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-01647

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 24 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 17 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the potential benefits a dedicated Scottish Environmental Horticulture Strategy might have for (a) green growth, (b) the wellbeing of communities and (c) the environment.

The Scottish Government has regular engagement with the environmental horticulture sector and recognises the important role of environmental horticulture in the development of green landscaping and infrastructure. Horticultural businesses and expertise are integral to the supply of trees and plants, and are well-placed to help address environmental challenges, as well as contribute to the Scottish population’s mental and physical health, through the creation of gardens and greenspaces. These benefits are set out in the Horticulture Trades Association’s Scottish Environmental Horticulture Manifesto, which the Scottish Government welcomed in autumn 2025. The Scottish Government looks forward to continued constructive work with the environmental horticulture sector to ensure that the shared ambitions for green growth and for a healthy and climate resilient nation are achieved.

Question reference: S7W-01830

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 20 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 17 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what key performance indicators or success measures it established prior to the Caledonian Sleeper entering public ownership in June 2023, also broken down by the targets set for each measure, and whether each target has subsequently been met.

Scottish Government’s expectations regarding Caledonian Sleeper performance are set out in https://www.sleeper.scot/media/rerpktgb/caledonian-sleeper-grant-agreement-current.pdf.

In addition, Caledonian Sleeper agrees its business plans annually with Scottish Rail Holdings (SRH), who manages and oversees Caledonian Sleeper services on behalf of Scottish Ministers and is required to hold Caledonian Sleeper to account for meeting its agreed targets. The Member may wish to contact SRH for this information.

Question reference: S7W-02074

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 10 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-42095 by Siobhian Brown on 26 November 2025, whether any of the eight Ford Ranger Ultra-Light Pumping Units are still awaiting commissioning, allocation, modification, pump upgrade, stowage refinement or other remedial work, and, if so, what the expected completion date is for each unit.

Question reference: S7W-02077

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 10 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the response to FOI/1546-2025.26 on 7 January 2026, in which the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service stated that it did not hold a business case for the firefighting units project and maintained no formal minutes of the Asset Management Liaison Board discussions, what discussions it has had with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service regarding the review of the governance, approval and delivery arrangements for the procurement of these units.

Scottish Ministers are assured that the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) has the appropriate governance, assurance and decision-making arrangements in place for the management of its resources and assets, consistent with its statutory responsibilities and the ministerial expectations set out in the Fire and Rescue Framework for Scotland 2022.

The Scottish Government maintains regular engagement with SFRS on a range of strategic, operational and corporate matters. These meetings provide an opportunity to discuss issues relating to service delivery, performance, governance and organisational assurance as appropriate. Responsibility for the governance, approval and delivery arrangements for individual procurements rests with SFRS, who follow the Scottish Procurement Journey to ensure best practice.

Question reference: S7W-02076

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 10 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-42094 by Siobhian Brown on 26 November 2025, which stated that eight Ford Ranger Ultra-Light Pumping Units were procured at a total cost of £984,347.20, and the response to FOI/1858-2025.26 by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service on 18 February 2026, what the total cost of the project is to date, including any expenditure on post-purchase remedial work, upgrades, modifications, stowage redesign or commissioning costs.

Question reference: S7W-02075

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 10 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the response to FOI/1547-2025.26 by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service on 19 December 2025, what discussions it has had with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service regarding delays to the operational deployment of the eight firefighting units referred to in that response.

Operational deployment of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service’s (SFRS) vehicles is a matter for the Service. Scottish Government officials have previously engaged with the SFRS regarding these assets in order to seek assurance regarding the Service’s ability to respond to incidents. SFRS previously advised officials of the circumstances affecting the deployment of these units and provided assurance that appropriate arrangements were in place to maintain operational response capability while the vehicles were being brought into service.

Question reference: S7W-02072

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 10 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-42095 by Siobhian Brown on 26 November 2025, whether all eight Ford Ranger Ultra-Light Pumping Units procured by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service have now entered operational service and, if not, how many remain unavailable and for what reason.

Question reference: S7W-02073

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 10 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answers to questions S6W-42094 and S6W-42095 by Siobhian Brown on 26 November 2025, on what date each of the eight Ford Ranger Ultra-Light Pumping Units entered operational service.

Question reference: S7W-02229

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 03 August 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 31 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether any (a) Police Scotland officers, (b) members of police staff and (c) personnel working within the wider criminal justice system have had their personal or professional information compromised as a result of the recent cyberattack on the Police National Legal Database, and, if so, what remedial action is being taken.

Question reference: S7W-01432

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Gethins on 28 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what progress has been made towards the delivery of its £500 million commitment to supporting Scotland's offshore wind supply chain, including a full breakdown of where funding has been allocated to date.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that the offshore wind opportunity for Scotland is realised, maximising economic growth and creating well-paid jobs in communities across Scotland.

Including the Scottish National Investment Bank's investment in the Port of Ardersier, more than £150 million has been invested in projects to strengthen port infrastructure and supply chain capability. This is leveraging up to £675 million in private investment and £70 million from UK public finance institutions into projects that have the potential to support up to 5,000 jobs.

A list of announced investments can be found on the Scottish Government website.