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-01428

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 the development of the Scottish Marine Recovery Fund, including what steps remain to be completed before it becomes operational.

The Scottish Government continues to prioritise delivery of the Scottish Marine Recovery Fund (MRF) and is undertaking thorough due diligence to ensure the fund is lawfully constituted, financially sustainable, and operationally deliverable.

This includes working in partnership with the UK Government on the delegation of functions required for Scottish Ministers to operate and manage the Scottish MRF and developing the appropriate financial and operating models for the fund, building on high-level principles set out in the 2025 MRF consultation.

Development of an initial suite of strategic compensation measures for inclusion in the MRF is underway, drawing on reforms under the Habitat Regulations for offshore wind which came into force on 25 May 2026.

The fund will become operational once the necessary legislative, governance and delivery arrangements are in place and seed funding can be secured to develop and bank appropriate compensatory measures, which is required before compensatory measures can be made available to developments through the fund.

Question reference: S7W-01426

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 what the current timeline is for finalising the Sectoral Marine Plan for Offshore Wind Energy, and what remaining steps must be completed before adoption.

The Updated Sectoral Marine Plan for Offshore Wind Energy is expected to be adopted in Summer 2026.

Significant progress has already been made since our consultation on the draft Plan last year, including completion of the Appropriate Assessment, consultation with Statutory Nature Conservation Bodies, and ongoing work to identify compensatory measures for seabird impacts.

The remaining work relates primarily to finalisation of the Plan and its associated impact assessments including Habitats Regulations Appraisal processes. These documents are currently being finalised and will be submitted for Ministerial consideration in the coming weeks. This includes consideration by UK Ministers.

Subject to Ministerial approval, the Plan will be adopted and all supporting documents will be published.

Question reference: S7W-01271

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 21 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether any Barnett consequential funding has arisen from the introduction of the Places of Worship Renewal Fund in England, which replaced the UK-wide Listed Places of Worship Scheme.

The Scottish Government has not identified any Barnett consequential funding specifically linked to the introduction of the Places of Worship Renewal Fund in England.

Under the Barnett formula, changes to the Scottish Government’s funding are calculated at the level of overall UK Government departmental spending, rather than individual programmes or schemes. UK Government ministers have confirmed that the funding for the Places of Worship Renewal Fund is included within the wider Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) settlement, and that Barnett consequentials are applied to the total departmental allocation rather than to specific funding lines.

Decisions on how to allocate funding received through the block grant are a matter for the Scottish Government, in line with devolved responsibilities.

The final decision to end the UK-wide scheme was also only confirmed to the Scottish Government after the 2026-27 Scottish Budget was set, further limiting Scottish Ministers' options. However, Ministers will continue to seek options.

Question reference: S7W-01427

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 21 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any impact of further delays to the finalisation of the Sectoral Marine Plan for Offshore Wind Energy on consenting decisions for offshore wind projects that are currently at planning stage.

All consenting decisions are made on a case-by-case basis in line with the planning, consenting and assessment framework available at the time. No delays to individual project determinations have occurred because of the development timeline of the Updated Sectoral Marine Plan for Offshore Wind Energy, which remains on track for adoption in Summer 2026. Due to the conclusions of the plan-level Appropriate Assessment, adoption of the Updated Sectoral Marine Plan is contingent on UK Ministerial agreement.

Question reference: S7W-01827

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

To ask the Scottish Government what the overall passenger satisfaction score for the Caledonian Sleeper service has been in each year since 2019-20, also including measures of (a) journey experiences, (b) cabin comfort, (c) staff helpfulness, (d) punctuality, (e) cleanliness, (f) value for money and (g) overall service quality.

Question reference: S7W-01826

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

To ask the Scottish Government what the (a) public performance measure, (b) cancellation rate and (c) right-time arrival performance for the Caledonian Sleeper service has been in each year since 2019-20.

Question reference: S7W-01829

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

To ask the Scottish Government what the total cost to the public purse has been of operating the Caledonian Sleeper service in each year since 2019-20, including (a) operating subsidy, (b) loans, (c) grants, (d) capital funding, (e) shareholder support, (f) management fees and (g) any other direct financial support from (A) it, (B) Transport Scotland and (C) any other related public body.

Question reference: S7W-01828

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

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the (a) condition, (b) reliability and (c) availability of the Caledonian Sleeper rolling stock since the service entered public ownership, including (i) the number of train failures, (ii) fleet availability and (iii) technical defects in each year since June 2023, and how these figures compare with the final three years prior to public ownership

Question reference: S7W-01394

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 29 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Gethins on 20 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the November 2025 report by the Nuclear Regulatory Taskforce, Nuclear Regulatory Review 2025, and whether it plans to implement the recommendations in relation to devolved policy areas.

The UK Government’s Nuclear Regulatory Review specifically excluded devolved issues in Scotland and Wales in its consideration. Therefore, recommendations covering such matters are set out for England only.

The Scottish Government remains firmly opposed to new nuclear power stations in Scotland under current technologies and so recommendations regarding new nuclear energy will not be considered. Where there are recommendations about the wider management of existing nuclear sites concerning devolved areas of competence, we will consider the merits of any measures once we receive more detailed proposals from UK Government. Our focus remains on managing Scotland’s nuclear legacy in a way that protects people and the environment.

Question reference: S7W-01222

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 22 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Gethins on 20 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what strategic transition plan it has in place to move from Scottish-generated nuclear energy to renewables, and whether it will publish this.