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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-44377

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2026
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 24 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide the most recent figures on the disability employment gap in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-44349

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 24 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that local authorities comply with data protection requirements when using educational technology platforms that process children’s personal data.

Local authorities are independent data controllers for their use of educational technology and are responsible for ensuring compliance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018, including completing Data Protection Impact Assessments where required.

It is therefore for local authorities to satisfy themselves that any educational technology complies with data protection legislation, alongside local security and safeguarding requirements. As data protection legislation is reserved, enforcement sits with the UK data protection regulator, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

Question reference: S6W-44376

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2026
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 24 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made towards halving the disability employment gap by 2038, and whether it remains on track to meet this target.

We are making progress to meet our commitment to halve the disability employment gap by 2038 to 18.7 p.p. The disability employment rate gap is estimated to have reduced by 5.8 percentage points (p.p.) from 37.4 p.p. in January to December 2016 (our baseline year) to 31.5 p.p. in January to December 2024, and the interim milestone to increase the employment rate for disabled people to 50 per cent by 2023 was met one year early in 2022. Between 2018 and 2024 the Workplace Equality Fund (WEF) provided over £3.1 million funding to 71 projects to reduce labour market barriers for priority groups - providing support, training and advice on workplace culture, to enhance retention and progression of disabled staff.

We have also developed a Fair Work digital resource hub, designed to provide information and signpost to support on the implementation of fair work practices within organisations across Scotland. This includes information on inclusive recruitment and reasonable adjustments for disabled employees. We have provided investment of £5 million in 2025-26 for the delivery of Specialist Employability Support in every Local Authority area, and this is protected in our draft budget for 2026-27. This budget ensures every Local Employability Partnership has funding to implement place and train approaches to support for disabled people and people with long term health conditions.

Question reference: S6W-44352

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 24 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what oversight it has of commercial partnerships between local authorities and technology providers in schools, including any safeguards to ensure that educational priorities and pupil wellbeing are protected.

As with other areas of local service delivery, responsibility for decisions about the use of commercial technology providers in schools, including procurement arrangements, rests with local authorities as part of their statutory role in delivering education. The Scottish Government does not oversee or approve individual commercial partnerships entered into by councils.

The Scottish Government does, however, support the sector through national procurement frameworks that local authorities may choose to use when purchasing goods and services, including digital devices and related technology. These frameworks are developed in line with public procurement legislation and support consistency, value for money and compliance with wider public sector requirements, including around security, sustainability and social value.

Question reference: S6W-44354

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 24 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to roll out the distribution of lockable pouches to restrict mobile phone usage in local authorities across Scotland, following the pilot projects in Queensferry and Portobello high schools.

The Scottish Government’s national guidance on mobile phones in schools supports schools and local authorities to put in place approaches that best meet the needs of their pupils and communities.

Decisions on whether to introduce measures such as lockable pouches remain a matter for individual schools and local authorities. Restrictions currently vary across Scotland, and the use of lockable pouches is one option that can be considered by local authorities as part of their wider engagement and assessment work.

Question reference: S6W-44353

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 24 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what requirements exist for obtaining parental consent where pupils are required to use digital learning platforms that involve the processing or sharing of personal data.

Local authorities are independent data controllers for their use of digital learning platforms in schools are responsible for ensuring that any processing of pupils’ personal data complies with the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018.

Under data protection legislation, controllers must identify and document an appropriate lawful basis for each processing activity. The UK GDPR sets out a number of lawful bases for processing personal data, including consent and the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority. It is for local authorities to determine and justify which lawful basis is appropriate in each case, taking account of the nature and purpose of the processing.

In the context of the delivery of statutory education functions, local authorities will commonly rely on the lawful basis of public task, rather than consent, where the use of digital platforms is deemed necessary to support learning and teaching. Where consent is relied upon, it must meet the requirements of the UK GDPR, including being freely given, specific, informed and capable of being withdrawn.

As data protection legislation is reserved, oversight and enforcement sit with the UK data protection regulator, the Information Commissioner’s Office.

Question reference: S6W-44320

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Independent
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2026
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 24 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any impact of its local government funding settlement on the condition of roads and bridges across the Highland Council area, in light of the reported repair backlog.

As part of the record funding package for Local Government, in 2026-27, Highland Council will receive £665.1 million to fund local services which equates to an extra £32.3 million or an additional 5.1% compared to 2025-26.

The vast majority of funding available to councils is provided by means of a block grant from the Scottish Government with the Scottish Budget also providing Councils with full discretion over decisions on Council Tax. It is then the responsibility of individual local authorities to manage their own budgets and to allocate the total financial resources available to them, including on the maintenance of roads and bridges, on the basis of local needs and priorities.

Question reference: S6W-44341

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2026
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 24 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what seed funding has been allocated to the Scottish Marine Recovery fund in its Budget 2026-27 to allow its establishment.

The Scottish Government has not allocated seed funding for the Scottish Marine Recovery Fund (MRF) within the 2026–27 Scottish Budget as development of a comprehensive suite of compensatory measures to be used by the MRF has to be completed first. This work is progressing at pace and includes the advancement of wider and more strategic measures enabled by the Conservation of Habitats and Species (Offshore Wind) (Miscellaneous Amendments) (Scotland) Regulations 2026, which will come into force on 25 May 2026.

The policy and legislative developments enabled by these regulations will directly inform future decision-making on budgetary provision to seed fund measures, operate the Scottish MRF, and set the charging structure developers will use to apply to the fund.

Question reference: S6W-44309

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2026
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 24 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what upgrades to the A77, excluding maintenance works, are planned for the next five years.

Recommendation 40 in the second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2) recommends that safety, resilience and reliability improvements are made to both routes. This will include, but is not limited to improving junctions, enhancing overtaking opportunities and widening or realigning carriageways to alleviate pinch points such as narrow structures or at stretches of older standard single carriageway.

This recommendation is underway and Transport Scotland are currently exploring the development of previous schemes along the A77, as part of a wider assessment of these and new potential improvements on a route wide basis. This is so that they can be prioritised for improvement, beyond general maintenance schemes.

The Infrastructure Delivery Pipeline, published alongside the Scottish Budget on the 13 January 2026, includes transport projects and programmes including a commitment to develop the necessary business case(s) for improvements to both the A75 and A77. This commitment is aligned to the Scottish Government’s whole portfolio of infrastructure investments, the Spending Review and STPR2.

Question reference: S6W-44343

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2026
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 24 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what timelines officials are working towards to ensure that the Scottish Marine Recovery Fund is set up and accessible as soon as possible, and specifically, what progress has been made in identifying a suitable quantum of measures that will be operationally deliverable.