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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-43076

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 January 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 29 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made with the development of an updated National Performance Framework.

Question reference: S6W-43083

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 January 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 29 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to help local authorities develop best practice for the conservation of badgers.

Question reference: S6W-42974

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 January 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 28 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what support it is giving to children on CAMHS waiting lists who risk ageing out of being eligible for treatment prior to receiving a diagnosis.

Question reference: S6W-42793

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 05 January 2026
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 14 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider emulating the practice adopted by the German federal state of Schleswig-Holstein, which is building an entirely open-source, digitally sovereign ecosystem for its public sector to reduce vendor lock-in, enhance interoperability and improve data security.

Question reference: S6W-43006

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 January 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 27 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made on the amendment of legislation to enable a smoking and inhalation space at The Thistle drug consumption facility pilot in Glasgow.

Question reference: S6W-43007

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 January 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 27 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made with Glasgow Health and Social Care Partnership on the extension of the operating hours of The Thistle safe drug consumption facility pilot in Glasgow, in light of a reported shift in drug use from heroin to cocaine at the facility.

Question reference: S6W-42802

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 05 January 2026
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 13 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has taken place in the creation of a model for regional Scottish hubs and networks for the reuse of construction materials and assets, as set out in the Circular Economy and Waste Route Map to 2030.

Zero Waste Scotland is leading on the work to support the development of a model for regional Scottish hubs and networks for the reuse of construction materials and assets.

They are working with a consortium of European partners to undertake an EU Horizon project – Circular Construction Finance (CirCoFin). CirCoFin aims to accelerate the circular transformation of the construction sector by helping cities and regions across Europe to create infrastructure and financial mechanisms to support the reuse of building materials. Example projects are being set up in Munich, Copenhagen, Lisbon and Scotland.

CirCoFin is also working towards creating a common step-by-step approach to developing Circular Construction Hubs through the development of a practical set of tools and templates.

The aim of the Scottish project is to develop a proposal for the Circular Construction Hub model which is tailored to the specific national and regional context of Scotland. The project is divided into phases - Pre-feasibility, Feasibility, Appraisal, Due Diligence and Bankability, and Roll Out. In year one, progress has been made on the pre-feasibility phase, including initial stakeholder engagement and pre-feasibility analysis to help understand key challenges and opportunities and support thinking on potential business models, materials and locations.

Further information on the range of activities undertaken to date is available from Zero Waste Scotland and information on CirCoFin in general is available online at https://circofin.eu/.

Question reference: S6W-42801

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 05 January 2026
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 13 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has taken place with the development of a Product Stewardship Plan, as set out in the Circular Economy and Waste Route Map to 2030.

The Scottish Government has committed to bring forward a product stewardship plan in 2026 that sets out how we will tackle the environmental impact of priority products.

The draft circular economy strategy, which was published for consultation in October 2025, proposes that clothing, mattresses, and at least one other product will be prioritised for further action policy actions, in addition to ongoing action on our existing priorities of packaging, electronics, batteries, vehicles and end-of-life fishing gear. The consultation also sets out proposed principles of alignment with the EU where appropriate, ongoing collaboration across the UK, working with businesses to support innovation and additional voluntary measures, and ensuring end of life products are managed in accordance with the waste hierarchy.

Zero Waste Scotland are conducting research to underpin an evidence-based approach to products based on environmental and economic impact, and potential policy actions. This includes the “Product Stewardship Considerations for Textiles in Scotland” report, published by Zero Waste Scotland in December 2025. The outcome of this work will help inform the priority products identified in the final circular economy strategy, due to be published in March 2026. A product stewardship plan is planned for publication later in 2026 to set out the policy actions proposed over the life of the next Scottish Parliament.

Question reference: S6W-42791

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 05 January 2026
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 13 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether any procurement procedure for the design and build of a new class of marine protection vessel (MPV) and marine research vessel (MRV) to replace the two existing vessels, MPV Minna and MRV Scotia, will be directly awarded to a UK-based shipbuilding firm, or limited to a UK-only competition, in light of the national security role that these vessels play and such a decision being compliant with the exemption under section 45 of the Subsidy Control Act 2022.

Shipbuilding is a highly competitive global market and is classified as sensitive under the UK Subsidy Control Act. Any direct award must therefore comply fully with both procurement and subsidy control legislation, as these frameworks operate independently but are equally critical to legal defensibility.

Defence and national security remain reserved matters under UK law, and Scotland does not commission independent naval vessels. The design of these replacement vessels reflects operational needs of the Marine Directorate and does not include warship specifications or military capability, which could misrepresent their authority at sea. MPVs are built and operated to merchant-vessel standards, with Crown-servant crews accountable to Scottish Ministers.

As merchant-class vessels, they fall outside the defence-related exemptions referenced by section 45 of the Subsidy Control Act.

Question reference: S6W-42800

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 05 January 2026
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 13 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what options have been developed with stakeholders regarding the mandatory reporting for food waste and surplus by businesses.

As set out in the Circular Economy and Waste Route Map, the Scottish Government will establish an expert advisory group to help develop the most effective way to implement mandatory public reporting for food waste and surplus by businesses, with the intention of developing options from 2025-26. We continue to gather relevant evidence and engage with stakeholders to understand key issues. We will also consider any relevant responses to the consultation on the draft Circular Economy Strategy for Scotland. Options will be developed with stakeholders as part of our engagement with the expert advisory group, once established.