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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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

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Question reference: S6W-38379

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 19 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding it has allocated to defence-related projects in each of the last five financial years, broken down by the (a) value of each allocation, (b) organisation that received the funding and (c) purpose of the project.

Question reference: S6W-37877

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 19 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the Care Inspectorate’s impartiality, in light of reports of it promoting a charity linked to individuals convicted of child sexual abuse.

Question reference: S6W-37875

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 19 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has instructed the Care Inspectorate to suspend any guidance referencing LGBT Youth Scotland pending a formal review.

Question reference: S6W-38386

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 19 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how it currently oversees the work of non-departmental public bodies, also known as quangos; how they are held accountable for their decision-making, and whether it plans to review any such arrangements.

The Scottish Public Finance Manual (SPFM) sets out the lines of accountability for public bodies. Executive NDPBs are directly accountable to Ministers, and through Ministers to Parliament. The Chief Executive is designated as the Accountable Officer (AO) responsible for the use of resources. However, Ministers remain accountable to the Parliament for the allocation of public funds. A Board holds the Chief Executive to account and the relationship between Ministers, SG and the NDPB is set out in the relevant legislation and the Framework Document for the public body. Sponsorship also plays a crucial role in ensuring that public bodies are contributing as fully as possible to delivering the Government’s targets and National Performance Framework national outcomes.

Further information can be found in the written submission to the SPCB Supported Bodies Landscape Review Committee which can be viewed on the Parliament’s website.

Question reference: S6W-38372

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 19 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what recent capital budget commitments it has made to tackle the housing emergency.

To tackle the ongoing Housing Emergency, the Scottish Government is investing £768 million in the Affordable Housing Supply Programme (AHSP) for 2025-2026, a 38% increase compared to 2024-2025. Of this, £688 million is capital, which is a 44% increase compared with the previous year. This includes £40 million targeted towards acquisitions to support the local authorities with the most sustained temporary accommodation pressures.

In addition are also investing an additional £4 million in the Ending Homelessness Together budget for 2025-2026 to help local authorities, frontline services and relevant partners prepare for new prevention measures and to help them to respond to the housing emergency by preventing homelessness before it occurs.

We have also announced a long-term commitment of £100 million for Mid-Market Rent – and with institutional investment we will grow that fund to at least £500 million to support the construction of around 2,800 mid-market rent homes.

Question reference: S6W-38487

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 09 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 19 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of how the cost of litter collection will be calculated for inclusion in the costs chargeable under the (packaging) extended producer responsibility scheme.

The Scottish Government is committed that extended producer responsibility for packaging (pEPR) should cover the full net costs of both binned and ground litter cleanup and disposal, and to its introduction in regulations as soon as practicable. There is not yet the availability of the data which would allow accurate cost recovery calculations to be made for litter costs in year two of the scheme.

PackUK, the scheme administrator for pEPR, will fund public information campaigns focused on the reduction of littered packaging, and report on items of packaging commonly littered or disposed of in street bins. We will continue to engage with local authorities, producers, and waste management companies as a costing model is developed and the underpinning data becomes available.

Question reference: S6W-38522

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 09 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 19 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the Tarbolton Moss landfill site, what mechanisms are being used to coordinate communications between SEPA, Scottish Government officials, and the local community, including the Tarbolton Tenants and Residents Association.

Question reference: S6W-38489

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 09 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 19 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what support it is providing to any Scottish firms bidding for contracts in the UK-wide civil nuclear sector.

Question reference: S6W-38470

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 09 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 19 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what funding it has provided to small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) in the last 12 months, and what percentage of any funding went to SMEs based outside of Edinburgh and Glasgow.

The Scottish Government supports the full range of businesses primarily through its enterprise agencies, Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and South of Scotland Enterprise. As such the allocation of this direct funding to the size of businesses is held by each agency along with the number of businesses supported outside the cities of Edinburgh and Glasgow. Please email Scottish Government Enterprise Sponsorship team on enterprisesponsorship@gov.scot if you would like to contact the agencies directly.

Question reference: S6W-38525

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 09 June 2025
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 19 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how much it has paid to GB Railfreight to undertake shunting duties at Carstairs for Caledonian Sleeper in each of the last two financial years.