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-04150

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 October 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 5 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what funding is available to (a) homeowners, (b) social housing providers and (c) private landlords to retrofit or insulate properties and how (i) much of that funding is available for the installation of low-carbon heating systems, such as heat pumps and (ii) many homes, broken down by tenure, have received support from each funding scheme.

Question reference: S7W-04151

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 October 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 5 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in order to achieve Net Zero by 2045, how many homes require (a) insulation and retrofitting and (b) decarbonised heating.

Question reference: S7W-04090

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 October 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 4 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding its proposal to increase the minimum age of marriage and civil partnership from 16 to 18, when it expects to publish a formal response to its Family Law consultation.

Question reference: S7W-03610

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Pauline McNeill (on behalf of the SPCB) on 7 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether it will consider offering discounted gym memberships for MSPs, MSP staff and SPCB staff at locations outwith Edinburgh.

The SPCB provides a wide-range of wellbeing services for the benefit of MSPs, their staff and SPCB staff. This includes an online wellbeing platform which provides access to online fitness programmes, wellbeing podcasts and nutrition guides. In addition to this, the SPCB provides access to discounts for staff via the Edenred MyLifestyle app, including discounts with a number of corporate gym groups. Details of how to access these discounts can be found on the SPCB’s intranet. The SPCB is always looking for ways to improve wellbeing services and welcomes feedback from MSPs, their staff and SPCB staff.

Question reference: S7W-04018

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 05 October 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 2 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made towards delivering a Third Sector Partnership Agreement and Fairer Funding for the voluntary and community sector.

Question reference: S7W-03915

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 02 October 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 30 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any implications of hyperscale data centre applications already in the planning system on its forthcoming national planning guidance, and whether it expects planning authorities to determine such applications before the guidance is published.

Question reference: S7W-03916

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 02 October 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 30 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on progress towards developing a national strategic framework for hyperscale AI data centres, including how it is taking account of the number and scale of proposed developments and by what date it expects to publish the framework.

Question reference: S7W-03917

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 02 October 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 30 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to involve communities affected by proposed hyperscale AI data centre developments, including the Auchtertool community in Fife, in the development of its forthcoming national planning guidance and spatial framework, and what opportunities there will be for communities to contribute before these are finalised.

Question reference: S7W-03853

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 October 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 29 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S7W-02101 by Stephen Flynn on 25 August 2026, whether it will provide an update on (a) the publication date of the updated code of conduct on the treatment of passengers and staff using public transport, as outlined in the National Bus Travel Concession Schemes (Miscellaneous Amendment) (Scotland) Order 2026, and (b) on what date the updated code and underpinning processes supporting the suspension of access to free travel if the code is breached will take effect.

Question reference: S7W-02718

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 22 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S7W-01865 by Mairi McAllan on 17 August 2026, (a) what the current minimum level of school clothing grant is for (i) primary and (ii) secondary pupils, (b) when each minimum level was last increased, and (c) whether there are any plans to increase these minimum levels and, if so, when.

The national minimum amounts for School Clothing Grant are £120 for eligible primary pupils and £150 for eligible secondary pupils. These amounts were agreed with local government in 2021. Local authorities are responsible for administering the School Clothing Grant, including setting eligibility criteria, and have the flexibility to pay families more than the national minimum.

The Scottish Government is providing increased funding of £14.6m in 2026-27 financial year to support local authorities to maintain the School Clothing Grant. This includes a £400k inflationary increase on the previous year’s funding and represents an increase of £2.8m since 2021-22. We have committed to uprating funding in line with inflation during this Parliament.