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-39470

Asked by: Douglas Ross, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 18 July 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 15 August 2025

To ask the Scottish Government when its summit to address the menace of seagulls will be held, and whether the meeting will be (a) open to the public, (b) independently chaired and (c) held in a venue with significant capacity to accommodate any large numbers of people with an interest in this issue.

Question reference: S6W-38731

Asked by: Douglas Ross, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 16 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jackson Carlaw (on behalf of the SPCB) on 26 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body, further to the answer to question S6W-36629 by John Swinney on 3 April 2025 and the answer to question S6W-38203 by Ivan McKee on 11 June 2025, whether all ministers, including the First Minister, received new mandates from the Scottish Parliament's Pay and Pensions Team following the decision to equalise the MSP element of ministers' salaries with that of ��˿�� who are not currently serving ministers from 1 April 2025, and, if so, whether these mandates will be published.

In April 2025, the First Minister, Ministers, and Law Officers received ministerial waiver mandate letters. As the mandates contain data which is personal to the individuals concerned the Scottish Parliament, as a data controller, will not publish them. It is a matter for individuals to decide if they wish to publish information contained within their own mandate letters.

The SPCB publishes up to date information about salaries for MSP, Ministers, Law Officers and Office Holders on its website.

Question reference: S6O-04844

Asked by: Douglas Ross, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 June 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Police Scotland regarding the decision to euthanise police dog Zara in December last year and the subsequent review by the force.

Question reference: S6W-38203

Asked by: Douglas Ross, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 11 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-36629 by John Swinney on 3 April 2025, whether all ministers, including the First Minister, received new mandates from the Scottish Parliament's Pay and Pensions Team following the decision to equalise the MSP element of ministers' salaries with that of ��˿�� who are not currently serving ministers from 1 April 2025, and, if so, whether the Scottish Government will publish all of these mandates.

Ministerial pay is set and administered by the Scottish Parliament and the Scottish Government has no role in this. It is the Scottish Government's understanding that new mandate letters were issued to Ministers, including the Law Officers, by the Scottish Parliament on 8 April 2025. The Scottish Government was not copied into these mandate letters and does not hold them. Any request for the letters to be published should be put to the Scottish Parliament.

Question reference: S6W-37746

Asked by: Douglas Ross, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 6 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6O-04664 by Jenny Gilruth on 15 May 2025, whether it will provide the information requested regarding which of the portfolio questions taken in the Chamber on 24 April 2025 raised matters that fall within the specific responsibilities of the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills, as listed on the Scottish Government website, in light of reported concerns about her missing the session for reasons not related to her ministerial duties.

Portfolio Question Time is an opportunity to raise questions relevant to the portfolio concerned and, as already set out in response to S6O-04664, all of the Education and Skills questions raised on 24 April 2025 were answered by a Minister from the Education and Skills portfolio, in line with rule 13.7 of the Parliament’s standing orders.

As Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills, all matters within the Education and Skills portfolio pertain to my responsibilities.

Question reference: S6O-04741

Asked by: Douglas Ross, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 May 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 4 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will propose the scheduling of time for a parliamentary debate or statement on the works at Union Bridge on the A96 in Keith, in light of reports that ongoing delays have resulted in the trunk road being reduced to one lane with traffic lights for almost a year.

Question reference: S6O-04711

Asked by: Douglas Ross, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 May 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether NatureScot considers and respects the views of local people and businesses when considering applications to control seagulls.

Question reference: S6O-04677

Asked by: Douglas Ross, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 May 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 21 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the economy secretary has had with ministerial colleagues regarding the potential impact on businesses and residents in the Highlands should a visitor levy be introduced.

Question reference: S6O-04664

Asked by: Douglas Ross, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 May 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 15 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government which of the portfolio questions taken in the Chamber on 25 April 2025 raised matters that fall within the specific responsibilities of the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills, as listed on the Scottish Government website, in light of reported concerns about her missing the session for reasons not related to her ministerial duties.

Question reference: S6W-36237

Asked by: Douglas Ross, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 28 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 15 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on how much was spent by local authority social work departments in (a) 2023-24 and (b) 2024-25 on services to help people recover from addiction to alcohol and/or drugs; what proportion of the budget this represented, and what the estimate is for 2025-26.

Local Authority Social Work Services provide broad holistic service coverage and support to individuals with a wide range of needs, and it is a matter for local authorities to allocate, and account for the allocation of, Local Authority funds to those services. For this reason, the Scottish Government does not collect the granular detail of Local Authority Social Work spend on services to aid those affected by problematic use of alcohol and drugs.