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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-34637

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 07 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 24 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many prisoners have been released under any early release programmes in each of the last five years.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

The following table shows the number of prisoners who were released during the last 5 years under early release arrangements. The numbers provided relate to the 2020 COVID 19 Early Release Scheme and the 2024 Emergency Early Release Regulations:

Year	Number of prisoners released under early release programmes
2020	348
2021	0
2022	0
2023	0
2024	477

Question reference: S6W-34524

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 24 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how important the third sector is to its priority of eradicating child poverty, and what impact (a) inflation has had and (b) the UK Government’s decision to raise employer national insurance contributions will have on that sector’s ability to achieve this goal.

Eradicating child poverty in Scotland is a national mission and this Government’s top priority.

The third sector is a key partner in this work. The Scottish Government greatly values the important role of Scotland’s third sector in providing support for children and families across Scotland – empowering people and enabling communities to thrive – and as a critical friend to both local and national government, helping to guide the action needed.

The latest wave of the longitudinal survey we support through SCVO shows that many third sector organisations are feeling the pressure of rising costs and inflation. Overall, 94% of organisations reported facing challenges, up from 92% in summer 2024.

It is not right that these organisations should be disadvantaged by UK Government policy changes. The Scottish Government has 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 costs.

In the absence of full funding we will be very restricted in the extent to which we can respond.

We recognise this may mean continued challenges for our third sector partners. We are aiming to assist the sector by improving notification of continued funding to third sector organisations and increasing the number of two year grants we can offer as part of our commitment to Fairer Funding.

Question reference: S6W-34179

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 24 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis each emergency service takes into the reason for calls being recorded as hung up or terminated early, including the potential impact on response times and outcomes.

Question reference: S6W-34243

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 31 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 24 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of staff at Food Standards Scotland’s Aberdeen headquarters are engaged in enforcement-related activities.

Question reference: S6W-34280

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 31 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 24 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how Food Standards Scotland monitors the use of additives and preservatives in processed foods.

Additives (including preservatives, colourings, sweeteners, emulsifiers, stabilisers, thickening and gelling agents and antioxidants) must be assessed for safety by Food Standards Scotland (FSS) and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) before they can be used in food production in the UK. A food additive is only approved if; it has been tested and proved to be safe for its intended use; there is a justifiable technological need to use it; and its use does not mislead the consumer. A list of currently authorised food additives can be found here:

Approved additives and E numbers | Food Standards Agency

Manufacturers have a legal obligation to ensure additives are used in accordance with regulations and to provide information about any used in the foods they produce additives (what they do and their name or E number) in the list of ingredients on the packaging.

FSS and FSA undertake regular reviews on the science relating to food additives to inform the need for updating our safety assessments, and work closely with enforcement authorities to ensure that the legal requirements are enforced effectively; with appropriate action taken where problems are identified.

Enforcement authorities (including LA food law officers) will verify compliance with regard to the use of food additives as part of their inspections of food manufacturers. Where appropriate this will involve testing samples of product to ensure the levels do not breach regulatory limits. Further to this, FSS will also target products in its national food sampling programmes where there is intelligence on the potential mis-use of certain additives to inform the targeting of enforcement action or guidance that may be required to strengthen compliance.

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-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-34872

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 24 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many cybersecurity breaches it has experienced in each year since 2021.

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-35130

Current Status: Withdrawn