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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-34992

Asked by: Ash Regan, MSP for Edinburgh Eastern, Alba Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Kaukab Stewart on 14 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its policy on gender self-identification not being law in Scotland, what measures it has taken to ensure that all policies implemented by public bodies and third-party organisations receiving public funds are legally sound and compliant with existing legislation such as the Equality Act 2010 and the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, as a condition of public funding.

The Scottish Government expects all organisations to comply with all relevant legislation, including the Equality Act 2010 and the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992.

As part of their funding agreements, organisations funded by the Scottish Government must ensure that their policies and practices are legally compliant and uphold their statutory duties, including those related to equality, safety, and workplace protections. Public bodies are responsible for ensuring that their policies align with the legal framework in Scotland, and they must conduct appropriate due diligence when implementing policies.

Question reference: S6O-04475

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 March 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 20 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what recent assessment it has made of the resources given to the Legislation team.

Question reference: S6O-04479

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 March 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 20 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what measures it is taking to support any LGBTQ+ staff whose welfare may be negatively impacted by any increase in the use of language in the Chamber and committees that may be perceived as trans-exclusionary.

Question reference: S6O-04477

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 March 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 20 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what discussions it has had with the Scottish Parliamentary Pension Scheme trustees about investments in Tesla and any other companies that may conflict with the scheme's Statement of Investment Principles.

Question reference: S6O-04474

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Independent
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 March 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 20 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what information it has on for what reason stamps that are issued in the Parliament’s Post Office are not Scotland Country Definitive stamps by default.

Question reference: S6O-04478

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 March 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 20 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether it will consider removing from its catering outlets any products made by companies identified by the UN Human Rights Office as being involved in activities related to illegal Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

Question reference: S6O-04476

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 March 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 20 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body, further to the answer to question S6W-34464, what its position is on whether MSPs should be able to participate in the Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme, in addition to the Armed Forces Visits Programme, should they wish to do so, in light of it being a structured 15-day course with one of the armed services, and it also offering the opportunity to enrol on a Royal College of Defence Studies postgraduate degree level course in strategic leadership and international strategic studies, and it therefore being different in nature.

Question reference: S6W-34970

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 13 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on merging Forestry and Land Scotland and Scottish Forestry (a) into a single organisation or (b) with NatureScot.

Question reference: S6W-34977

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

To ask the Scottish Government what formal representations it has made to the UK Government regarding which sectors in Scotland could be exempted from the planned increase in the rate of employer national insurance contributions, and, if it has made any such representations, which sectors it has specifically raised with the UK Government, and whether this included licensed hospitality.

We have consistently called on the UK Government to reverse in full its decision to increase employer national insurance contributions from April 2025.

The First Minister wrote jointly with COSLA President Shona Morrison to the Chancellor in January, supported by a range of voluntary organisations setting out our serious concern at the impact of this tax change on the third sector.

We have called upon the UKG to take an ‘actual costs’ approach to compensation for increased costs as a result of the increase in employer’s national insurance contributions to all organisations who provide public services.

Question reference: S6W-34968

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 13 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how much it cost to operate the headquarters of (a) Scottish Forestry, (b) Forestry and Land Scotland and (c) NatureScot in 2023-24, and how much has been budgeted for this in 2024-25.