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: S6O-04049

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 November 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether it will provide an update on the access and exiting arrangements for the underground car park.

Question reference: S6O-04051

Asked by: Lorna Slater, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 November 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body how it ensures that parliamentary staff are properly recognised and compensated for all of the work that they do for the Parliament, including any specific project work that is over and above their normal responsibilities.

Question reference: S6O-04053

Asked by: Elena Whitham, MSP for Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 November 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether it will review whether the Parliament is providing sufficient resourcing for the Legislation Team to support MSPs to lodge amendments to Bills.

Question reference: S6O-04039

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 November 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what progress has been made on the development of a Scottish Parliament app.

Question reference: S6O-04043

Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 November 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether it will provide an update on the output of the working group that was established to review the visitor experience in the chamber.

Question reference: S6O-04046

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 November 2024
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether it will consult MSP staff trade unions before deciding on uprating the Staff Cost Provision in the 2025-26 financial year.

Question reference: S6W-31277

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 15 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 21 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether there is any monitoring of what Best Start Foods cards are used to purchase.

The Best Start Foods card is restricted to stores which sell the eligible foods and is blocked for use in other establishments. The eligible foods are printed on the back of the card.

In line with our principles of fairness, dignity and respect, we do not monitor what people buy with the card. However, the qualitative evidence from the evaluation of Best Start Foods, published on 29 July 2022, suggests that people use their Best Start Foods card mainly to buy cow’s milk, baby formula, fresh fruit and vegetables and that the card enabled mothers and children to eat more healthy foods.

Question reference: S6W-31273

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 15 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 21 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what it considers is an appropriate amount of time for a decision to be made for applications under the right to buy Part (a) 3A of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 and (b) 5 of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2016.

The Land Reform (Scotland) Acts of 2003 and 2016 detail the time that decisions on community right to buy applications should take. There is no end date set for these decisions. The Acts state that Ministers must not reach a decision on an application before the date which is 60 days after the last date on which the Part 3A/Part 5 community body may provide Scottish Ministers with a response to the comments on the application, provided by the owner and other parties.

In practice, the length of time each right to buy decision takes will depend on the complexity of the case, the timing and content of the comments received from all parties, and any legal issues that may be relevant to the case. It is important to ensure that, whatever decision is reached, that it is done so in a robust and fair manner to all parties.

Question reference: S6W-31274

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 15 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 21 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what progress is being made with the review of community right to buy, and what impact the review is having on current applications.

Question reference: S6W-31340

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 15 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 21 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government in light of the commitment in the Framework For Tax and Scottish National Party 2021 manifesto, what the cost would have been in (a) 2021-22, (b) 2022-23, (c) 2023-24 and (d) 2024-25 of bringing the Higher Property Rate into line with that in England, broken down by industry sector.