19 pandemic. Among these factors included “wider societal changes such as a general lack of respect in society, the ubiquity of social media and changing approaches to parenting”. Staff suggested that greater engagement with parents could help to support staff’s efforts to promote positive relationships and behaviour.

We recognise the importance of schools and families working together to promote positive relationships and behaviour in schools. A strong partnership between home and school helps create a consistent, supportive environment where children feel safe, respected, and are better able to learn and thrive.

The relationships and behaviour in schools action plan 2024-27 emphasises the vital role of parents and carers in supporting positive behaviour. As part of the action plan, we are currently developing guidance on responding to behaviour in schools. The guidance will be available in the coming weeks and will include advice for schools on working with parents to support positive relationships and behaviour.

Question reference: S6W-36917

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 13 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what the current projected total cost for the Grangemouth Flood Protection Scheme is, and how much of that total it has committed to date.

The total expected cost put forward by Falkirk Council in 2015 for the Grangemouth Flood Protection Scheme in 2015 was £108 million. The scheme as put forward includes a range of components providing protection to both residential and industrial areas.

Falkirk Council currently estimate the cost to complete the entire Grangemouth Flood Protection Scheme as originally proposed is between £450 million and £672 million. This has increased significantly from the estimate of £108million provided in 2015.

The Scottish Government has provided almost £23 million to date to Falkirk Council to support them in development of the Grangemouth Flood Protection Scheme.