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: S7W-01788

Asked by: Jenny Young, MSP for Central Scot and Lothians West, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 28 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how much Social Security Scotland has spent in each of the last five years on welfare payments to 16- to 24-year-olds, broken down by benefit type,

Question reference: S7W-01856

Asked by: Donald MacKinnon, MSP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 20 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 28 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions have taken place with Comhairle nan Eilean Siar on expanding the commitment of matched funding through the Scottish Empty Homes Partnership for Empty Homes Officer roles to the Western Isles.

Comhairle nan Eilean Siar has an existing empty homes officer, which was originally funded through a matched contribution of just over £38,000 from the Scottish Government. In 2025-2026 the Scottish Government provided £750,000 towards match-funding for additional empty homes officer posts, which resulted in an extra 15 posts within Scottish local authorities. That funding was allocated, and is supported, via the Scottish Empty Homes Partnership and discussions were held with Comhairle nan Eilean Siar to explore options for funding to support empty homes work across the islands. These discussions continue (they last met on 24 June 2026) and, as well as the option to recruit an additional officer, include the offer of capital funding in 2026-27, which would contribute towards the creation of a local authority run grant scheme for empty homeowners.

Question reference: S7W-01423

Asked by: Kristopher Leask, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 28 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to uphold the commitments of the 2023 Scottish Onshore Wind Sector Deal, including the 12-month and 24-month determination targets, and how many applications have (a) met and (b) missed these targets since the sector deal was agreed.

In recent years, the Energy Consents Unit (ECU) has undergone significant recruitment and training to bolster the workforce and match the rising demand in applications. In addition, the Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025 provided Scottish Ministers with new regulation-making powers that seek to streamline the consenting process. We will consult later this year on how we intend to use these powers, with findings informing secondary legislation. Taken together, these actions will help Ministers meet our ambitions for faster decision-making timescales of onshore wind applications.

The Onshore Wind Sector Deal included the ambition that from 2025 we would aim to determine section 36 applications for new sites and for the re-powering of existing operational sites within 12 months, or 24 months if there is a Public Local Inquiry (PLI). We remain committed to this ambition, ensuring that the energy consenting process delivers timely results and takes a pragmatic approach.

Between January 2025 and June 2026, the ECU received 46 onshore wind applications. By 14 July 2026, at the time of answering:

none of these applications have been determined
27 applications can no longer meet the 12 month determination timescale
19 applications remain within 12 month determination timescale
all applications still remain within the 24 month determination timescale (where a PLI may be required)

This summer, the ECU will publish an Annual Report for the first time which will include data and performance monitoring associated with their work. The report will provide further analysis relating to the factors which impact determination timescales.

Question reference: S7W-01642

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 10 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Simita Kumar on 28 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to increase specialist national provision to support male victims of domestic abuse.

Domestic and intimate partner violence, in all its forms, has no place in Scotland. Equally Safe, Scotland’s strategy to prevent and eradicate all forms of violence against women and girls, recognises that men and boys can also be victims of violence and abuse.

We are providing almost £46 million over 2026-2028 through our Delivering Equally Safe Fund, to allow all fund recipients to continue the vital work they undertake to prevent violence and support survivors. In addition, the Victim Centred Approach fund will provide £6 million for specialist advocacy support for survivors of gender-based violence in 2026-27. This includes services which support male survivors -

Men’s Advice Line, who provide emotional support and practical advice and information for male victims of domestic abuse in Scotland.
SACRO’s FearFree Project which supports male and LGBTI survivors of domestic violence.
AMIS, a charity that support men experiencing domestic abuse through their national helpline, website and training services.
The Scottish Domestic Abuse and Forced Marriage Helpline to support both male and female victims and survivors.
ASSIST, who as part of their work provide advocacy support to male survivors of domestic abuse in the West of Scotland and the Lothians.
LGBT Domestic Abuse project, which works across Scotland to raise awareness and improve service responses of LGBT people's experiences of domestic abuse and other forms of gender based violence.

Our Equally Safe delivery plan commits to the development of a more sustainable funding model aligned to the ambitions of Equally Safe, which will include appropriate national provision of support to male victims of domestic abuse.

Question reference: S7W-01517

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 28 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how many applications under section (a) 36 and (b) 37 of the Electricity Act 1989 are currently awaiting determination by the Energy Consents Unit, and what proportion of applications in each category have exceeded the 52-week determination target.

As of 14 July 2026, at the time of answering, the Energy Consents Unit (ECU) has the following live caseload of development applications which are yet to be determined:

SECTION 36	TOTAL
Wind farm	92
Battery Energy Storage System	49
Hybrid/solar	16
Hydro	5
Gas	1
Section 36c (variations)	3

SECTION 37	TOTAL
Overhead Line	64

Please note that that the 52-week determination ambition does not explicitly refer to all applications.

The Priority Applications for Transmission Infrastructure Guidance, published in February 2025, includes a 52-week ambition to determine section 37 applications that deliver essential upgrades to the high-voltage energy network, also known as the Accelerated Strategic Transmission Investment (ASTI) framework.

Two section 37 ASTI applications have been determined so far, both within the 52-week determination target.

For onshore wind application information, I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-01423 on 28 July 2026. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

Question reference: S7W-01516

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 28 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that the 52-week determination target for applications under section 36 and section 37 of the Electricity Act 1989 is met in full, and what mechanisms are in place to monitor performance against this target.

Question reference: S7W-01518

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 28 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what the current resourcing levels are within the Energy Consents Unit, and whether it considers those levels to be sufficient to manage the projected increase in application volumes.

Question reference: S7W-01515

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Gethins on 28 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any cumulative impact of delays in the consenting process on Scotland's pipeline of renewable energy investment across all technologies, including any effect on investor confidence, project delivery timescales and the growth of associated supply chains.

It is vital to note that achieving consent is only one of several interconnected factors that determine deliverability and the Scottish Government has not analysed the impact of consenting in isolation. Grid availability and a route to market through Contracts for Difference are key factors outwith the Scottish Government’s control.

The Scottish Government is aware, however, of concerns regarding planning timescales and as set out in the 100 Days of a New SNP Government document, we are consulting with partners to ensure that the planning system acts as an enabler to economic growth and investment.

Question reference: S7W-01521

Asked by: Lorna Slater, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Hannah Mary Goodlad on 28 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government when it expects to introduce legislation to (a) modernise Compulsory Purchase Orders and (b) implement Compulsory Sales Orders and Compulsory Lease Orders, to give local authorities more powers to deal with empty homes.

The Scottish Government’s legislative programme will be agreed by Ministers and announced to Parliament in due course in the usual way.

The Scottish Government will shortly publish a summary of responses to the compulsory purchase reform consultation, and associated analysis of the questions on compulsory sale and compulsory lease orders, and will provide an update on next steps in line with our commitment for the first 100 days of government.

Question reference: S7W-02059

Asked by: Paul McLennan, MSP for East Lothian Coast and Lammermuirs, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 July 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 24 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any impact of funded childcare provision on employment rates among parent carers of disabled children.