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: S6W-28498

Asked by: Audrey Nicoll, MSP for Aberdeen South and North Kincardine, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 05 July 2024
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Angela Constance on 8 July 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the ministerial statement on 16 May 2024, when it plans to publish a consultation on proposals to change how long-term prisoners are released.

A Scottish Government public consultation has been published today on a proposal to change the release process for long-term prisoners. This is further to my statement to Parliament of 16 May 2024 about actions required to address the rising prison population.

The consultation seeks views on amending the point at which most long-term prisoners are released under supervision in the community ahead of the end of their sentence. The consultation includes a specific proposal for this point of release to be following two thirds of sentence.

This would mean that the affected prisoners spend less time in custody and more time in the community. In the community, they would be subject to licence conditions, supervision, and recall. Public and victim safety would remain an absolute priority, with specific support and supervision in place reflecting the outcomes of individualised risk assessment.

In addition to helping reduce the pressures on the prison estate, this proposal is also intended to better support the reintegration of long-term prisoners by providing those leaving prison with a more managed return to their communities, with access to the community supports and rehabilitation they need for a longer period of time.

This proposal forms part of a range of measures designed to respond to the rising prison population and responses will inform legislation to be introduced later in 2024.

The consultation paper can be found at .

Question reference: S6F-03277

Asked by: Audrey Nicoll, MSP for Aberdeen South and North Kincardine, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 24 June 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 June 2024

To ask the First Minister, regarding the impact on child poverty levels in Scotland, what assessment the Scottish Government has made of recent research from the IFS on the impact of the two-child benefit cap.

Question reference: S6O-03579

Asked by: Audrey Nicoll, MSP for Aberdeen South and North Kincardine, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 June 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 13 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when it last engaged with Aberdeen City Council in relation to reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete.

Question reference: S6O-03471

Asked by: Audrey Nicoll, MSP for Aberdeen South and North Kincardine, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 May 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 23 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when the Young Persons’ (Under 22s) Free Bus Travel scheme was last reviewed.

Question reference: S6O-03436

Asked by: Audrey Nicoll, MSP for Aberdeen South and North Kincardine, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 May 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 16 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when the Scottish Funding Council's subject price groups for higher education were last reviewed.

Question reference: S6W-27336

Asked by: Audrey Nicoll, MSP for Aberdeen South and North Kincardine, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 May 2024
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Shona Robison on 7 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the timing of the 2024 Medium-Term Financial Strategy, draft Tax Strategy and reset of the Infrastructure Investment Plan Pipeline.

The Medium-Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) sets out the Scottish Government’s strategy for delivering fiscal sustainability, the economic and fiscal outlooks for the next five years and key fiscal risks over the medium term.

The MTFS was due to be published on Thursday 30 May. The MTFS was due to published as part of a suite of publications including the draft Tax Strategy, and the Infrastructure Investment Plan Annual report, which will include the reset of the pipeline. However, as a result of the resignation of the previous First Minister these will need to be postponed. This decision was based on several factors, with key policy decisions unable to take place to meet agreed deadlines with the Scottish Fiscal Commission (SFC), who were due to provide updated fiscal and economic forecasts alongside the MTFS on 30 May.

We recognise the vital role these documents play in allowing this Parliament to conduct pre-Budget scrutiny and will communicate a new date for publication as soon as possible. We have also asked the SFC to pause work on developing its forecasts, with this recommencing once a new date has been agreed.

Question reference: S6W-26983

Asked by: Audrey Nicoll, MSP for Aberdeen South and North Kincardine, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 April 2024
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 24 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when the next paper in the Building a New Scotland series will be published.

The Scottish Government continues to deliver on its commitment to build the case for an independent Scotland within the EU, through the development of a prospectus to give people the information they need to make an informed choice about their future. I’m pleased to confirm that on 25 April we will publish the thirteenth paper in the Building a New Scotland series ‘Building a New Scotland: Justice in an independent Scotland’.

The paper sets out how independence would give Scotland the powers to take all the decisions in justice areas that are currently reserved, creating opportunities for more focused and creative action on some of the most challenging issues facing our society, such as drugs and gambling. The paper also describes how Scotland would be an open, engaged and positive international partner, able to play a key role in justice issues across borders, particularly around counter-terrorism, cybercrime and serious organised crime.

The Scottish Government is continuing to prepare further papers in the Building a New Scotland series and these will be published shortly. I can also confirm that the matters raised in this publication will be taken forward as part of a future debate on BaNS publications in the Scottish Parliament.

‘Building a New Scotland: Justice in an independent Scotland’ is available to view on the Scottish Government website from 25 April at

Question reference: S6O-03344

Asked by: Audrey Nicoll, MSP for Aberdeen South and North Kincardine, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 April 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support the Universities Scotland 40 Faces campaign.

Question reference: S6O-03298

Asked by: Audrey Nicoll, MSP for Aberdeen South and North Kincardine, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 April 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 17 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what recent engagement it has had with the UK Government regarding Scotland's agricultural funding post-2025.

Question reference: S6T-01903

Asked by: Audrey Nicoll, MSP for Aberdeen South and North Kincardine, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 25 March 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman’s report on how women born in the 1950s were affected by increases to the state pension age, and given that women are more likely to live in poverty than men, what assessment it has made of the potential impact that changes to the state pension age have had on the poverty rate among women in Scotland.