S7W-03686

Asked by: MacDougall, Julie (Reform UK - Mid Scotland and Fife)

Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will conduct a full review of the economic impact of recent policies relating to short-term lets, including the Short Term Lets licensing scheme and Visitor Levy.

Answered by Somerville, Shirley-Anne - Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice and Housing

The Scottish Government monitors tourism sector performance through a range of data sources and stakeholder intelligence. The tourism sector is performing strongly in many areas, including short-term let accommodation - with the number of Scottish short-term let listings in March 2026 10% higher than in March 2025 and 8% higher than pre-pandemic levels in 2019. Guest nights booked in short-term lets also increased by 11% in 2025 compared with 2024, and were 4% higher in June 2026. This compares favourably with the UK as a whole, where demand declined slightly (down 1%). Short-term let occupancy rates in June 2026 (57%) remained stable compared with the previous year and continued to exceed the UK average (47%).

Business and regulatory considerations were one of the impact assessments undertaken during development of the licensing scheme. Since short-term let licensing commenced in 2022, we have already provided written and verbal updates to Parliament in 2023 and 2025, as well as a report published in 2024. In addition, licensing authorities will conduct their own impact assessments as they periodically review, consult and update their policy statements.

The Visitor Levy (Scotland) Act 2024 requires Scottish Ministers to review and report on the operation of the Act, as soon as reasonably practicable 3 years after the first levy scheme comes into effect. The report must set out an assessment of the impact of visitor levy schemes on businesses and communities.

S7W-03661

Asked by: Eagle, Tim (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party - Highlands and Islands)

Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many drivers have been (a) charged and (b) prosecuted for driving while using a mobile phone, in each year since 2021.

Answered by None

The following table has been produced in answer to the above question. It should be noted that these figures relate to charges reported to COPFS, rather than individual drivers. COPFS uses a live, operational database to manage the processing of reports submitted to Procurators Fiscal by the police and other reporting agencies throughout Scotland. It is designed to meet business needs in the processing of criminal cases, rather than for statistical analysis and the information within it is structured accordingly.

The database has been searched for charges received by COPFS under the Scottish Government classification as mobile phone driving offences. This covers offences under S41D(b) of the Road Traffic Act 1988.

During the period 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2026 the following charges were reported to COPFS in each financial year (1 April to 31 March).

S7W-03636

Asked by: Kerr, Stephen (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party - Mid Scotland and Fife)

Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has been provided with a business case for the integration of the database systems used by the Scottish Prison Service, the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service and the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.

Answered by Gray, Neil - Cabinet Secretary for Justice

The Scottish Government received a collaborative application from a range of Justice partners, including Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service, through the invest to save initiative, for funding to support the development of a system-wide business case and roadmap for long-term digital and service modernisation across the criminal justice system.

While that application did not prove successful, the Cabinet Secretary for Public Service Reform and I have recently met and discussed the proposal with the Chief Executive of Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service, who led on this work, and the Crown Agent. In recognising the importance of the challenge outlined within the bid, we have invited the development of a further justice system proposal, out with the invest to save structure.

S7W-03689

Asked by: MacDougall, Julie (Reform UK - Mid Scotland and Fife)

Question

To ask the Scottish Government what data it holds on how many police officers are deployed on street patrols at any given time and whether it considers the current number to be appropriate for the volume and types of crimes committed across all areas of Scotland.

Answered by Gray, Neil - Cabinet Secretary for Justice

The Scottish Government does not hold this information. The deployment of police officers is a matter for the Chief Constable, with oversight by the Scottish Police Authority.

S7W-03692

Asked by: Lennon, Monica (Scottish Labour - Glasgow)

Question

To ask the Scottish Government when the Fair Work Oversight Group last met and whether any future meetings are planned.

Answered by Arthur, Tom - Minister for Business and Fair Work

The Fair Work Oversight Group last met on 8 January 2026.

At that meeting, members reflected on progress made through the Fair Work Action Plan towards the Scottish Government vision for Scotland to be a leading Fair Work nation and discussed the future of Fair Work policy in Scotland.

The final Fair Work Action Plan Report was published on 7 October 2026.

S7W-03604

Asked by: Linden, David (Scottish National Party - Glasgow Baillieston and Shettleston)

Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to HM Inspectorate of Prisons for Scotland’s report published on 19 January 2026, Inspection of Court Custody Provision Glasgow Sheriff Court and Justice of the Peace Court, what assessment it has made of the statement on page six that it would not be possible for a disabled individual in custody to defecate without intimate assistance from Court Custody Unit (CCU) staff, due to inadequate toilet facilities.

Answered by Gray, Neil - Cabinet Secretary for Justice

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 will reply in writing within 20 days.

S7W-03469

Asked by: Dijkstra-Downie, Sanne (Scottish Liberal Democrats - Edinburgh Northern)

Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish its updated Wildfire Strategic Action Plan and what additional measures the plan will contain to reduce the risk of wildfires.

Answered by Gray, Neil - Cabinet Secretary for Justice

The Scottish Government and key partners are currently reviewing the Wildfire Strategic Action Plan to ensure it continues to reflect the increasing wildfire risk, and to identify if further measures are required.

The review is being undertaken alongside continued delivery of the existing action plan and a number of priority areas, including aerial firefighting support, public awareness and prevention communications activity, wildfire danger assessments, and strengthened multi-agency communication and operational arrangements have been identified for increased focus.

It is expected that progress will be delivered on a number of the priority areas ahead of the 2027 wildfire season, with further updates to be provided as the review progresses.

S7W-03434

Asked by: Sweeney, Paul (Scottish Labour - Glasgow)

Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the role that the 851 civil nuclear workers at Torness play in supporting Scotland’s energy security.

Answered by Gethins, Stephen - Minister for Europe, External Affairs and Energy

The Scottish Government recognises the important contribution that the skilled workforce at Torness has made and continues to make. The Scottish Government has not made a separate assessment of the figure cited.

Security of electricity supply is reserved to the UK Government and is managed on a Great Britain-wide basis by the National Energy System Operator.

S7W-03514

Asked by: Burgess, Ariane (Scottish Green Party - Highlands and Islands)

Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of public opposition to the closure of fire stations, as proposed in the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service's Service Delivery Review.

Answered by Gray, Neil - Cabinet Secretary for Justice

SFRS carried out an extensive public consultation including 40 public events (in-person meetings, drop-in sessions and online meetings) and a public survey. The SFRS Board took decisions based on both the consultation responses, which had been independently analysed, along with the evidence on the need for change.

S7W-03451

Asked by: Eagle, Tim (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party - Highlands and Islands)

Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers that, due to factors including larger floor areas, detached construction, older building types and installation costs, rural and island homes are typically more expensive to retrofit for energy efficiency and heating decarbonisation than urban properties.

Answered by Gethins, Stephen - Minister for Europe, External Affairs and Energy

We are aware that Scotland has a large number of pre-1919 built houses in rural and island communities compared to urban areas. These properties are typically detached and are 32% to 38% larger by floor area than urban dwellings of the same age. These buildings can be more complex to decarbonise and insulate than modern buildings due to increased risk of mould or dampness if the “breathable” nature of the building is compromised.