The Scottish Parliament

Question reference: S6W-41836

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 26 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Scottish Retail Consortium’s suggestion in its Scottish Budget 2026–27 recommendations paper that the business rate levied on shops liable for the higher property rate makes it more expensive for them to operate and trade profitably on high streets in Scotland than for similar sized stores in England.

In its 2025-26 Budget, the Scottish Government maintained a competitive non-domestic rates regime delivering the lowest property rate in the UK for the seventh year in a row, ensuring that over 95% of non-domestic properties continue to be liable for a lower property tax rate than anywhere else in the UK.

The retail sector continues to be one of the main beneficiaries of the Small Business Bonus Scheme (SBBS) with 30,000 shops receiving SBBS relief, reducing their collective rates bill by £86 million as at June 2025. Overall, 34,000 shops receive rates relief, worth over £110 million and half of all shops in Scotland pay no rates.

These figures relate to the ‘shops’ property class, as defined by the Scottish Assessors. Property class is a classification used by Scottish Assessors to describe the type of property and does not necessarily accurately reflect the actual use of a property.

Tax policy decisions are made annually at budget in line with prevailing economic decisions and Government priorities.

Question reference: S6W-41834

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 26 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Scottish Retail Consortium’s suggestion in its Scottish Budget 2026–27 recommendations paper that the business rate levied on the 2,400 shops liable for the higher property rate results in them collectively paying £9 million more each year in rates than counterparts in similar sized stores in England.

While some shops, and other rateable non-domestic properties, are liable for the Higher Property Rate, the Scottish Government continues to offer a competitive non-domestic rates regime and the 2025-26 Budget delivered the lowest Basic Property Rate in the UK for the seventh year in a row.

This ensures that over 95% of shops in Scotland are liable for a lower rate than anywhere else in the UK. In addition, the Small Business Bonus Scheme remains the most generous scheme of its kind in the UK, and the retail sector continues to be one of its main beneficiaries, with 30,000 shops receiving SBBS relief, reducing their collective rates bill by £86 million as at June 2025. Overall, 34,000 shops receive rates relief, worth over £110 million, and half of all shops in Scotland pay no rates.

These figures relate to the ‘shops’ property class, as defined by the Scottish Assessors. Property class is a classification used by Scottish Assessors to describe the type of property and does not necessarily accurately reflect the actual use of a property.

Question reference: S6W-41848

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 26 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to prevent cases collapsing as a result of witness disengagement caused by repeated adjournments.

The progress of criminal cases through the courts is an independent matter for those involved in the cases directly including those who administer the running of the courts; namely Crown Office and Prosecutor Fiscal Service, the judiciary and Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS).

Within this context, the criminal court backlogs generated by the pandemic in Scotland has largely been addressed and the position is that the number of scheduled trials across all criminal business types is below 20,000. Specifically, the total number of scheduled trials outstanding peaked at 43,606 in January 2022 and had reduced to 16,196 at the end of September 2025 (this represents more than 60% reduction). This significantly reduces the waiting time in which victims, witnesses and the accused await their trial.

While this demonstrates the success of the criminal court recovery programme, court modelling undertaken by SCTS shows that the level of business entering Scotland’s criminal courts has changed since before the pandemic. In particular there has been a sustained increase in solemn business levels (High Court and Sheriff and Jury cases) which now sit at twice their 2019-20 level. Work across all relevant interests continues to focus on reducing times for more serious cases of which, by their very nature, are more complex and tend to carry a more time-consuming process to conclude.

We have awarded £48 million to victims’ organisations, which includes £18 million for Victim Support Scotland for the period 2022-2025 under our Victim Centred Approach Fund as part of a commitment to putting victims and witnesses at the heart of the justice system. This fund will continue through 2025-27 where we will be providing £32 million to 23 organisations, including £12 million for specialist advocacy support for survivors of gender-based violence.

Question reference: S6W-41847

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 26 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many teachers have been promoted to a senior leadership position within secondary schools, including (a) headteachers, (b) deputy headteachers and (c) principal teachers, who have completed a formal management training programme to support them in the discharge of their increased responsibilities, in (i) each of the last three full financial years and (ii) 2025-26 to date, broken down by local authority.

Statistics on the overall number of teachers in promoted posts are published as part of the teacher census statistics, available on the Scottish Government website here: https://www.gov.scot/publications/teacher-census-supplementary-statistics/

The Scottish Government does not collect data on the number of teachers promoted to a senior leadership position within secondary schools.

While the Scottish Government does not hold data on the number of teachers who have completed a formal management training programme, we provide funding of over £800,000 per year for the Into Headship programme which aims to ensure aspirant head teachers are supported to develop and build the necessary knowledge, skills and understanding required in senior leadership roles, and the In Headship programme for headteachers early in post to support them to build the necessary knowledge, skills and understanding required of headteachers.

Question reference: S6W-41849

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 26 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will introduce a multi-year funding model for the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS), in light of SCTS stating in its 2025-26 business plan that its current budget is insufficient to increase court capacity to meet demand.

The Scottish Government recognises the importance of sustainable funding for the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS) and is committed to supporting its work. While budgets are currently set annually through the Scottish Budget process, Scottish Ministers are committed to engaging with Parliament and stakeholders to shape our multi-year spending plans. In line with the approach taken last year, we aim to build broad support across Parliament for the 2026-27 Scottish Budget and will listen to stakeholders to ensure their views inform future spending plans.

We remain committed to improving the sustainability of the Scottish public finances, and our Fiscal Sustainability Delivery Plan published in June sets out how we plan to close the fiscal gap by the end of the forecast period in 2029-30.

We will provide further detail on this when we publish our multi-year Spending Review in January alongside the 2026-27 Budget. Our Public Service Reform Strategy published earlier this year sets out our commitment to public services over the longer term, ensuring people experience high-quality services while also ensuring they remain fiscally sustainable.

Question reference: S6W-41792

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 26 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the meeting between the First Minister and the leader of Plaid Cymru (PC) at Bute House on 30 October 2025, at which the First Minister commented that, "I will be delighted to work with my friends in Plaid Cymru to show the people of Scotland and Wales that there is a positive alternative", what role in their official capacity its ministers are playing in advising or supporting PC in its preparations for possibly forming the next administration in Wales; whether it will publish any (a) formal and (b) informal (i) correspondence, (ii) minutes and (iii) briefing material relating to any meetings in this regard with PC representatives; whether it sought advice from the Permanent Secretary or its senior civil servants ahead of such activity, and whether any public funds have been used by it (A) directly or (B) indirectly to support such cooperation, and, if so, (1) for what specific reason, (2) on what date and (3) how much was spent.

The Scottish Government is committed to forging a constructive relationship with nations across the UK and collaborating on issues of mutual interest. The First Minister meets a range of people from across the UK and abroad and is supported in doing so by civil servants as appropriate.

The meeting on 30 October 2025 was requested by Rhun ap Iorwerth, leader of Plaid Cymru, and covered the close relationship between Wales and Scotland, and the challenges both countries face, such as tackling child poverty.

This engagement was separate and distinct from any engagement that may take place between Plaid Cymru and the SNP, which is not supported by the civil service.

Question reference: S6W-42134

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S6W-42127

Asked by: Keith Brown, MSP for Clackmannanshire and Dunblane, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 24 November 2025
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Angus Robertson on 25 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what the publication costs were for the recent paper, Your Right to Decide.

Question reference: S6W-42126

Asked by: Clare Adamson, MSP for Motherwell and Wishaw, Scottish National Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Monday, 24 November 2025
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Angus Robertson on 25 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its commitment to a review of Creative Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-42019

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 25 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has regarding how many controlled parking zones have been introduced by each local authority in each year since 1999, also broken down by how many parking permits have been sold for these each year, and how much has been raised by these sales.

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Question reference: S6W-41836

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