Parliamentary questions
Patrick Harvie
1,454 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
13 Jul 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what criminal offences are available to address the dissemination of disinformation by individuals or communication platforms where there is intent to stir up conflict, hostility or disorder within communities, or where a person is reckless as to the likelihood of doing so, and whether i…
17 Jun 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has made a decision on the long-term future of the policy of fare-free bus travel for asylum seekers, following the pilot project, and, if not, by what date it will do so.
Answer · Stephen Flynn: The evaluation of the recent pilot is being finalised. This will help determine if the pilot supported people seeking asylum to integrate into society in line with the New Scots refugee integration strategy, and understand how free bus travel has impacted the…
3 Jun 2026 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of comments made by the First Minister in the Parliament on 2 June that the Scottish Government prioritises active and safe travel routes and the encouragement of cycling, walking and wheeling, for what reason Transport Scotland reportedly reduced the revenue funding for Region…
27 May 2026 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to address harm caused by disinformation and conspiracy theories, including climate denial propaganda.
18 Mar 2026 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the UK Government assessment, Global biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse and national security, published in January 2026, what assessment it has made of Scotland’s food security and resilience.
12 Mar 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when guidance for local authorities will be issued regarding the assessment of rent conditions required by the Housing (Scotland) Act 2025.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: Provisions within the Housing (Scotland) Act, section 7, require Ministerial guidance on reports following assessments of rent conditions to be issued within 9 months of the coming into force date of 1 April 2026. This will also include Ministerial guidance o…
12 Mar 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider ending its contract with TotalEnergies Gas and Power Ltd, in light of reports that the company holds a 20% share in the Yamal liquefied natural gas facility in northern Russia.
Answer · Ivan McKee: Total Energies Gas and Power Limited has confirmed that it does not have direct links to Russia. Their parent company TotalEnergies (TE) had project investments within Russia and has confirmed that it would not be investing new capital in Russia and remained …
10 Mar 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it will ensure that the expertise and experience of former Centre for Contemporary Arts (CCA) staff are not lost to Scotland’s cultural sector as a result of the centre's closure.
Answer · Angus Robertson: The Scottish Government continues to engage with Creative Scotland, as owner of the CCA building, on next steps and shares its aim of securing a new operator so the centre can reopen as soon as possible.Creative Scotland is in contact with partners in Glasgow…
10 Mar 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of whether Creative Scotland upheld its Fair Work policy commitments in its handling of the closure of the Centre for Contemporary Arts (CCA), particularly regarding any decision to withhold agreed payments, in light of reported concerns in relation to the cha…
Answer · Angus Robertson: Creative Scotland embeds Fair Work as a strategic priority, and Fair Work principles informed its engagement with the CCA as the organisation faced sustained financial challenges. After detailed consideration, Creative Scotland assessed that further public fu…
10 Mar 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with (a) Creative Scotland, (b) insolvency practitioners and (c) other relevant parties to ensure that former Centre for Contemporary Arts (CCA) staff receive their redundancy claims, wages and entitlements without unreasonable delay, and in line with Scotland…
Answer · Angus Robertson: The insolvency of the Centre for Contemporary Arts (CCA) is a regrettable situation for staff and for Glasgow’s cultural community. Creative Scotland has kept the Scottish Government informed throughout its engagement with the appointed liquidators, who…
3 Mar 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-43618 by Gillian Martin on 17 February 2026, and in light of the evidence given by the Scottish Fiscal Commission at the Finance and Public Administration Committee meeting on 3 March 2026, whether it will commission work to examine the implication…
Answer · Gillian Martin: The Scottish Government notes the UK Government’s report and the evidence given to the Committee. National security is a reserved matter, and Scottish officials have fed into what is a UK reserved issue. There are no plans to commission separate work at…
12 Feb 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to publish any information it holds regarding the dual use of land for solar farms and food production.
Answer · Gillian Martin: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-43703 on 20 February 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…
12 Feb 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to publish any information it holds regarding the benefits to the rural economy and farming enterprises of diversification into solar farms.
Answer · Gillian Martin: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-43703 on 20 February 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…
12 Feb 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to publish any information it holds regarding the biodiversity benefits of solar farms.
Answer · Gillian Martin: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-43703 on 20 February 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-committ…
12 Feb 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on the extent of land required to deliver 3.5GW of solar farms and meet its 2030 solar deployment ambition, expressed as a percentage of Scotland’s land area, and whether it will publish any such information.
Answer · Gillian Martin: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-43703 on 20 February 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-committ…
12 Feb 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on solar PV installations between 2021 and 2025 and its rate of deployment, and whether it plans to publish this information.
Answer · Gillian Martin: Data on the number of solar PV installations is available from the “Energy Trends” publication, produced by the UK Government Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, as reported in the tables on the number of renewable electricity generating …
12 Feb 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to continue supporting solar energy in Scotland, and what specific measures it proposes to support its deployment.
Answer · Gillian Martin: The Scottish Government continues to support solar deployment through our Heat in Buildings Programme, with targeted solar PV assistance for households in or at risk of fuel poverty delivered via Warmer Homes Scotland and Area Based Schemes.Households can als…
12 Feb 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason a reference to the draft Solar Vision is not included in the Energy Supply annex of the Draft Climate Change Plan.
Answer · Gillian Martin: The Scottish Government recognises the important role that solar energy plays in contributing to the decarbonisation of Scotland’s energy system and supporting a just transition to net zero. Solar generation, alongside other forms of renewable energy, w…
2 Feb 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-42757 by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 15 January 2026, for what reason the Pension Age Winter Heating Payment is not made in advance of, or at the outset of, winter.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: Management Information published on 4 February shows that 99% of payments issued (to 24 January) were made in December, consistent with Winter Fuel Payment timings. Work continues to complete final payments.The Pension Age Winter Heating Payment cannot be iss…
20 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many households have received support from investment delivered under its energy efficiency and decarbonisation programmes in each year since 2021, including how many have (a) upgraded to clean heating systems and (b) received energy efficiency measures.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: Investment delivered under energy efficiency and decarbonisation Heat in Buildings programmes are as follows:Data for 2025-26 is to Quarter 2 (September 2025) 2021-222022-232023-242024-252025-26Households Supported14,70017,80026,00018,5006,400Clean Heati…
20 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much has been (a) allocated and (b) spent in each year since 2021 on each of its energy efficiency and decarbonisation programmes.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: Data for 2025-26 is to Quarter 3 (December 2025)ProgrammeAllocation 2021-22£m’sSpend 2021-22£m’sAllocation 2022-23 £m’sSpend 2022-23 £m’sAllocation 2023-24 £m’sSpend 2023-24 £m’sAllocatio…
20 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much of the £1.8 billion that it committed in 2021 for energy efficiency and decarbonisation measures has been (a) allocated and (b) spent to date in each year, and how much funding remains uncommitted or unspent.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: Of the £1.8bn commitment made in our Heat in Buildings Strategy, over £1.67bn has been allocated to date, of which, over £886m has been spent to the end of December 2025.In the early years 2021-22 and 2022-23 demand for schemes was blunted b…
17 Dec 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-37444 by Ivan McKee on 10 September 2025, how many meetings its ministers and officials have held with organisations listed on the UN database of businesses involved in activities related to the Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestin…
Answer · Ivan McKee: A cross-government exercise to seek information on any meetings with the 158 businesses listed identified a small number of meetings at official level with representatives of Airbnb and Booking.com. These meetings were focussed on matters of domestic policy, …
9 Dec 2025 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what criteria will be used to evaluate its pilot programme for walk-in GP clinics, including whether stakeholders representing GPs and other health professionals will have been involved in defining these criteria.
4 Dec 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to Crohn's & Colitis UK's new strategy, Transforming Understanding of Crohn’s & Colitis, which states that around one in seven people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) receive their diagnosis following an emergency admission, and how it plans to wor…
Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government welcomes Crohn’s & Colitis UK’s new strategy Transforming Understanding of Crohn’s & Colitis, and their strategic ambitions for 2026-2036. We recognise that timely diagnosis is essential to improving outcomes …
2 Dec 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the proposal for mandatory owners' associations for tenements, which it has asked the Scottish Law Commission to consider drafting legislation on, could be extended to include associations for outdoor areas, such as back lanes, which are generall…
Answer · Mairi McAllan: The Scottish Law Commission published its report on mandatory owners’ associations on 11 December 2025. The Scottish Government will now fully consider the contents of this report before setting out the next steps.
29 Nov 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what emergency support is available from it or the UK Government to any local authorities that are forced to use financial reserves due to the impact of any decisions that are outwith their control, such as asylum policy changes.
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.The Scottish government has provided local government in Scotland with record fund…
29 Nov 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with (a) Glasgow City Council and (b) the UK Government, regarding any impact of asylum policy decisions on the city's homelessness services.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: Scottish Ministers and officials meet with Glasgow City Council counterparts on a regular basis to discuss the pressures on housing and homelessness services in the city. I have met councillors from Glasgow City Council on three occasions to discuss progress …
29 Nov 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what mechanism exists, or is being considered, to enable financial costs for local authority services to be shared across Scotland when they result from policy decisions not made locally, such as changes to asylum policy.
Answer · Shona Robison: Funding for local government is distributed to councils on the basis of a needs-based formula agreed with COSLA on behalf of all 32 local authorities. Any changes to that funding, including new funding or changes to distribution, are subject to formal financi…
19 Nov 2025 · SPCB Oral Question
To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what consideration it has given to staff employed within the Parliament as contractors and whether they should have the same employment terms and conditions as corporate and MSP staff.