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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-39898

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Independent
Date lodged: Friday, 05 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 5 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason section 8 of the Bail and Release from Custody (Scotland) Act 2023 has not yet been implemented.

The Scottish Government is committed to implementing all elements of the Bail and Release (Scotland) Act 2023 (“the 2023 Act”).

The sections of the Act are being commenced at different times, with the timeline being influenced by multiple factors, including engagement with stakeholders around resource and readiness, whilst taking account of the wider priorities in the justice landscape.

We have already commenced various sections of the 2023 Act. This includes all of part 1 of the 2023 Act which relates to bail and bail decision making. Section 11 (Emergency Early Release), Section 14 (Prescribed Victim Support Organisations), and Section 15 (Reporting on the operation of Part 2: Release) have all been commenced.

This Government has been leading justice partners in efforts to manage the complex and high prison population, for an extended period of time. Resources within SG, the SPS, justice social work and other partners have been focussed on delivering changes in legislation and prison operations related to safely managing and reducing the prison population in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-39917

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 05 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 5 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on what the recorded landings were, by weight, of (a) haddock, (b) whiting, (c) cod and (d) saithe at west coast fishing harbours in (i) 1986, (ii) 1996, and (iii) 2006, and what the recorded returns were for wild salmon for the same harbours and years.

The available information on the recorded landings of UK vessels by species and district landed into Scotland in 1986 are published in table 6 of the Scottish Sea Fisheries Statistics 1986:

https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/statistics/2020/11/sea-fisheries-statistics-1922-2010/documents/1986/1986/govscot%3Adocument/1986.pdf

There is no information available for 1986 on the recorded landings of foreign vessels into Scotland in 1986 by species and district landed.

The available information on recorded landings by species and district landed into Scotland for 1996 are published in tables 12 (for UK vessels) and 26 (for foreign vessels) of the Scottish Sea Fisheries Statistics 1996:

https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/statistics/2020/11/sea-fisheries-statistics-1922-2010/documents/1996/1996/govscot%3Adocument/1996.pdf

The recording landings in tonnes for all vessels into west coast ports in Scotland for the requested species by district in 2006 are as follows:

District	Cod	Haddock	Saithe	Whiting
Ayr	7	39	5	1
Campbeltown	2	19	0	4
Kinlochbervie	250	745	760	43
Lochinver	203	632	5,586	7
Mallaig	13	267	9	74
Oban	2	2		2
Portree	0	86	4	0
Stornoway	3	9	0	6
Ullapool	75	2,039	609	18
Total West Coast	555	3,838	6,972	154

Prior to 2016, salmon were caught in commercial coastal net fisheries, but they were not landed through harbours. Salmon catches for 1952-2024, including 1986, 1996 and 2006, are published as official statistics in Scottish salmon and sea trout fishery statistics: http://www.gov.scot/ISBN/9781836914761/documents. Detailed supporting data is available for download: https://data.marine.gov.scot/dataset/salmon-and-sea-trout-fishery-statistics-1952-2024-season-reported-catch-and-effort-district

Question reference: S6W-39899

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Independent
Date lodged: Friday, 05 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 5 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government when section 8 of the Bail and Release from Custody (Scotland) Act 2023 will be implemented.

The Scottish Government is committed to implementing all relevant elements of the 2023 Act. Section 8 of the Bail and Release From Custody (Scotland) Act 2023 will be implemented as soon as is practicable.

The sections of the Act are being commenced at different times, with the timeline being influenced by multiple factors, including engagement with stakeholders around resource and readiness. Delivery of implementation work has been impacted by the need for collective work to safely manage the complex and high prison population in Scotland.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-39898 on 5 September 2025. 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: S6W-39850

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 05 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 5 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether any of the £97.1 million allocated to it in Barnett consequential funding for replacing flammable cladding has been repurposed in each year since it was received, and, if so, whether it can provide details of this.

Scottish Ministers are committed to spending on cladding remediation at least the equivalent of the £97.1 million consequentials received from UKG in relation to cladding.

The Scottish Government expects the cost of cladding remediation work to be met through a combination of responsible developers assessing and remediating their own buildings, consequential funding from the UK Government, and a devolved Building Safety Levy. This effectively matches the funding approach that the UK Government is taking in England.

We publish spend relating to the programme on a quarterly basis. The latest figure for the programme can be found at Single Building Assessment programme: spending information - gov.scot. These figures will be updated in due course to reflect latest spend.

Our spending on remediation costs can only follow a full end to end process - checking buildings are in scope, commissioning a Single Building Assessment, completing that robust technical assessment, identifying the works that need to be carried out, designing those works and gaining the necessary approvals, and then carrying out the remediation itself.

Now that we have the necessary statutory basis, the Cladding Remediation Programme is making rapid progress, and we anticipate spending the entirety of this year’s budget of £46.7 million. Since the launch of the Single Open Call in March 2025, we have received 600 expressions of interest as of 30 June 2025 and 480 grant offers letters have been issued as of 22 August 2025.

Question reference: S6W-39851

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 05 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 5 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how much of the £97.1 million allocated to it in Barnett consequential funding for replacing flammable cladding has been spent in each year since it was received.

Question reference: S6W-39852

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 05 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 5 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it remains committed to allocating all of the £97.1 million received in Barnett consequential funding for replacing flammable cladding for that purpose.

Question reference: S6W-40353

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 September 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 19 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many properties it anticipates will be acquired through the £3 million investment in the Housing First expansion scheme, and what estimate it has made of total demand.

Question reference: S6W-40339

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 September 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 19 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to prevent older people from becoming victims of phishing scams, including in relation to social security payments.

Question reference: S6W-40071

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 September 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 19 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the application by Tesla Energy Ventures Limited for an electricity supply licence, what its position is regarding any impact on its energy policy and strategy in the event that the licence is granted by Ofgem.

Question reference: S6W-40359

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 September 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 19 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will conduct an urgent review of sarcoma care and treatment in NHS Scotland.