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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-42308

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 December 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 22 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-41435 by Mairi McAllan on 18 November 2025, whether it will provide a list of those specific organisations that it (a) has met or consulted with (i) between 20 November 2024 and 16 January 2025 and (ii) since 17 January 2025 and (b) it plans to consult with in the development of the consultation on accommodation standards for caravans and mobile accommodation for seasonal workers.

As I stated in my previous answer to Question S6W-41435 from Ariane Burgess MSP, initial meetings with stakeholders took place between 20 November 2024 and 16 January 2025 including with local authorities, farmer representatives, farm employers and regulatory bodies. This was to help better understand the situation during the scoping work.

Further meetings will be held with the wider sector when officials are in a position to begin consultation.

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers.

Question reference: S6W-42506

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 December 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 22 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will explore sector-specific non-domestic rates relief options similar to those applied to hospitality businesses in other parts of the UK.

Question reference: S6W-42507

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 December 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 22 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any implications of the draft 2026 revaluation of non-domestic rates for local communities that rely on self-catering accommodation to support population retention and local services.

Draft rateable values for the 2026 revaluation were published on 30 November 2025 but may be subject to change. The final valuation roll will come into effect on 1 April 2026 and the Scottish Government will publish its report on changes in rateable values once final valuations are available.

In the meantime, ministers have received representations from the self-catering accommodation sector regarding the implications of changes in draft rateable values and myself met with the Chief Executive of the Association of Scotland’s Self caterers on 17 December 2025.

Decisions on non-domestic rates policy for 2026-27 including reliefs are considered in the context of the Budget in line with other government priorities and will be set out on in the budget on 13 January 2026.

Question reference: S6W-42505

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 December 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 22 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has undertaken of the feasibility of capping annual increases in non-domestic rates liability for self-catering businesses in order to prevent sharp cost escalation.

Question reference: S6W-42508

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 December 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 22 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to the effect of the draft rateable value increases on the long-term economic resilience of rural areas dependent on tourism.

Question reference: S6W-42509

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 December 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 22 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to support local authorities to manage any potential increases in business distress or closures linked to the draft 2026 revaluation of non-domestic rates for self-catering properties.

The Scottish Budget 2025-26 supported local government with £14.4 billion in revenue funding and the 2026-27 local government finance settlement will be set out in the Scottish Budget on 13 January.

The Scottish Government’s policy towards local authorities’ spending is to allow local authorities the financial freedom to operate independently. As such, the vast majority of funding is provided by means of a block grant. It is then the responsibility of individual local authorities to manage their own budgets and to allocate the total financial resources available to them, including on local economic development teams, on the basis of local needs and priorities.

Question reference: S6W-42468

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Independent
Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 December 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 22 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the decision taken in the UK Budget to provide a permanent business rate discount for retail and hospitality in England from April 2026, what discussions it has had with its Non-Domestic Rates consultative subgroup regarding the possible implications of this for retail investment in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-42627

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Independent
Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 December 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 22 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reported comments in The Scotsman on 16 December 2025 from the Scottish Retail Consortium, Scottish Tourism Alliance, UKHospitality Scotland, ukactive and the UK Cinema Association that, if Scotland does not follow England and introduce a permanent business rate discount for all retail, hospitality and leisure premises, it “would likely shift investment to other parts of the UK”.

Question reference: S6W-42538

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 December 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 22 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will assess any potential knock-on effects on local supply chains, including (a) housekeeping, (b) tradespeople and (c) food producers, should a proportion of self-catering businesses become unviable as a result of the draft 2026 revaluation of non-domestic rates on self-catering properties.

Question reference: S6W-42537

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 December 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 22 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with (a) VisitScotland and (b) enterprise agencies regarding any potential impact of the draft 2026 revaluation of non-domestic rates for self-catering properties on farm diversification and crofting enterprises reliant on tourism income.