Seòmar agus comataidhean

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

Criathragan Hide all filters

Displaying 42914 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S6W-37391

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 16 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what the implications are of its Scottish Biodiversity Strategy to 2045 for the consenting and operation of wind farm developments in areas of high ornithological sensitivity.

Question reference: S6W-37313

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 16 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to undertake the next review of the list of species of special concern, which was adopted from the EU listing in 2020, to ensure continued protection for the environment from invasive non-native species

The Scottish retained Regulation No 1143/2014 on the prevention and management of the introduction and spread of invasive alien species requires that Scottish Ministers undertake a comprehensive review of the Scottish list of species of special concern before 2 August 2028 and within every six year period thereafter. The first comprehensive review of the Scottish list of species of special concern was completed in April 2022 and the next comprehensive review is due to be completed by August 2028.

Work is underway on reviewing and updating the GB and Scottish lists of species of special concern which are currently identical. While there is no confirmed timeline for the remaining stages of the listing process, this work will be completed as soon as is practicable.

Question reference: S6W-37396

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Natalie Don-Innes on 16 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many emergency beds were used within secure care accommodation for young people in (a) 2023, (b) 2024 and 2025 to date.

The information is not available in the format requested. Information on the use of emergency beds for 2023 and 2024 can be found in Table 2 of the Children's Social Work Statistics: Secure Care 2023-24.

In December 2024, the Care Inspectorate published a protocol and procedures for secure accommodation services on the use of registered emergency beds. (Secure Emergency Bedroom Protocol November 2024.pdf).

Question reference: S6W-37301

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 16 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how much public money Scottish Enterprise has distributed to companies that have export licences permitting them to sell arms and/or other military technology in each of the last five years.

Question reference: S6O-04663

Asked by: Maggie Chapman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 15 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how it is working with the NHS and local authorities to support disabled people and carers in the North East Scotland region.

The Scottish Government is committed to supporting disabled people and carers across Scotland.

This is demonstrated by our record investment of £21.7 billion in health and social care in 2025-26 which includes almost £2.2 billion for social care and integration and £88.4m per year in local carer support through the local authority Carers Act funding.

We will continue to work with Health and Social Care Partnerships, local authorities, and other partners across North East Scotland in the delivery of the NHS Renewal Framework, social care reform and Disability Equality Plan to drive improvements in support for disabled people and carers.

Question reference: S6O-04662

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 15 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on any progress towards a national smart ticketing scheme for public transport.

The National Smart Ticketing Advisory Board will publish its first annual report in June, including progress on its year one 'Quick Wins'. This includes, for the first time, provision of digital integrated tickets for the Aberdeenshire and Dundee bus to bus schemes, due to launch this summer.

Consideration of a digital platform for our biggest national scheme, free bus travel, is also underway, with the intention of a pilot scheme in 2026, unlocking the use of mobile devices for concessionary travel. This aligns with the milestones as set out in our Smart Delivery Strategy in August 2024.

Question reference: S6W-37331

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 May 2025
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 15 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether Scotland’s Railway has experienced any delays in awarding contracts to suppliers in the last two years; if so, what the reasons were for any such delays, and whether any scheduled rail projects were delayed as a result.

Question reference: S6W-37393

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 15 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what contracts have been awarded in the development of the NHS Scotland app.

Delivery responsibility for the online app for health and social care sits with NHS Education for Scotland (NES), who have been commissioned by the Scottish Government to lead on the overall Digital Front Door Programme. To date, NES have awarded two contracts to the global technology and software engineering consultancy firm BJSS. The first contract, which has now ended, was to assist on the development of the Outline Business Case. The second, which has just been signed, is to assist in the technical development work required for December’s launch of the initial version of online app, as well as further technical work as required for the subsequent roll out from 2026.

Question reference: S6W-37471

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 15 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-25968 by Jenni Minto on 18 March 2024, whether it still anticipates that the Primary Care Data and Intelligence platform will be delivered by March 2026, and whether it will include data on the number of people in Scotland with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS).

Question reference: S6W-37294

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 15 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the time limit for potential judicial review regarding planning consent in Scotland is 12 weeks, in light of it reportedly being six weeks in England.

The law underpinning judicial review of administrative action in Scotland is devolved and within the control of the Scottish Parliament. Judicial review functions are within the framework of Scots administrative law, with the power held by the Court of Session.

The time limit for judicial review is set out in the Court of Session Act 1988. The Act provides a three-month time limit for actions to be brought and where it is equitable to do so, allows the court to accept petitions out with this time limit.

The three-month time limit was introduced via the Court Reform (Scotland) Act 2014, following consultation, as this struck an appropriate balance of avoiding unnecessary delay whilst maintaining access to justice.

While the three-month time limit is the ‘standard’ period for bringing a judicial review, the 2014 Act allows for different periods to be set for particular cases. This is relevant as the time period for bringing a judicial review against any decision on any planning application or appeal determined by the Scottish Ministers is six weeks. This is set out in section 239 of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997.

The substantive laws regarding the grounds of judicial review in Scotland are similar to those in England and Wales, however the Scottish Government will not express a view about the position in England and Wales.