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-36582

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 04 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Natalie Don-Innes on 22 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many care-experienced people have (a) requested and (b) received independent advocacy in each local authority area in each year since 1999.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information.

Individual local authorities manage and monitor the provision of independent advocacy to meet local needs, including ongoing provision for care experienced people.

The Scottish Government is currently working with advocacy service providers and key partners, including The Promise Scotland, COSLA and Who Cares? Scotland to further develop our understanding of current advocacy provision and areas where needs are not being met.

The Scottish Government published an independent evaluation of the Children’s Hearings advocacy scheme in September 2024.

In addition, the Scottish Government provides grant funding to Who Cares? Scotland to operate their National Helpline which provides lifelong support to care experienced people.

Question reference: S6W-36605

Asked by: Emma Harper, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 04 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 22 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many P1-5 pupils in the (a) Dumfries and Galloway and (b) Scottish Borders local authority area are eligible for universal free school meals.

All children in Primaries 1 to 5 across Scotland are eligible for Free School Meals, including children living in Dumfries and Galloway and Scottish Borders.

The following table sets out the number of eligible pupils by year group and local authority area.

	Dumfries and Galloway	Scottish Borders

Primary 1	1,215	953
Primary 2	1,210	1,025
Primary 3	1,415	1,079
Primary 4	1,363	1,070
Primary 5	1,405	1,045

Total	6,608	5,172

This information is also available within the Pupil Census Supplementary Statistics. The latest Pupil Census Supplementary Statistics was published on the Scottish Government’s website on 25 March 2025 and is available through the following web link: Pupil census supplementary statistics - gov.scot.

Question reference: S6W-36589

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 04 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 22 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many children and young people have been reported missing in each local authority area in each year since 1999.

Question reference: S6W-36387

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 22 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how much Pupil Equity Funding has not been spent or has been returned to it in each financial year since its introduction.

Since 2017-18, more than £1 billion of Pupil Equity Funding has been allocated to 97% of Scotland’s schools. Headteachers use Pupil Equity Funding to support activity over the academic, rather than financial, year, and the National Operational Guidance provides flexibility to carry forward Pupil Equity Funding, in agreement with local authorities, over the financial, and in some cases academic, year, where that best meets the needs of the children and young people. The Scottish Government has therefore not requested the return of any Pupil Equity Funding at the end of any financial year: the Guidance focusses instead on ensuring that the funding is invested to beneficial effect.

Question reference: S6W-36244

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 22 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many postgraduate medicine training places in Scotland are occupied by people who (a) studied as undergraduates in (i) Scotland and (ii) the rest of the UK, (b) are UK citizens and (C) have been granted permanent UK residency.

Question reference: S6W-36385

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 22 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to make representations to COSLA in relation to a review of education funding formulas, in light of the introduction of VAT on fees for independent schools and any potential for increased state school admissions.

Scottish Government has no plans to make such representations.

The distribution methodology for calculating the Local Government Settlement is agreed with local authorities and is informed by a number of indicators including pupil numbers from the latest annual school census.

The local authorities that could see impacts from the ending of the VAT exemption for independent schools are all projected to have declining school rolls, which will mitigate any increase in admissions from the independent sector.

Question reference: S6W-36181

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 22 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its commitment in 2021 to do so, by what date it will publish a public consultation on ending the use of pig farrowing crates.

The proposed consultation on phasing out the use farrowing crates for pigs was originally intended to have been delivered jointly across all UK administrations. However, progress on a number of important pieces of animal welfare legislation have been significantly delayed or has ceased due to delays in UK Government timetabling, such as the Kept Animals Bill.

Regardless, the Scottish Government is pressing ahead on improving the welfare of all animals in Scotland, including pigs. This included updating and publishing the Scottish Government’s Guidance for the Welfare of Pigs.

We continue to listen and work with the industry and stakeholders on how best to achieve improvements in animal welfare as well as monitoring industry information to allow us to determine how to ensure best practice is delivered, and remain committed to consulting on ending farrowing crate use.

Question reference: S6W-36190

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 22 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government when the report on the dual role of the Lord Advocate will be (a) finalised and (b) published, and whether it will publish preliminary findings in advance of final publication.

Question reference: S6W-35692

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 22 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will put in place a moratorium on all battery energy storage system planning applications until the findings of any investigation into the recent fire at the battery energy storage system site at Rothienorman in Aberdeenshire are published.

The Scottish Government has no current plans to introduce a moratorium on battery energy storage system developments. There is a statutory structure that must be followed for all decision-making. Where new development proposals come forward, each application must be considered on its individual merits.

Where the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) receive information about a proposed BESS site they refer those duty holders (site operators) responsible for the plant to the National Fire Chief Council's (NFCC) Grid Scale Planning Guidance for FRS. These guidelines detail, amongst other elements, minimum standards for fire safety systems and design features, water requirements for firefighting, and access requirements.

BESS sites also fall under special fire precautions which are regulated by the Health and Safety Executive under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 due to the equipment used to collect, store and release electricity as required.

Question reference: S6W-36062

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 22 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has reviewed the resources allocated to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service to manage fatal accident inquiries, and, if so, what its findings were.

I engaged with the Lord Advocate, Solicitor General and the Crown Agent during the 2025-26 budget process which informed the allocation to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service. The portfolio received a resource budget of £225.2 million for 2025-26, an increase of 10.7% compared to 2024-25. The funding uplift was allocated to support the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service to manage a range of demand led pressures.