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-04492

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 March 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how much it has allocated in its Budget to fund applications to the Rural Affordable Homes for Key Workers Fund, including from housing associations where there have been housing stock transfers from a local authority.

Question reference: S6F-03892

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 10 March 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 13 March 2025

To ask the First Minister, regarding any potential impact on planning legislation in Scotland, what the Scottish Government's response is to reports that the UK Government has proposed giving people living near power infrastructure hundreds of pounds off their bills each year.

Question reference: S6O-04337

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 February 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 20 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what research it has recently completed into the efficacy and standardisation of the presumption of inclusion in mainstream education.

Question reference: S6F-03735

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 20 January 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 23 January 2025

To ask the First Minister, in light of the inauguration of Donald Trump as US President, and the reported prospect of import tariffs, what sectors of Scottish business it anticipates may be most affected.

Question reference: S6O-04211

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 January 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 16 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what discussions it has had with the UK Government transport secretary regarding the £5 million contribution that the previous administration made towards a feasibility study into the extension of the Borders railway.

Question reference: S6F-03648

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 16 December 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 19 December 2024

To ask the First Minister whether the Scottish Government will encourage the public not to buy puppies or dogs during the festive period, in light of the reported possibility that these may be the product of irresponsible breeders, including illegal puppy farms.

Question reference: S6O-04128

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 December 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any specific impact on tenant farmers in Scotland of the announced changes to agricultural property relief on inheritance tax.

Question reference: S6O-04091

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S6O-04085

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 November 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 5 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to the provision of support for children with additional support needs, what assessment it has made of any impact of the reported delays to ADHD assessments for children on their education.

Question reference: S6W-31080

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 19 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether there is any means by which the owner of an XL bully dog can obtain a court order authorising a late application for inclusion on the Index of Exempted Dogs, other than following seizure of the dog and a conviction under section 1(3) of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, as amended by the Dangerous Dogs (Designated Types) (Scotland) Order 2024.

XL Bully owners in Scotland had from 1 April 2024 to 31 July 2024 to apply to the Scottish Government for a Certificate of Exemption for their XL Bully dog, to allow them to legally keep their dog. Under the relevant legislation that set these dates, the time period for applications for a Certificate of Exemption to keep an XL Bully dog has closed.

The only means by which an exemption can be granted now is as follows.

The XL Bully dog is on the list of prohibited dogs under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991.

Following the passing of the Dangerous Dogs (Amendment) Act 1997, it continued to be the case that it is a criminal offence to own a prohibited type of dog, but following a conviction the court has discretion in sentencing so that a dog of this type is not always required to be destroyed where an owner was found to have kept a dog in breach of the legislation.

The court can, as an alternative to ordering the destruction of the dog, authorise a person owning such a dog to be able to apply to place the dog on the Index of the Exempted Dogs. Only courts can direct that an owner can be authorised to apply for a dog to be placed on the Index of Exempted Dogs.

The Scottish Government does not have any role to play in the decision making of the independent court when it considers how to dispose of cases, but will of course consider any application for exemption on the back of any court direction that would permit the owner of an XL Bully dog to apply to Scottish Ministers to seek a Certificate of Exemption.