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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

Filter your results Hide all filters

Displaying 48973 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S6W-41183

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 10 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 6 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government when the Breast Screening Modernisation Programme Board will publish its findings and recommendations.

I welcome the Breast Screening Modernisation Board’s report, which was submitted to the Scottish Government earlier this year, and which we expect to publish by the end of November.

The report includes a number of important recommendations to strengthen the breast screening programme, the most important of which is to move to a single management model, so that breast screening retains local delivery, but with a single point of oversight and leadership. Screening Oversight and Assurance Scotland have been commissioned to take forward work on this recommendation as a priority.

Question reference: S6W-41221

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 10 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Natalie Don-Innes on 6 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many cases in the Children’s Hearings System were continued more than twice due to insufficient reporters or staff to review the case.

This information is not held by the Scottish Government as it relates to an operational matter for the children’s hearings system.

The Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration (SCRA) publish their annual statistics, which sets out a measure on time taken to progress referrals through the children’s hearings system. The information is available on the SCRA website: Official Statistics - SCRA.

Question reference: S6W-41157

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 6 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-41119 by Jim Fairlie on 9 October 2025, who will be attending the Wildfire Summit on 14 October 2025, and what will be discussed.

The following stakeholders were invited to the Wildfire Summit on 14 October 2025:

Scottish Government

Forestry and Land Scotland

Cairngorms National Park Authority

Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority

Scottish Forestry

NatureScot

Scottish Environmental Protection Agency

Scottish Fire and Rescue Service

Firebreak Services

Police Scotland

Her Majesty's Fire Inspectorate Service

Brightsparks Burning Techniques

Scottish Land and Estates

Scottish Gamekeepers Association

British Association for Shooting and Conservation

National Farmers Union for Scotland

Scottish Crofters Federation

Scottish Countryside Alliance

Heather Trust

Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust

RSPB Scotland

John Muir Trust

National Trust for Scotland

Scottish Ramblers Association

Scottish Countryside Rangers Association

Trees for Life

UK Met Office – Scotland liaison

Association of British Insurers (ABI) – Scotland representative

Highland Council

Dumfries and Galloway Council

Highland Adapts

Local Gamekeepers

The focus of the summit was for stakeholders to share their views on addressing future wildfire risks, including what is needed to increase Scotland’s resilience to wildfires.

A roundtable on wildfires event will take place in the coming weeks at the Scottish Parliament which will provide MSPs with the opportunity to hear from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and the Scottish Government about a brief overview of the 2025 wildfires season, key outcomes from the Scottish Multi-Agency Resilience Training and Exercising Unit (SMARTEU) debrief, an overview of learnings so far from the series of engagements and to contribute to building resilience into our wildfire preparedness and response.

Question reference: S6W-41149

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 6 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to introduce a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week thrombectomy service, in light of the recent announcement that such a service has been introduced at Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham.

A commitment to a round-the-clock thrombectomy service was set out in our Stroke Improvement Plan and this remains our aim for the thrombectomy service in Scotland.

NHS National Services Division have been commissioned by Scottish Government to lead on the development of a national thrombectomy service and have undertaken work to establish the current position of thrombectomy services. A task and finish group has been established, to undertake an assessment of updated capacity and analysis of clinical, operational, financial and workforce challenges to inform work on increasing provision.

Included in this will be to steps to benchmark against NHS England and international models.

Question reference: S6W-41597

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 6 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish its guidance on the proposed phasing out of cages for laying hens.

Question reference: S6W-41432

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 6 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of whether the Family Court system is compliant with article (a) 3, (b) 9, (c) 12, (d) 18 and (e) 19 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

In terms of the operation of the courts, the Scottish Government has not made any such assessment and would not seek to do so. The Lord President is the head of the judiciary in Scotland and the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service supports the courts by providing the staff, buildings and services needed.

As regards family law in Scotland in relation to child contact, residence and Parental Responsibilities and Rights, the key legislation is the Children (Scotland) Act 1995 (the 1995 Act). The driving principle is that the welfare of the child must be the court’s paramount consideration.

The Children (Scotland) Act 2020 (the 2020 Act) reforms the 1995 Act. One of the key aims of the 2020 Act is to ensure further compliance with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. A Child Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessment was carried out when the Children (Scotland) Bill (now the 2020 Act) was introduced in 2019.

Question reference: S6O-05140

Asked by: Emma Harper, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 November 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 13 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what support it is providing to help deliver regeneration in the south west, including any plans for future infrastructure and housing investment.

Question reference: S6O-05144

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 November 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 13 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to increase income tax in the forthcoming Scottish Budget.

Question reference: S6O-05139

Asked by: Edward Mountain, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 November 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 13 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what evidence it received in relation to the decision to allow the continued use of electro-fishing for razor clams beyond January 2025, when the trial that started in February 2018 was due to end.

Question reference: S6O-05145

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Independent
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 November 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 13 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will request that the Auditor General conducts an investigation into the ScotWind offshore wind leasing round, in light of the finding in the Future Economy Scotland report, Rethinking ScotWind: Maximising Scotland’s offshore wind potential, that, on a per megawatt basis, a comparable leasing round in England and Wales is projected to raise up to 40 times more than the £755 million raised in one-off fees in Scotland.

Parliament dissolved ahead of election

Chamber and committees

Questions and answers

Filter your results Hide all filters

Answer

Answer

Answer

Answer

Answer

Answer

Answer

Answer

Answer

Answer