Parliamentary questions
Paul McLennan
158 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
22 Jul 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of decisions by the Information Commissioner’s Office to require the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) to disclose farmed fish welfare inspection reports, whether it supports a presumption in favour of publishing farmed animal welfare inspection reports across all spe…
22 Jul 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to expand routine water quality monitoring beyond designated bathing waters to ensure that recreational waters used for surfing, paddleboarding and kayaking receive equivalent public health protections, and whether it will consider extending monitoring to emergin…
22 Jul 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the reported increase in year-round participation in outdoor water activities, including swimming, surfing, paddling and kayaking, and the bathing water monitoring season running from 1 June to 15 September, what (a) its position is on extending the season and (b) analysis i…
22 Jul 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports that Scottish Water's real-time monitoring covers no more than around 30% of overflows, what plans it has to require Scottish Water to deliver 100% real-time event duration monitoring coverage across all combined sewer overflows; what timescale has been set for …
21 Jul 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the implementation of provisions contained within the Fireworks and Pyrotechnic Articles (Scotland) Act 2022 and whether the Minister for Victims and Community Safety would consider a ban on the public sale of fireworks as part of her next steps.
21 Jul 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its level of ambition is for new onshore wind deployment after 2030.
21 Jul 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the findings of the Aurora Energy Research report, The Future of Scottish Wind Development, which was commissioned by the Scottish Onshore Wind Developers Forum and published on 9 June 2026, which indicates that total electricity system costs would b…
16 Jul 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to respond to the recommendation in the Scottish Animal Welfare Commission's Exotic Pet Working Group: final report, published on 11 November 2022, to introduce a permitted list of species that can legally be kept as pets in order to address animal welfare issues associated…
16 Jul 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the consultation, due to be carried out in conjunction with the UK Government, on the phasing out of farrowing crates, including the timetable for its completion.
15 Jul 2026 · Inspired Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its progress in implementing the accepted recommendations of the UK Covid-19 Inquiry’s Module 1 report, which was published on 18 July 2024.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The Scottish Government welcomed the publication of the UK Covid-19 Inquiry’s Module 1 report on pre-pandemic preparedness and resilience on 18 July 2024. The Scottish Government published an initial response on 16 January 2025, which set out the action…
13 Jul 2026 · Inspired Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the UK Covid-19 Inquiry's fifth report, 'Procurement' (Module 5), which is due to be published on 14 July 2026.
Answer · Maree Todd: We welcome the publication of the UK Covid-19 Inquiry’s Module 5 report focusing on the procurement and distribution to end-users across the four nations of the United Kingdom of key healthcare related equipment and supplies, including PPE, ventilators …
4 Jul 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the 10-year horizon for public debt, what assumptions it has made in relation to Scottish independence, and what work it has undertaken to model the impact on the issuing of government bonds in an independent Scotland under scenarios in which the country continues to use sterl…
4 Jul 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what scenario planning it has carried out to assess the likely impact of (a) Scottish independence and (b) any increase in the perceived likelihood of Scottish independence on future credit ratings and interest rates for new bond issuances and bonds traded on the secondary market.
4 Jul 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to establishing a partnership between it, local government pension scheme funds, the Scottish National Investment Bank, local authorities, COSLA, Development Trusts Association Scotland and Scotland's economic development agencies to (a) deliver a public i…
4 Jul 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the fiduciary duty of Scotland’s local government pension funds and their obligations to community wealth building.
4 Jul 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to increasing investment in Scotland through Local Government Pension Scheme funds, which are reported to hold assets of around £75 billion, and savings held by individuals in Scotland, including around £30 billion in Cash ISAs and £30 bi…
29 Jun 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide more information on the Scottish National Party’s 2026 manifesto commitment to exploring Compulsory Sales Orders (CSO), including when it plans to publish proposals for CSOs within the next five years.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The consultation carried out as part of the compulsory purchase reform programme included questions on Compulsory Sale Orders and responses are currently being analysed. The Scottish Government will publish a summary of responses to that consultation and asso…
29 Jun 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Scottish National Party’s 2026 manifesto commitment to simplify regulation and reform of the planning system to support jobs and economic growth, how and when it plans to implement the findings of the Compulsory Purchase Order review.
16 Jun 2026 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Government what measures it is taking forward in partnership with East Lothian Council, Taylor Wimpey and Hargreaves, to deliver and expand the housing development at Blindwells, which has been classified as a strategic housing site.
12 Mar 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its (a) engagement with the UK Government and (b) other work it is undertaking regarding a UK-wide social tariff in energy.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: The Scottish Government published the final report of the Social Tariff Working Group in March 2025. Since then, we have consistently and regularly pressed the UK Government to introduce an automatic and targeted discount on energy bills to address unaffordab…
12 Mar 2026 · Inspired Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the review of modern apprenticeship contribution rates.
Answer · Ben Macpherson: The review of modern apprenticeship contribution rates will be undertaken in two stages. The first stage of the review will begin imminently, in March 2026, and the initial evidence gathering work will be complete by the end of June 2026. The second stage wil…
11 Mar 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the results of the latest Scottish House Condition Survey, which indicates that there has been a decline in the rates of fuel poverty in Scotland, largely reflecting the fall in energy prices, and what action it is taking to use all of its existing powers to end f…
Answer · Mairi McAllan: Before the oil price shock, based on the Ofgem energy price cap announcement, our forward looking estimates for April to June this year showed a decrease in fuel poverty in Scotland of around 30,000 households from estimates for January to March 2026.However,…
3 Mar 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what support it has provided to Médecins Sans Frontières in relation to its humanitarian work in Gaza.
Answer · Angus Robertson: The Scottish Government has not funded the Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) humanitarian response in Gaza. MSF is primarily funded by private donations, as opposed to government funding, as a way of prioritising operational neutrality.However, Sco…
18 Feb 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what the target date is for carrying out remediation of unsafe cladding in Scotland to ensure that all high-risk buildings are made safe.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: Ministers have committed that by 2029 every high-risk residential building over 18 metres in Scotland will have been resolved - whether made safe, decommissioned or replaced - and every building between 11 and 18 metres will be on a defined pathway to resolut…
18 Feb 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the number of residential buildings affected by unsafe cladding, and what proportion of remediation costs it expects to be met through levy funding.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: The precise number of buildings is dependent on the outcome of the Single Building Assessment process and whether that assessment deems a building of tolerable risk. Assessment and remediation progress is published in the Cladding remediation - gov.scot.The S…
18 Feb 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to introduce regional variation in Land and Buildings Transaction Tax relief for first-time buyers to reflect differing housing market conditions across Scotland.
Answer · Shona Robison: There are no plans to amend the LBTT legislation to reflect different housing market conditions. Such significant changes could create considerable complexity in terms of the administration of the tax by Revenue Scotland; and impact on both revenues and the S…
18 Feb 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on which stakeholders it has engaged with during its review of Land and Buildings Transaction Tax.
Answer · Shona Robison: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-43805 on 4 March 2026. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/…
18 Feb 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on when it will conclude its review of Land and Buildings Transaction Tax, and when it will publish its findings.
Answer · Shona Robison: All aspects of LBTT review work remain on track for ultimate report publication before the end of this Parliamentary termAlma Economics were appointed to undertake independent research on various aspects of the legislation and engaged with a range of relevant…
10 Feb 2026 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government how the recently announced legal aid reforms will ensure the accessibility of justice.
27 Jan 2026 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what implications the recent announcement of next steps for its £1.5 billion bonds programme will have for the financing of major capital projects across Scotland.