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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: S6O-05512

Asked by: Bob Doris, MSP for Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 February 2026
Current Status: Due to be taken in the Chamber on 12 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the support provided through Discretionary Housing Payments for households in the private rented sector that rely on Local Housing Allowance to pay their rents but face a shortfall due to LHA rates.

Question reference: S6W-43395

Asked by: Bob Doris, MSP for Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 January 2026
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Mairi McAllan on 29 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish its response to the Heat in Buildings Bill consultation.

The Scottish Government has today published its analysis report and response to the Heat in Buildings Bill Consultation, available at this link Delivering net zero for Scotland's buildings - Heat in Buildings Bill: consultation analysis.

The consultation responses have directly informed the development of the draft Buildings (Heating and Energy Performance) and Heat Networks (Scotland) Bill, which I intend to introduce as early as possible in the next Parliament, subject to the outcome of the 2026 Scottish Parliament election and UK Government action to reduce the cost of electricity. We will also shortly consult on proposals for heat network installation and maintenance licences.

Question reference: S6W-43348

Asked by: Bob Doris, MSP for Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 January 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 10 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what estimate it has made of the total cost of mitigating any impact in Scotland of UK Government policy decisions since 2007-08, also broken down by the amount spent in (a) each of the last five years and (b) since April 2025.

Question reference: S6W-43245

Asked by: Bob Doris, MSP for Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 January 2026
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Mairi McAllan on 22 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what new action it will take to address the housing emergency in Scotland.

Since declaring a national Housing Emergency in May 2024, I am proud that:

This year the Affordable Housing Supply Programme will invest £808 million - an increase of more than £251 million on last year’s budget;
Approvals for affordable housing between July-September are up by 61% compared to last year;
£120 million targeted through our acquisitions fund is supporting the acquisition of at least 1,200 homes – helping to reduce homeless households in temporary accommodation;
In 2026-27 we are investing at least £1.3 million towards the Scottish Empty Homes Partnership, ensuring that empty homes are brought back into use - building on our record investment of £5.7 million since 2010;
We have helped an estimated 2,261 households with children into affordable housing in the year to end June 2025;
Our action to keep rents lower than market rents benefits approximately 140,000 children in poverty each year and we have introduced provisions for a national system of evidence based rent control;
Our draft budget for 2026/7 commits the single largest funding allocation to affordable housing since our records began in 1989 and our Spending Review, for the first time, offers multi-annual certainty for the coming four years;
The draft Budget also commits an additional £4 million for action to prevent homelessness. This is in addition to £11.5 million for activities such as rapid rehousing and the Fund to Leave - as well as a further £23.5 million already baselined for Local Government; and
We have worked to create the optimum conditions for investment including by setting an all-tenure target, developing clear exemptions from rent control for Mid-Market Rent and Build to Rent developments and by seeking an emergency-led approach from Local Authority Heads of Planning.

Together with our partners, so much has been achieved.

However our efforts to tackle the emergency have tested and exposed the limitations of the current housing delivery arrangement in Scotland. Ultimately, we must deliver more high quality, affordable homes, more quickly. We must simplify the landscape to achieve economy of scale savings; increase land and infrastructure support; and enable closer working with the private sector. The root and branch action demanded by this challenge requires us to think, and to act, in a radical way.

The First Minister will today announce the intention of the Scottish Government to create a new agency focused squarely and simply on accelerating housing delivery in Scotland. While extending its reach to all tenures, it will maintain an emphasis on affordable housing.

The agency will bring together housing, land, planning support and delivery expertise to simplify, scale and speed up the delivery of homes. Working with local authorities and Ministers through a joined-up model we will improve capacity, support regeneration and rural housing, and reduce duplication across government.

This tangible Government action in response to the Housing Emergency will take a Scotland wide all-tenure approach and focus on four pillars: affordable housing delivery, rural and island housing, land and development, and investment. It will also ensure we continue to deliver on the objectives set out in the Housing Emergency Action Plan and our Housing to 2040 strategy.

This new agency will help to drive forward the core government priorities of eradicating child poverty and growing our economy. It will also help to support first time buyers by increasing supply.

I will be working with experts across the housing sector, supported by COSLA and the Scottish National Investment Bank, to lead an initial design phase over the next two months to refine the operating model. This will allow us to carefully consider how this new agency optimises delivery while ensuring maximum value for money.

I intend to update Parliament in March, upon conclusion of the design phase but I am pleased to confirm the intention to announce, for simplicity, scale and speed: More Homes Scotland.

Question reference: S6O-05411

Asked by: Bob Doris, MSP for Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 January 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 22 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how it supports local authorities to investigate short-term lets that are operating without planning permission or registration.

Question reference: S6W-42922

Asked by: Bob Doris, MSP for Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 09 January 2026
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Jenni Minto on 12 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it can provide an update on its plans to introduce Hereditary Tyrosinemia Type 1 (HT1) screening in Scotland.

Following a positive recommendation from the UK National Screening Committee, from the 12 January 2026, all newborn babies in Scotland will be eligible for testing for Hereditary Tyrosinemia Type 1 (HT1) through the existing bloodspot test. Introducing newborn screening for HT1 will enable earlier diagnosis and treatment for babies born with this life-threatening condition. This will significantly reduce the number of babies who develop severe liver disease as a result of this condition. It may also lower the likelihood that those diagnosed with HT1 will require a liver transplant later in life.

Question reference: S6O-05380

Asked by: Bob Doris, MSP for Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 January 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 15 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the development of a new statutory code of practice for household waste and recycling.

Question reference: S6O-05260

Asked by: Bob Doris, MSP for Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 December 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 10 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how it supports Scotland's Living Wage Places to encourage the uptake of the real Living Wage amongst employers.

Question reference: S6W-42233

Asked by: Bob Doris, MSP for Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 November 2025
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Mairi McAllan on 1 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support people at risk of, or engaging in, rough sleeping over winter.

I can announce to Parliament today that this winter, the Scottish Government is investing over half a million pounds to support people at risk of rough sleeping. The majority of funds will be targeted in Edinburgh and Glasgow, where rough sleeping is most concentrated.

This includes £432,660 of funding provided to support the operation of rapid rehousing welcome centres in Glasgow and Edinburgh this year. These welcome centres provide a safe, dignified and inclusive alternative to night shelters and are part of a longstanding Scottish Government commitment to phase out the use of communal night shelter provision for people experiencing homelessness. Since 2020 we have delivered over £1.6 million of funding to support the operation of rapid rehousing welcome centres, which have provided over 6,500 people at risk of rough sleeping with accommodation and support.

We are also providing third sector homelessness organisations across Scotland with £100,000 of funding for personalised budgets this winter. Personalised budgets provide outreach teams with quick access to funds, enabling them to meet the immediate and individual needs of people at risk of rough sleeping and provide them with support in a person-centred way. This will bring total funding for personalised budget funding since 2020 to £415,000.

The UK Government’s no recourse to public funds (NRPF) policy prevents national and local government from providing accommodation to some of the most vulnerable and marginalised people in our society. In addition to frontline funding, which is designed to support everyone regardless of their immigration status, the Scottish Government funds Fair Way Scotland to enable this consortium of third sector organisations to provide people with no recourse to public funds with access to basic necessities, support, advocacy and accommodation.

Question reference: S6O-05236

Asked by: Bob Doris, MSP for Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 November 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 3 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the legislation that gives the Lord Advocate discretionary powers to instruct fatal accident inquiries, in certain circumstances, into the deaths of persons normally resident in Scotland who die overseas, is operating as intended.