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: S7O-00352

Asked by: Senga Beresford, MSP for South Scotland, Reform UK
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 September 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of differences in the support available to military veterans and people granted asylum in Scotland.

Question reference: S7W-03507

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Gethins on 30 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has undertaken of the potential impact on the 5,583 civil nuclear jobs in Scotland if no new nuclear projects are developed.

Question reference: S7W-03331

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 30 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of Movember’s recent report, The Real Face of Men’s Health, whether it will commit to a men’s health action plan.

The Scottish Government remains firmly committed to improving life expectancy and tackling health inequalities across the whole population.

Last year, the Scottish Government and COSLA published the Population Health Framework, which sets out our cross-government, cross-sector approach to improving life expectancy while reducing the gap in life expectancy between the 20% most deprived areas and the national average, by 2035.

The Framework sets out the actions the Scottish Government and its partners are taking forward within the first two years by: supporting healthy environments; good early years and education; good work and income; and equitable health and care.

In addition, Scottish Government’s Programme for Government places a strong emphasis on the need to shift towards prevention and early intervention. This includes action to address alcohol and drug-related harm and to encourage healthier lifestyles among men, helping to reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, lung cancer and poor mental wellbeing.

Embedding prevention across public services is a fundamental part of the Scottish Government’s approach to improving population health outcomes for individuals and securing the long-term sustainability of Scotland’s health and care system.

Question reference: S7W-03484

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 21 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 30 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-44440 by Natalie Don-Innes on 24 March 2026, what assessment it has made of the impact of childcare costs on the ability of parents with twins and other multiple births to return to, remain in or increase their participation in the workforce, and whether it will publish the evidence informing that assessment.

The Scottish Government has not made an assessment of the impact of childcare costs on the ability of parents with twins and other multiple births to return to, remain in or increase their participation in the workforce.

As highlighted in answer to S7W-03482 on 29 September 2026, the recent Programme for Government set out our intention to publish and consult on a blueprint for a transformed childcare offer in 2027, focussing on what matters most to families. I encourage families with multiples to engage with the consultation when it is published to inform consideration of future policy.

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers.

Question reference: S7W-03508

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Gethins on 30 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the contribution of the 5,583 civil nuclear workers in Scotland to developing and maintaining the country’s highly skilled workforce.

Question reference: S7W-03366

Asked by: Maggie Chapman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Alyn Smith on 30 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the compatibility of proposals by the University of Aberdeen to create four new executive dean posts with reported annual salaries of £112,000 to £140,000 while proposals to reduce staff numbers by 111 posts are under consideration, and how this aligns with the Scottish Government's statement that senior figures within the college and university sectors should demonstrate restraint in their own pay settlements and that senior pay packages should be in step with the salary, terms and conditions offered to other staff.

The University of Aberdeen is an autonomous institution with responsibility for its own operational decision making, including in relation to staff, recruitment and remuneration.

The Scottish Government expects the Scottish Funding Council to monitor and seek assurances that universities are compliant with the Scottish Code of Good HE Governance as a condition of grant funding, including the extent to which universities are considering value for money and the public interest, avoiding inappropriate use of funds, and seeking the views of students and staff in relation to decisions regarding senior executive remuneration. I do pay close attention to the matters the member raises in my discussions with individual institutions and the wider sector and am alert to this issue in my consideration of future funding of the sector.

Question reference: S7W-03468

Asked by: Sanne Dijkstra-Downie, MSP for Edinburgh Northern, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 21 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Gethins on 30 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how many of the 100,000 properties identified in its Programme for Government are expected to have benefited from energy efficiency measures by the end of financial year 2026-27.

Question reference: S7W-03776

Asked by: Stuart McMillan, MSP for Inverclyde, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 September 2026
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Gillian Martin on 30 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to approach its engagement with the people of Scotland in meeting the challenges of a changing climate and biodiversity loss.

I am pleased to announce the launch of ‘Our Scotland, Our Future: Public Engagement Strategy for Climate and Nature’. This publication comes at a vital time. The impacts of climate change are with us and are being felt with increasing severity across Scotland. Public engagement is essential to deliver the action we all need to take together, improve our quality of life, reduce future impacts, and contribute to a more prosperous, healthy, fairer and resilient Scotland.

Our public engagement approach seeks to build understanding that motivates, inspires and leads to action across the whole of society, among our urban, rural and island communities. It aims to shift the conversation about climate change and nature loss towards one of hope, honesty, resilience, and shared ownership of solutions, recognising people not only as audiences, but as active partners in re-imagining and shaping Scotland’s future.

This is a public engagement strategy for climate change mitigation, adaption and nature loss together, reflecting how interconnected they are and how people experience their local environment, understand how climate and nature-related risks are changing where they live, and enabling local action that delivers multiple benefits.

Question reference: S7W-03330

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Simita Kumar on 30 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to establish a national advisory council on men and boys to promote positive masculinity and improve men’s health outcomes.

The Scottish Government is not currently considering establishing a national advisory council on men and boys. Gender inequality affects everyone in Scotland and we are committed to addressing misogyny, challenging stereotypes and promoting positive masculinity. This is key to tackling violence against women and girls and realising a gender equal Scotland.

Earlier this year we ran a campaign to challenge misogynistic attitudes and behaviours among boys, helping them recognise the link between online content and real-world harm, and empowering them to take action to prevent it. We will continue to work with men and boys, including those in leadership positions, to promote positive masculinity and help tackle the causes of gender-based abuse.

We also recognise the importance of improving health outcomes for men and boys. Improving population health and reducing health inequalities, including those experienced by men, remains a key priority for the Scottish Government. We published the Population Health Framework, in partnership with COSLA, which takes a whole-system and cross-sector approach to improving life expectancy and reducing health inequalities. Wider action to tackle men’s health and mortality inequalities includes increased investment in suicide prevention and targeted marketing to encourage men to contact their GP via the ‘Be the Early Bird’ campaign.

Question reference: S7W-03425

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Gethins on 30 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers that its opposition to new nuclear sites could lead to the loss of a generation of skilled workers in the nuclear sector.

The Scottish Government does not support new nuclear fission power stations. Renewables are delivering jobs and growth for Scotland now – while nuclear can take decades to deliver, with projects in the other part of the UK seeing costs spiral.

The Scottish Net Zero Economy in 2025 report, published by the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit and The Confederation of British Industry, found that net zero-related industries support 105,000 full-time equivalent jobs in Scotland.

Decommissioning at former sites is expected to continue for decades to come, and will follow at Torness. This work will continue to require a highly skilled workforce.