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-00756

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Simita Kumar on 12 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding its strategy, A Connected Scotland, whether it has published (a) the interim report, which was scheduled for publication in 2024, (b) the final report and (c) look ahead, which were scheduled for publication in early 2026, and, if so, whether it will provide links to those publications.

Progress against delivery of A Connected Scotland is monitored and reported through the Social Isolation and Loneliness Advisory Group (SIALAG), which will be chaired by the Minister for Equalities and International Development.

In recognition of the significant impact being delivered by funded activity, and the continued importance of tackling social isolation and loneliness, the Scottish Government has extended the Social Isolation and Loneliness Fund to March 2027. This means total funding for 2026-27 will amount to over £1.05 million. The fund will be evaluated on its completion. Work is underway with SIALAG members to consider the future priorities of the social isolation and loneliness programme, as such the 2026 report has been delayed to bring it in line with this work and the conclusion of the fund.

Question reference: S7O-00081

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 June 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 17 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will reconsider its plan to reorganise neonatal care across Scotland, in light of reports that it could result in the downgrading of essential units, including the service at Ninewells Hospital.

Question reference: S7W-00655

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 29 May 2026
Current Status: Answered by Kirsten Oswald on 9 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the Scottish National Party 2026 manifesto pledge to commit £10 million over three years to introduce a Police Scotland Retail Crime Taskforce, what the timeline is for this rollout.

The Scottish Government confirmed that a further £3 million was available to help Police Scotland tackle retail crime in its budget for 2026-27. This will ensure that the service can build upon its work carried out the previous year, which included the creation of its Retail Crime Taskforce.

Spending plans for 2027-28 and 2028-29 were outlined in the Scottish Spending Review 2026. Decisions on future budgets will be taken as part of the budget setting processes.

Question reference: S7W-00656

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 29 May 2026
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 9 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will increase police funding in line with inflation, in order to prevent further reductions to community policing.

Scotland’s police service will always be visible and at the heart of our communities. Police Scotland are keeping people safe every day as shown by recorded crime falling by half since 1991.

Using the GDP deflator, the 2026-27 Scottish Police Authority (SPA) Budget has increased in real terms compared to the opening 2025-26 budget.

In 2026-27, the Scottish Government is providing record funding of over £1.7 billion for policing, a total budget increase of £81.5 million, or 5% compared to the published 2025-26 Autumn Budget Revision (ABR) budget. This record investment continues to allow Police Scotland to recruit new officers and to maintain officer numbers at 16,500.

It is for the SPA, working with the Chief Constable, to determine how to allocate this budget to meet policing priorities, as outlined in the Police Scotland Three year Business Plan.

Question reference: S7W-00654

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 29 May 2026
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 8 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the Scottish National Party 2026 manifesto commitment to "reduce the hours police officers need to spend in courts and hospitals, including through the expansion of mental health triage cars to reduce the pressure on police when people are reported as being in mental health distress and ensure they are in our communities more", what reforms it proposes to introduce.

Scottish Ministers will be considering options with the Scottish Ambulance Service to increase the availability of this service across Scotland, this will be informed by an evaluation of the current three sites funded by the Scottish Government in Glasgow, Inverness and Dundee. We expect the evaluation to be available by the end of summer 2026.

There are a number of public sector reform programmes currently underway in justice, including Summary Case Management (SCM) and the Digital Evidence Sharing Capability to reduce police time spent at court. The national rollout of SCM across all sheriffdoms was completed in January 2026. A report published in May 2026 estimates that, during the rollout period, over 100,000 fewer police officers were cited to give evidence. These reforms are improving efficiency across the system by reducing unnecessary trials, minimising witness citations, and helping to address court backlogs.

Question reference: S7W-00838

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 05 June 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 19 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to its response to petition PE1976 (Backdate council tax discounts for dementia to the date of GP certification), when it plans to bring forward legislation to backdate council tax discounts for individuals living with dementia.

Question reference: S7W-00643

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 May 2026
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 4 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made towards the implementation of the new national Learn to Swim initiative to ensure that all primary school pupils learn to swim and gain water safety skills.

The Scottish Government is working in close partnership with COSLA and Scottish Swimming to deliver a national programme of free swimming lessons for all primary school children. A School Swimming Working Group, chaired by the Scottish Government and COSLA, has now been established to support both the development of the initiative and its subsequent implementation. Focused on the Primary 5 cohort predominantly, this three year phased approach will ultimately result in every primary-aged child in Scotland receiving access to high-quality swimming lessons.

Strong progress has already been made, particularly in advancing the delivery model and refining cost arrangements, to ensure that the programme being developed is robust and sustainable.

The foundations for a national programme are firmly in place, and partners are well positioned to move into implementation, working towards delivery of free swimming lessons for primary school children across Scotland.

Question reference: S7W-00614

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 May 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Gethins on 3 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assistance is being provided to households that are reliant on domestic heating oil and are facing substantial increases in cost.

Global events continue to reinforce the impact of high energy prices with the crisis in the Middle East significantly increasing the cost of heating oil and liquid petroleum gas ("LPG"). That is why the Scottish Government launched the Scottish Emergency Heating Oil Scheme on 1 April, more than doubling the support made available from the UK Government. Eligible households can apply for support of £300 towards the cost of heating oil or LPG.

The Scottish Government also proactively supports vulnerable households through our energy efficiency schemes, winter heating benefits, investment in free income maximisation support, welfare and debt advice. We have maintained investment in the Scottish Welfare Fund, providing vital support to those in crisis.

However, energy pricing and regulation is fully reserved to the UK Government, and that is why the Scottish Parliament recently passed a motion calling for energy powers to be immediately devolved to the Scottish Parliament.

The UK Government must take their responsibilities seriously by putting in place robust and effective consumer protections and introducing targeted energy bill discounts, available to all fuel users, to reduce the number of households in fuel poverty.

Question reference: S7W-00163

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 May 2026
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 2 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Scottish National Party’s 2026 manifesto commitment to enact a statutory price cap on essential food items in shops, whether the proposal is compatible with the Scottish Government’s Retail Industry Leadership Group’s vision to make Scotland the best place in the UK to grow a retail business.

Question reference: S7W-00162

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 May 2026
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 2 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Scottish National Party’s 2026 manifesto commitment to enact a statutory price cap on essential food items in shops, whether it has estimated the level of additional retail sales that would be required by retailers to offset the cost of the proposal.