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: S6F-03858

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 03 March 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 March 2025

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6F-03859

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 03 March 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 March 2025

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6W-35213

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 3 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government when it will next raise the matter of the use of electric shock collars on dogs with the Rural Affairs and Islands Committee.

The Scottish Animal Welfare Commission has been asked to look at aversive devices training devices and is expected to report in the near future. A Review of electric shock collars is also underway as part of the wider review of the Animals and Wildlife (Penalties Protections and Powers) (Scotland) Act 2020, due to report by 1 April 2025.

The Scottish Government will carefully consider the recommendations from SAWC and the Review before deciding how to proceed.

Question reference: S6W-35040

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 3 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to review the implementation of the pavement parking prohibitions introduced by the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019, and how it ensures that local authorities enforce these effectively.

The Transport (Scotland) Act 2019 places a duty upon all local authorities to enforce the new parking prohibitions. It is for each local authority to determine how best to enforce these prohibitions in their area. Transport Scotland annually collates figures on income and expenditure and Penalty Charge Notices issued, which now includes pavement parking. The most recent report was published in December 2024 and can be found at the following link: Decriminalised Parking Enforcement (DPE) Report 2023-2024 | Transport Scotland

Question reference: S6W-34902

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 3 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it carried out to determine which NHS boards would take part in the emergency department opt-out blood borne virus testing pilot.

The Scottish Government has funded pilots of emergency department opt-out blood borne virus testing in three areas – NHS Lothian, NHS Grampian and NHS Highland. The funding allocations followed a call for bids which was open to all Scottish territorial NHS Boards. Bids were assessed against criteria including geographical spread and value for money, and we were pleased to be able to fund every Board that applied to participate.

Question reference: S6W-34889

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 17 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 3 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how much was spent on the upskilling fund when it was operational.

Question reference: S6W-34537

Asked by: Ash Regan, MSP for Edinburgh Eastern, Alba Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 3 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it has taken to find out what the reasons were for its national care service proposal not going ahead, and what lessons have been learned from this.

The Scottish Government is committed to bringing forward a National Care Service and will deliver vital reform through legislative and non-legislative means, and those with lived experience at the heart of our work.

We have reflected on feedback from people with lived experience, stakeholders and political parties to put forward revised proposals. We have worked to find balance and practical solutions to ensure we can deliver social care reform for the people of Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-34900

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 3 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has carried of the reasons for the reported increase in the percentage of people diagnosed with HIV who no longer engaged with HIV clinical services.

The latest data on people living with HIV in Scotland and not attending for HIV treatment and care can be found in Public Health Scotland’s HIV in Scotland surveillance report, which is available at: https://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/hiv-in-scotland/hiv-in-scotland-update-to-31-december-2023/.

It is important to note that changes to service delivery during and since the COVID-19 pandemic mean that the reported proportion of diagnosed individuals receiving treatment may be an under-estimate and work is underway to ensure the accuracy of this reporting.

Through our HIV Transmission Elimination Delivery Plan, we are working with partners including the third sector to ensure that people living with HIV are receiving the treatment, care and support they need. Through our Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund for Adults we are also funding a number of projects offering peer support and practical assistance which can help people living with HIV to stay well and engage or re-engage in care.

Question reference: S6W-35262

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 3 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government when the mandatory remote electronic monitoring requirements for pelagic fishing vessels come into force and how these apply to (a) Scottish and (b) non-Scottish vessels operating in the Scottish zone.

Mandatory remote electronic monitoring (REM) requirements for pelagic fishing trips come into force on 7 March 2026. The legislation can be found at https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ssi/2024/165/contents/made

From this date Scottish pelagic vessels covered by the legislation will be required to have a fully operational REM system for the duration of all relevant fishing trips wherever they are fishing.

For non-Scottish pelagic vessels the legislation requires an REM system to be fully operational for the duration of all relevant fishing trips in the Scottish zone.

Technical specifications for REM systems as set out at https://www.gov.scot/publications/pelagic-fishing-remote-electronic-monitoring-technical-specifications/

Question reference: S6W-35030

Asked by: Sue Webber, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 3 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many electric vehicle (EV) charge points it plans to install in 2025-26.

The Scottish Government has provided over £65 million to support the development of public EV charging across Scotland. As a direct result of this funding, and increasing private sector investment, Scotland met its target for 6,000 public charge points in October last year, two years ahead of schedule and Scotland now has almost 6,200 public EV charge points.

In June 2023 the Scottish Government published the Vision for Scotland’s Public Electric Vehicle Charging Network, highlighting the need for a transition towards a public charging network that is largely financed and delivered by the private sector. In December 2024 we published our draft Vision Implementation Plan that identifies proposed actions for delivering this Vision, as well as a route map for delivering approximately 24,000 additional public electric vehicle charge points by 2030, largely funded and delivered by the private sector.

The Scottish Government does not install EV charging, but it continues to support EV charging expansion through its £30 million EV Infrastructure Fund which supports Scotland’s local authorities to partner with the private sector to continue to expand public EV charging and, following approval of the Scottish Government’s budget for 2025-26 by this parliament, a further £5 million will be made available to support the provision of public EV charging in rural and island communities. Further details of this funding and the charging infrastructure it will support will be announced in due course.