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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: S6W-38832

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Claire Baker (on behalf of the SPCB) on 16 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body how much waste generated by the Scottish Parliament will be transported to England once the Scottish Government's landfill ban comes into effect at the end of 2025, and what excess carbon dioxide will be generated as a result.

Currently no waste generated by the Scottish Parliament is sent to landfill. General waste is sent to the Viridor Energy Recovery Centre in Dunbar and food waste is sent to the Anaerobic digestion centre at Millerhill. Other materials such as paper and glass are recycled. We expect this to remain the same when the Scottish Government's landfill ban comes into effect at the end of 2025. Carbon emissions from all waste processing including recycling are included in our Sustainable Development Annual Report.

Question reference: S6W-37253

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 16 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to any implications for community safety in Scotland, whether the Minister for Business raised the issue of alleged "secret Chinese police stations" on his recent trip to China.

During my visit, I raised concerns about China’s human rights record.

Any foreign country that operates within Scotland, must abide by Scottish law. The Scottish Government fully supports individuals’ rights to freedom of expression, which is an extremely important principle.

Investigations into infringements of law and civil rights are a matter for law enforcement agencies. As a matter of long-standing policy we will not comment on the detail of security.

Question reference: S6W-38948

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 16 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will rule out using income generated from any new or increased taxation to fund a minimum income guarantee.

We have no plans to change tax policy in Scotland to finance a Minimum Income Guarantee. As part of Scotland's Tax Strategy, the Scottish Government has committed to exploring the reforms needed to continue to deliver sustainable and growing tax revenues in the future.

The independent Minimum Income Guarantee Expert Group commissioned a range of research to support their recommendations. We thank them for this work and will take the time to respond in due course.

Question reference: S6W-38881

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 16 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether Social Security Scotland (SSS) will follow the example of Scotland's local authorities and NHS boards by creating a network of armed forces and veterans champions within SSS to (a) help raise awareness of issues faced by the armed forces community, veterans and their families and (b) protect veterans' rights when accessing services.

Social Security Scotland is committed to supporting the Armed Forces Community, including veterans and their families.

Following publication of the Scottish Veterans Commissioner’s report and recommendations on veterans’ experiences in accessing benefits in June 2025, the organisation is actively exploring ways to strengthen its support for veterans and service members.

Senior Social Security Scotland officials have met with the Minister for Veterans and held constructive discussions with key organisations, including BLESMA and the Scottish Veterans Commissioner, which aim to deepen understanding and gather insights and information on supporting veterans.

Question reference: S6W-38791

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 16 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has undertaken with stakeholders regarding a workable solution to enable patients in Scotland to take part in proton beam therapy clinical trials, and what the estimated timeline is for the conclusion of any such work.

Scottish Government Officials have held 2 stakeholder meetings including representatives from the NHS Boards to discuss access for patients in Scotland to Proton Beam Therapy clinical trials delivered at the Christie NHS Foundation Trust Proton Beam Therapy Centre in Manchester.

These meetings took place on 23 January 2025 and 23 April 2025. In addition officials have held numerous calls with individual stakeholders.

Question reference: S6W-38758

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 16 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the report, Older People’s Economic Wellbeing Index: Scotland 2024–25, by Independent Age, which found that almost one in four (24%) older people with a health condition are not aware of Pension Age Disability Payment or its predecessor, Attendance Allowance, how it will raise awareness of the financial support available to older disabled people.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that everyone takes up the support to which they are entitled and has worked closely with stakeholders in designing Pension Age Disability Payment and promoting take-up.

This includes ensuring that people can apply in the way that suits them best, including online, by phone, through paper form or in person through our Local Delivery service, and an extensive marketing campaign, including through social media, paid advertising and engaging directly with people in their communities. This summer Social Security Scotland will carry out a further marketing campaign to reach older people who may be eligible for support.

Question reference: S6W-38818

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 16 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many children and young people living in temporary accommodation have been required to move school in each year since 1999, broken down by local authority area.

Question reference: S6W-38792

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 16 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what the Chief Scientist Office’s budget for excess treatment costs has been in each of the last five years.

Question reference: S6W-39127

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 July 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 15 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any (a) disruption and (b) health implications reportedly caused by wind turbines, and what consideration it has given to changing its planning policy for wind turbines, in light of reports that subaudible, low-frequency noise emissions can have an impact on people’s health.

Guidance on the assessment of noise from onshore wind turbines across the UK is set out in the UK Government’s ETSU-R-97 guidance. The UK Government is currently consulting on an update which aims to bring the guidance in line with available evidence on turbine noise emissions, developments in turbine technology, and wind turbine noise assessment methodologies. The UK Government intends to issue a formal response to the consultation in Autumn 2025, and has advised that the current guidance remains suitable for assessing wind turbine noise in the meantime.

The Scottish Government’s National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) policy 11 (energy) requires that wind energy project design and mitigation will demonstrate how impacts on communities and individual dwellings, including from noise, are addressed. Having an established and consistent policy framework enables confidence in the planning system and we have no current plans to amend NPF4.

Question reference: S6W-39095

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 July 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 15 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether a new reporter will consider the planning appeal for the proposed development at Lomond Banks, in light of it being called in by the Scottish Ministers.