Parliamentary questions
Stephen Kerr
2,595 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
26 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many new social homes will be delivered in 2025-26, and how this compares with 2021-22, in light of the reported reduced budget allocation for social housing in 2025-26 compared with 2021-22.
Answer · Paul McLennan: We remain focused on delivering 110,000 affordable homes by 2032, with at least 70% of these for social rent and 10% in rural and island areas, including new build, rehabilitation and acquisitions.Backed by £768 million of investment this year, we are c…
26 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether Police Scotland raised any operational concerns regarding the recent summit on "shared values", including the way it was planned or presented.
Answer · Kaukab Stewart: No concerns were raised at any point.
26 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the long-term sustainability of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, in light of reported rising costs for artists and venues.
Answer · Angus Robertson: We are working closely with the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society as well as the wider fringe ecosystem on areas such as rising costs for artists and venues. This is reflected in Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society receiving £300,000 from the Scottish Gov…
26 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many jobs in Scotland are forecast to be lost under its current energy transition plans.
Answer · Alasdair Allan: The Scottish Government is clear in its support for a just transition for Scotland’s valued oil and gas sector, which recognises the maturity of the North Sea basin and is in line with our climate change commitments and energy security.Analysis in 2023 …
26 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what guidance it has issued to Police Scotland on the recording of sex and gender in criminal justice processes.
Answer · Angela Constance: The Office of the Chief Statistician published guidance for public bodies in Scotland on the collection of data on sex and gender in 2021. The Scottish Government has committed to reviewing this guidance on collecting data on sex and gender by the end of 2026…
26 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the degree to which achieving net zero is a moral imperative, in light of reports that doing so will have a disproportionate impact on Scottish industries.
Answer · Gillian Martin: The Scottish Government recognises that achieving net zero is more than a moral imperative: it is an economic necessity and an opportunity to grow our economy. The Green Industrial Strategy sets out actions to achieve growth in priority areas, ensuring Scotla…
26 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on Police Scotland’s reported policy of not automatically recording the biological sex of rape or sexual assault suspects.
Answer · Angela Constance: The recording of sex or gender in crime reporting and case management is an operational matter for Police Scotland. The Scottish Government expect Police Scotland to ensure its recording practices are compliant with legal obligations and support accurate, con…
26 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has undertaken of any impact of NHS pay increases on recruitment and retention in the adult social care sector.
Answer · Maree Todd: Whilst the Scottish Government is not a social care employer, we are working with key stakeholders, including COSLA, trade unions and provider representatives to introduce sectoral bargaining for commissioned social care services.The Scottish Government has n…
26 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what measurable outcomes or deliverables resulted from its recent summit on “shared values”.
Answer · Kaukab Stewart: The Scottish Government is committed to working across Scottish society, and the Scottish Parliament, to guard against the threat of polarising forces and ensure we empower people who feel distant from politics or on the margins of society.The recent Gatherin…
26 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what data it has on the number of diversion from prosecution decisions made in relation to violent youth offenders in each of the last five years.
Answer · Natalie Don-Innes: The Scottish Government collects and publishes data on the total number of diversion from prosecution cases commenced for people aged under 18, this is published in the Justice Social Work Statistics in Scotland: 2023-24 - Part 1.Over the past five years a to…
26 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has undertaken of any impact of commercial accommodation costs on the viability of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe for independent artists.
Answer · Angus Robertson: The Scottish Government is committed to working with the Fringe Society and all partners who deliver the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. This is reflected in the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society receiving £300,000 from the Scottish Government in 2025-26 to …
26 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the reported £10,000 budget for the recent summit on "shared values" came from core ministerial spending, or a separate fund.
Answer · Kaukab Stewart: Costs for The Gathering were met from within relevant portfolio budgets which include budget cover for a range of day-to-day spend, including events and engagements.
26 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason most local authorities will reportedly receive less money for social housing in 2025-26 than they did in 2021-22.
Answer · Paul McLennan: Resource Planning Assumptions (RPAs) support the delivery of local authority priorities as identified in their Strategic Housing Investment Plan (SHIP). Due to the challenging post-Covid delivery climate, delivery partners were not able to use the £724.…
26 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reported concerns that it has not published a clear and costed plan for supporting oil and gas workers into alternative employment, for what reason it has reportedly not done so.
Answer · Alasdair Allan: The judgements and issues in the Scottish Government’s Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan are informed and influenced by ongoing developments in the UK Government’s energy policy and recent court decisions. We are taking sufficient time to a…
23 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what appointments the Minister for Housing had in the two weeks to 23 May 2025.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: Information on Ministerial engagements is routinely published on the Scottish Government website and can be found at: www.gov.scot/collections/ministerial-engagements-travel-and-gifts/. The engagements for May 2025 will be published three months in arrears, i…
22 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any operational consequences of Police Scotland reportedly running below 2013 staffing levels, in light of population growth and reports of increasing public disorder.
Answer · Angela Constance: The recruitment and deployment of police officers and staff is an operational matter for the Chief Constable. The Scottish Government has increased police funding year-on-year since 2016-17, investing more than £14.6 billion since the creation of Police…
22 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any long-term economic risks associated with local authorities drawing on reserves to balance their budgets.
Answer · Shona Robison: Local authorities must use the financial resources available to them as efficiently as possible to ensure the best possible value. How this is done is a matter for each council. Local Authority reserve balances in Scotland remain considerably higher than pre-…
22 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to reverse any decline in visible neighbourhood policing since the formation of Police Scotland in 2013.
Answer · Angela Constance: The operation of Police Scotland, including staffing, is a matter for the Chief Constable, who is supported by the Scottish Government to shape the workforce in response to operational needs. Police Scotland’s 2024-25 Annual Policing Plan outlines a fut…
22 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason there has reportedly been a reduction of nearly 800 police officers since 2013, and what plans it has to reverse any such trend.
Answer · Angela Constance: The recruitment and deployment of police officers is a matter for the Chief Constable. The Scottish Government has increased police funding year-on-year since 2016-17, investing more than £14.6 billion since the creation of Police Scotland in 2013, with…
22 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish a full household impact assessment of its net zero strategy, disaggregated by income group, rurality and housing tenure.
Answer · Gillian Martin: The forthcoming draft Climate Change Plan will set out our pathway to net zero over the plan period of 2026-2040, in a way that is just and fair. Our plan will also set out the estimated costs and benefits of the policies and proposals within.The plan will be…
22 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will require Creative Scotland to publish detailed data on all grants that it awards, including rejected applications and assessment criteria.
Answer · Angus Robertson: Creative Scotland publishes information on all successful applications made to its funding programmes on its website. The assessment criteria for all funds are also published and are accessible to applicants and indeed any member of the public. It would not b…
22 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many public inquiries have overrun their original timeframe since 2007, and what the total additional cost of any such overruns has been.
Answer · Kate Forbes: For the majority of current or concluded Scottish Public Inquiries none have overrun their original timeframe since the Inquiries (Scotland) Rules 2007 came into effect. This is because Ministers have not sought to specify in the Terms of Reference a fixed da…
22 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what estimate it has made of the cumulative household cost of its net zero strategy, in light of the Climate Change Committee reportedly estimating a £750 million annual cost until 2050.
Answer · Gillian Martin: The CCC suggests that there will be benefits, and that in aggregate the benefits will outweigh the costs.We are grateful to the CCC for estimating the capital investment and operational savings of net zero. Their Balanced Pathway requires upfront investment w…
22 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what value-for-money assessments it has carried out in relation to public inquiries since 2007.
Answer · Kate Forbes: The Finance and Public Administration Committee is currently conducting an inquiry into the cost effectiveness of Scottish Public Inquiries. I wrote to the Committee on 30 May 2025 providing a detailed response to their request for information from Scottish G…
22 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to close the reported (a) funding gap faced by Integration Joint Boards and (b) £560 million NHS-related deficit.
Answer · Neil Gray: We sympathise with the pressure the social care sector is facing and that is one of the reasons that the 2025-26 budget includes almost £2.2 billion for social care and integration – exceeding our commitment to increase funding by 25% by almost &p…
22 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the Accounts Commission's reported view that local authorities are facing unsustainable budget shortfalls, and what urgent action it will take on this matter.
Answer · Shona Robison: We are not aware of any reports by the Accounts Commission that local authorities are facing unsustainable budget shortfalls.Councils are statutorily required to set balanced budgets, and the Accounts Commission appropriately highlights that the use of one-of…
22 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to restore police officer numbers to 2013 levels, and, if so, what its timeline is for achieving this.
Answer · Angela Constance: The recruitment and deployment of police officers is a matter for the Chief Constable.Police Scotland’s three-year Business Plan 2024-2027 sets out the Chief Constable’s vision of a thriving workforce which goes beyond an overall officer headcount…
22 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the reported recommendation from the Association of Scottish Police Superintendents to end routine police involvement in social media disputes.
Answer · Angela Constance: The deployment of officers and staff is a matter for the Chief Constable. It is vital that the Chief Constable has the flexibility to develop her workforce to respond to new and emerging operational demands.Investigation of reports to Police Scotland are quit…
22 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking in response to Police Scotland survey data, which reportedly shows that only 31% of officers feel supported by their executive team and many are leaving due to stress.
Answer · Angela Constance: Officer wellbeing and retention are operational matters for Police Scotland. I refer the member to my response to S6W-35420 on 17 March.The Chief Constable has stated to the Criminal Justice Committee that the wellbeing of police officers and staff is one of …
22 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it will ensure that Creative Scotland maintains political neutrality in its grant-making.
Answer · Angus Robertson: Creative Scotland assesses all applications made - irrespective of theme, subject matter or artform - in accordance with the published criteria and guidance for each funding stream. This guidance states explicit restrictions on the use of funding provided by …