Questions and answers

Chamber and committees

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 ��˿�� 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: S6O-05303

Asked by: Paul McLennan, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 December 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 17 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the Royal College of Psychiatrists in Scotland on its proposal, The future of provision for neurodevelopmental conditions.

Question reference: S6F-04511

Asked by: Paul McLennan, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 01 December 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 4 December 2025

To ask the First Minister whether he will provide an update on the Scottish Government's latest engagement with the UK Government regarding any impact on poverty levels in Scotland of the freeze to Local Housing Allowance.

Question reference: S6W-42017

Asked by: Paul McLennan, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 November 2025
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Natalie Don-Innes on 20 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government when it will lay the proposal for the first Children’s Rights Scheme before the Scottish Parliament.

I am pleased to announce that today, World Children’s Day, I have laid before Parliament, Scotland’s first ever Children’s Rights Scheme. The proposal for the Scheme is available at:

Section 14 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (Incorporation) (Scotland) Act 2024 (the Act) requires Scottish Ministers to make such a Scheme setting out the arrangements they have made, or propose to make, to ensure they comply with the compatibility duty under section 6 of the Act and to secure better or further effect of the rights of children. Section 15 provides for the proposed Scheme to be laid before the Scottish Parliament, which I have duly done.

Engagement on a draft Scheme was undertaken with children and young people; the Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland; the Scottish Human Rights Commission; and Together (Scottish Alliance for Children’s Rights).

World Children’s Day is UNICEF’s global day of action for children, marking the adoption, by United Nations General Assembly, of the in 1989. The Scottish Government is proud to mark this by setting out to Parliament and to the people of Scotland what we are already doing, and planning to do, to help to ensure that children’s rights are at the heart of everything we do. The Scheme builds on last year’s incorporation of the UNCRC into Scots law within the limits of our devolved competence.

Question reference: S6W-38923

Asked by: Paul McLennan, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 23 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 18 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will outline its plans for ensuring that island biosecurity, which is a commitment under the National Islands Plan and Goal 6 of the Convention on Biological Diversity, continues to be addressed throughout the island network when the current Biosecurity for Scotland project draws to a close in March 2026.

The Biosecurity for Scotland project is currently leading a series of co-design workshops to develop a plan for a long-term biosecurity programme and discussions are taking place around securing funding for this work beyond March 2026. The project has received over £350,000 from the Scottish Government’s Nature Restoration Fund.

In addition, work is underway on developing a Scottish Plan for Invasive Non-native Species Prevention, Surveillance and Control which we aim to publish later this year. In developing our plan we will be considering what measures we need to put in place to ensure the continued biosecurity of Scotland’s islands. In particular we recognise that it is vital that Scotland’s globally important seabird populations are protected from invasive mammalian predators such as rats and mice. Discussions are underway with NatureScot and stakeholders to ensure the new National Islands Plan features tangible actions in support of our islands’ biosecurity, including in relation to invasive non-native species.

Question reference: S6W-15916

Asked by: Paul McLennan, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 13 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 27 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in the event that any bids that it receives for National Park status cover contiguous or overlapping areas, whether the Scottish Ministers will be able to consider combining those bids into one larger National Park.

The Scottish Government has committed to designating at least one new National Park in Scotland during this parliamentary session provided relevant legal conditions can be met. In the Spring we will publish a draft evaluation framework with proposed selection criteria before opening the nominations process for new National Parks later this year.

We are aware of several areas which are interested in National Park status, including some which have well established campaigns. Through the nominations process, we will ask interested parties to register their interest and submit a nomination. We intend to make support available to local groups and organisations wishing to submit a nomination, for example to help arrange and host local discussions and workshops.

All proposals for New National Parks that are received will be assessed against the criteria set out in the evaluation framework and a report will be prepared. A panel of experts will then review the evaluation report and will provide advice to Scottish Ministers on which nomination or nominations should be considered for National Park designation. In theory it would be possible for the panel to recommend that overlapping or contiguous areas are considered.

Question reference: S6W-15991

Asked by: Paul McLennan, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 25 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has been advised by the UK Government of any Barnett consequential funding regarding the announcement in the Spring Budget of a one-year fund made up of £40 million to make swimming pools more energy efficient in the long term and £23 million in grants to leisure centres with swimming pools that are facing immediate cost pressures, including in relation to energy bills.

The Scottish Government have been advised by HM Treasury that Barnett consequentials will be passed to the Scottish Government as a result of the £63m swimming pool support package announced by the UK Government.

As you will be aware any Barnett consequentials will be added to the Scottish block as a whole and Scottish Ministers will decided how best to allocate resources. As part of this process, consideration will be given to what support can be provided to the sport and leisure sector in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-16167

Asked by: Paul McLennan, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 March 2023
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Michael Matheson on 24 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the Innovation and Targeted Oil and Gas (INTOG) decarbonisation seabed leasing round, and what the next steps are for INTOG.

Crown Estate Scotland will announce today (24 March 2022) the outcomes their evaluation of applications to the Innovation and Targeted Oil and Gas decarbonisation (INTOG) offshore wind leasing round.

In total 13 projects were successful and will be offered exclusive development rights over areas of seabed in Spring 2023.

Five new innovative wind projects (with a potential generation capacity of 449MW) were successful, providing opportunities for the new growth sector of hydrogen production, novel commercial solutions and stimulation of the supply chain.

To support secure energy supplies and the decarbonisation of fossil fuel production and extraction in Scottish waters, eight projects (totalling 4.96GW) providing green electricity directly to oil and gas platforms were also successful.

A full sustainability appraisal to support the INTOG planning process is underway and a public consultation later in 2023 will be carried out by Scottish Government, on a draft Sectoral Marine Plan. INTOG projects in the final adopted plan will be offered full Option Agreements by Crown Estate Scotland in 2024 and the consenting process can then proceed.

Question reference: S6W-15824

Asked by: Paul McLennan, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 10 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 21 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how it engages with the Ministry of Defence regarding objections to wind farm projects within the 50km safeguarding zone at Eskdalemuir.

If the Ministry of Defence objects to an application for consent for a wind farm which impacts on the Eskdalemuir seismic array, then the Scottish Government would not proceed to consent the application unless that objection is withdrawn.

In cases where further information is provided by an applicant or changes are made to a proposal to overcome an objection, there will be further consultation to establish if the Ministry of Defence are content to remove their safeguarding objection.

Question reference: S6O-02036

Asked by: Paul McLennan, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 March 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 22 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to celebrate and mark St Andrew's Day 2023.

Question reference: S6O-01929

Asked by: Paul McLennan, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 February 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 23 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its Hydrogen Action Plan, including regarding the role that local authorities can play in defining demand.