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 45862 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S6W-39229

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 July 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 29 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs has had with Police Scotland regarding the mental health of police officers in the past year.

I have regular meetings with the Chief Constable where discuss relevant issues. Whilst this is an operational matter for Police Scotland, we have discussed the impact that mental health issues have on officers. most recently at our meetings on 27 February and 30 April 2025.

Minutes of these meetings can be found at:

Police Scotland and Scottish Government meeting: February 2025 - gov.scot

Police Scotland and Scottish Government meeting: April 2025 - gov.scot

Question reference: S6W-39226

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 July 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 29 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what characteristics it (a) collates and (b) publishes regarding those convicted of committing child sexual abuse and exploitation.

The Scottish Government’s Criminal Proceedings in Scotland statistics reports data on people convicted in Scottish courts. This data is drawn from a subset of Police Scotland’s Criminal History System, with only the minimum information required for statistical reporting and publication received. Alongside any crime(s) committed and the main sentence given, this includes data on a convicted person’s date of birth (used to calculate age at sentencing) and sex. In some cases their Local Authority of residence is also known. Although breakdowns by crime (main charge), sentence (main penalty), age (at sentencing) and sex are included in the Criminal Proceedings in Scotland bulletin, there is currently no published disaggregation of those convicted of child sexual abuse and exploitation.

Question reference: S6W-39101

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 July 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 29 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how much of the Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Fund has been allocated to the Scottish Borders.

Since 2011, the Scottish Government has provided over £65 million to support the development of public EV charging across Scotland. As a direct result of this funding, and increasing private sector investment, Scotland now has over 6,900 public charge points, a target for 6,000 public charge points was met in October 2024, two years ahead of schedule. Scotland has one of the most comprehensive public charging networks in the UK, with, on a per head of population basis, more rapid public EV charge points than any other part of the UK except the South East of England.

Through our £30 million EV Infrastructure Fund, we continue to support local authorities to work in partnership with the private sector to expand public EV charging across Scotland. With public funding prioritising those areas of Scotland less likely to benefit from stand-alone private sector investment in public EV charging infrastructure, including our rural and island communities.

To date Scottish Borders Council has received £137,000 in funding from the EV Infrastructure Fund to support the development of an EV Infrastructure Strategy and Expansion Plan covering the Scottish Borders. Scottish Borders Council has also bid for project funding from the EV Infrastructure Fund as part of a partnership which also includes City of Edinburgh, Clackmannanshire, Dumfries & Galloway, Falkirk, Fife, Midlothian and West Lothian Councils. The project funding awarded to this partnership through the EV Infrastructure Fund to expand public EV charging across the South of Scotland is due to be announced later this year.

Question reference: S6W-39094

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 July 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 29 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-36795 by Jenni Minto on 7 May 2025, whether it can provide any figures on the proportion of fragility fractures in patients currently identified by fracture liaison services.

Question reference: S6W-39128

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 July 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 29 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many staff are currently employed in the nuclear sector in Scotland, and what alternative employment or training will be available following the closure of any nuclear facilities.

The Low Carbon and Renewable Energy Economy (LCREE) Survey, published by the Office of National Statistics, estimates that in 2023 there were 2100 direct Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) roles in the nuclear industry in Scotland.

Decommissioning of nuclear sites in Scotland will take decades and will require the retention of a highly skilled workforce. Independent analysis by Ernst & Young (EY) suggests, with the right support, there could be around 2000 direct and indirect jobs and just under £400 million of direct and indirect Gross Value Added (GVA) in nuclear decommissioning in Scotland by 2045.

Question reference: S6W-39131

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 July 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 29 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on what proportion of private landlords who exited the sector in 2024-25 were small investors with only one property.

The Scottish Government does not hold the data requested as exits from the Scottish Landlord Register and changes in portfolio size are not tracked.

The following table shows active registrations on the Register in March 2024 and March 2025.

Date	Number of Registrations	Landlords with 1 Property	Total Properties
31 March 2024	242,265	162,428	357,417
31 March 2025	239,666	159,374	358,931

The Landlord Registration system is an administrative system used primarily to manage the registration of landlords and rental properties, and has not been designed to produce robust statistical figures on the sector.

Please note that the number of landlords with 1 property will include joint owners of properties, and will therefore not exactly correspond to the number of properties.

Question reference: S6W-39145

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 July 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 29 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has modelled any potential energy security risks for Scotland as a result of completely removing nuclear from the energy mix.

The Scottish Government commissioned a report into the security of supply of Scotland’s electricity system. This report, Electricity system security of supply in Scotland, was published on the ClimateXChange website in December 2023.

The report found that the technology pathway to net zero in Scotland by 2045 would see the reduction in traditional firm generation capacities. The report also found that the generation capacity losses from this reduction would be offset by vast increases in wind and solar installed capacity, which along with the installation of storage technologies would provide security of supply in Scotland.

Although the Scottish Government commissioned this report, security of supply is a reserved matter that the National Energy Systems Operator (NESO) is responsible for.

Question reference: S6W-39194

Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 07 July 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 29 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update regarding its ambition to streamline the planning and consenting of offshore wind infrastructure.

Work is progressing to implement changes through Energy Act 2023 to establish a better enabling environment for offshore wind development. Scotland’s strategic compensation policy, including amendment to the Habitats Regulations, is now at consultation until 1 September 2025. The changes proposed seek to increase the availability of compensatory measures and give clarity on the requirements around environmental compensation for offshore wind development. These reforms have been developed in partnership with the UK Government to ensure a consistent approach across the whole of the UK.

Scottish Government is also working to establish a Scottish Marine Recovery Fund to deliver Strategic Compensation and a more streamlined process for securing compensation for adverse environmental effects of relevant offshore wind activities. Scottish Government has published Scottish Marine Recovery Fund Interim Guidance (available on the Scottish Government website) and consultation on these proposals will be undertaken in due course.

The Sectoral Marine Plan for Offshore Wind Energy in Scotland, is also now at consultation and a series of engagement events have been held around Scotland. The plan will set a clear roadmap for the sustainable delivery of offshore wind in Scottish waters.

A programme of work to streamline the consent process, to meet and, where possible, reduce timescales in relation to application determination and post-consent approvals for offshore wind projects and associated infrastructure, has also been undertaken. Officials sought views from industry, regulators and other stakeholders on proposed improvements to the consenting and licensing process and intended updates to the guidance. Improvements have now been implemented through engagement with developers, updates to external guidance and updates to internal procedures including:

Promotion of effective stakeholder engagement earlier in the process including updated guidance on pre-application engagement with stakeholders
Front loading the consenting process and reduced post consent consultation and approvals by requiring certain information on mitigation with applications that was previously required post consent
Supporting high quality applications through engagement with developers and updated guidance and checklist on information required to support applications for offshore renewable energy projects
Improvements to planning authority consultation on applications, including clarifying timescales and provisions for planning authority consultation on applications

Question reference: S6W-39205

Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 07 July 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 29 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the work of the Sexual Health and Blood Borne Virus Oversight Committee.

Question reference: S6W-39206

Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 07 July 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 29 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to overcome vaccination scepticism.

Vaccination is globally recognised as being second only to clean water in terms of its transformative impact. The Scottish Government is working with NHS Health Boards and Public Health Scotland through the Scottish Vaccination and Immunisation Programme (SVIP) to improve public confidence in vaccination.

Scotland's 5-year Vaccination and Immunisation Framework and Delivery Plan, published in November 2024, includes goals to increase uptake and reduce inequalities in vaccination. To do this, SVIP will continue to build on existing practice to build confidence through a range of actions, including: making vaccination, and information about vaccines, more easily accessible; improving the patient experience; working with different communities to understand and respond to any concerns or questions; and supporting the workforce to have confident conversations about vaccines with patients and members of the public.

SVIP continues to build on and develop partnerships with community, third sector and religious organisations to co-produce and disseminate factual information for those who have questions about vaccination.

The Scottish Government is also aware of the harms false health information can cause and is looking at what approaches can be taken based on the latest evidence.