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-36596

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 04 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 1 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations’ reported claim of a £10 billion funding shortfall for decarbonising social housing.

Our consultation on proposals for a Social Housing Net Zero Standard estimated the total upfront costs of installing clean heating systems and improving energy efficiency in social housing would be around £6 billion by 2045, with an average cost per home of around £14,000.

Financing the clean heat transition for social housing will require both public and private contributions, with the recent Green Heat Finance Taskforce Part 2 report exploring how to attract greater private investment including through mechanisms which spread repayment costs over a longer timeframe. The Scottish Government will respond to the Taskforce report in the coming months.

Question reference: S6W-36383

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 1 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how many children and young people have received a private diagnosis for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in each year since 1999.

Question reference: S6W-36472

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 1 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an assessment of how full fiscal autonomy could impact on (a) household incomes, (b) taxation levels and (c) welfare provision in Scotland.

The Scottish Government believes that independence would deliver the best deal for Scotland – providing control over all public spending decisions, as well as the suite of fiscal powers necessary to unlock Scotland’s full economic potential.

However, until such a time as the people of Scotland can choose a different constitutional arrangement, moving to full fiscal autonomy for the Scottish Government would create a fairer system that would protect public services and allow investment in our economy.

The Scottish Government outlined its views on full fiscal autonomy in its evidence to the 2014 Smith Commission, when Scotland’s devolved fiscal arrangements were last subject to substantial review.

Full fiscal autonomy would mean that all onshore and offshore taxes would be designed and set in Scotland, including tax rates, allowances, thresholds and the tax bases. For any reserved taxes, revenues would be assigned to the Scottish budget.

At the same time, the Scottish Parliament would also take responsibility for key elements of domestic expenditure, including currently reserved areas of welfare. The Scottish Government’s position reflects significant issues with current devolved fiscal arrangements, and particularly with the approach taken by the previous UK Government.

Even where the new UK Government is not willing to pursue full fiscal autonomy for Scotland, it has the opportunity to agree a set of substantial improvements to devolved fiscal arrangements - including through agreement to fiscal flexibilities that are commensurate to the level of risk the Scottish Government currently manages within its responsibilities. Such powers are essential to manage and smooth the funding volatility and uncertainty which affects our current finance arrangements.

Question reference: S6W-36571

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 1 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, as part of its consideration of any potential assisted dying legislation, what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding the possible need for a section 30 order to advance any such legislation in Scotland.

The Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill is a Member’s Bill, not a Scottish Government Bill.

The UK Government will be aware of the Scottish Government’s view, as set out in the Memorandum submitted to the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee, that the Bill as introduced is outside the legislative competence of the Scottish Parliament and that further processes would have to be gone through in order to bring it within competence. That Memorandum sets out that the issue of what steps will be required to bring the Bill within competence will require to be revisited should the Bill pass the Stage 1 vote.

The memorandum to the Committee can be found on the Scottish Parliament’s website at: Assisted Dying Bill for Terminally Ill Adults SG Memorandum.

Question reference: S6W-36922

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 1 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish a breakdown of the £785 million committed to investment by the Scottish National Investment Bank, including the nature and scale of the returns delivered so far.

Full details of the Bank’s investment portfolio can be found on its website, including the level of investment committed by the Bank.

Our investment portfolio supports businesses, projects and communities that align with our missions | Scottish National Investment Bank.

The Bank also publishes its Annual Report and Accounts detailing financial performance and financial statements, and an annual Impact Report which illustrates the Bank’s progress against its three missions. The Bank’s investments are made with the intention to generate positive, measurable social and environmental impact alongside a commercial return.

Our key publications feature insights reports and blogs relating to out core missions | Scottish National Investment Bank.

Question reference: S6W-36957

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 1 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) vacancies and (b) understaffed hours were reported by each fire station in each of the last 10 years.

Question reference: S6W-36958

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 1 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what the average response time was to wildfire incidents by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service in each of the last 10 years.

Question reference: S6W-36473

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 1 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has carried out of the long-term fiscal implications of full fiscal autonomy, including any projected reduction in Barnett consequential funding.

Question reference: S6O-04627

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 April 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the net zero secretary has had with the rural affairs secretary regarding the potential environmental and biodiversity impact of the proposed Galloway National Park.

Question reference: S6O-04630

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 April 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its plans to introduce a cruise ship levy, including the option for local authorities to apply a "point of entry" levy.