- Asked by: Lorna Slater, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 01 October 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 22 October 2026
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports that 35% of crisis grant applications resulted in refusals in 2025-26, what assessment it has made of whether crisis grant eligibility rules contribute to reliance on food banks.
Answer
The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that people experiencing a crisis can access support through the Scottish Welfare Fund (SWF). Accordingly, SWF Crisis Grants provide a safety net for people facing an immediate risk to their health or safety. We have not identified evidence demonstrating a direct causal link between Crisis Grant eligibility criteria and reliance on food banks.
The most recent SWF data shows that the majority of Crisis Grant applications continue to result in awards, with grants helping households facing immediate financial crisis. Decisions are made by local authorities, who must apply the eligibility criteria set out in the SWF statutory guidance to ensure support is targeted at those in greatest need.
- Asked by: Lorna Slater, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 October 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 22 October 2026
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of questions regarding the compatibility of compulsory sales orders and compulsory purchase orders with the European Convention on Human Rights, whether it will introduce legislation to enable local authorities to use Compulsory Lease Orders to bring empty homes back into use more easily.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-04056 on 22 October 2026 . Local authorities can, and are, using existing compulsory purchase powers to bring empty homes back into use. The Scottish Government is also reforming and modernising Scotland's compulsory purchase system to make it simpler, more streamlined and fairer, and have committed to legislate for the proposed reforms during this Parliament, as set out in the Programme for Government.
Not all action on empty homes requires legislative reform and in 2026-27 we are investing £2 million to continue to drive down the number of empty homes.
Compulsory lease powers would need to be carefully and fully considered against a complex practical and legal background, including compatibility with the European Convention on Human Rights. Taking into account the responses to the Scottish Government’s ‘Compulsory Purchase Reform in Scotland’ consultation, we will continue to monitor whether compulsory sale or lease powers could provide any additional benefits beyond a reformed compulsory purchase system.
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/written-questions-and-answers
- Asked by: Lorna Slater, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 01 October 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 22 October 2026
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports that Edinburgh Food Project provided 2,896 food parcels in the Edinburgh Central constituency between September 2025 and September 2026, whether it remains committed to ending the need for food banks in Scotland and, if so, what action it is taking to deliver this commitment.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-03582 on 2 October 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/written-questions-and-answers.
- Asked by: Lorna Slater, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 01 October 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 22 October 2026
To ask the Scottish Government in light of reports that 8,870 of the 26,160 crisis grant decisions made in the City of Edinburgh resulted in refusals last year, representing 34% of all decisions, and that the average award was £125, whether it considers the level of crisis grant provision to be sufficient to meet applicants' needs.
Answer
We are committed to using all the levers available to us to support those most in need and have maintained the Scottish Welfare Fund (SWF) budget at £41 million in 2026-27, providing vital support during difficult times.
There is a robust process in place for calculating SWF Crisis Grant awards, as per the statutory guidance. The Universal Credit Essentials Guarantee, advocated by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and the Trussell Trust, has been used since 2025 to ensure that applicants are receiving an award amount that is suitable for their needs, leading to increased award values in many cases.
- Asked by: Lorna Slater, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 October 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 22 October 2026
To ask the Scottish Government, regarding its paper Compulsory Purchase Reform in Scotland: The Way Forward, what further work it is undertaking to explore Compulsory Lease Orders and the potential impacts of leasing a property without its owner's consent, and when it expects this work to be completed.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S7W – 04056 on 22 October 2026. As part of continuous improvement, we will continue to monitor whether compulsory sale and lease powers could provide any additional powers beyond a reformed compulsory purchase system.
The Scottish Government’s Compulsory Purchase Reform in Scotland consultation demonstrated support for reforming and modernising Scotland's compulsory purchase system. The consultation also included questions on compulsory sale and lease orders. The majority of respondents expressed support in principle for compulsory sale powers, however some questioned whether these could offer additional advantages beyond a reformed compulsory purchase process. Support for compulsory lease is less clear, with concerns about the complexity involved and any added value.
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/written-questions-and-answers
- Asked by: Lorna Slater, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 October 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 22 October 2026
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will use the opportunity of local government reform to enable local authorities to use Compulsory Sale Orders and Compulsory Lease Orders to bring empty homes back into use.
Answer
Local authorities can, and are, using existing compulsory purchase powers to bring empty homes back into use. The Scottish Government is also reforming and modernising Scotland's compulsory purchase system to make it simpler, more streamlined and fairer, and have committed to legislate for the proposed reforms during this Parliament, as set out in the Programme for Government.
Not all action on empty homes requires legislative reform and in 2026-27, we are investing £2 million to continue to drive down the number of empty homes.
As part of continuous improvement, we will continue to monitor whether compulsory sale or lease powers could provide any additional benefits beyond a reformed compulsory purchase system.
- Asked by: Lorna Slater, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 01 October 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 22 October 2026
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the reported rise in homelessness applications in Edinburgh, what action it is taking to ensure that people experiencing homelessness or living in temporary accommodation can access nutritious food.
Answer
The legal responsibility for housing and homelessness services in Edinburgh, including the provision and management of temporary accommodation, sits with the City of Edinburgh Council. Under the Homeless Persons (Unsuitable Accommodation) (Scotland) Order 2014, temporary accommodation provided to households must meet certain standards, including access to appropriate cooking facilities. Access to suitable cooking facilities allows households to prepare meals and make choices about the food they eat while residing in temporary accommodation.
The Scottish Government provides funding to Edinburgh Community Food to work with relevant local authorities and NHS Lothian to help improve access to healthier food options and improve diets, including for people living in temporary accommodation.
- Asked by: Lorna Slater, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 01 October 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Simita Kumar on 15 October 2026
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the publication by the Scottish Government and COSLA of the renewed delivery plan, Ending Destitution Together, what action it is taking to address food insecurity and reliance on food banks among people with no recourse to public funds.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-03583 on 6 October 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/written-questions-and-answers.
- Asked by: Lorna Slater, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 October 2026
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Current Status:
Answer expected on 4 November 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what arrangements it will put in place to ensure that community councils can participate meaningfully in the three-month consultation on local governance reform, which is due to end in early December.
Answer
Answer expected on 4 November 2026
- Asked by: Lorna Slater, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 17 September 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 1 October 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with the veteran community about the delayed implementation of its Veterans Mental Health and Wellbeing Pathway.
Answer
The veteran community has been central to the development of the Veterans Mental Health and Wellbeing Pathway, with representation on the Pathway Advisory Group, and its associated sub-groups. This Advisory Group oversaw the development of the Veterans Mental Health and Wellbeing Framework, and included representation from the veteran community, the third sector, and statutory services which support veterans and their families. The Framework, published in March 2026, sets the strategic direction to ensure that veterans have equitable access to mental health services. The voices and experiences of the veteran community have informed the work from the outset.
We continue to work closely with veterans, as well as the wider service delivery landscape, ahead of the phased launch of the national Pathway from October 2026. This will to ensure that future mental health and wellbeing services for veterans remain informed by lived experience and are responsive to their needs.
