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-04577

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 October 2026
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 9 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has undertaken of the characteristics of school leavers who move from a positive initial destination to a non-positive follow-up destination, including differences by (a) ethnicity, (b) sex and (c) socioeconomic background.

Question reference: S7W-04546

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 October 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 9 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to making public funding for salmon farming companies conditional on meeting fish health, welfare and environmental standards, including targets for reducing fish mortality.

Decisions on public funding for marine economy sectors, including salmon farming, are determined according to conditions or criteria which are relevant to the funding stream in question.

The Marine Fund Scotland administered by Scottish Government considers alignment of proposed projects with our Blue Economy Vision and other Scottish Government priorities, including our Vision for Sustainable Aquaculture, which includes specific outcomes on environmental sustainability and fish health and welfare. Applications are also assessed on factors such as their deliverability and value for money.

Question reference: S7W-04512

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Edinburgh and Lothians East, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 October 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 9 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has carried out any review of charges affecting Blue Badge holders, particularly in light of charging arrangements in other parts of the UK.

Question reference: S7W-04552

Asked by: Heather Anderson, MSP for Dundee City West, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 October 2026
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 9 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what estimate it has made of the total amount saved by patients, visitors and staff following the abolition of car parking charges at NHS hospital car parks in 2008.

Question reference: S7W-04247

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh North Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 12 October 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 9 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance it has issued to local authorities regarding the evidence that they should consider and the economic and social impact assessments that they should undertake before imposing or varying council tax premiums on second homes, and whether it plans to introduce further guidance to promote a consistent, proportionate and evidence-based approach across Scotland.

Question reference: S7W-04239

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh North Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 12 October 2026
Current Status: Holding Answer by Alyn Smith on 9 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of (a) dental education and service delivery models in (i) Dublin, through the partnership between Dublin Dental University Hospital and Trinity College Dublin, and (ii) Plymouth, through the partnership between Peninsula Dental School at the University of Plymouth and the Peninsula Dental Social Enterprise, and (b) how such approaches could be applied across Scotland, particularly in areas with reduced access to NHS dentists.

Question reference: S7W-04411

Asked by: Paul McLennan, MSP for East Lothian Coast and Lammermuirs, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 October 2026
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 9 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish a timetable for the consideration of and response to the Scottish Law Commission's Report on Tenement Law: Compulsory Owners’ Associations (Scot Law Com No. 270), including any plans for a draft Tenements (Amendment) (Scotland) Bill, and whether it will commit to providing regular updates to Parliament on progress towards implementation.

I am grateful to the Scottish Law Commission (SLC) for its detailed report and recommendations. My officials are currently in the early stages of this work, giving sufficient time to explore issues raised in the SLC report as well as engaging with key stakeholders on potential next steps.

The Scottish Government recognises the importance of ensuring that tenement buildings are properly maintained, and that owners are supported to plan for and fund repairs.

The Scottish Government is not in a position to provide a timetable for this work at this time. However, I can commit to providing regular updates to Parliament as this work progresses.

Question reference: S7W-04518

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Edinburgh and Lothians East, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 October 2026
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 9 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether its plans for elective orthopaedic care for 2026 to 2031 include an assessment of the services and support available to help patients manage their condition while awaiting surgery and, if so, what that assessment found.

A formal national assessment of support available to patients while awaiting orthopaedic surgery has not been undertaken as part of these initial proposals.

The Scottish Government understands that uncertainty while waiting can have an impact on health and wellbeing. The Waiting Well Hub on NHS Inform provides patients with information to support their health and wellbeing while waiting for health and social care services. This includes information on physical and mental health, as well as advice about practical issues like money worries.

There are a wide range of professions that contribute to the orthopaedic pathway, and officials are working collaboratively across policy areas to ensure their roles and perspectives are appropriately reflected in the development of orthopaedic policy.

Question reference: S7W-04481

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 26 October 2026
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 9 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds regarding the proportion of people admitted to hospital with a hip fracture who had previously undergone a falls-risk or osteoporosis risk assessment, and what action it is taking to improve the identification and treatment of people at risk.

Scottish Government does not hold data on the proportion of people admitted with a hip fracture who had previously undergone a falls-risk or osteoporosis assessment.

However, the Scottish Government is supporting national improvement through the Scottish Hip Fracture Audit and the development of the Scottish Fracture Liaison Service Audit, which aims to improve identification, assessment and treatment of people at risk of fragility fractures, reduce variation in care, and strengthen fracture prevention services across Scotland.

Question reference: S7W-04555

Asked by: David Linden, MSP for Glasgow Baillieston and Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 October 2026
Current Status: Answered by Kirsten Oswald on 9 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the outcomes of Police Scotland's Operation Overlap, which targeted the illegal use of personal light electric vehicles (PLEVs) and associated antisocial behaviour and criminality, what information it holds regarding (a) the number and nature of charges brought and subsequent (i) prosecutions and (ii) convictions, and (b) any changes in reported antisocial behaviour attributable to the operation.