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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.

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Question reference: S6W-35018

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 24 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what support it is providing to households still using the Radio Teleswitch Service for their energy meter.

The Scottish Government has no powers over the Radio Teleswitch Service (RTS).

Ofgem and Energy UK are leading a cross-industry response to the RTS switch-off, which includes a public awareness campaign, which we welcome. However, with under five months till the switch-off on 30 June 2025, and no clear Plan B, the UK Government must use its powers to direct urgent and proportionate action.

In January, I wrote to the UK Minister for Energy Consumers to request that Ofgem include RTS related obligations in licence conditions for both suppliers and the Data Communications Company (DCC) who run the smart meter network. This change would compel both to use every tool available to ensure that households and businesses in Scotland and across Britain do not suffer detriment as a result of the RTS switch off.

However, the Scottish Government remains concerned at the rate of progress. We will continue to engage with the UK Government on a frequent and sustained basis to ensure that Scottish communities are not caused any detriment as a result of poor smart-meter accessibility and the RTS switch-off. This includes offering to convene a jointly-chaired roundtable on energy consumer issues and participation in the Ofgem-led RTS communications working group, which brings together consumer organisations, government and industry.

Any consumers experiencing difficulties with their supplier can contact Advice Direct Scotland (ADS). Funded by the Scottish Government, ADS runs the free national energy advice service and can be contacted on 0808 196 8660 or at energyadvice.scot.

Question reference: S6W-34437

Asked by: Fulton MacGregor, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 24 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Scottish Assembly of Parents and Carers report, Parental Involvement Survey – Findings Report, which found that local authorities and the Scottish Government could provide more support to allow parents and guardians to be more involved in their child’s education.

The Scottish Government is committed to strengthening the involvement of parents and carers as we reform the education system, which is why we provided £60,310 of funding to the Scottish Assembly of Parents and Carers in 2024-25. We welcome the publication of this report and encourage all local authorities to meet their statutory duties to promote the involvement of parents, carers and families in their child’s learning as set out in the Scottish Schools (Parental Involvement) Act 2006.

We continue to listen and work with stakeholders to ensure this engagement is further strengthened, which will remain a central focus of our work.

Question reference: S6W-35006

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 24 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its work to produce official guidance on the welfare of farmed fish.

Question reference: S6W-34509

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 24 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many incidents involving illegal drugs have been reported in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in each of the last five years, also broken down by local authority area.

Question reference: S6W-34434

Asked by: Pam Gosal, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 24 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to outline a comprehensive plan for reforming public debt collection practices, including the consideration of debt amnesties for families affected by housing arrears.

Scottish Government recognises the financial pressures that many households are experiencing, including debts to public sector bodies. However, it is important to be clear on the role and responsibilities of all partners in relation to public sector debt and to recognise that local authorities have independence to make decisions particularly regarding their approach to collection of council tax arrears and school meal debt.

Scottish Ministers have consistently encouraged public bodies to share good practice on debt assistance and collection and to show empathy and dignity when working with people struggling with debts. This includes using the Good practice principles for managing school meal debt[1] published by COSLA in February 2023 following engagement with local government partners.

The Scottish Government and COSLA recognise that there are opportunities to improve collection practices in Council Tax. The ‘Joint Working Group on Council Tax Reform’, which is co-chaired by COSLA, is undertaking work to encourage better practices in debt collection. This includes ensuring that councils are furnished with the information they need to improve practices, and identify those in need of support.

In addition, Social Security Scotland is committed to delivering a debt management service that is responsive to clients’ needs while protecting the public purse. This includes an approach for vulnerable clients that includes training debt officers to identify and sensitively handle potential hardship and vulnerable clients, as well as signposting them to support and advocacy groups.

The Scottish Social Housing Charter sets outcomes that social landlords need to meet. An outcome on tenancy sustainment states; that tenants get the information they need on how to obtain support to remain in their home; and landlords ensure suitable support is available, including services provided directly by the landlord and by other organisations. This includes tenants who may be at risk of falling into arrears with their rent. Where a tenant is struggling to pay their rent they should seek support immediately from their landlord.

[1]Good-Practice-Principles-for-School-Meal-Debt-Management.pdf (cosla.gov.uk)

Question reference: S6W-34146

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 24 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of prosecutions for speeding offences on trunk roads have resulted in (a) fines, (b) driving bans and (c) other penalties being imposed in each year since 2018, broken down by trunk road.

(a)Number of people receiving fines for speeding offences on trunk roads, where main crime, in Scottish Courts, by court location (LA), 2018-19 to 2022-23.

	2018-19	2022-23
TRUNK ROADS (S) TEMP RESTRICT TRAFFIC & OVERTAKING 30,40,50MPH (S) ORDER 1992	-	1
TRUNK ROADS (S) TEMP RESTRICT TRAFFIC & OVERTAKING 30,40,50MPH (S) ORDER 1994	1	1
TRUNK ROADS IN SCOT (TEMP PROHIBITIONS & TEMP SPEED RESTRICTIONS) ORDER 1996	-	2
All	1	4

Source: Scottish Government Criminal Proceedings database.

Some speeding offences that occurred on trunk roads may have been prosecuted under more general speeding offence charges.

Please note: data for 2021-22 and 2022-23 are affected by the pandemic, subsequent court closures, reduced court capacity due to physical distancing measures and delays to cases where key participants were forced to self-isolate after testing positive for COVID-19, and may not be considered indicative of long term trends.

(b) No individuals received a court-imposed driving ban under legislation specifically for speeding offences on trunk roads (where main crime) between 2018-19 and 2022-23.

(c) No individuals were convicted and sentenced to 'other penalties' under legislation related to speeding on trunk roads (where main crime) between 2018-19 and 2022-23.

Question reference: S6W-34976

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 24 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what consultation it plans to undertake with the licensed hospitality sector ahead of planned non-domestic rates revaluations in 2026.

Question reference: S6W-35130

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S6W-34334

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 31 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Dorothy Bain on 21 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many reports in each of the five calendar years prior to the Fireworks and Pyrotechnic Articles (Scotland) Act 2022 coming into force were made to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) under the (a) Explosives Act 1875, (b) Environmental Protection Act 1990, (c) Fireworks Act 2003, (d) Fireworks (Scotland) Regulations 2004, (e) Antisocial Behaviour (Scotland) Act 2004, for the inappropriate use of fireworks and pyrotechnic articles, (f) Manufacture and Storage of Explosives Regulations 2005 and (g) Pyrotechnic Articles (Safety) Regulations 2010, and how many subsequent (i) prosecutions and (ii) convictions there were.

The following tables have been produced in answer to the question above. It should be noted that cases which are reported in any given year may not result in prosecutions or convictions until subsequent years.

Explosives Act 1985

Year	Charges reported	Charges prosecuted	Charges resulting in a conviction
2017	21	7	5
2018	10	2	2
2019	10	7	5
2020	13	1	0
2021	7	3	0

Environmental Protection Act 1990

Year	Charges reported	Charges prosecuted	Charges resulting in a conviction
2017	355	28	13
2018	268	30	13
2019	185	35	15
2020	158	17	7
2021	74	21	11

Fireworks Act 2003

Year	Charges reported	Charges prosecuted	Charges resulting in a conviction
2017	0	0	0
2018	2	1	1
2019	0	0	0
2020	0	0	0
2021	0	0	0

Fireworks (Scotland) Regulations 2004

Year	Charges reported	Charges prosecuted	Charges resulting in a conviction
2017	0	0	0
2018	0	0	0
2019	0	0	0
2020	0	0	0
2021	1	0	0

Antisocial Behaviour (Scotland) Act 2004 [1](where fireworks and/or pyrotechnics were mentioned in the charge).

Year	Charges reported	Charges prosecuted	Charges resulting in a conviction
2017	0	0	0
2018	5	0	0
2019	2	0	0
2020	0	0	0
2021	0	0	0

Manufacture and Storage of Explosives Regulations 2005

Year	Charges reported	Charges prosecuted	Charges resulting in a conviction
2017	0	0	0
2018	0	0	0
2019	0	0	0
2020	0	0	0
2021	0	0	0

Pyrotechnics Articles (Safety) Regulations 2010

Year	Charges reported	Charges prosecuted	Charges resulting in a conviction
2017	0	0	0
2018	0	0	0
2019	0	0	0
2020	0	0	0
2021	0	0	0

[1] These figures are based on a key word search on the relevant database. This is the only viable method by which the figures could be collated. These figures may be imperfect due to the possibility of human error at the reporting stage.

Question reference: S6W-34333

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 31 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Dorothy Bain on 21 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many reports have been made (a) each calendar year and (b) since 1 January 2025 to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) under the Fireworks and Pyrotechnic Articles (Scotland) Act 2022, and how many subsequent (i) prosecutions and (ii) convictions there have been.

The following tables have been produced in answer to the question above. Table 1 shows figures for charges reported under the Fireworks and Pyrotechnic Articles (Scotland) Act 2022, Table 2 shows figures for charges reported with aggravations under the Fireworks and Pyrotechnic Articles (Scotland) Act 2022. It should be noted that cases which are reported in any given year may not result in prosecutions or convictions until subsequent years. Figures for 2025 cover the period from 01 January 2025 to 03 February 2025.

Table 1 Charges reported under the Fireworks and Pyrotechnic Articles (Scotland) Act 2022

Year	Reported Cases	Prosecutions	Convictions
2022	0	0	0
2023	31	20	08
2024	64	28	07
2025	06	0	0

Table 2 Cases reported with aggravations based on the Fireworks and Pyrotechnic Articles (Scotland) Act 2022

Year	Reported Cases	Prosecutions	Convictions
2022	22	2	2
2023	54	9	1
2024	14	10	0
2025	0	0	0