Parliamentary questions
Martin Whitfield
543 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
17 Mar 2026 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Government, regarding any impact on its energy policy and strategy, and in light of reports that Torness Nuclear Power Station is due to close by 2030, what its response is to the UK Government’s new Fusion Strategy, which aims to deliver thousands of jobs and long-term energy security.
11 Mar 2026 · SPCB Oral Question
To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what its response is to the Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee announcement on pastoral support for MSPs that was made in the Chamber on 10 March.
10 Mar 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it supports the extension of the life of Torness Nuclear Power Station.
Answer · Gillian Martin: The Scottish Government is supportive of extending the operating lifespan of Torness if strict environment and safety criteria continue to be met.
10 Mar 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of the closure of Torness Nuclear Power Station on grid stability.
Answer · Gillian Martin: Responsibility for assessing grid stability, system inertia and generational adequacy rests with the UK Government and the National Energy System Operator (NESO), as electricity security of supply is a reserved matter.The Scottish Government is confident that…
10 Mar 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of the closure of Torness Nuclear Power Station on consumer energy bills.
Answer · Gillian Martin: Energy pricing is fully reserved to the UK Government, and despite Scotland being an energy rich country, bills remain £73 higher than at the last election. The UK Government must set out how it will deliver its promised £300 reduction.
10 Mar 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the adequacy of grid inertia in light of the planned closure of Torness Nuclear Power Station.
Answer · Gillian Martin: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-44147 on 19 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…
2 Mar 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that election materials, including postal ballot papers, are delivered on time and to a high standard prior to the Scottish Parliament election on 7 May 2026, in light of reports from the Communication Workers Union that the decreasing postal servi…
Answer · Graeme Dey: While Royal Mail and postal delivery services are reserved to the UK Government the Scottish Government is committed to the safe delivery of the parliamentary election on 7 May.I have been concerned to see the recent reports from the BBC and other media outle…
2 Feb 2026 · Topical Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reported concerns that pupils, parents and teachers may have to wait until 2031 for meaningful reform of the qualifications system, and that Qualifications Scotland will only be a rebrand of the Scottish Qualifications Authority, with many of the same structures a…
15 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its reasoning is for commissioning an independent review of the legislative landscape around children in care by Professor Kenneth Norrie, in light of the Minister for Children, Young People and The Promise noting in the Chamber on 14 January 2026 that the Scottish Government has al…
Answer · Natalie Don-Innes: The work by the Promise Scotland an excellent starting point for consideration of how to address challenges in our current legislative landscape. The Independent Review of Scotland’s Legislative Framework for Children’s Care will build upon that w…
15 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what information it currently holds regarding the need for a review of the legislative landscape around care experienced people, and whether it will publish this information.
Answer · Natalie Don-Innes: In line with the conclusions of the Independent Care Review, The Promise Scotland have published various reports and route-maps outlining the case for a consolidation of the legislative landscape of Scotland’s children’s services.https://thepromis…
14 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much funding has been identified for youth work in the draft Scottish Budget 2026-27.
Answer · Ben Macpherson: The Scottish Government remains committed to youth work and continues to provide support through a range of funding streams. This includes the local authority block grant, which gives councils significant flexibility to allocate resources for youth work in th…
10 Dec 2025 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of an increase of 63 full-time equivalent teachers in 2025 compared with the previous year, how it will fulfil its commitment to recruit 3,500 new teachers before the end of the current parliamentary session.
1 Dec 2025 · Topical Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking in response to reports that private residential childcare providers are making an estimated £10 million a year in profit from publicly funded contracts.
24 Nov 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding the safety of nuclear power.
Answer · Gillian Martin: Safety of Nuclear Power: The Civil Nuclear sector is wholly reserved by the United Kingdom Government(UKG)and is regulated by The Office of Nuclear Regulation (ONR).The nuclear sector is one of the most heavily regulated industries in the UK.ONR is the UK&rsq…
19 Nov 2025 · SPCB Oral Question
To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether it will commit to structured engagement with MSP staff trade unions on an ongoing basis.
17 Nov 2025 · Topical Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that the University of Edinburgh plans to reduce jobs by up to 1,800 as part of £140 million in budget reductions by 2026-27, including what action it will take to protect staff and students from the impact of any such redundancies.
27 Oct 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason third sector organisations have reportedly not been involved in the operation of the Scottish Government Online Safety Taskforce, which was announced in January 2025.
Answer · Natalie Don-Innes: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-41513 on 7 November 2025. The Taskforce will bring together work from across Government. The Scottish Government is engaging with a wide range of third sector bodies, including those representing children and y…
27 Oct 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much funding has been allocated to the Scottish Government Online Safety Taskforce, which was announced in January 2025.
Answer · Natalie Don-Innes: As referenced in the Scottish Government Programme for Government 2025-26: Building the Best Future for Scotland, the purpose of the Taskforce is to strengthen our approach to keeping children safe online, providing oversight and direction across Scottish Gov…
27 Oct 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what work has been carried out by the Scottish GovernmentOnline Safety Taskforce since it was announced in January 2025, and whetherthe taskforce will regularly publish reports on its work and, if so, how often.
Answer · Natalie Don-Innes: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-41513 on 7 November 2025. The Taskforce currently plan to publish a strategic plan bringing together work from across Scottish Government to protect children and young people from online harms and promote posit…
9 Oct 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many families have waited longer than six months for a child’s social care assessment to be completed since May 2021.
Answer · Natalie Don-Innes: The information requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government. This is a matter for local authorities. The member may wish to contact local authorities directly for this information.
9 Oct 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many children whose situation has been flagged as at risk have not been allocated a named social worker within the recommended timescales since May 2021.
Answer · Natalie Don-Innes: The information requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government. This is a matter for local authorities. The member may wish to contact local authorities directly for this information.
9 Oct 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on the proportion of kinship carers who have reported relying on food banks or emergency grants to support the child in their care since May 2021.
Answer · Natalie Don-Innes: The Scottish Government does not hold information on the proportion of kinship carers who have reported relying on food banks or emergency grants to support the child in their care since May 2021.However, we recognise the financial pressures faced by kinship …
9 Oct 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many families have lodged complaints regarding flexibility of hours in the early learning and childcare system since May 2021.
Answer · Natalie Don-Innes: The Scottish Government does not hold the information requested.
9 Oct 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of parents who are eligible for 1,140 hours of funded childcare have accessed their full entitlement without restriction on session times since May 2021.
Answer · Natalie Don-Innes: Information on the number of eligible children who are accessing their full 1140 hours of early learning and childcare entitlement is set out in the ELC Delivery Progress Reports | Improvement Service produced by the Improvement Service. The latest report hig…
9 Oct 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many parents involved in child protection cases have not been offered advocacy support since May 2021.
Answer · Natalie Don-Innes: The requested information is not held by the Scottish Government.We want to ensure families can get the help they need, where and when they need it. That is why we are transforming holistic family support through the Whole Family Wellbeing Funding (WFWF) Prog…
9 Oct 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many referrals to social work have been made due to parental poverty or housing conditions since May 2021.
Answer · Natalie Don-Innes: The information requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government. This is a matter for local authorities. The member may wish to contact local authorities directly for this information.
9 Oct 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many children have had their hearings adjourned due to social work reports not being submitted on time since May 2021.
Answer · Natalie Don-Innes: This information is not held by the Scottish Government as it relates to an operational matter for the children’s hearings system.The Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration (SCRA) publish their annual statistics, which sets out a measure on t…
9 Oct 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many children have reported going without adequate food or heating while on a child protection register since May 2021.
Answer · Natalie Don-Innes: The requested information is not held by the Scottish Government.Eradicating child poverty in Scotland is a national mission and this Government’s top priority.The Scottish Budget for 2025-26 outlines wide-ranging investment to deliver progress on our n…
9 Oct 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of kinship carers have reported that the financial allowance they receive does not cover the full cost of care since May 2021.
Answer · Natalie Don-Innes: According to the most recent Children’s Social Work Statistics, there are around 4,000 children in kinship care in Scotland. In a recent review of the Scottish Recommended Allowance for Foster and Kinship carers (SRA), of the 131 kinship carers who resp…
9 Oct 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many children have been temporarily unable to attend a local authority nursery due to staff shortages in the last 12 months.
Answer · Natalie Don-Innes: The Scottish Government does not hold the information requested.