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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-43567

Asked by: Willie Coffey, MSP for Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 February 2026
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 17 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide further information regarding its recent budget announcement in relation to swimming lessons for children, including (a) the total amount allocated for this, (b) the amount allocated per local authority, and (c) when local authorities will receive their allocations.

The draft Scottish Budget 2026-27 delivers a significant uplift in funding to sport. This allows us to deliver on our key ambition of ensuring every child has the opportunity to learn basic swimming skills, building confidence and safety in and around water.

We will work with Scottish Swimming and sportscotland to design a phased national roll-out of the National School Swimming Framework, ensuring the funding is targeted into addressing inequalities in access to swimming lessons across all local authority areas. That work is due to commence imminently.

Question reference: S6W-43624

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 09 February 2026
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 17 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what the maximum planning fee applicable is for onshore renewable energy project applications, broken down by capacity of (a) under 50MW and (b) 50MW and over.

Onshore renewable energy projects under 50MW are determined under the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997 and are handled by the relevant planning authority. Fees are set by the Town and Country Planning (Fees for Applications) (Scotland) Regulations and vary depending on the size of the application. The maximum fee for a generating station application is £178,560.

For projects 50MW and over, consent is required from Scottish Ministers under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989. Fees are prescribed by the TheElectricity (Applications for Consent and Variation of Consent) (Fees) (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2022 and vary depending on the MW capacity of the application. There is no maximum fee.

Question reference: S6W-43612

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 06 February 2026
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 17 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how many onshore energy generation project applications are currently live and awaiting determination by the Energy Consents Unit, broken down by capacity of (a) under 50MW and (b) 50MW and over.

Consent from Scottish Ministers is required under the Electricity Act 1989 for electricity generating stations over 50MW. Developments below this threshold are determined under the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997 and are handled by the relevant planning authority.

There are currently 32 onshore energy generation project applications that are at the decision stage and are being processed by the Energy Consents Unit for determination by the Scottish Ministers.

Question reference: S6W-43528

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 February 2026
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 17 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to recommendations in the Just Transition Fund for the North East and Moray: final evaluation report, in relation to (a) extension of application timeframes, (b) earlier notice of funding rounds to applicants, (c) transparency of decision-making processes and (d) strength of monitoring of applicant project progress for applications to the Just Transition Fund.

We have secured £15.9m capital and £1m resource for the JTF in the 2026-27 budget. We will announce plans for managing this spend imminently, including the publication of full criteria and guidance for applicants.

The commissioned independent research Just Transition Fund for the North East and Moray: final evaluation report, evaluated the impact of the first two years of the Just Transition Fund. We used the opportunity of the FY 2025-26 funding round to develop our processes. We engage with each project team regularly and ask for progress updates including monitoring against project specific milestones and indicators.

We remain committed to making improvements in how the Fund is managed, to help ensure that it supports the net-zero transition, helps to diversify the regional economy away from carbon-intensive sectors, creates jobs and prosperity, and delivers measurable benefits for workers, businesses, and communities.

Question reference: S6W-43524

Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 February 2026
Current Status: Answered by Dorothy Bain on 17 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether Police Scotland and the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service are currently examining any files relating to Jeffrey Epstein to determine whether any criminality took place in Scotland.

Question reference: S6T-02902

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 16 February 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 17 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its decision to escalate NHS Ayrshire and Arran to Stage 4 of the national improvement framework.

Question reference: S6T-02896

Asked by: Douglas Ross, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 16 February 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 17 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether anyone who works for the Scottish Government, including ministers, special advisers or civil servants, was involved in discussions concerning the postponement of the trial of Peter Murrell until after the Scottish Parliament election in May.

Question reference: S6T-02900

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 16 February 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 17 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to new figures on unmet need for palliative care that were published by Marie Curie on 16 February, showing that almost one in three people in Scotland die with unmet palliative care needs.

Question reference: S6F-04677

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 16 February 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 19 February 2026

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6F-04676

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 16 February 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 19 February 2026

Question to be taken in Chamber.