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 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.

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Question reference: S7W-01212

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 22 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 13 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of its Budget 2026-27 that was allocated to grants for piers and harbours will be spent on Ardrossan Harbour.

Question reference: S7W-01209

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 22 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 9 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is planning to take in 2026 to engage with (a) CalMac, (b) CMAL, (c) island stakeholders and (d) trade unions on proposals to reform the governance of public ferry contracts.

Scottish Ministers are committed to reforming our public sector to ensure the delivery of excellent public services in a fiscally sustainable manner. Delivering such services is core to the government’s mission. The role of Public Service Reform is to deliver that mission, building confidence that the government is on Scotland’s side and can be trusted to take the next step in our constitutional journey.

Any reform of ferry services will be taken forward as part of this and will involve engagement with stakeholders. Parliament will be updated on any decisions in the normal fashion.

Question reference: S7W-01210

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 22 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 9 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a list of the routes in the current Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services contract (CHFS3) for which a Community Needs Assessment has been completed.

The Community Needs Assessments (CNAs) for the Cowal and Rosneath were published on 11 September 2024. Further CNAs are currently in progress and are expected to be completed by the end of this year. These cover the following:

1.Coll, Colonsay, Iona, Kerrera, Lismore, Mull and Tiree

2.Outer Hebrides, Small Isles, Skye and Raasay

The intention is to commence work on the remaining CNAs in the Clyde and Hebrides during 2026 subject to agreed staff and budget resource.

Question reference: S7W-01211

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 22 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 9 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to review the findings from CalMac’s deck space reservation pilot on Mull, Coll and Tiree ferry services.

Question reference: S7W-01213

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 22 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 9 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any impact that restoring roll-on roll-off ferry connections between Scotland and France would have on (a) rail freight (i) infrastructure and (ii) capacity, and (b) jobs in Scotland.

The Scottish Government has not made an assessment of the impact of a ferry service between Rosyth and Dunkirk. The decision to introduce an international ferry service is a commercial consideration for the ferry operator and relevant port authorities.

The Scottish Government and its agencies continue to support the wider development of our ports and the potential for new direct freight and passenger ferry services linking Scotland to Europe. We are happy to work with any ferry operator to explore opportunities to promote a new service.

Question reference: S7W-01208

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 22 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 8 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how many jobs have been created in designated tax and customs sites in the (a) Forth and (b) Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeports since March 2024 to date.

The tax sites in Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeport were designated in April 2024 and those of Forth Green Freeport in June 2024. Since then, both Green Freeports have been working up their full business cases, which were signed off in autumn 2025, whilst also promoting the tax sites to investors. This has been showing early signs of success, including for example Sumitomo's £350 million new subsea cable factory at Port of Nigg and Quantum Capital Group's £300 million financing for the development of the Ardersier Energy Transition Facility.

The current, early phase of Green Freeports programme is focused on site preparation and construction of facilities, like Sumitomo's factory. This results in the creation of short-term construction job opportunities, with long term job creation expected to follow thereafter.

Job creation by companies located in the tax and customs sites is monitored through bi-annual data collections from the Green Freeports, showing 32 new direct jobs created at Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeport and one new direct job at Forth Green Freeport since the designation of the tax sites and 30 September 2025. The Green Freeports also report that construction work, with associated indirect employment (not captured in the formal monitoring), is underway at tax sites in Grangemouth, Rosyth, Nigg and Inverness. At the latter two, Green Freeports advise that approximately 250 construction staff are supporting delivery of the projects on site.

Question reference: S7W-01214

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 22 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 8 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with the accountable bodies for the (a) Forth and (b) Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeports regarding compliance by employers in designated tax and customs sites with Fair Work Charter conditions.

Question reference: S7W-01439

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 July 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 29 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether the terms of reference for the Independent Commission on the Criminalisation of the Purchase of Sex have been finalised and, if so, when they will be published.

Question reference: S7W-01440

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 July 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 29 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government when the Independent Commission on the Criminalisation of the Purchase of Sex will appoint its panel of experts.

Question reference: S7W-01441

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 July 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 29 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what direction, if any, Scottish Ministers have provided to the Independent Commission on the Criminalisation of the Purchase of Sex regarding the inclusion of women who have exited prostitution on the Commission’s panel of experts.