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-01853

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 20 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 17 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has, if any, to introduce guidance for schools to minimise requirements for branded items as part of school uniforms.

Responsibility for school uniform rests with individual schools and education authorities.

The Scottish Government published national guidance on school uniform and clothing in 2024. It supports headteachers, school leaders and education authorities to work collaboratively with their school communities to develop affordable and sustainable uniform and clothing policies that meet the needs, circumstances and identities of their pupils.

The guidance has a strong focus on affordability and makes clear that schools are expected to do all they can to minimise costs for families, in line with wider efforts to tackle child poverty and reduce the cost of the school day. The guidance is clear that branded items should not be compulsory and that schools should not expect families to purchase them. Schools are encouraged to adopt flexible uniform policies that promote the use of pre-loved clothing to improve affordability and reduce waste.

Question reference: S7W-02129

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 17 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what the (a) total setup and (b) ongoing costs of the Scottish Government bond programme are in relation to (i) banks, including Banco Santander, Barclays Bank Plc, Citigroup Global Markets Limited, Deutsche Bank AG, HSBC Bank Plc, Merrill Lynch International, NatWest Markets Plc, RBC Europe Limited and Standard Chartered Bank, (ii) lawyers, including Clifford Chance, (iii) advisers, including EY, (iv) ratings agencies, including Moody's and S&P, and (v) investor relations, in (A) past, (B) present and (C) future budget years.

Question reference: S7W-02134

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 17 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what estimate it has made of the annual costs of maintaining a Scottish Government bond programme, including investor engagement, reporting and compliance.

Question reference: S7W-02001

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 24 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 17 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the viability of Scotland's abattoir sector, particularly in relation to small-to-medium sized sites.

Small and medium-sized abattoirs are a crucial part of Scotland’s red meat sector, including in remote rural areas and for smaller producers seeking private kill services, including rare breeds.

The Scottish Government is aware of the challenges in the sector through work with a number of national organisations and through direct contact with businesses. Issues include economies of scale, labour costs and shortages and capital investment.

The Scottish Government recognises these challenges, which is why we have supported the sector through the Small Producers Pilot Fund, to improve access to private kill, and to improve coordination of services. £1 million resource and up to £1.5 million capital is being made available through the fund this year. The Scottish Government also offers a Ministerial Discount, awarded to the Scottish meat industry for FSS Official Veterinarian charges, which very small abattoirs and game plants benefit from most, with 76.5% of the rate being discounted.

Question reference: S7W-02145

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 17 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to whether the Animal and Plant Health Agency, when exercising functions on behalf of the Scottish Government, should be subject to the jurisdiction of the Scottish Information Commissioner in relation to information held in connection with those functions.

Question reference: S7W-02136

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 17 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how many times it has met with representatives of credit rating agencies regarding the issuance of bonds under the Scottish Government bond programme, and what factors those agencies identified as material to Scotland's creditworthiness.

Question reference: S7W-02468

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S7W-02467

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S7W-02110

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 14 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to evaluate the interactions between GP walk-in clinics and GP practices in delivering continuity of care.

A national monitoring and evaluation framework is being developed by Healthcare Improvement Scotland, Public Health Scotland and NHS Boards. This will assess cost, activity, patient experience, workforce impact, health inequalities, clinical safety and wider system effects. The walk-in services are designed to provide an additional route for patients to access same-day care for minor illnesses. Itis hoped that this will free up capacity within GP practices to focus on patients with complex, longer term conditions which require continuity of care.

Question reference: S7W-02111

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 14 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how much of the £36 million allocated for GP walk-in clinics has been spent to date, and whether this funding will continue in the next financial year.