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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: S6F-04756

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

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6F-04755

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

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6F-04773

Asked by: Edward Mountain, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 16 March 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 19 March 2026

To ask the First Minister what plans the Scottish Government has to regulate deposit fees in care homes.

Question reference: S6W-44403

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2026
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 16 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what the current status is of the Scottish Civil Justice Council's investigation into the introduction of an opt-out system for group proceedings.

The development of rules for group proceedings, including any proposals to introduce opt-out procedures, is the responsibility of the Scottish Civil Justice Council (SCJC).

The SCJC is an independent body established by the Scottish Civil Justice Council and Criminal Legal Assistance Act 2013, and as such Scottish Ministers are not responsible for its operations.

The SCJC Group Procedure Working Group established to investigate the introduction of an opt-out system for group proceedings publish updates of their work online, which can be found here:

https://www.scottishciviljusticecouncil.gov.uk/council/group-procedure-working-group

Question reference: S6W-44123

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 09 March 2026
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 16 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the recent findings by the Grantham Research Institute in its report on the impacts of Home Energy Scotland loans for solar and storage, Adoption, incidence and welfare impacts of interest-free loans: evidence from solar PV, whether it will reconsider its decision to withdraw those loans.

Question reference: S6W-44077

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 March 2026
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 16 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government where local BSL-plan redesign results in increased safeguarding or access risks, what oversight or intervention mechanisms are available.

The Scottish Government does not have a regulatory function under the BSL (Scotland) Act 2015, nor does the Act have provisions in place specifically in relation to safeguarding. BSL local plans are the responsibility of listed authorities as designated under the Act. All organisations in Scotland must consider their legal obligations in relation to safeguarding or access risks when designing, implementing or making changes to their services.

Question reference: S6W-44079

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Independent
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 March 2026
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 16 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the 2026-27 Budget, how much of the capital budget is allocated for active travel, and whether it will set out in full the detail of the projects that will be funded.

The Scottish Government has proposed an allocation of £226 million for sustainable and active travel investment in the 2026-27 Budget. Of this total, £213 million is designated for capital expenditure.

Full details of the specific projects to be supported through this investment will be set out once they are confirmed in the new financial year. Over the past two years, the programme has focused heavily on delivery through Local Authorities and Regional Transport Partnerships, and we intend to continue utilising this model to maximise local impact and ensure effective implementation.

Question reference: S6W-44076

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 March 2026
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 16 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assurance it can provide that mainstream insourcing models deliver culturally competent, BSL-first, support rather than interpreted access alone.

The British Sign Language (Scotland) Act 2015 requires Scottish Ministers and listed authorities, as set out within the Act, to promote, and facilitate the promotion of, use and understanding of BSL within their services and functions. The BSL National Plan 2023-29 makes clear that for public services to be truly accessible for BSL users, there should be awareness around the culture of BSL and enabling people to access services using their own language. Actions within the plan support the delivery of this ambition. It is the responsibility of listed authorities under the Act who deliver services to make sure these are accessible to BSL users in line with their legal duties.

Question reference: S6W-44078

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 March 2026
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 16 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what (a) consultation it has had and (b) support it has provided to Glasgow City Council to develop, agree and implement a new pay and grading structure, based on the results of job evaluation, to replace the current Workforce Pay and Benefits Review scheme.

The Scottish Government respects the independence of Local Government and the position of each council, including Glasgow City Council, as an independent employer with responsibility for their own budgets, workforce planning and job evaluation processes. The Scottish Government has no formal role in these issues at a local level and encourages all councils to make decisions, through engagement with trade unions, that meet their responsibility to secure value for money and meet their legal obligations to their employees.

Question reference: S6W-44074

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 March 2026
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 16 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what method it uses to monitor whether local BSL plans are delivering equitable outcomes in practice.

The Scottish Government does not have a regulatory function over BSL local plans under the British Sign Language (Scotland) Act 2015. We fund British Deaf Association (BDA) Scotland and the Health and Social Care ALLIANCE Scotland (the ALLIANCE) to support listed authorities in the delivery and monitoring of local plans. BDA provide that vital community engagement and lived experience expertise to local plans, whereas the ALLIANCE operate a BSL network for listed authority for sharing best practice and working together towards solutions. This approach gathers data and intelligence on how outcomes are being delivered in practice.