Parliamentary questions
Tim Eagle
1,482 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
23 Jun 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether ministers will meet representatives of the rural property sector to discuss whether the introduction of lotting provisions contained in the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2025 should be delayed pending further evidence of market recovery.
Answer · Gillian Martin: I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-01261 on 9 July 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/w…
23 Jun 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S7W-00326 by Stephen Gethins on 2 June 2026, whether the delayed energy strategy will include policy and strategic direction relating to Scotland's electricity transmission and distribution networks or whether these matters will be addressed solely thro…
Answer · Stephen Gethins: Legislation and regulations relating to electricity transmission and distribution networks are reserved to the UK Government, with the National Energy System Operator (NESO) responsible for the strategic development of the electricity system across Great Brit…
23 Jun 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the announcement that the application for the proposed Spittal to Beauly overhead transmission line will be subject to a public inquiry, what steps it will take to ensure that small community groups have access to sufficient funding, technical expertise and legal support to p…
Answer · Ivan McKee: Scottish Ministers do recognise the importance of ensuring that all interested parties, including small community groups, are able to participate effectively in the inquiry process. In this context, a number of measures are available within existing procedure…
23 Jun 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has undertaken with land agents, rural surveyors, lenders and other market stakeholders regarding any practical implications of implementing lotting provisions in the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2025 during a period of reduced market activity.
Answer · Gillian Martin: I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-01261 on 9 July 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/w…
16 Jun 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S7W-00784 by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 16 June 2026, how it measures the efficacy of the Matchmaker Scheme for Empty Homes in Scotland when it does not hold data on the number of homes sold through the scheme, and whether it will start to collect data …
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Scottish Empty Homes Partnership publishes data on their key performance indicators in their annual report. The data on the National Matchmaker Scheme will be included in the annual report for 2025-26 which is due to be published in the autumn.
16 Jun 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support local authorities that run inter-island ferry services, in light of the reported rising costs in global fuel prices as a result of the Middle East conflict.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The Scottish Government recognise the significant pressures facing the four local authorities responsible for ferry services and the importance of ensuring island communities are connected and continue receiving the high quality public services that they expe…
16 Jun 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S7W-00783 by Tom Arthur on 16 June 2026, how many of the proposed homes to be built have been built, broken down by (a) year and (b) local authority.
Answer · Tom Arthur: The following table outlines how many homes have been built as part of successful applications for the Vacant and Derelict Land Investment Programme (VDLIP) since the fund’s introduction in 2021-22.Local AuthorityYear of VDLIP AwardHomes proposedHomes B…
11 Jun 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Heriot Watt University report, Offshore Wind and the Spatial Squeeze: A Plausible Future, Layout for the North Sea, which states that "projected and operational offshore wind developments would cover approximately 58,500 square kilometres of the North Sea, ris…
Answer · Stephen Gethins: The Scottish Government recognises the Heriot Watt University report as a valuable contribution to understanding the potential international scale of offshore wind deployment in the North Sea.The Scottish Government supports offshore wind expansion as a key p…
11 Jun 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the University of Aberdeen’s report, The Past, Present and Future of Oil and Gas Exploration and Production West of Shetland (WoS), which states that "the basin to the West of Shetland could still contain almost five billion barrels of oil".
Answer · Stephen Gethins: We continue to monitor and consider a range of evidence in relation to Scotland’s energy sector, including this new report from the University of Aberdeen.Decisions on licensing, consenting and the associated fiscal regime for offshore oil and gas are a…
10 Jun 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to introduce an instant digital access code system for Lasting Power of Attorney.
Answer · Neil Gray: This question relates to operational matters that are the responsibility of the Scottish Court and Tribunals Service (SCTS) corporate body. The question has been passed to the Chief Executive of the SCTS who reply in writing within 20 days.
10 Jun 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to review the statutory registration fees required to register a (a) financial and (b) welfare Power of Attorney.
Answer · Kirsten Oswald: Fees will be reviewed as part of a wider review of court fees within this Parliamentary term.
10 Jun 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to reduce the timescales involved with the establishment of a power of attorney.
Answer · Neil Gray: This question relates to operational matters that are the responsibility of the Scottish Court and Tribunals Service (SCTS) corporate body. The question has been passed to the Chief Executive of the SCTS who reply in writing within 20 days.
10 Jun 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what specific infrastructure strategies are in place to ensure that drivers travelling on the A9 north of Inverness have access to reliable, ultra-fast electric vehicle charging stations.
Answer · Tom Arthur: The Scottish Government has invested over £70 million in public EV charging since 2011, as a direct result of this funding and increasing private sector investment, Scotland has over 12,700 public chargers, including over 3,200 rapid and ultra-rapid EV …
10 Jun 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to improve the geographical distribution of ultra-fast electric vehicle charging stations along major rural trunk roads, including the A96 and A83.
Answer · Tom Arthur: The Scottish Government has invested over £70 million in public EV charging since 2011, as a direct result of this funding and increasing private sector investment, Scotland has over 12,700 public charge points, including over 3,200 rapid and ultra-rapi…
10 Jun 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to (a) mandate and (b) fund the installation of high-capacity ultra-fast electric vehicle charging hubs along the A9 between Perth and Inverness, in light of the high volume of tourist and commercial traffic.
Answer · Tom Arthur: The regulation of public EV charging is a matter reserved to the UK Government.The Scottish Government has invested over £70 million in public EV charging since 2011, as a direct result of this funding and increasing private sector investment, Scotland …
10 Jun 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the efficacy of 7kW public electric vehicle chargers in meeting driver needs, and whether it plans to adjust its Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Fund to incentivise the rollout of CCS 150kW+ ultra-fast charging infrastructure instead.
Answer · Tom Arthur: The Scottish Government has invested over £70 million in public EV charging since 2011, as a direct result of this funding and increasing private sector investment, Scotland has over 12,700 public chargers, including over 3,200 rapid and ultra-rapid EV …
9 Jun 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide information on the total projected cost of the Vision GP clinical IT system rollout, including (a) procurement, (b) migration, (c) training, (d) support contracts and (e) remedial work resulting from technical (i) failures or (ii) delays.
Answer · Angela Constance: PSD(Scotland) has been commissioned by Scottish Government to deliver a Managed Service contract for GP IT Reprovisioning.Scottish Government funding provided for GP IT Reprovisioning2018-19 £559,0002019-20 £02020-21 £02021-22 £1,560,3…
9 Jun 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any operational problems arising from the rollout of the Vision GP clinical IT system, including any impact on (a) appointment handling, (b) prescriptions, (c) patient records, (d) tasks and (e) practice workflow.
Answer · Angela Constance: PSD (Scotland) has implemented the industry-standard ITIL Service Management approach, which includes Problem and Incident Management. Some GP Practices have encountered as lowdown of their usual processes, while they become familiar with using new software. …
9 Jun 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many reported incidents involving (a) delayed access to patient information, (b) prescribing issues, (c) referral problems or (d) administrative disruption, have been linked to the Vision GP clinical system since its implementation began.
Answer · Angela Constance: OneAdvanced, the supplier of the Vision GPIT system, have recently moved from a legacy service desk system to a different service desk provider so previous records of the numbers of reported issues are unavailable.In May 2026, 22 technical issues were reporte…
9 Jun 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it holds a risk register relating to the rollout of the Vision GP clinical IT system, and, if so, what the highest-rated risks currently are.
Answer · Angela Constance: The GP IT Project team has a register (GPIT RP Phase Three Risks and Issues Log).The highest rated risks are currently amber.
9 Jun 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many GP practices have reported (a) significant technical issues, (b) outages, (c) delays, (d) data access problems and (e) patient safety concerns in relation to the Vision GP clinical IT system since the rollout began, broken down by NHS board area.
Answer · Angela Constance: We do not hold this information. OneAdvanced, the supplier of the Vision GPIT system, have recently moved from a legacy service desk system to a different service desk providers of previous records of the numbers of reported issues are unavailable. In May 202…
9 Jun 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what (a) training and (b) technical support were provided to GP practices prior to the migration to the Vision GP clinical IT system, and what assessment it has made of whether that support has been sufficient.
Answer · Angela Constance: Each health board, during their preparation period, implementation, go-live and post migration have been provided with weekly support from the national team and the GP IT supplier, OneAdvanced, providing them with the tools to cascade the implementation proce…
9 Jun 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what criteria it will use to determine whether the Vision GP clinical IT system rollout has been successful, and whether it will publish (a) performance data and (b) an independent post-implementation review.
Answer · Angela Constance: There is a benefits realisation plan in place. The strategic objectives are set out in the Full Business Case. Lessons learned logs are continually updated and reviewed by all parties involved in migrations. Following the conclusion of the migration programme…
9 Jun 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with GP representative bodies regarding concerns over the (a) performance, (b) reliability and (c) interoperability of the Vision GP clinical IT system.
Answer · Angela Constance: The GP IT Re-provisioning Programme regularly updates senior stakeholders about the status of the programme and migrations to the Vision system. This includes The GP IT Service Management Board, which meets every two months, and has members representing Scott…
9 Jun 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what contingency arrangements are in place for any GP practices that are experiencing system failures or serious disruption following migration to the Vision GP clinical IT system.
Answer · Angela Constance: There is a significant Business Continuity component to the solution, which was validated as part of the overall system functionality accreditation and validation process in 2022, and then further evaluated as part of each health board area's local mini-compe…
9 Jun 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether any planned migrations to the Vision GP clinical IT system have been (a) delayed, (b) paused or (c) cancelled, and for what reason.
Answer · Angela Constance: The most significant delay to the programme of migrations was caused by the administration of In Practice Systems Ltd (INPS) in December 2024, which resulted in migrations being paused for a prolonged period during which no migrations could take place.On 4 Au…
3 Jun 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when the Orkney Internal Ferry Replacement Task Force (a) last met and (b) will next meet.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The Orkney Ferry Replacement Task Force last met on 29 January 2026 and minutes of that meeting are published on the Transport Scotland website.We will continue to engage with Orkney Islands Council on these matters and will consider the next steps in due cou…
3 Jun 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update of its compulsory purchase reform consultation.
Answer · Hannah Mary Goodlad: The Scottish Government will publish a summary of responses to the compulsory purchase reform consultation shortly, and will provide an update on the reform programme in line with our commitment for the first 100 days of government.
3 Jun 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many properties are eligible to apply for funding from its Emergency Heating Oil Scheme, broken down by local authority area.
Answer · Stephen Gethins: A detailed breakdown on the number of eligible properties by local authority is not held centrally.For those living in Scotland who are reliant on heating oil or liquid petroleum gas, they can visit the home heatingadvice.scot website to review the eligibilit…
3 Jun 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many loans paid out through the Scotland's Energy Efficiency Programme equity loan scheme have been repaid, and how many are unpaid.
Answer · Stephen Gethins: 174 loans were paid out through the Equity Loan Pilot. 31 have been repaid, leaving 143 to be repaid.The repayment of a loan provided through the scheme is made when the loanee sells the property or if there is a transfer of ownership.