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Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

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Question reference: S6W-42973

Asked by: Dr Alasdair Allan, MSP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 12 January 2026
Current Status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 2 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how many students from Scotland have received free university tuition since 2007-08.

Question reference: S6W-42972

Asked by: Dr Alasdair Allan, MSP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 12 January 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 26 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of school leavers in each local authority area have gone on to a positive destination in each year since 2007.

This information is available in table L2.1 of the supplementary tables accompanying the Summary Statistics for Attainment and Initial Leaver Destinations (SSAILD) publication which is available on our website.

Supporting documents - Summary Statistics for Attainment and Initial Leaver Destinations, No. 7: 2025 edition - gov.scot

The time series for this data begins in 2009-10. Data is not available for earlier years.

Question reference: S6O-05399

Asked by: Dr Alasdair Allan, MSP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 January 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 21 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting dental practices in island communities to provide sufficient levels of service to ensure that islanders can access the dental care that they are entitled to.

Question reference: S6W-42684

Asked by: Dr Alasdair Allan, MSP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 18 December 2025
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 18 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to support Scotland’s pelagic processing factories, following significant mackerel and herring quota cuts and the reduced volume of product available to them next year.

I recognise the serious challenges that quota reductions pose for Scotland’s pelagic sector in 2026.

Following a period of intensive engagement and consultation with key stakeholders across the pelagic supply chain, I have, after careful consideration, decided it is necessary for the Scottish Government to introduce an emergency measure for 2026 to help maintain jobs and investment in Scotland’s processing sector and support the wider supply chain.

I am, therefore, announcing today that the current Economic Link arrangements will be amended. Effective from 1 January 2026, the Economic Link licence condition will require species-specific landings of 70% for mackerel and 70% for herring into Scotland in 2026, up from the current combined requirement of 55%.

These measures will apply for 2026 and be kept under review.

Question reference: S6O-05331

Asked by: Dr Alasdair Allan, MSP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 December 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what work it is undertaking to ensure that rural and island communities have access to legal aid.

Question reference: S6W-42566

Asked by: Dr Alasdair Allan, MSP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 12 December 2025
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Jim Fairlie on 15 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it is making in setting out how it will restore 400,000 hectares of degraded peatland by 2040.

The Scottish Government is committed to protecting, managing and restoring Scotland’s degraded peatlands, as a vital part of mitigating and adapting to the climate and nature emergencies. That is why today we are publishing the first in a series of rolling Peatland ACTION Five-Year Partnership Plans, setting out how we will deliver Scotland’s long-term vision for peatlands by 2040.

Peatlands cover around 2 million hectares of Scotland, roughly a quarter of the country, and are of national and global significance. Two-thirds of all UK peatlands are in Scotland, and our blanket bogs represent around 10% of the global total. However, around two thirds of Scotland’s peatlands are degraded, and releasing rather than storing carbon. Restoring degraded peatlands returns the many benefits they can provide for climate, for nature and for people – including the ability to sequester carbon, support biodiversity and nature, reduce flooding and wildfire risk and improve drinking water quality. It also offers a growing source of skilled jobs for rural communities, and seasonal opportunities for existing rural workers.

Our draft Climate Change Plan sets out the Scottish Government’s ambition to increase peatland restoration by 10% each year to 2030 and maintain levels after that leading to the restoration of more than 400,000 hectares by 2040. Within this, we will look to increase the proportion of the most highly degraded and emitting peat that is restored. These policies reflect an increase in our ambition and acknowledge the work underway to grow this relatively young industry.

The Partnership Plan published today sets out realistic and achievable activity to show what the peatland sector in Scotland has the capacity, skills and capabilities to deliver. It identifies three themes as the partnership’s key priorities over the next 5 years:

Further – Expand peatland restoration in Scotland
Fairer – Support a Just Transition through restoration
Better – Improve how we work and solve technical challenges

The actions set out in the plan aim to address barriers to further upscaling, build delivery capacity and stability in the sector, simplify processes, increase funding certainty, build a long-term pipeline of investible restoration projects, create economic opportunities for rural communities and demonstrate that peatland restoration can, in the right circumstances, integrate with established land-uses.

Engagement with the sector has and will continue to inform peatland restoration planning and delivery. Lessons learned and achievements from this phase of delivery will inform our future approach, ensuring the partnership remains focused on the right priorities, at the right time, as we progress toward the Scottish Government’s proposed 2040 restoration target.

Question reference: S6W-41565

Asked by: Dr Alasdair Allan, MSP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 October 2025
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Gillian Martin on 29 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the ban on biodegradable municipal waste going to landfill after 31 December 2025.

The ban on landfilling biodegradable municipal waste (BMW) is a crucial part of delivering Scotland’s net zero ambitions and in line with Committee for Climate Change advice. It will come into force on 31 December this year.

Significant efforts and investment have been made by local authorities and commercial waste operators to prepare for the ban. The overwhelming majority of local authorities have ban compliant solutions in place and there has been a significant expansion of energy from waste facilities in Scotland in recent years.

However, due to a temporary shortfall of energy from waste capacity in Scotland, some parts of the waste sector have identified challenges in fully complying with the upcoming ban.

Taking account of these challenges, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency has today published a Regulatory Position Statement outlining its approach to enforcing the ban.

Question reference: S6O-04621

Asked by: Dr Alasdair Allan, MSP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 November 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 15 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government test

Question reference: S6O-04129

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S6O-04074

Asked by: Dr Alasdair Allan, MSP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Saturday, 12 October 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 23 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what progress is being made in reforming the female custodial estate

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