Chamber and committees

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.

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Question reference: S6W-43598

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 February 2026
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Jenni Minto on 6 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made on discussions with the UK Government in relation to The Hughes Report.

Dr Henrietta Hughes published her report, which was about financial and non-financial redress for persons affected by transvaginal mesh or the medicine sodium valproate, on 7 February 2024. The report was commissioned by the previous UK Government, but the present UK Government has undertaken to consider and respond to it. Regrettably, it has not yet responded.

Dr Hughes is the Patient Safety Commissioner for England and her report and recommendations were concerned in the first place with affected persons in England, but both Dr Hughes and the UK Government have acknowledged that people across the UK have been affected, and also that issues relevant to the report, notably the regulation of medicines and medical devices, concern UK-wide responsibilities of the UK Government.

Since the publication of the Hughes Report the Scottish Government has been working closely with the other Devolved Governments to seek a response from the UK Government. Scottish Government Ministers wrote to Ministers of the present UK Government about the report in October 2024, in February 2025 and again in July 2025, to seek meetings and assurances that the Devolved Governments would be consulted about any potential UK Government response. Ministers from the other Devolved Governments wrote in similar terms, also on a number of occasions.

A meeting between the four UK Health Ministers was finally agreed to in December 2025, and took place last month. Despite this meeting, it remains the case that the UK Government has made no substantial proposals about how it might respond to the recommendations concerned with financial redress; nor so far has it stated a date by which it might seek to publish a response.

Whilst the UK Government published a spending review on 11 June 2025 setting out plans from financial year 2026-27 to the end of 2028-29, there was no specific provision to respond to the Hughes Report.

The second anniversary of the Hughes Report’s publication approaches and anyone affected will have wholly reasonable expectations that the UK Government would have responded to the report by now, and in a substantial way. I consider it unreasonable and unfair that they have had to wait for two years and possibly now for even longer.

I therefore wish to note in particular that, to date, the Scottish Government has received no proposals from the UK Government for any schemes of financial redress that would constitute a substantial implementation of the recommendations made by Dr Hughes. We stand ready to consider any proposals from the UK Government, but we do not consider we are able to make proposals independently of them.

I appreciate that this information will be disappointing for those affected, but I wish to assure the Parliament that I will continue to push for a resolution.

Both the Scottish Government and the NHS in Scotland will continue to offer help and assistance to women affected by transvaginal mesh and people affected by sodium valproate. We will continue to offer mesh removal surgery, both in the NHS and with independent sector surgeons, if that is what patients prefer. We also continue to explore how support for people harmed by valproate might be organised in Scotland. Public Health Scotland has established a National Medicines in Pregnancy ‘surveillance asset’ focussed on anti-seizure medicines, including valproate, that are known or suspected to have potential to increase the risk of birth defects and development disorders when taken during pregnancy.

The Scottish Government appreciates that there is interest in these issues and support for people affected among members in all the parties represented in the Parliament. We will continue to keep Members informed about significant developments.

Question reference: S6W-43609

Asked by: Emma Harper, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 February 2026
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Mairi McAllan on 6 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to support people to access affordable home ownership in rural and island communities.

The Scottish Government is taking a range of actions to support people to access affordable home ownership in rural and island communities.

We operate the Low Cost Initiative for First-Time Buyers (LIFT), which includes:

Open Market Shared Equity (OMSE) Scheme – helping eligible purchasers buy a home available on the open market.
New Supply Shared Equity (NSSE) – enabling people to buy a newly built home from a housing association or local authority.

At the National Farmers Union Conference later today, the First Minister will also make clear his intention to develop a Rural and Island Housing Grant Scheme (RIHGS) in collaboration with the rural and housing sectors. The scheme will have an indicative budget of up to £20 million over four years and will provide modest capital grants to help people secure properties as permanent homes in rural and island communities.

We recognise that access to good-quality, affordable housing is essential to attracting and retaining people in rural and island areas. The new RIHGS will complement the Rural and Islands Housing Action Plan, published in October 2023, which was shaped through strong partnership working with stakeholders across rural and island communities.

Question reference: S6W-43580

Asked by: Rona Mackay, MSP for Strathkelvin and Bearsden, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 February 2026
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 6 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to its recent Fairer Funding pilot, what next steps it will take to strengthen work with the third sector across Scotland.

The Scottish Government will work with third sector partners to deliver Scotland’s first ever “Third Sector Partnership” which will further strengthen the role and place of the sector in Scotland. This new Partnership creates a unique and valuable opportunity for government to work more effectively with the sector and build on progress made through our Fairer Funding pilot.

The principles underpinning the partnership, in line with those set out by SCVO, will include alignment with Fairer Funding principles, protection of the sector’s independence, outcomes-focussed to reflect shared goals, ensuring accountability and alignment with relevant legislation and strategies. We will work closely with a diverse range of third sector partners to co-design the partnership.

We already recognise the essential role played by the third sector in delivering for communities across Scotland everyday. We recently announced a £20 million investment for third sector partners in the draft Budget to deliver the support that people need in their communities, underlining the importance of the government and third sector organisations working to tackle the challenges of the day together. This is in addition to delivering on our Fairer Funding pilot that provides multi-year funding worth £130 million over 2025-2027, prioritising those that deliver frontline services and tackle child poverty.

Question reference: S6W-43591

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 February 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 19 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to use funds raised from the expansion of UK Emissions Trading Scheme to the maritime sector to support the provision of Onshore Power Supply projects in Scottish ports.

Question reference: S6W-43581

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 February 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 19 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what process ministers follow when considering byelaws submitted under section 12 of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003, in cases linked to proposed large-scale tourism or leisure developments.

Question reference: S6W-43582

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 February 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 19 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what timescales typically apply for the ministerial determination of byelaws submitted under section 12 of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003, where the byelaw relates to land affected by a proposed development.

Question reference: S6W-43600

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 February 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 19 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason, in its draft Budget 2026-27, the (a) funding for Energy Transitions has been significantly reduced, and (b) Just Transition Fund has been held at a flat cash level, despite the stated commitment to deliver £500 million over 10 years, which current allocations would not allow to meet.

Question reference: S6W-43579

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Reform UK
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 February 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 19 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether Scotland-based retail, hospitality and leisure firms that will be liable for the higher property rate in 2026-27 will be better placed to pay a higher non-domestic rate than their counterparts in England in similar sized premises.

Question reference: S6W-43599

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 February 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 19 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of indications that the capital funding allocation for climate action lies in the local government budget, whether it will set out what (a) funding is in place for flood defence projects across Scotland, and (b) the total amount being provided for this purpose is.

Question reference: S6W-43595

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 February 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 19 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its decision to not fully fund the social care pay uplift from the real Living Wage 2025-26 to the real Living Wage 2026-27 in its draft Budget 2026-27, who it has asked to fund the gap in pay for wholly commissioned public services.