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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-41569

Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 October 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 12 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has instructed Revenue Scotland to begin the development of the systems required to collect Air Passenger Duty and if so, when it expects this work to be completed.

Question reference: S6W-41570

Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 October 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 12 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the Competition and Markets Authority regarding the introduction of an exemption from Air Passenger Duty for lifeline services.

Question reference: S6W-41568

Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 October 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 12 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is regarding whether an exemption from Air Passenger Duty for lifeline services would be compatible with the UK Subsidy Control Act 2022, or if amending the Act would have to be a prerequisite to resolving the issue reportedly currently preventing the replacement of Air Passenger Duty with Air Departure Tax.

Question reference: S6F-04386

Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 October 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 October 2025

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6F-04343

Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 29 September 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 2 October 2025

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6F-04320

Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 22 September 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 September 2025

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6W-40193

Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 01 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 16 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether young people have access to accurate education on British and Scottish history, including on the British Empire and the UK's involvement in slavery.

The Scottish Government believes that it is crucially important that young people have access to accurate education on British and Scottish history, including on the British Empire and the UK's involvement in slavery. Scotland’s history curriculum, including the senior phase courses “The Trade in Enslaved African People 1770–1807” and “Migration and Empire 1830–1939”, present a range of opportunities for young people to learn about these significant histories.

The Breaking the Mould anti-racism curriculum principles include a principle on 'understanding and enquiring into Scotland’s role in historical world events, including trans-Atlantic enslavement and colonial histories, and their continuing impact today'. There are a range of further national actions underway including the following:

The Scottish Government has supported academic-led programmes with the universities of Edinburgh, Glasgow and Stirling for teachers on Teaching Slavery in Scotland and on the Impact of Scots Settlers in Migration and Empire, with resources developed published on the Scottish Association of Teachers of History website.
Education Scotland has published teaching resources on the Transatlantic Slave Trade supported by the University of Glasgow, and a publication on Sugar Histories aimed at Primary 7 learners in transition to S1 in both expressive arts and social studies.
The Scottish Government is currently working in partnership with the SQA and Education Scotland to consider appropriate updates to the history qualifications to embed an anti-racist and decolonised approach. The Curriculum Improvement Cycle will consider further relevant updates to the social studies curriculum.
Museums Galleries Scotland is working with museums who are decolonising their collections and learning resources to reflect the recommendations of the Empire, Slavery and Scotland’s Museums report. National Museums Scotland has developed a specific resource associated with the National 5 qualification on the Trade in Enslaved African People.

Question reference: S6W-40024

Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 12 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it had with civil service unions in advance of the reported comments by the Permanent Secretary regarding an ambition for civil servants to work in the office for at least 60% of their contracted hours.

Question reference: S6W-40023

Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 12 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what equality impact assessments were carried out in advance of the reported comments by the Permanent Secretary regarding an ambition for civil servants to work in the office for at least 60% of their contracted hours.

A full Equalities Impact Assessment (EQIA) has been completed for the new hybrid working policy for core Scottish Government staff in hybrid-compatible roles should aim to spend 40% of their contracted hours working in person either in our workplaces, with stakeholders or in communities.

The EQIA has been published on the Scottish Government’s intranet for all affected staff to access, and will continue to be reviewed.

Diversity and inclusion have been central to the Scottish Government’s approach: alongside working with, and formally consulting, recognised trade unions, officials engaged Scottish Government staff diversity networks, who also input to the EQIA.

Question reference: S6W-40195

Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 01 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 11 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the number of schools that have a dedicated family income advisor.

Specific data on school-based family income advisors, is not held centrally.

The Scottish Government has invested £1.75 billion in the Scottish Attainment Challenge over the past decade, including over £1billion in Pupil Equity Funding, empowering headteachers to take the best approaches that suit the needs of their pupils and families. This funding is supporting significant numbers of additional staff, like family income advisors, to help close the poverty-related attainment gap.

Across the country we continue to trust and empower Scotland's headteachers to use this extra funding to support their pupils - whether through extra support staff, family link workers or family income advisors. As highlighted in the pupil_equity_funding_report_2025_.pdf, published in May 2025, we know that the majority of the funding supports staff with roles specifically designed to help children and young people impacted by poverty. This includes up to 3,000 additional staff - almost 700 of whom are teachers - with the remainder in roles such as family link workers, pupil support assistants, education psychologists, speech and language therapists and family income advisors.

The Scottish Government also continues to support free income maximisation, welfare and debt advice services with £16.9 million invested in 2025-26, a significant increase on the £12.3 million invested in 2022-23, helping support families get the support they are entitled to.