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-04115

Asked by: Julie MacDougall, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Reform UK
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 October 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 5 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Bannockburn Rising project, what assessment it has made of whether there will be an increased need for parking and other infrastructure at the site and around Scotland’s other cultural centres where there is planned redevelopment.

Question reference: S7W-04114

Asked by: Julie MacDougall, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Reform UK
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 October 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 5 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what support it is providing to the project, Bannockburn Rising, which aims to revitalise the facilities on the battlesite to increase public understanding and awareness of Scotland's culture and history.

Question reference: S7W-04062

Asked by: Julie MacDougall, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Reform UK
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 October 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 4 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Scottish Sentencing Council paper, Public Perceptions of Sentencing: 2025 Survey Report, published in February 2026, which found that 60% of respondents believed that sentencing for domestic abuse crimes is generally too lenient, what action it is taking to strengthen criminal sanctions against the perpetrators of domestic abuse.

Question reference: S7W-03686

Asked by: Julie MacDougall, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Reform UK
Date lodged: Friday, 25 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 7 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will conduct a full review of the economic impact of recent policies relating to short-term lets, including the Short Term Lets licensing scheme and Visitor Levy.

The Scottish Government monitors tourism sector performance through a range of data sources and stakeholder intelligence. The tourism sector is performing strongly in many areas, including short-term let accommodation - with the number of Scottish short-term let listings in March 2026 10% higher than in March 2025 and 8% higher than pre-pandemic levels in 2019. Guest nights booked in short-term lets also increased by 11% in 2025 compared with 2024, and were 4% higher in June 2026. This compares favourably with the UK as a whole, where demand declined slightly (down 1%). Short-term let occupancy rates in June 2026 (57%) remained stable compared with the previous year and continued to exceed the UK average (47%).

Business and regulatory considerations were one of the impact assessments undertaken during development of the licensing scheme. Since short-term let licensing commenced in 2022, we have already provided written and verbal updates to Parliament in 2023 and 2025, as well as a report published in 2024. In addition, licensing authorities will conduct their own impact assessments as they periodically review, consult and update their policy statements.

The Visitor Levy (Scotland) Act 2024 requires Scottish Ministers to review and report on the operation of the Act, as soon as reasonably practicable 3 years after the first levy scheme comes into effect. The report must set out an assessment of the impact of visitor levy schemes on businesses and communities.

Question reference: S7W-04025

Asked by: Julie MacDougall, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Reform UK
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 October 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 3 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will commit to supporting increased tourism across Fife, in light of data sourced from VisitScotland indicating that the region is ranked on the lower end of tourist numbers for the whole country, recording 1.1 million overnight visitors compared to Edinburgh's 4.5 million visitors and the Highlands' 2.8 million.

Question reference: S7W-03630

Asked by: Julie MacDougall, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Reform UK
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 6 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will make asbestos awareness training mandatory for workers whose duties may bring them into contact with asbestos-containing materials.

Responsibility for asbestos legislation and the related regulations is reserved to the UK Government. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is responsible for asbestos management issues and it would be for the HSE to consider the need for training for workers, on a UK-wide basis, if this is considered to be required.

I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-03629 on 6 October 2026. 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: S7W-03684

Asked by: Julie MacDougall, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Reform UK
Date lodged: Friday, 25 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 6 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will review current rail capacity in Fife and develop a strategy to improve links (a) within Fife and (b) between Fife and Scotland's major cities.

The Scottish Government continually works with Network Rail, ScotRail and other industry partners to monitor rail capacity and connectivity across Scotland, including in Fife.

We are investing in rolling stock and infrastructure to support future passenger demand and improve connectivity. This includes the replacement of Scotland's InterCity High Speed Train fleet, the ongoing ScotRail Suburban Fleet Replacement Programme and delivery of the £311.5 million Fife Electrification Programme.

These investments support improved reliability, capacity and passenger experience on services within Fife and between Fife and Scotland's major cities, and form part of the Scottish Government's wider approach to enhancing Scotland's railway network.

Question reference: S7W-03685

Asked by: Julie MacDougall, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Reform UK
Date lodged: Friday, 25 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 6 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how it is working with the British Transport Police to address crime within and near railway stations, including Lochgelly, which was reported by the Daily Express to be the fourth most dangerous station in Scotland.

The Scottish Government continues to work closely with ScotRail, Network Rail and the British Transport Police (BTP) to prevent and address crime and anti-social behaviour across Scotland's railway network, in order to maximise safety for all passengers and staff.

As part of this, the Scottish Government convened the Rail Enforcement Powers Working Group, which is comprised of key partners across the rail industry including BTP. This Group was tasked with mapping and assessing current enforcement powers and their effectiveness, with a view to considering where these can be strengthened or developed further to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour. The Group published its final report and recommendations earlier this year, and officials at Transport Scotland are currently assessing the feasibility of them.

In relation to Lochgelly station, the BTP has recorded consistently low levels of crime in recent years. Since April 2026, BTP has recorded two offences at the station, both relating to trespass. In 2025-26, BTP recorded eight offences at Lochgelly, with a further eight offences recorded in 2024-25.

Question reference: S7W-03629

Asked by: Julie MacDougall, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Reform UK
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 6 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will commit to a continuous national programme of asbestos training and education to ensure that people are aware of the potential dangers of mesothelioma and other asbestos related illnesses.

Responsibility for asbestos legislation and the related regulations is reserved to the UK Government.

Asbestos is not covered by the Scottish building standards system and Scottish legislation makes no provision for how it is handled, and the Scottish Government currently does not plan to commit to a continuous national programme of asbestos training and education.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is responsible for asbestos management issues and it would be for the HSE to consider the need for training for workers, on a UK-wide basis, if this is considered to be required.

Question reference: S7W-03631

Asked by: Julie MacDougall, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Reform UK
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 6 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what data is currently collected on cases of asbestos-related disease and what plans it has to improve the level of data collected, including whether it will consult on any proposed changes.

Scottish Government does not collect this data.

Asbestos-related diseases include a range of cancers (including mesothelioma and lung cancer), asbestosis and other chronic lung conditions. The majority (85-95%) of mesothelioma cancers are attributable to asbestos exposure.

Public Health Scotland (PHS) operates the Scottish Cancer Registry, which collects cancer incidence data for all cancers in Scotland.

PHS annually publishes incidence for all cancers associated with asbestos exposure (PHS Cancer Incidence publication). However, the Scottish Cancer Registry does not routinely record whether an individual cancer was caused by occupational or environmental asbestos exposure. It is therefore not possible to provide a direct count of asbestos-attributable cancers and other diseases from cancer registration data alone.

Data on hospital care for cancers and other lung conditions associated with asbestos are also available from PHS.