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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: S6O-04184

Asked by: Michelle Thomson, MSP for Falkirk East, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 December 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding any potential impact on households experiencing fuel poverty in Scotland, particularly in rural and off-gas grid areas, what communication it has had with relevant third parties regarding the ending of the Radio Teleswitch Service.

Question reference: S6W-32049

Asked by: Michelle Thomson, MSP for Falkirk East, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 09 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 17 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what the savings will be in 2025-26 as a result of the decision to freeze the basic property rate, broken down by industry sector.

Table 1 shows the estimated net savings to ratepayers from freezing the Basic Property Rate at 49.8p, compared to an inflationary increase to 50.6p. The net estimates include adjustments for reliefs, as well as in-year adjustments such as reductions due to proposals or appeals and write-offs.

The Scottish Government does not hold property-level data on industry sectors. Property class is a classification used by Scottish Assessors to describe the type of property and does not necessarily accurately reflect the use of a property.

Figures are rounded to the nearest 100,000 and may not sum due to rounding.

Table 1: Estimated net savings from freeze to the Basic Property Rate (£)

Source: Scottish Assessors’ Valuation Roll as at 1 October 2024, local authorities’ billing information as at 1 June 2024

Property class	Estimated net savings to ratepayers
Shops	2,300,000
Public houses and restaurants	200,000
Offices	1,700,000
Hotels	100,000
Industrial subjects	2,200,000
Leisure, entertainment, caravans, etc.	300,000
Garages and petrol stations	200,000
Cultural	<50,000
Sporting subjects	100,000
Education and training	200,000
Public service subjects	300,000
Communications	<50,000
Quarries, mines, etc.	<50,000
Petrochemical	<50,000
Religious	<50,000
Health and medical	200,000
Other	300,000
Care facilities	100,000
Advertising	100,000
Statutory undertaking	100,000
All	8,400,000

Question reference: S6O-04134

Asked by: Michelle Thomson, MSP for Falkirk East, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 December 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how its increased funding for mental health services will help improve access to psychological support for people with long-term conditions, such as inflammatory bowel disease.

Question reference: S6F-03622

Asked by: Michelle Thomson, MSP for Falkirk East, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 09 December 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 12 December 2024

To ask the First Minister what plans the Scottish Government has to bring forward legislation to criminalise non-fatal strangulation.

Question reference: S6O-04082

Asked by: Michelle Thomson, MSP for Falkirk East, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 November 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 5 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it can provide an update regarding its consideration of whether to legislate to prescribe the number of learning hours.

Question reference: S6W-31771

Asked by: Michelle Thomson, MSP for Falkirk East, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 November 2024
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Richard Lochhead on 27 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when it will provide an update on the work of its Digital Assets in Scots Private Law Expert Reference Group.

The Digital Assets in Scots Private Law Expert Reference Group has made its findings and recommendations to the Scottish Government, and a consultation on possible legislative reform was published today, 27 November 2024, with a closing date of 5 February 2025. The consultation seeks views on proposals to provide greater legal certainty on the kinds of digital asset that can be objects of property in Scots private law and some key features as to how they would operate in property law. The consultation can be accessed here: https://www.gov.scot/isbn/9781836910510.

Question reference: S6O-04018

Asked by: Michelle Thomson, MSP for Falkirk East, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 November 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to ensure equality of access for adults to the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD or ASD, in light of the finding in a National Autism Implementation Team report in 2021 that the current thresholds for mental health services do not meet the needs of those who have been referred.

Question reference: S6F-03558

Asked by: Michelle Thomson, MSP for Falkirk East, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 18 November 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 21 November 2024

To ask the First Minister when the Scottish Government last met with Ineos or Petroineos to discuss the refinery at Grangemouth.

Question reference: S6O-03946

Asked by: Michelle Thomson, MSP for Falkirk East, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 November 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 13 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what it anticipates the impact of the recent UK Budget will be on funding for Creative Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-30978

Asked by: Michelle Thomson, MSP for Falkirk East, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 October 2024
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Richard Lochhead on 31 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how it has applied its international trade principles and when it plans to publish the next Vision for Trade Annual Report.

I am pleased to announce that the third Annual Report on our progress towards implementing Scotland’s Vision for Trade is being published today and is available at: www.gov.scot/isbn/9781836019084

The Report sets out how the Scottish Government has applied its principles to international trade policy matters, covering the period from July 2023 – October 2024.

Since our last Annual Report, published in Summer 2023, we have taken a range of actions to improve the international trading environment for businesses in Scotland, including stepping up our direct engagement with the business community, supporting the resolution of individual market access barriers and using standards and regulation to support businesses. For example, we collaborated with the British Standards Institution on the introduction of a new voluntary whisky standard which empowers distillers in Scotland to trade internationally.

We are using our principles-based approach to trade to create more opportunities for people to participate in our economy, for example by gaining a better understanding of the cause, impact and potential measures to address the a clear gender export gap, whereby businesses led by women are less likely to export than those led by men.

The tragic events unfolding globally demonstrate why taking such a principles-based approach, with concern for human rights at its core, is so important.

Many trade levers sit with the UK Government, and we are committed to working constructively with the newly-elected UK Government in furthering our shared trade interests.