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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-40947

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 October 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 29 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government by what date it will publish the National Productivity Programme, which was referred to in the National Innovation Strategy in 2023.

Question reference: S6W-40946

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 October 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 29 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the Innovation Investment Programme, which was announced in the National Innovation Strategy and expected to be delivered in early 2024, is not in place.

Question reference: S6W-40220

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 19 September 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 there should be no new levies or taxes on retailers.

Question reference: S6W-40221

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 19 September 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 there should be a plan to narrow any divergence between Scottish and UK income tax rates.

Question reference: S6W-40219

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 19 September 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 spending restraint rather than tax rises should form the bulk of any measures to plug the projected gap in devolved government finances.

Listening to stakeholders is a priority for this government. That is why the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government met with the Scottish Retail Consortium earlier this week on 16 September to discuss the upcoming Budget, amongst other matters. The Scottish Government will be setting out the timetable for the draft budget for 2026-27 in the near future. That budget will set out our policies on taxation, reliefs, and public spending for 2026-27.

The Scottish Government’s Tax Strategy, published alongside the Budget last year, has already set out our intention not to increase the number of bands, or their rates, of Scottish Income Tax for the remainder of this parliament. We will also continue to deliver on our commitment to protect lower income households, ensuring more than half of taxpayers pay less than they would elsewhere in the UK.

The Scottish Government has already set out its plans to manage the projected gap between funding and spending over the next five years in its Medium Term Financial Strategy and Fiscal Sustainability Delivery Plan, with action focused across public spending, tax and economic growth. Under these plans, the Scottish Government will focus efforts on increasing value for public money and improving efficiencies and productivity across the public sector, underpinned by reform. This includes an action to reduce the public sector workforce by an average of 0.5% every year until 2030 while protecting frontline services. The Scottish Government’s Public Service Reform Strategy, published in June 2025, fully supports this setting out the detail on our vision and priorities for reform.

Question reference: S6F-04296

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 15 September 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 September 2025

To ask the First Minister how the Scottish Government will support town and city centres as retail destinations.

Question reference: S6W-40222

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 12 September 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 retailers of all sizes should benefit from a meaningfully more competitive business rate than in England.

The Scottish Government offers a competitive non-domestic rates regime delivering the lowest property rate in the UK for the seventh year in a row and 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 the largest beneficiary of the Small Business Bonus Scheme. That scheme remains the most generous scheme of its kind in the UK, and is part of our package of reliefs to support businesses and communities worth a forecast £733 million in 2025-26.

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

Question reference: S6W-40223

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 12 September 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 no retailer in Scotland should be liable for a higher business rate than counterparts in England.

Question reference: S6O-04935

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 September 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 17 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide further details of its position on making all future funding for arts organisations conditional on the applicant’s commitment to protecting freedom of expression.

Question reference: S6O-04903

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 September 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 10 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the rural affairs secretary has had with ministerial colleagues regarding the potential impact on farmers and food producers of the introduction of meat-free days in public institutions, such as schools and hospitals.