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: S7W-02648

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 August 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 23 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, following the departure of Dr Calum MacLeod, how many Land Commissioners currently serve on the board of the Scottish Land Commission; for what reason, in the context of public service reform, it has not yet recruited a replacement for Dr MacLeod, whether it plans the board to return to its full statutory complement of five Commissioners and, if (a) so, by what date it expects to do so and (b) not, (i) on what legal authority it is operating with fewer than five Commissioners and (ii) whether it will lay regulations under section 4(5) of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2016 to alter the number of Commissioners.

Question reference: S7W-02680

Asked by: Kayleigh Kinross-O'Neill, MSP for Edinburgh and Lothians East, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 August 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 23 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of the expansion of Hospital at Home on waits of at least 12 hours in Emergency Departments over the last five years, in light of reports that waits have continued to rise, with more than 44,000 patients experiencing such a wait in 2026 to date, which is approximately 9,000 more tha the same period last year.

Question reference: S7W-02678

Asked by: Kayleigh Kinross-O'Neill, MSP for Edinburgh and Lothians East, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 August 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 23 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of whether areas with greater Hospital at Home capacity have experienced improved performance in Emergency Departments, lower delayed discharge rates and lower hospital occupancy than areas with less capacity.

Question reference: S7W-02649

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 August 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 23 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact on the Scottish Land Commission's work and expertise, particularly in relation to community land ownership, of operating with four rather than five Land Commissioners, as provided for in the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2016.

Question reference: S7W-02687

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 August 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 23 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service regarding the formal debriefs announced following the recent Cairngorms wildfire, and whether the findings will be used to inform national resilience policy.

Question reference: S7W-02692

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Fife North East, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 August 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 23 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of whether the size of the early learning and childcare workforce is sufficient to meet the needs of childcare provision in Scotland, including funded childcare provision and private and voluntary sector provision.

Question reference: S7W-02684

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 August 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 23 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to support on-call firefighters and their employers in rural and remote communities, in light of their role in responding to large-scale rural and wildfire incidents.

Question reference: S7W-02647

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 August 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 23 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether a pilot programme for automated vending machines dispensing sterile injecting equipment and other harm reduction supplies could be authorised under existing legal exceptions agreed with the Lord Advocate, or whether additional guidance for Police Scotland would be needed to support individuals accessing supplies from these machines.

Question reference: S7W-02679

Asked by: Kayleigh Kinross-O'Neill, MSP for Edinburgh and Lothians East, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 August 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 23 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers that Hospital at Home, which it has promoted for several years, remains a key solution in resolving pressures on hospitals and, if so, what evidence it has that its expansion has delivered measurable improvements in Emergency Department performance.

Question reference: S7W-02685

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 August 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 23 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to the Chief Officer of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service's proposal to introduce a more formal and proportionate fire safety regime for wildfire prevention and preparedness in natural and rural environments, and what steps it will take in response.