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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: S6O-05111

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 October 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to increase the current threshold of 50MW for approval by its Energy Consents Unit of onshore electricity generating stations, to allow more decisions to be taken by local planning authorities.

Question reference: S6O-05058

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 October 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 29 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the potential impact on regional economies and employment, what assessment it has made of the extent to which projected transmission-related job opportunities are dependent on the consenting outcome for proposed overhead line projects within the current network upgrade programme.

Question reference: S6W-40916

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Kaukab Stewart on 21 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had since 1 January 2024 with accommodation providers contracted by the UK Government, regarding the accommodation in Scotland of people seeking asylum, including those providing floating accommodation, broken down by the (a) name of provider and (b) dates of engagement.

Scottish Government officials attend regular meetings of the Asylum and Refugee Partnership Board (ARPB) and associated Delivery and Procurement Group, at which representatives of Mears Group are generally also present. Mears Group is the current UK Government asylum accommodation contract holder for Scotland.

Asylum is a matter reserved to the UK Parliament and handled by the Home Office. This includes provision of asylum accommodation to people who require it while awaiting the outcome of their asylum application. The Scottish Government has no control of asylum accommodation and support.

The Minister for Housing and the I met with the Managing Director of Mears Group on 19 June 2024 regarding asylum accommodation in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-40770

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 9 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether remote participation was considered as an alternative to in-person attendance for the Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Energy's engagements in (a) Japan and (b) New York in September 2025.

Question reference: S6W-40772

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 9 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what outputs and success indicators were set in advance of the Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Energy’s travel to (a) Japan and (b) New York in September 2025, and what any post-event evaluation shows against any such indicators, including any further actions, with timelines.

Question reference: S6W-40767

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 9 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many days the Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Energy has spent overseas on official business in each month of 2025 to date.

Question reference: S6W-40766

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 9 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what arrangements were put in place to maintain ministerial cover for the Climate Action and Energy portfolio during the Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Energy’s absences while on official business in September 2025, including which ministers undertook (a) chamber and (b) committee responsibilities during those periods.

Question reference: S6W-40768

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 9 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether the Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Energy’s overseas travel in September 2025 was approved in line with ministerial travel policy, and what criteria were applied in the decision making.

Question reference: S6W-40774

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 9 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government which companies the Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Energy met during her official engagements in (a) Japan and (b) New York in September 2025, and whether any of those companies have (i) live planning applications before the Scottish Government or its agencies and (ii) indicated an intention to submit planning applications within the next 12 months.

Question reference: S6W-40764

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 9 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many officials accompanied the Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Energy to (a) Japan and (b) Climate Week NYC in September 2025, and what each of their roles were.