Parliamentary questions
Tim Eagle
1,487 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
21 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has carried out regarding what revenue it estimates will be raised by the ending of the Small Business Bonus Scheme relief for sporting rights.
Answer · Ivan McKee: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-43079 on 29 January 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-com…
21 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what (a) natural capital and (b) environment assessments it has conducted relating to the ending of the Small Business Bonus Scheme relief for sporting rights for (i) shootings (ii) deer forests.
Answer · Ivan McKee: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-43079 on 29 January 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-committe…
21 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what impact the ending of the Small Business Bonus Scheme relief for sporting rights will have on (a) Forestry Land Scotland, (b) National Trust Scotland, (c) Historic Environment Scotland, (d) NatureScot, (e) Crown Estate Scotland, (f) local authorities and (g) other public agencies tha…
Answer · Ivan McKee: As at 1 June 2025, and based on the Billing System Snapshot, an annual property-level data return provided to the Scottish Government by councils, it does not appear that any Small Business Bonus Scheme relief was awarded to any shootings or deer forests held…
21 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what impact assessment it has carried out regarding the ending of the Small Business Bonus Scheme relief for sporting rights on (a) shootings and (b) deer forests.
Answer · Ivan McKee: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-43079 on 29 January 2026. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found athttps://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committee…
21 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has carried out regarding what the estimated cost to local valuation boards will be of collecting revenue following the phasing out of the Small Business Bonus Scheme relief for sporting rights.
Answer · Ivan McKee: Local valuation boards have no role in collecting non-domestic rates.The collection of non-domestic rates, including annual billing and the administration of reliefs such as the Small Business Bonus Scheme, is the responsibility of Local Authorities. Non-dome…
21 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what legal advice it has received on the legal status of the sheep of St Kilda, including whether they are considered wild animals, livestock, or fall within any other legal classification, and what implications this advice has for their ownership, management and welfare.
Answer · Jim Fairlie: The content of any legal advice is confidential. By long-standing convention, successive Scottish and Westminster Governments have not disclosed the source or content of legal advice other than in the most exceptional circumstances.The Scottish Government&rsq…
20 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it is exploring the possibility of installing satellite Wi-Fi in rural railway stations that have no nearby mobile phone masts, and, if so, whether it will provide details of this.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: This is an operational matter for ScotRail Trains Ltd. The member may wish to contact ScotRail Trains Ltd directly to obtain this information.
20 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the anticipated lifespan is of all of ScotRail’s rolling stock, broken down by class unit.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: ScotRail currently operates a diverse fleet of 145 diesel trains and 203 electric trains. The typical design life of a train is around 35 years, although in practice this depends on the quality of construction and may be extended through appropriate investmen…
20 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has purchased any Starlink products from SpaceX, and, if so, whether it will provide details of this.
Answer · Ivan McKee: The Scottish Government does not have any contracts for Starlink products with SpaceX. The Scottish Government does not have any contracts with SpaceX.
20 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government which railway stations in Scotland (a) have and (b) do not have public Wi-Fi available.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-43190 on 28 January 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-committe…
15 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether ScotRail has ever issued guidance to passengers who plan to travel on its West Highland Line trains regarding the reportedly cold onboard temperatures at certain times.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: This is an operational matter for ScotRail Trains Ltd. The Member may wish to contact ScotRail Trains Ltd directly to obtain this information.
15 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many passengers have complained to ScotRail about the temperature on the West Highland Line trains since it came into public ownership.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-43104 on 26 January 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-committe…
15 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what investment it has planned to improve the heating system on ScotRail’s West Highland Line trains.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: While we expect ScotRail to provide an environment which allows for a comfortable journey, this is a matter for ScotRail. ScotRail continues to consider solutions, which can be applied to improve the situation. ScotRail advises that due to its investment so f…
15 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports of cold conditions at certain times on ScotRail’s West Highland Line services, what its position is on whether these services are safe for passengers.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) is responsible for ensuring that railway operators, including ScotRail comply with health and safety law. The Scottish Government expects that ScotRail follows appropriate regulations in place to ensure its passengers trave…
15 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what compensation is available to passengers who have made a complaint about the reportedly cold conditions on ScotRail’s West Highland Line trains at certain times.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-43104 on 26 January 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-committe…
15 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with the UK Government regarding its plans to undertake a consultation on merging sections 1 and 2 of the Firearms Act 1968 under a single licensing system.
Answer · Angela Constance: As firearms legislation is reserved, the Scottish Government maintains engagement with Home Office officials on preparations for the public consultation planned for early 2026. This work will continue through established stakeholder forums comprising the Home…
14 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many of the complaints it received were referred to stage 3 of its complaints handling procedure in each year since 2021.
Answer · Graeme Dey: The following figures show the number of complaints that were considered by the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO) after being processed under the Scottish Government’s Complaints Handling Procedure for each of the specified years.YearTotal numbe…
14 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many of the complaints it received, which were processed at stage 1 of its complaints handling procedure, were not resolved within five working days, in each year since 2021.
Answer · Graeme Dey: The following figures show the number and percentage of complaints processed at stage 1 of the Scottish Government’s Complaints Handling Procedure that were not responded to within five working days for each of the specified years. These figures include…
14 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many of the complaints it received, which were processed at stage 2 of its complaints handling procedure, were not resolved within 20 working days, in each year since 2021.
Answer · Graeme Dey: The following figures show the number and percentage of complaints processed at stage 2 of the Scottish Government’s Complaints Handling Procedure that were not responded to within 20 working days for each of the specified years. These figures include a…
14 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many complaints it has received from members of the public in each year since 2021, broken down by complaint category.
Answer · Graeme Dey: The following figures show the total number of complaints received during each of the specified years. When calculating these figures, each complaint has been counted only once, regardless of whether it was processed at stage 1 only, stage 2 only, or at both …
14 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has conducted any value for money assessments of its Building a New Scotland series of papers, and, if so, whether it will publish details of this.
Answer · Angus Robertson: The Scottish Government has published details of the publication costs for all the independence papers published during this parliamentary term, and they can be found at:Building a New Scotland papers: costs - gov.scotS6W-42127 on 25 November 2025. All answer…
14 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government after what length of time would it consider its Building a New Scotland series of papers to be out of date.
Answer · Angus Robertson: The Building a New Scotland series is intended to inform public debate on Scotland’s constitutional future, including independence. The papers will remain relevant as long as the content within them remains of relevance to the context in Scotland and in…
14 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-33135 by Jim Fairlie on 22 January 2025, when it will provide an update on when it will launch its planned bracken mapping layer for Scotland.
Answer · Jim Fairlie: The Scottish Government has provided funding for the creation of a Scottish mapping layer, this work went out to tender in 2025. Creation and validation of a map, with a spatial resolution of 10m, is currently underway with a scheduled finalisation date of en…
14 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide information on how much Transport Scotland has spent on landside mitigation measures at the A815 near the A83 Rest and Be Thankful in each year since 2021, and what further investment it has planned for that section of road.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The operation and maintenance of the A815 is the responsibility of Argyll and Bute Council and therefore the Scottish Government doesn’t hold the information requested.
14 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the potential impact of its proposed budget reduction of 1.3% to the Rural Affairs and Islands budget in its draft Budget 2026-27.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: Scottish public finances continue to face a challenging fiscal environment, meeting growing demand despite increasingly challenging settlements. Difficult choices have been necessary, but through the plans set out in the draft 2026-27 Budget, the Scottish Gov…
14 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-33135 by Jim Fairlie on 22 January 2025, when the Minister for Agriculture and Connectivity plans to update the Rural Affairs and Islands Committee on the work undertaken to establish a bracken mapping layer for Scotland.
Answer · Jim Fairlie: The Scottish Bracken Working Group (BWG) last met on the 19 of January, and I plan to write to the Rural Affairs and Islands committee with an update on both the bracken mapping work and other outputs of the BWG and its member organisations during February 20…
14 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the reported landside at the A815 road near the junction with the A83, what assessment Transport Scotland has made of its landslide mitigation measures at the A83 Rest and Be Thankful.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The reported landslide on the A815 did not impact on the operation of the A83 Rest and Be Thankful. The current operational management and decision-making for the A83 at the Rest and Be Thankful requires daily analysis of the information being acquired from t…
14 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its decision to increase the budget for "Other arts and activity" by 277.6% in its draft Budget 2026-27, whether any of this funding has already been earmarked for particular organisations, and, if so, whether it will provide details of this.
Answer · Angus Robertson: The “other arts and activity” budget line in the 2026-2027 draft budget is now confirmed as £16.044m. The Museums Future Programme, Non National Libraries and the Royal and Ceremonial lines have been moved to their own Level 4s. The "other a…
14 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-42815 by Gillian Martin on 13 January 2026, whether it will instruct SEPA to carry out formal weekly water scarcity reports outside of the May to September period, as well as seasonal reports.
Answer · Gillian Martin: While SEPA typically produces weekly water scarcity reports from May to September, it extends the weekly reporting period as conditions require. In 2025 weekly reporting started in April and continued into October due to conditions.Weekly reports are designed…
14 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it has increased the budget for Scotland House in London by 96.2% in its draft Budget 2026-27.
Answer · Angus Robertson: Scotland House London is a unique collaboration between the Scottish Government, Scottish Development International, VisitScotland and Scotland Food & Drink, and provides a platform to showcase Scotland’s unique offer to key domestic and internation…