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-37294

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 15 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the time limit for potential judicial review regarding planning consent in Scotland is 12 weeks, in light of it reportedly being six weeks in England.

The law underpinning judicial review of administrative action in Scotland is devolved and within the control of the Scottish Parliament. Judicial review functions are within the framework of Scots administrative law, with the power held by the Court of Session.

The time limit for judicial review is set out in the Court of Session Act 1988. The Act provides a three-month time limit for actions to be brought and where it is equitable to do so, allows the court to accept petitions out with this time limit.

The three-month time limit was introduced via the Court Reform (Scotland) Act 2014, following consultation, as this struck an appropriate balance of avoiding unnecessary delay whilst maintaining access to justice.

While the three-month time limit is the ‘standard’ period for bringing a judicial review, the 2014 Act allows for different periods to be set for particular cases. This is relevant as the time period for bringing a judicial review against any decision on any planning application or appeal determined by the Scottish Ministers is six weeks. This is set out in section 239 of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997.

The substantive laws regarding the grounds of judicial review in Scotland are similar to those in England and Wales, however the Scottish Government will not express a view about the position in England and Wales.

Question reference: S6W-37471

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 15 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-25968 by Jenni Minto on 18 March 2024, whether it still anticipates that the Primary Care Data and Intelligence platform will be delivered by March 2026, and whether it will include data on the number of people in Scotland with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS).

Question reference: S6W-37436

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 15 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding has been allocated to (a) modernise and (b) expand the general practice estate in each year since 2016.

Question reference: S6W-37310

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 15 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-10461 by Humza Yousaf on 20 September 2022, whether it will provide an update on the support it is giving to the development of the VLA15 vaccine for Lyme disease.

As noted in the response to S6W-10461, Scottish Enterprise has provided support to the Valneva facility in Livingston although the Lyme disease vaccine candidate VLA15 is not directly supported by Scottish funding.

The introduction of any new national vaccine programme in Scotland is based on the independent expert advice of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). If VLA15, were to be authorised for use in the UK by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and recommended for use by the JCVI, then the Scottish Government would consider the introduction of any such programme.

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: S6W-37393

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 15 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what contracts have been awarded in the development of the NHS Scotland app.

Delivery responsibility for the online app for health and social care sits with NHS Education for Scotland (NES), who have been commissioned by the Scottish Government to lead on the overall Digital Front Door Programme. To date, NES have awarded two contracts to the global technology and software engineering consultancy firm BJSS. The first contract, which has now ended, was to assist on the development of the Outline Business Case. The second, which has just been signed, is to assist in the technical development work required for December’s launch of the initial version of online app, as well as further technical work as required for the subsequent roll out from 2026.

Question reference: S6W-37148

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 02 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 15 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it supports a UK-wide framework to safeguard universities against intellectual property and technology transfers to foreign military regimes.

Scottish Government officials are engaging closely with UK Government, via the Department for Education, Department for Science Innovation and Technology, and the Home Office, on the development of the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme due to come into force on 1 July.

Officials also continue to engage with the UK Government on UK-wide frameworks and guidance regarding the management of international partnerships.

Whilst national security is reserved to the UK Government, the Scottish Government expect universities, as autonomous bodies, to conduct due diligence on managing risks associated with international partnerships and comply with relevant legal requirements, including the National Security Act 2023, and National Security and Investment Act 2021.

The Scottish Government also expects that universities will carefully consider guidance published by Universities UK, and the UK Government’s Research Collaboration Advice Team, to support them in managing risks of international partnerships.

Question reference: S6W-37278

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 15 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the reasons for the reported 26% decline in new-build rental construction over the past year, and what actions are being taken to address this.

The Scottish Government is aware of the recent publication of industry figures on the operation of the Build to Rent sector. We are committed to improving conditions for housing investment at scale and will continue efforts to create a favourable environment, working with the sector, including the Housing Investment Taskforce, to achieve this.

Through our recently announced consultation, we are seeking views on proposed exemptions for certain types of property including mid-market rent and build to rent to be exempted from rent control and to specify circumstances where it might be appropriate for landlords to increase rent above the level of the rent cap, could be used.

Question reference: S6O-04689

Asked by: Maggie Chapman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 May 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 22 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the justice secretary has had with ministerial colleagues regarding the reported findings from a survey by the Fire Brigades Union that there is support and a need for 52 weeks of full pay for firefighters on maternity leave.

Question reference: S6O-04688

Asked by: Pam Gosal, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 May 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 22 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to implement any necessary measures as a consequence of the interim update from the Equality and Human Rights Commission, following the Supreme Court's ruling on the legal definition of "woman”.

Question reference: S6O-04693

Asked by: Marie McNair, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 May 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 22 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide further details of its initial assessment of the potential impact of the UK Government’s immigration plans on Scotland’s care sector.