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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

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

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Question reference: S6W-44153

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 March 2026
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 18 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government when the next planning performance statistics will be published.

The Planning Application Statistics are published for Q1&Q2 (midyear), Q3&Q4 (yearend) and annually (all quarters) by the Scottish Government and can be accessed at www.gov.scot/collections/planning-statistics.

The statistics for Quarters 1 and 2 of the 2025-26 reporting period are due to be published on 29 May 2026.

The Planning Application Statistics are not the sole indicators of the performance of the planning system. The National Planning Improvement Champion (NPIC), a post funded by Scottish Government and hosted by the Improvement Service, has implemented the National Planning Improvement Framework which requires authorities to assess themselves against twelve attributes of a high performing planning authority.

The NPIC has recently published updates on the progress planning authorities have made with their National Planning Improvement Framework Improvement Action Plans. These can be viewed at: https://www.improvementservice.org.uk/products-and-services/planning-and-place-based-approaches/national-planning-improvement/improvement-action-plans-and-performance-assessments.

Question reference: S6W-44155

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 March 2026
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 17 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide details of the Planning Hub’s (a) current staff structure, (b) resourcing capacity, (c) number of full-time equivalent staff currently in post and (d) planned resourcing for 2026-27.

The National Planning Hub has 2 dedicated Scottish Government staff – a Head of the National Planning Hub (Grade 6) and Programme Manager (Grade 7), based within Planning and Development Delivery Division. This is complemented by 2.5 posts within the Improvement Service which are funded by Scottish Government, with a team led by the National Planning Improvement Champion, a Planning and Capacity Lead, and a Planning Officer.

In 2025-26 the Planning Hub budget was £1.35m, this figure includes the costs for the Improvement Service staff and programme delivery, and the additional resources provided to planning authorities. The Planning Hub also draws on the wider capacity across Government, including the Planning Housing team that lead work on brokerage for stalled housing sites.

Decisions related to any programme activity in 2026-27 and beyond will be the prerogative of the new government, post the Scottish Parliament election. Initial funding for 2026-27 has had approval to maintain current operational delivery.

Further detail on the activities of the Hub can be seen at https://www.planninghub.scot/.

Question reference: S6W-44154

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 March 2026
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 13 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it can confirm that the next quarterly all-tenure housing statistics will be published before the next parliamentary elections.

Question reference: S6W-43956

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 February 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 12 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what the projected annual budget for the new housing agency, More Homes Scotland will be for each of the next five financial years; what proportion of this represents new funding as opposed to reallocated funding; what estimate it has made of the (a) administrative and (b) set-up costs; whether a business case or cost–benefit analysis has been completed and, if so, whether this will be published.

Question reference: S6W-43957

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 February 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 12 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how many staff the new housing agency, More Homes Scotland, is expected to employ at establishment; how many are anticipated will transfer from existing public bodies or the core Scottish Government; what governance arrangements are proposed for the agency, including whether it will have a board and chief executive, and what the timetable is for appointments to these roles.

Question reference: S6W-43958

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 February 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 12 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what statutory powers and operational functions the new housing agency, More Homes Scotland, will exercise; whether it will have borrowing powers or the ability to directly commission, develop or own housing stock, and what assessment it has made of potential duplication of functions with existing housing bodies or local authorities.

Question reference: S6W-43955

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 February 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 12 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what the proposed legal status will be of the new housing agency, More Homes Scotland; under what existing or proposed legislation it will be established; whether primary or secondary legislation will be required, and what the timetable is for its formal establishment.

Question reference: S6W-43954

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 February 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 12 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what specific housing delivery targets and key performance indicators will be assigned to the new housing agency, More Homes Scotland; what increase in annual housing completions it anticipates will result from its establishment; when policy development work on this commenced, and what stakeholder consultation (a) has been carried out and (b) is planned.

Question reference: S6W-43871

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 23 February 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 9 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the Housing (Scotland) Act 2025, whether temporary accommodation will be included as part of the regulations to set deadlines for landlords to fix damp and mould hazards (Awaab’s Law).

Question reference: S6O-05564

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 February 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what funding it provides to support research into finding a cure for motor neurone disease.