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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-34632

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 07 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 26 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what methods are used for deer culling on land that it owns, and how it ensures humane practices.

Question reference: S6W-34617

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 07 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 26 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what criteria it uses when granting permission for wind turbine developments on land that it owns.

Question reference: S6W-34615

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 07 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 26 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many wind turbines are currently located on land that it owns, broken down by (a) location and (b) capacity.

Question reference: S6W-34031

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 26 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-33090 by Ivan McKee on 16 January 2025, what procurement process was followed to buy each bicycle, and whether it will confirm each bicycle's (a) make, (b) model, (c) cost and (d) country of origin.

The bicycles were not purchased by the Scottish Government, but by the Energy Saving Trust. Details of the two bicycles are:

Bicycle 1: a) Make: Urban Arrow b) Model: Flatbed XL Cargo Line 500Wh with Flight Case c) Cost: No cost to Scottish Government, as it was gifted. d) Country of origin: the Netherlands.

Bicycle 2: a) Make: Butcher and Bicycles b) Model: Mk1 Vario c) Cost: No cost to Scottish Government, as it was gifted d) Country of origin: Denmark.

Question reference: S6W-34869

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Kaukab Stewart on 26 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding it has provided to Scottish Trans in each year since 2021, and what the objectives of that funding were.

Scottish Trans is funded by the Equality and Human Rights Fund through the Equality Network. The Equality Network’s funding covers their general LGBTI project and the Scottish Trans Alliance project. The Equality Network received £503,322 in 2021-22, £503,207 in 2022-23, £503,265 in 2023-24 and £503,265 for the period 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025.

The objectives of the funding are:

People have greater access to their human rights and how to access them
People with protected characteristics have increased participation in public life
People with protected characteristics have increased influence in decisions that affect them
The Scottish Government has better access to data and depth of information about the experiences of people with protected characteristics
The experience of people with protected characteristics is increasingly used to inform the policy and practice of public bodies

Question reference: S6W-34859

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 26 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will work with Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) and Edinburgh Trams Ltd to extend the discount available to those aged under 22 from Glasgow and Edinburgh to other young people in Scotland who hold a Scottish National Entitlement Card or Young Scot National Entitlement Card.

The Scottish Government provides funding for the National Concessionary Bus Travel Schemes for Older and Disabled People and for Young People which provide free bus travel throughout Scotland for eligible National Entitlement Card holders.

We have no plans to extend the Young Persons Free Bus Travel Scheme to Edinburgh trams or the Glasgow subway.

Local authorities have discretionary powers under the Transport Act 1985 to provide and fund local concessionary travel schemes for their residents. The extent and terms of any such scheme are for individual local authorities to decide.

Although the Scottish Government contributed to the cost of the trams and the Glasgow Underground, it is for City of Edinburgh Council and Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) to determine whether to offer travel concessions for those travelling on these services.

Question reference: S6W-34036

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 26 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question by S6W-33053 by Shona Robison on 21 January 2025, what the cost was of contracting media planning and buying agencies in each of the last five years.

Total spend with media agencies over the last five years (2019-2024) was £50,729,800.33, as published here Marketing spend - Marketing spend - gov.scot

Media planning and buying is placed by call-off from the Media Planning, Buying and Associated Services framework (Ref: SP-23-05). The work is competed through the Framework and tenders are evaluated for value and quality. Framework suppliers when bidding are required to provide full detailed costs against indicative volumes, using the price guarantees set under the Framework.

Where appropriate media spend is audited for value against the Framework pricing as well as quality by an independent media auditor on a six monthly basis.

Question reference: S6W-34616

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 07 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 26 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what revenue it has received from rental payments for wind turbines located on land that it owns in each of the last five years.

Question reference: S6W-34633

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 07 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 26 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what revenue it has received from deer culling activities on land that it owns in each of the last five years.

Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) is the executive agency which manages Scotland’s national forests and land. The majority of deer management on land owned by the Scottish Government is undertaken by FLS. Alongside land owned by the Scottish Government, public bodies also manage deer on public land they are responsible for. This includes NatureScot and Scottish Water. Further detail on the revenue these organisations have received from deer management activities is as follows.

Forestry and Land Scotland

FLS income from deer carcasses, the associated bye-products and fees from leases/permissions for recreational stalking, has amounted to:

Year	Amount
2019-20	£1750000
2020-21*	£835000
2021-22	£1280000
2022-23	£1440000
2023-24	£1700000

*(reduced culling activity due to Covid-19)

NatureScot

NatureScot revenue is approximately £55,000 in each of the last five years except from in 2020-21 when there was reduced culling activity due to Covid-19. This is includes revenue from stalking leases and venison sales.

Scottish Water

Scottish Water's income from deer management comes from the rent for sporting rights at Backwater and Lintrathen, the total rental income over the last five years comes to £77,000. However, at Backwater this income includes grouse as well as deer, so the total income from deer culling activities will be lower. In addition, there is a lease for shooting at Little Ballo which includes for red deer in the sum of £500 per annum over the last five years.

Question reference: S6W-34293

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 26 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government when it will update the Social Security Scotland IT system to address the reported issue with carer support payment being treated as income for council tax purposes.

These issues are not caused by Social Security Scotland systems. They are being caused by the way DWP systems are sharing information about Carer’s Allowance and Carer Support Payment awards, which is impacting a small number of carers’ wider support including Housing Benefit, Council Tax Reduction and Universal Credit. We are engaging with DWP who are continuing to investigate. DWP have issued advice to Local Authorities and Universal Credit staff setting out how to access the correct data to administer their benefits. Any carers who are experiencing problems or have any concerns with their Housing Benefit or Council Tax Reduction should contact their local authority, or contact DWP for any concerns with their Universal Credit, who can investigate their award and correct any issues.