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 45915 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S6W-38889

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 23 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 3 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what alternative projects it has planned to improve direct connectivity between the city of Glasgow and Glasgow Airport, in light of the cancellation of the Glasgow Airport Rail Link (GARL) proposal, and what the timelines are for the delivery of any such projects.

The second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2), which was published by the Scottish Government in December 2022 to inform future transport investment in Scotland, identifies the Clyde Metro as one of its recommendations.

The ongoing stage of development of Clyde Metro, known as the Case for Investment, is being led by Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT), supported by Glasgow City Council leading various workstreams alongside SPT, with Transport Scotland providing a project assurance role.

This key stage of the development process includes consideration of access improvements to Glasgow Airport and will inform decisions around network selection, phasing and implementation. The Case for Investment stage is well underway and is currently anticipated to be complete by mid-2027.

Further details on the Case for Investment stage can be obtained by contacting SPT directly at clydemetro@spt.co.uk.

Question reference: S6W-38890

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 23 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 3 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it had made of the potential economic impact on the (a) city of Glasgow and (b) wider Scottish economy of the Glasgow Airport Rail Link (GARL) project, prior to the cancellation of the project.

The Stage 3 Report containing the Economic Impact and a separate Assessment of Wider Economic Benefits of the Glasgow Airport Rail Link were published by Strathclyde Partnership for Transport in 2005-2006.

Link to the Stage 3 report containing Economic Impact: https://web.archive.org/web/20070211160357/http://shandwick.fs-server.com/spt/uploaded/ufile467.pdf.

Link to the Wider Economic Benefits Report: https://web.archive.org/web/20070211160637/http://shandwick.fs-server.com/spt/uploaded/ufile476.pdf.

Question reference: S6W-38888

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 23 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 3 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reported high levels of traffic and frequent congestion on routes leading to and from Glasgow Airport, what assessment it had made of the potential environmental impact of the Glasgow Airport Rail Link, prior to the cancellation of the project.

Question reference: S6W-38790

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 3 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the increase in employer national insurance contributions from April 2025, whether it will provide additional funding to Police Scotland in the financial year 2025-26 to mitigate the impact of this increase, and, if so, how much extra funding it will provide.

The UK Government’s failure to fully fund their increase to employer National Insurance contributions has left Scotland’s public services, including Police Scotland, with a total bill running into hundreds of millions of pounds which will undermine investment in the Scottish Government’s priorities.

Despite this, we are providing an additional £15.2 million in-year funding to support the impact on Police Scotland, as part of the record £1.64 billion investment in policing in 2025-26.

Question reference: S6W-38859

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 3 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made in the development of a national system of pre-scaler hubs to stimulate early-stage entrepreneurship.

The Scottish Government is stimulating early-stage entrepreneurship through a range of measures. In 2024, South of Scotland Enterprise led a £1.5m regional pilot of the pre-start approach set out in the recommendations of Ana Stewart and Mark Logan Pathways report. This work is widening access to entrepreneurship and supporting new businesses to start and grow. Discussions are underway on an extension of the South of Scotland Pre-Start pilot and expansion to other regions of Scotland.

In addition, as set out in the Programme for Government, and building on 2024’s Pathways and Entrepreneurial Education Funds, further rounds of competitive funding will support our entrepreneurial ecosystem to widen entrepreneurial participation and develop the conditions needed for entrepreneurs to thrive.

Question reference: S6W-38837

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 3 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the reported call for the registration of peatland restoration projects for carbon contracts, how many hectares of degraded peatland it anticipates the carbon contracts pilot will restore, and how many tonnes of CO2e reductions it estimates this restoration will deliver.

Carbon Contracts are to be piloted as part of the Peatland ACTON programme. All projects will be required to meet Peatland ACTION quality criteria. Scottish Government has not undertaken modelling to estimate the exact impact of the Carbon Contracts pilot on levels of peatland restoration and CO2 emissions reductions. The pilot itself will play a key role in assessing the potential impact of the Carbon Contracts mechanism on rates of peatland restoration.

Question reference: S6W-38842

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 3 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what (a) steps it has taken and (b) plans it has to report any contingent liability arising from the carbon contracts pilot.

Question reference: S6W-38867

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 3 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on what the relevance of National Planning Framework 4 is in determining energy consents.

Question reference: S6W-38864

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 3 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether it is appropriate to attach conditions to energy consents, granted under the Electricity Act 1989, to secure proposals for biodiversity enhancements, under the terms of National Planning Framework 4.

Question reference: S6W-38868

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 3 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will list the current fare concessions available to disabled passengers on the public ferry network.

Both NorthLink Ferries and CalMac Ferries offer concessionary fares for disabled passengers who hold a National Entitlement Card or equivalent. Disabled passengers living in the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport region are eligible for discounted ferry travel if they live on an island or peninsula and hold a Strathclyde Concessionary Travel Ferry Card. Any local authority ferry services with fares for disabled passengers are set independently from Scottish Government concessionary fares.

Additionally, all eligible island residents living in Orkney, Shetland, North Ayrshire, Highland, Argyll and Bute and Eilean Siar council areas receive 4 free single ferry journeys per year to or from the mainland, as part of the Scottish Government’s ferries concessionary voucher scheme.

All concessionary fares for disabled passengers are listed on the corresponding local authority, CalMac or NorthLink websites. The Scottish Government concessionary fares are listed on the Transport Scotland website.