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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: S6W-38948

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 16 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will rule out using income generated from any new or increased taxation to fund a minimum income guarantee.

We have no plans to change tax policy in Scotland to finance a Minimum Income Guarantee. As part of Scotland's Tax Strategy, the Scottish Government has committed to exploring the reforms needed to continue to deliver sustainable and growing tax revenues in the future.

The independent Minimum Income Guarantee Expert Group commissioned a range of research to support their recommendations. We thank them for this work and will take the time to respond in due course.

Question reference: S6W-38930

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 16 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the potential economic impact on Falkirk, Larbert and the surrounding region of the reported decision by Alexander Dennis to cease bus manufacturing.

Alexander Dennis Limited (ADL) is a significant employer in Scotland and its operations at Falkirk and Larbert support a highly valuable supply chain. That is why the Scottish Government is working with the company to explore every possible option to retain bus manufacturing and safeguard employment.

Economic analysis undertaken by the Scottish Government in June 2025 suggests that the economic impact of closure of ADL’s sites in Larbert and Falkirk, including direct and indirect jobs, would be in the region of £30 to £50 million annually to the Scottish economy. Other analysis produced by Scottish Enterprise in May 2025 estimates the total annual economic impact as being £63 million before considering any reemployment impacts. This includes an estimate of the impact of employee spending (£8 million) which is not included within the Scottish Government estimates.

Question reference: S6W-38936

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 16 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with Alexander Dennis and NFI Group regarding the company's reported proposed relocation of manufacturing to England.

Question reference: S6W-38792

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 16 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what the Chief Scientist Office’s budget for excess treatment costs has been in each of the last five years.

Question reference: S6W-38818

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 16 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many children and young people living in temporary accommodation have been required to move school in each year since 1999, broken down by local authority area.

Question reference: S6W-38947

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 16 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether an estimated £6 billion annual cost for a minimum income guarantee would be fiscally sustainable.

We thank the independent Expert Group for their dedication and expertise in drawing together a proposal for a Minimum Income Guarantee in Scotland. We will take time to consider their recommendations and the research that was published alongside, in light of current fiscal context, and respond in due course.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that finances remain on a sustainable trajectory. We will continue to take forward our programme of work for doing this, which was outlined in the publication of the 2025 Medium-Term Financial Strategy and Fiscal Sustainability Delivery Plan.

Question reference: S6W-38791

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 16 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has undertaken with stakeholders regarding a workable solution to enable patients in Scotland to take part in proton beam therapy clinical trials, and what the estimated timeline is for the conclusion of any such work.

Scottish Government Officials have held 2 stakeholder meetings including representatives from the NHS Boards to discuss access for patients in Scotland to Proton Beam Therapy clinical trials delivered at the Christie NHS Foundation Trust Proton Beam Therapy Centre in Manchester.

These meetings took place on 23 January 2025 and 23 April 2025. In addition officials have held numerous calls with individual stakeholders.

Question reference: S6W-38758

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 16 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the report, Older People’s Economic Wellbeing Index: Scotland 2024–25, by Independent Age, which found that almost one in four (24%) older people with a health condition are not aware of Pension Age Disability Payment or its predecessor, Attendance Allowance, how it will raise awareness of the financial support available to older disabled people.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that everyone takes up the support to which they are entitled and has worked closely with stakeholders in designing Pension Age Disability Payment and promoting take-up.

This includes ensuring that people can apply in the way that suits them best, including online, by phone, through paper form or in person through our Local Delivery service, and an extensive marketing campaign, including through social media, paid advertising and engaging directly with people in their communities. This summer Social Security Scotland will carry out a further marketing campaign to reach older people who may be eligible for support.

Question reference: S6W-39038

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 15 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what measures are in place to address any regional disparities in the investment or export support provided by Scottish Development International.

In Scotland, we provide a range of targeted support to Scottish businesses via our various agencies and partners as they progress through their internationalisation journey. This includes investment and resources to grow their exports, build resilience and compete on the global stage. This support is Scotland wide, and as such is accessible to all businesses regardless of their location.

The Scottish Government acknowledges the importance of addressing any regional disparities in the investment and/or export support provided by Scottish Development International (SDI). This commitment is reinforced in our National Strategy for Economic Transformation, which highlights the need to address current geographical disparities to deliver prosperity for all Scotland’s people and places, and emphasises that every region must both benefit from and contribute to a more productive and innovative economy. By recognising the distinct strengths and opportunities across Scotland’s diverse regions, the strategy underlines a clear intent to shape local economic plans that reflect and unlock regional potential—ensuring that export growth, investment and internationalisation are Scotland wide.

To ensure this is supported, a range of oversight mechanisms are in place. These include structured project management and performance indicators tracked through SDIs statistical reporting, and close collaboration with regional Enterprise Agencies and designated Trade and Investment leads to support activities for businesses across all regions in Scotland.

Additional support is also available through our wider partnership working and networks, such as Department for Business and Trade Scotland, including their export Champions, and the Scottish Chambers of Commerce network based in region, who play an active role in delivering this support.

Scotland continues to attract high quality investment projects and has retained its position as the UK’s top-performing region for foreign direct investment (FDI) outside London for a record tenth year, according to the EY UK Attractiveness Survey (June 2025). The Scottish Government actively continues to evaluate support programmes through structured assessments and independent reviews, confirming their effectiveness. Updated evaluations have already commenced for both inward and export promotion and are expected to complete this financial year.

Question reference: S6W-39087

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 30 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 15 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many foreign direct investment (FDI) projects in Scotland in each of the last 10 years have been mergers and acquisitions of Scottish-headquartered businesses.

The Scottish Government uses a variety of sources to measure Scotland’s inward investment performance, including data from Scottish Enterprise and independent analysis published annually in the EY UK Attractiveness Survey for Scotland. Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) is not a classification that the Scottish Government or Scottish Enterprise use when measuring the performance of inward investment projects into Scotland. Scottish Enterprise classifies projects as new, expansion and safeguarding projects and as such, does not collect information on M&A activity. The UK Government’s Department for Business and Trade (DBT) provides estimates for M&A activity in Scotland based on their own internal definitions, classifications and methodology.

Scotland continues to attract new high quality investment projects, according to the latest EY survey published in June 2025. Scotland has maintained its position as the top performing region or nation of the UK for foreign direct investment (FDI) projects outside of London, for a record tenth year and is the sixth best performing region in Europe.