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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: S6W-36501

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 April 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 1 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what criteria will be used to assess the recycling efficiency of local authorities under the extended producer responsibility scheme, and what the penalties will be for councils that fail to meet these standards.

Question reference: S6W-36499

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 April 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 1 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what measures it will take to ensure that extended producer responsibility scheme funding is allocated to recycling by local authorities.

Question reference: S6W-36503

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 April 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 1 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the extended producer responsibility scheme, how it plans to measure the efficiency and effectiveness of local authorities' recycling services, and what penalties will be imposed if councils do not meet the required standards for recycling performance.

Question reference: S6W-35711

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 17 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 31 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to amending the regulations governing the location of battery energy storage systems to account for any community safety concerns where developments are close to housing and other public amenities and services, such as schools and parks.

We have no current plans for legislative change regarding battery energy storage systems. Our Fourth National Planning Framework (NPF4) guides spatial development, sets out national planning policies, designates national developments and highlights regional spatial priorities. It is an integral part of the development plan and so influences planning decisions across Scotland. NPF4 Policy 11 part e) (energy) recognises that potential impacts on communities and individual dwellings, including residential amenity are important considerations in the decision making process and all applications are subject to site specific assessments.

Question reference: S6W-35654

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 28 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-34608 by Shona Robison on 11 March 2025, whether it is aware of any policy decisions having an impact on the fiscal burden on local authorities as a result of (a) non-teaching staff in educational services increasing individual staff costs and (b) a requirement for a quantity of non-teaching staff to deliver the same educational service, and, if so, how it has factored any such increased burden into its decision-making regarding (a) any such policies and (b) its policies relating to local government funding.

More frequent and meaningful engagement with COSLA and Councils, in the spirit of the Fiscal Framework with Local Government, was fundamental to the decisions that led to record funding of over £15 billion for Local Authorities in the 2025-26 Scottish Budget.

All new policy or changes to existing policy that have a financial cost for local government are routinely considered through the formal financial governance processes including assessment through the joint Scottish Government and COSLA Officers’ Settlement and Distribution Group prior to political endorsement from Scottish Ministers and COSLA Leaders.

As independent corporate bodies, it is then for individual councils to manage their own budgets and workforce.

Question reference: S6W-36149

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 March 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 23 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that eligible businesses in the hospitality sector are aware of and can secure the 40% business rates relief in 2025-26.

Question reference: S6W-36152

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 March 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 23 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government when it will update the non-domestic rates relief webpage, mygov.scot, to include information on hospitality business rates relief.

Question reference: S6W-36150

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 March 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 23 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that local authority areas are informing eligible business of the 40% business rates relief in 2025-26 to properties in the hospitality sector, including grassroots music venues with a capacity of up to 1,500.

Question reference: S6W-36151

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 March 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 23 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what the final date is for eligible businesses in the hospitality sector to apply for 40% business rates relief in 2025-26.

Question reference: S6O-04541

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 March 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 3 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how much it projects to spend on social security by 2029-30, including how much of this it estimates will arise from Barnett consequential funding.