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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

Filter your results Hide all filters

Displaying 3682 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S7W-02135

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 17 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what advice it has received regarding any potential impact of constitutional uncertainty on investor appetite for bonds issued under the Scottish Government bond programme.

Question reference: S7W-02133

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 17 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has established a maximum acceptable spread over comparable UK gilt yields when determining whether to proceed with an issuance under the Scottish Government bond programme.

Question reference: S7W-02463

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 August 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 10 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding action taken under the general anti-avoidance rule that was established by the Revenue Scotland and Tax Powers Act 2014, (a) how many times Revenue Scotland has taken action, (b) how many schemes have been challenged (i) successfully and (ii) unsuccessfully, and (c) what the total value of the schemes has been.

Question reference: S7W-02100

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 13 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the commitment in the 2026 Scottish National Party manifesto to enact a statutory price cap on essential food items, what assessment it has carried out regarding the potential impact that the policy might have on retailers’ support for good causes and community groups and programmes.

Question reference: S7W-02099

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 13 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the commitment in the 2026 Scottish National Party manifesto to enact a statutory price cap on essential food items, what consideration it has given to expanding its Scottish Welfare Fund programme rather than introducing a statutory price cap.

The Scottish Government is responding to ongoing cost of living pressures being felt by households acros , and we are working towards a consultation on the price cap on essential food items within 100 days of this Government.

We continue to invest in free income maximisation support, welfare and debt advice and have maintained investment in the Scottish Welfare Fund, at £41 million this year, alongside £25.5 million of additional investment over the previous two years, helping ensure the Fund remains a vital safety net for households.

Question reference: S7W-02232

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 03 August 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 31 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how many people in the NHS Orkney area currently have (a) sight loss and (b) severe sight loss.

Question reference: S7W-02230

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 03 August 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 31 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether any funding received as a consequence of the UK Government’s Local News Fund will be allocated to support local journalism, public interest reporting and community news provision in Scotland.

Question reference: S7W-02231

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 03 August 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 31 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to establishing a local news fund to provide financial support for local, independent and hyperlocal news publishers.

Question reference: S7W-01604

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 22 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the commitment in the Scottish National Party manifesto to enact a statutory price cap on essential food items, what its response is to the comments from members of its own Retail Industry Leadership Group in The Sunday Times on 5 July 2026 that the policy risks "higher prices for other items in shops" and "reduced footfall for some retailers".

Question reference: S7W-01603

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 22 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the commitment in the Scottish National Party manifesto to enact a statutory price cap on essential food items, what representations it has received on the policy from (a) industry bodies and (b) trade associations.

The Scottish Government remains committed to committed to publishing draft legislative provisions and progressing work on the price cap on essential food items. We have engaged constructively with a range of industry bodies and trade associations, which have shared their views on the proposal. Their expertise and experience are helping to inform our consideration of the policy and will continue to do so as development of the proposal progresses.