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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-36152

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 8 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government when it will update the non-domestic rates relief webpage, mygov.scot, to include information on hospitality business rates relief.

Question reference: S6W-36221

Asked by: Pam Gosal, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 28 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 8 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to protect (a) it and (b) public bodies from any internal activism that seeks to influence outward-facing policy, including through staff networks.

Civil Servants appointed to the Scottish Government must adhere to the Civil Service Code and Standards of Behaviour. They must act with integrity and impartiality, avoiding any appearance of bias or misuse of position and refrain from using their official role to advance personal interests. Failure to do so could result in disciplinary action being taken up to and including dismissal.

Network activity is governed by a network role descriptor “The core purpose of a staff network is in providing a space for peer support.” Internal Staff networks have no role in informing external policy.

This response addresses only the Scottish Government and its executive agencies. Public bodies have local responsibility for staff management.

Question reference: S6W-36151

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 8 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what the final date is for eligible businesses in the hospitality sector to apply for 40% business rates relief in 2025-26.

Question reference: S6W-36150

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 8 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that local authority areas are informing eligible business of the 40% business rates relief in 2025-26 to properties in the hospitality sector, including grassroots music venues with a capacity of up to 1,500.

Question reference: S6W-35997

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 21 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 8 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many applications each year for a high hedge notice under the High Hedges (Scotland) Act 2013 have have been (a) accepted and (b) rejected, broken down by local authority; how many rejections have been subsequently subject to an appeal to its Directorate for Planning and Environmental Appeals (DPEA), and how many appeals were (i) upheld and (ii) rejected.

Question reference: S6W-36261

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 31 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 8 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how much has been spent to date on the pilot scheme that provides victims in rape and serious assault cases with access to court transcripts.

Question reference: S6W-35988

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 8 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the recently announced council tax increases, what support it can provide to households, and what assessment it has made of the impact of these increases on low-income families.

Throughout engagement with COSLA, councils and opposition parties ahead of the 2025-26 Scottish Budget, there was a clear consensus that councils should have full flexibility for decisions on Council Tax rates. The Scottish Budget delivered that ask in full, as part of a record Local Government Settlement worth over £15 billion including real terms protection of General Revenue Grant, another key ask of COSLA and opposition parties.

Council Tax is a local tax, and decisions on rates are therefore a matter for local authorities to take in consultation with their local communities. Although there are some differences between Scotland and England in how Council Tax works, the average Council Tax bill in Scotland is £344 less than the average bill in England in 2025/26. However, the Scottish Government is providing several forms of support to households in light of recently announced Council Tax increases for 2025-26.

The most financially vulnerable will continue to be protected through the Council Tax Reduction (CTR) scheme. The CTR scheme exists to ensure that nobody in Scotland should have to meet a Council Tax liability they cannot be expected to afford and reduces a household’s liability based on an assessment of their income, capital, and other circumstances. Over 460,000 households receive some level of CTR, and on average recipients save over £850 a year. Anyone who considers they may qualify for this relief should contact their local council directly.

The Scottish Government will invest at least £15.8 million in 2025-26 in welfare, debt and income maximisation advice services to provide support, information and advice to those who may need it. This investment includes funding for The Money Talk Team, delivered by the Citizens Advice Network, helping to maximise incomes and ensure people are receiving all the payments and grants that they are entitled to. More information on the Money Talk Team is available online at: https://moneytalkteam.org.uk/.

Information and support is also available on the Scottish Government’s cost of living website at https://costofliving.campaign.gov.scot/. This web site provides helpful information, advice and signposting for anyone struggling with the ongoing cost crisis.

Households struggling with Council Tax payments will have access to enhanced advice through the expansion of a Citizens Advice Scotland project. This expanded support is backed by an additional £2.2 million in Scottish Government funding. Working in collaboration with local authorities, this project provides targeted help to affected households using best practice techniques in debt management.

Looking further ahead, we have launched a joint engagement program with COSLA to explore reforms aimed at making Council Tax fairer. This includes public consultations, town hall meetings, and expert discussions, ensuring that future changes reflect the needs of all communities.

Question reference: S6W-36182

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 8 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-30074 by Mairi Gougeon on 27 September 2024, and in light of recent media coverage, including a video showing discarded fish on the seabed, how the suite of measures in place to manage fisheries and safeguard fish stocks are tackling illegal discarding.

The fishing industry is heavily regulated, with many rules in place designed to limit unwanted catch. The Scottish Government is tackling illegal discarding primarily through the enforcement of the Landing Obligation, which mandates that all catches of quota species must be landed. This is supported by monitoring and enforcement, including sea patrols, as well as technical and spatial management measures such as selective fishing gear and area closures, with the combined aim to reduce instances of unwanted catches.

Question reference: S6W-36277

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 7 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what public sector organisations have reported cybersecurity breaches in the last three years.

Since 2022, the Scottish Government has been notified of 38 cyber incidents under our Notifiable Scottish Public Sector Cyber Incidents Procedure. This is a voluntary notification procedure. The National Cyber Security Centre advises government departments to withhold specific information that may provide insight into the likelihood of successful attacks, and the Scottish Government follows this advice. The Scottish Government will therefore not provide further details as this may cause substantial harm to the effective conduct of public affairs and the security of our public services.

Question reference: S6W-36350

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 7 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of users of the Thistle safer drug consumption facility has been referred solely to rehabilitation services.

Glasgow City HSCP is refining its reporting systems and cannot yet provide a precise percentage of users referred solely to rehabilitation services. Given the early stage of the facility’s operation, data validation is ongoing.

The service has now recorded over 30 formal referrals to health, care and recovery support. This likely underrepresents engagement with recovery services and is above expectations for so soon after implementation. The Thistle’s primary focus is harm reduction, ensuring vulnerable individuals access a safe environment where recovery support begins. Staff respond to service users’ needs in a person centred manner, supporting them to meet needs they identify.

An independent evaluation is underway, and further data will be shared once reporting systems are improved.