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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-44339

Asked by: Paul McLennan, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2026
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Ben Macpherson on 13 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the review of modern apprenticeship contribution rates.

The review of modern apprenticeship contribution rates will be undertaken in two stages. The first stage of the review will begin imminently, in March 2026, and the initial evidence gathering work will be complete by the end of June 2026. The second stage will commence in February 2027 and will involve a more in-depth consideration of contribution rates.

The scope and terms of reference for the MA contribution rates review can be found on the Scottish Government website at: https://www.gov.scot/publications/modern-apprenticeship-contribution-rates-review-scope-and-terms-of-reference

Question reference: S6W-44346

Asked by: Paul McLennan, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 25 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its (a) engagement with the UK Government and (b) other work it is undertaking regarding a UK-wide social tariff in energy.

Question reference: S6W-44294

Asked by: Paul McLennan, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 25 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the results of the latest Scottish House Condition Survey, which indicates that there has been a decline in the rates of fuel poverty in Scotland, largely reflecting the fall in energy prices, and what action it is taking to use all of its existing powers to end fuel poverty.

Question reference: S6W-43805

Asked by: Paul McLennan, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 February 2026
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 4 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on when it will conclude its review of Land and Buildings Transaction Tax, and when it will publish its findings.

All aspects of LBTT review work remain on track for ultimate report publication before the end of this Parliamentary term

Alma Economics were appointed to undertake independent research on various aspects of the legislation and engaged with a range of relevant organisations to support this. We have now received their final report, and officials are currently considering our initial response to the findings ahead of the report’s publication in the coming weeks.

Officials are currently finalising internally led review strands following close engagement with relevant stakeholders, including industry experts, Registers of Scotland and Revenue Scotland.

As set out in Scottish Budget 2025-26, the review will support decisions in the next Scottish Parliament on whether any legislative changes should be brought forward.

Question reference: S6W-43807

Asked by: Paul McLennan, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 February 2026
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 4 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to introduce regional variation in Land and Buildings Transaction Tax relief for first-time buyers to reflect differing housing market conditions across Scotland.

There are no plans to amend the LBTT legislation to reflect different housing market conditions. Such significant changes could create considerable complexity in terms of the administration of the tax by Revenue Scotland; and impact on both revenues and the Scottish Government’s ability to effectively respond to our national priorities.

We recognise the value this relief provides, and its operation is being considered as part of the ongoing review of LBTT. That review is the appropriate forum for assessing the effectiveness of existing reliefs and ensuring they remain properly targeted and proportionate. The outcomes of this review will be published before the end of this Parliamentary term.

Question reference: S6W-43806

Asked by: Paul McLennan, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 February 2026
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 4 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on which stakeholders it has engaged with during its review of Land and Buildings Transaction Tax.

Question reference: S6W-44034

Asked by: Paul McLennan, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 March 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 17 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what support it has provided to Médecins Sans Frontières in relation to its humanitarian work in Gaza.

Question reference: S6W-43809

Asked by: Paul McLennan, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 February 2026
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 3 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what the target date is for carrying out remediation of unsafe cladding in Scotland to ensure that all high-risk buildings are made safe.

Question reference: S6W-43808

Asked by: Paul McLennan, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 February 2026
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 3 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the number of residential buildings affected by unsafe cladding, and what proportion of remediation costs it expects to be met through levy funding.

The precise number of buildings is dependent on the outcome of the Single Building Assessment process and whether that assessment deems a building of tolerable risk. Assessment and remediation progress is published in the Cladding remediation - gov.scot.

The Scottish Government’s Key points - Scotland’s cladding remediation estimates: June 2025 - gov.scot that around 250 of the residential high-rise (18m+) buildings in Scotland and around 1,020-1,200 of the mid-rise (11-18m) residential buildings in Scotland might require work to alleviate external wall system (EWS) life-safety fire risk.

Using these estimated figures, early, indicative forecasts: Cladding remediation: capital spend forecasting - gov.scot suggest it could require public capital funding in the range of £1.7 billion to £3.1 billion over a potential 15-year programme of work. This estimate includes adjustments for construction price inflation and for optimism bias, which reflects the usual tendency to underestimate costs at the outset of a capital project.

The Scottish Building Safety Levy (SBSL) is intended to raise between £360 million and £450 million over 12 to 15 years: Building Safety Levy - Taxes - gov.scot. Using the lower ends of both ranges (£360 million compared with £1.7 billion) and the upper ends (£450 million compared with £3.1 billion), the levy is estimated to contribute around 15% to 21% of the total capital funding required for the Cladding Remediation Programme.

Question reference: S6O-05526

Asked by: Paul McLennan, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 February 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how the recently announced legal aid reforms will ensure the accessibility of justice.