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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-04941

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 September 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 17 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports of concerns being raised in communities across the Highlands and Islands in relation to land auctions involving potentially misleading advertising, what action it will take to ensure that people who believe they have been affected by such practices have recourse under Scots law, including access to legal representation and support.

Question reference: S6W-40442

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 September 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 24 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to seek stakeholder input into the development of the Agri-Environment and Climate Scheme, and what the timeline is for any stakeholder engagement.

Question reference: S6W-40380

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 08 September 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 23 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the work that it is carrying out to reduce the use of single-use plastic.

Question reference: S6W-40382

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 08 September 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 23 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the work that it is carrying out to maximise the efficiency of household recycling systems.

Question reference: S6W-40381

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 08 September 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 23 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the work that it is carrying out towards the regulation of companies contributing to marine litter pollution.

Question reference: S6W-40048

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 05 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Natalie Don-Innes on 4 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what work it has done to (a) identify any specific barriers preventing girls from feeling safe in public play spaces and (b) develop guidance for public bodies to address any such barriers.

Every child has the right to play under the United Nations Conventions of the Rights of the Child. The Scottish Government wants every child to be able to play across all stages and aspects of their life to support their social development, resilience, language and communication development, health, physical and mental wellbeing.

In May 2023, we introduced regulations regarding Play Sufficiency Assessments which require planning authorities to assess and provide statements as regards to the quality, quantity and accessibility of both formal and informal play spaces for children in their areas. Considerations should be given to equality of access and inclusion. A planning guidance was published in December 2023 to support the implementation of the PSA Regulations.

Additionally, on 24 March 2025 we published our Play Vision Statement and Action Plan 2025-2030, which recognises girls as one of the groups of children whose right to play are most at risk. In collaboration with our key partners in local authorities and the third sector we are leading on an action to share effective practice on maintenance and development of free, accessible and inclusive public spaces by the end of 2026. This will include principles for the design and maintenance of public spaces to create an environment where girls feel safe and welcome in public play spaces.

Question reference: S6W-39823

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 08 August 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 3 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what work it has conducted on the issue of the cancellation of police officers’ rest days, which has reportedly had a detrimental impact on officers’ mental health.

The deployment and management of Police Officers are matters for the Chief Constable. However, I am aware that the cancellation of rest days can be due to a number of reasons, including attendance at court and the policing of events.

The Scottish Government is supporting its justice partners in achieving the outcomes described in the Vision for Justice in Scotland by taking forward a programme to drive key areas of reform, including criminal justice efficiency.

One element of this is the Summary Case Management currently being rolled out across Scotland. This initiative aims to improve the management of summary criminal cases in Scotland and reduce the number of unnecessary hearings. A pilot evaluation report published in September shows a significant reduction in the volume of witness citations being issued, this relates to police officers, victims and witnesses. The impact on police witnesses has been positive with a reduction of citations for domestic cases by up to 34% in all pilot courts. This equates to around 5000 citations not being served on operational officers in pilot areas.

Police Scotland are also progressing work to reduce the impact policing of events on officers such as the Force Mobilisation Model.

Question reference: S6W-39914

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 25 August 2025
Current Status: Answered by Kaukab Stewart on 3 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government when a national framework of trauma-informed training and workforce development on violence against women and girls will be implemented across the (a) public and (b) third sector.

Question reference: S6W-39915

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 15 August 2025
Current Status: Answered by Kaukab Stewart on 3 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what action it has taken to support initiatives that encourage workplace policies and practices that contain the values of Equally Safe.

Under Equally Safe, Scotland’s strategy for preventing and eradicating violence against women and girls, we are progressing a range of activity to eradicate and prevent VAWG through the priorities identified in the Equally Safe Delivery Plan that we published last year. Included within the Delivery Plan is the commitment to develop a streamlined approach to trauma-informed workplace practices that will promote and enhance VAWG knowledge, skills and expertise.

The Delivery Plan contains the actions we are taking to achieve this, including that we will support and promote initiatives that exemplify and promote workplace policies and practices that take a gendered analysis of VAWG and embed the principles of Equally Safe, particularly in the public and third sectors.

Under this action we are continuing to support Close the Gap on the Equally Safe at Work employer accreditation programme, which helps employers in local government, the NHS and third sector to develop gender and VAWG sensitive workplace practices.

The Delivery Plan also contains the action to develop and implement a national framework that will inform an approach to trauma-informed VAWG training and workforce development across the public and the third sectors, which we fund Scottish Women’s Aid to lead on. We are working with them and key stakeholders to ready the framework for implementation across the public and third sectors in spring 2026.

There is no place for harassment or abuse in the workplace, and everyone deserves to be respected and to feel safe in their working environment no matter their job or industry. All employers have a duty of care to protect the health, safety and welfare of their workers.

While employment law is reserved to the UK Parliament we continue to use our Fair Work policy to drive up labour market standards for workers across Scotland. Fair Work First criteria in procurement and grants is the tool we use to raise employment standards in Scotland and to promote more diverse workforces. Our Fair Work First guidance encourages all employers to have in place robust workplace policies for handling issues such as bullying or harassment and it provides advice and signposting to our Equally Safe strategy and the Equally Safe at Work framework.

On 25 April 2025 we launched our Fair Work Resource Hub for employers where they can find all relevant guidance, advice, case studies, signposting and networking opportunities on removing barriers to Fair Work for many workers, including signposting to guidance on preventing sexual harassment at work.

Question reference: S6W-39825

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 08 August 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 1 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what work it has conducted on the issue of minimum police staffing levels not being met, which has reportedly had a detrimental impact on the mental health of the police force.

The deployment and management of police officers are matters for the Chief Constable.

The Scottish Government is investing a record £1.64 billion in policing in 2025-26, an increase of almost £90 million of additional funding from the 2024-25 budget. Our investment in policing has enabled Police Scotland to undertake the highest level of recruitment since its inception in the last financial year. Around 1,370 new officers have joined since the start of 2024 including a further 100 new recruits on 7 July.

Police Scotland’s three-year Business Plan 2024-2027 sets out an ambitious programme of workforce modernisation which aims to bring frontline policing to its strongest possible position.