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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-38670

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 June 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 26 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what contingency plans it has in place to maintain legal representation services in the event of industrial action by the Solicitor Contact Line.

Question reference: S6W-38667

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 June 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 26 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of hate crime allegations under the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act 2021 have resulted in prosecution or conviction.

Question reference: S6W-38668

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 June 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 26 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has received any concerns from Police Scotland about the volume of potentially spurious complaints arising under the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act 2021.

Question reference: S6W-38672

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 June 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 26 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish a timeline for completing all necessary remedial works on buildings deemed to be at risk of fire.

Question reference: S6W-38085

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 02 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angus Robertson on 12 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has undertaken of any impact of commercial accommodation costs on the viability of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe for independent artists.

The Scottish Government is committed to working with the Fringe Society and all partners who deliver the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. This is reflected in the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society receiving £300,000 from the Scottish Government in 2025-26 to help grow the significant benefits the Fringe provides to Scotland’s economy, society and culture sector and to help safeguard the future of the Edinburgh Fringe as a world leading cultural asset, built on the principle of free access for all. We are currently working with the Fringe Society and wider Fringe ecosystem on its future sustainability including in areas such as commercial and visitor accommodation costs and accessibility for artists, audiences and venues

The Scottish Government monitors visitor accommodation costs using intelligence from a variety of sources including the Scottish Accommodation Occupancy Survey, published by VisitScotland Accommodation Performance I VisitScotland.org which provides data on peak and off peak tariffs for different visitor accommodation types, and Lighthouse data, published by VisitBritain UK short-term rentals | VisitBritain.org which provides monthly data on average daily rates for short-term rental properties in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-37983

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 30 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 12 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any operational consequences of Police Scotland reportedly running below 2013 staffing levels, in light of population growth and reports of increasing public disorder.

The recruitment and deployment of police officers and staff is an operational matter for the Chief Constable. The Scottish Government has increased police funding year-on-year since 2016-17, investing more than £14.6 billion since the creation of Police Scotland in 2013, with £1.64 billion being invested this year. Scottish Government funding in 2024-25 enabled Police Scotland to undertake the highest level of recruitment since its inception and Scotland continues to have more police officers per capita than England and Wales.

The Chief Constable has provided reassurance that Police Scotland has a healthy recruitment pipeline and has been clear that the context of frontline strength goes beyond an overall officer headcount and that of a police workforce which includes police staff. Police Scotland’s three-year Business Plan 2024-2027 sets out an ambitious programme of workforce modernisation, reducing back-office duplication and creating capacity to deal with new and increasing emerging threats.

The Scottish Government established an Independent Group to review our approach to antisocial behaviour, to ensure it has victims and communities at its heart. The Scottish Government, Police Scotland and COSLA are considering the Group’s recommendations. Ministers provided a progress report to the Criminal Justice Committee on key areas in April, and this will be followed by a comprehensive response in the Summer.

Question reference: S6W-38084

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 02 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angus Robertson on 12 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the long-term sustainability of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, in light of reported rising costs for artists and venues.

We are working closely with the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society as well as the wider fringe ecosystem on areas such as rising costs for artists and venues. This is reflected in Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society receiving £300,000 from the Scottish Government in 2025-26 to help grow the significant benefits the Fringe delivers for Scotland’s economy, society and culture sector and to help safeguard the future of the Edinburgh Fringe as a world leading cultural asset, built on the principle of free access for all.

This funding is being provided to underpin Society’s data and digital infrastructure to make it more accessible for artists, audiences and venues as well as exploring how we can collectively support Scottish artists and the sector capitalise on international opportunities developed at the Fringe.

Alongside this we are working with the Fringe and other festivals through a Strategic Partnership focused on driving and delivering progress on the key barriers to, and enablers of, future success to make Scotland’s arts festivals even more sustainable.

Question reference: S6W-38619

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 June 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 25 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to publish results and outcomes from the Scotland-Flanders joint working action plan.

Question reference: S6W-38618

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 June 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 25 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what resources have been made available for the Scotland-Flanders joint working action plan.

Question reference: S6W-38569

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 June 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 25 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the reasons for the 16% annual rise in reported sex crimes in Scotland in 2023-24.