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Economic growth is a priority for this Government. We will continue supporting businesses through transformative national initiatives like the Scottish National Investment Bank and Techscaler.

We are committed to helping Inverclyde’s economy to thrive. Through the Glasgow City Region Deal, we have committed over £18m to projects in Inverclyde, including Inchgreen Marine Park, which aims to host new business and employment opportunities in the area.

Inverclyde has also benefited from significant investment over and above the City Deal, notably through Regeneration projects – the Place Based Investment Programme, the Regeneration Capital Grant Fund, the Vacant and Derelict Land Investment Programme, the Investing in Communities Fund and the Town Centre Fund.

Scottish Enterprise maintains close relationships with major employers already in Inverclyde through their account management service. This helps retain and grow jobs locally and offers spillover benefits to the regional and national economy through increased supply chain engagement.

The Scottish Government is committed to doing all we can, with our limited economic powers, to mitigate the impact of ExxonMobil’s decision to close the Fife Ethylene Plant. The Minister for Public Finance attended a meeting with Fife Council, UK Government, local employers, and trade union representatives on 24 November. I also convened a summit on 25 November which included Fife Council, key industry stakeholders, union representatives, colleges and MSPs to establish what targeted action can be taken to secure a prosperous future for the site and its workforce.

Going forward, the Scottish Government will continue to work collaboratively with all stakeholders with the aim of securing a long-term and sustainable future for Mossmorran. Fife Council have confirmed that they will lead the proposed taskforce; and the Scottish Government has committed to fully participating in this.

The Scottish Government has been clear: the UK Government must take further action to mitigate the impact of ExxonMobil’s regrettable decision to close the Fife Ethylene Plant. The First Minister has written to the Prime Minister expressing his dissatisfaction with the complete lack of action from the UK Government, and reiterated the need to act now when they met on 5 December.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-42335 on 16 December 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.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-42335 on 16 December 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.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-42331 on 16 December 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.

Asylum is reserved to the UK Government, this includes the provision and allocation of asylum accommodation and support to those who would otherwise be destitute while waiting for a decision on their asylum application.

The Scottish Government does not hold information on the number of people seeking asylum placed in each local authority area. The UK Government publishes some data relating to the number of people seeking asylum which may be helpful. This is available on the UK Government website: Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK.

Most refugees who arrive under refugee resettlement schemes arrive directly to local authorities, where accommodation has been identified in advance alongside consideration of local service capacity. UK Government statistics indicate that 361 refugees have been resettled to Scotland under UK refugee resettlement programmes from October 2022 to end September 2025; quarterly statistics are published on the UK Government website in table Res_D01: Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK.

The Homelessness etc. (Scotland) Act 2003 outlines that the time spent in Home Office asylum accommodation does not establish a local connection for newly recognised refugees, as the household has not had any choice about where they lived while accommodated by the Home Office. The legislative changes made on 29 November 2022 did not change local connection rules for newly recognised refugee households. Rather, the changes prevent one Scottish local authority from referring a homeless household to another Scottish local authority where they have a local connection. This change was made to give people in housing crisis the freedom to settle where they choose in the same way as other households in Scotland, with access to the support they need.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

A range of checks are carried out before the release of a prisoner is authorised including but not limited to, an identity check of the person, confirmation of liberation date and a check for any known outstanding warrants.

A liberation in error occurs when an individual is released from a Scottish Prison Service establishment without lawful authority.  This situation typically arises due to an administrative or procedural mistake, such as incorrect interpretation of documentation, miscalculation of sentence dates or incorrect data sharing from other partners.

When such an error is identified, the Scottish Prison Service works in partnership with Police Scotland and the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service to ensure the individual is returned to custody as soon as possible.  Once notified, it is the responsibility of Police Scotland to execute any live warrants.

The following table provides the numbers of total liberations, liberations in error and those still not returned to custody since 2021-2022, up to and including 5 December 2025. 

As you can see from the above table, over the period 2021 to 5 December 2025 there are a total of five individuals who have been liberated in error from prisons who have not returned to prison custody. The reasons for these non-returns are outlined below:

*All liberations in error are subject to review by the Warrants Administration Group (WAG), at which point the data may change depending on the outcome of the review. 

We are committed to ensuring that all people living in Scotland with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) including Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis are able to access the best possible care and support, and benefit from healthcare services that are safe, effective and put people at the centre of their care.

The Scottish Government recognises the importance of raising awareness of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Information and guidance on IBD including Crohn’s disease and Ulcerative Colitis is already widely available to the public via the NHS Inform website: Scottish health information you can trust | NHS inform

The Scottish Government welcomed the recent Crohn's and Colitis Awareness Week 2025, “How it feels,” and values the work of charities like Crohn’s and Colitis UK helping raising awareness of the condition.

I refer the member to the answer to S6W-42347 on 16 December 2025 for information on Scottish Water’s approach to installing Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) monitors.

CSOs must be licensed by the independent regulator, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, and any unsatisfactory discharges will be identified so that Scottish Water can invest to reduce the environmental impact.

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.

The Mossmorran Fife Ethylene Plant Taskforce will be led by Fife Council. The information requested is therefore a matter for Fife Council.