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: S7W-04471
- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
- Date lodged: Friday, 23 October 2026
- Current Status: Answer expected on 20 November 2026
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports that travel and subsistence allowances for judicial office holders in the Scottish Tribunals have not been revised for several years and are insufficient to cover expenses incurred, and that substantial pre-hearing preparation and decision writing is regularly undertaken without additional remuneration, whether it will review the adequacy of these arrangements and consider introducing supplementary payments, in line with those available to judicial office holders in other UK jurisdictions.
Answer
Question reference: S7W-04463
- Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
- Date lodged: Friday, 23 October 2026
- Current Status: Answer expected on 20 November 2026
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has a target replacement cycle for MRI scanners across NHS Scotland, and how many scanners are currently operating beyond that target age.
Answer
Question reference: S7W-04474
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
- Date lodged: Friday, 23 October 2026
- Current Status: Answer expected on 20 November 2026
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S7W-04191 by Ruth Charteris on 22 October 2026 regarding the Code of Practice on the investigative functions as set out in section 57 of the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 2016, whether it will provide details regarding the established legal and procedural safeguards that are in place for investigative functions in the absence of the Code of Practice.
Answer
Question reference: S7W-04472
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
- Date lodged: Friday, 23 October 2026
- Current Status: Answer expected on 20 November 2026
To ask the Scottish Government following the answer to question S7W-04191 by Ruth Charteris on 22 October 2026, for what reason it considers that the absence of a published Code does not mean that investigative functions have operated without established legal and procedural safeguards.
Answer
Question reference: S7W-04470
- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
- Date lodged: Friday, 23 October 2026
- Current Status: Answer expected on 20 November 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of disparities in remuneration between judicial office holders in the Scottish Tribunals and their counterparts in equivalent tribunals elsewhere in the UK, including reported differences in daily fee rates of between £80 and £213 and holiday pay rates of 12.07% compared with approximately 15% elsewhere, particularly where judicial office holders serving in devolved and reserved tribunals work alongside one another in Scotland, and whether it will consider reviewing these arrangements to achieve parity.
Answer
Question reference: S7W-04461
- Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
- Date lodged: Friday, 23 October 2026
- Current Status: Answer expected on 20 November 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of NHS Scotland hospital bed days were occupied by patients aged (a) 65 and over, (b) 75 and over and (c) 85 and over, in the latest year for which information is available.
Answer
Question reference: S7W-04468
- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
- Date lodged: Friday, 23 October 2026
- Current Status: Answer expected on 20 November 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the contractual arrangements for judicial office holders in the Scottish Tribunals, including the requirement to make themselves available for a minimum number of sitting days without any guarantee of work, and whether it will consider introducing guaranteed minimum sitting days and salaried appointments, particularly for chamber presidents and in-house legal members, in line with arrangements elsewhere in the UK.
Answer
Question reference: S7W-04467
- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
- Date lodged: Friday, 23 October 2026
- Current Status: Answer expected on 20 November 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of the current terms and conditions of judicial office holders in the Scottish Tribunals on morale, recruitment and retention, including how these compare with equivalent appointments in reserved tribunals and the courts, and whether it will commit to a comprehensive review of these arrangements and engage directly with GMB Scotland regarding potential improvements.
Answer
Question reference: S7W-04465
- Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
- Date lodged: Friday, 23 October 2026
- Current Status: Answer expected on 20 November 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what support is available through Skills Development Scotland, colleges and apprenticeships to encourage people to train and work in garment alteration, tailoring and dressmaking, particularly in rural areas.
Answer
Question reference: S7W-04469
- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
- Date lodged: Friday, 23 October 2026
- Current Status: Answer expected on 20 November 2026
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of concerns raised by GMB Scotland that judicial office holders in the Scottish Tribunals do not have access to the same pension arrangements as their counterparts in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, including retrospective entitlements dating to 2000 for legal members and 2012 for non-legal members, what action it is taking to address this disparity, and what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding achieving parity in judicial pension provision.
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