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: S6F-03867

Asked by: Marie McNair, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 03 March 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 March 2025

To ask the First Minister how the Scottish Government will mark International Women’s Day, and its theme of "Accelerating Action" to reach gender equality.

Question reference: S6F-03870

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 03 March 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 March 2025

To ask the First Minister what plans the Scottish Government has to tackle the reported rising number of cases of drug-driving.

Question reference: S6W-34537

Asked by: Ash Regan, MSP for Edinburgh Eastern, Alba Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 3 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it has taken to find out what the reasons were for its national care service proposal not going ahead, and what lessons have been learned from this.

The Scottish Government is committed to bringing forward a National Care Service and will deliver vital reform through legislative and non-legislative means, and those with lived experience at the heart of our work.

We have reflected on feedback from people with lived experience, stakeholders and political parties to put forward revised proposals. We have worked to find balance and practical solutions to ensure we can deliver social care reform for the people of Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-35113

Asked by: Gillian Mackay, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 21 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 3 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to assist young carers, including supporting them in being able to access (a) short breaks and respite, (b) education and (c) employment.

Under the Carers (Scotland) Act 2016 every young carer has a right to a personalised support plan, called a young carer statement. The process of producing the statement must include identifying the young person’s needs, such as support to take a break, or to succeed in their own personal goals. To strengthen these rights, we are planning to use the National Care Service (Scotland) Bill currently in Parliament to amend this Act and establish a right to breaks for carers.

In addition to this, the published Scottish Budget for 2025-26 includes an uplift of £5m for the voluntary sector Short Breaks Fund, bringing the fund to £13m. Short breaks through this fund are delivered via several schemes, all of which can benefit young carers in different ways. This includes the Young Scot Young Carer package, aimed at all young carers aged 11-18.

We recognise the importance of young carers being identified in schools so that they can be supported in achieving their educational and wider goals, as set out in our National Carers Strategy.

To help achieve this, we fund a full time Education Officer post at Carers Trust Scotland to work with Education Scotland, the General Teaching Council for Scotland, and the Scottish Qualification Authority on improving young carer awareness, identification, and support in education. This has led to an accredited e-training module to help education staff understand, identify, and support young carers.

Young carers should also receive support under the Additional Support for Learning Act. Education authorities have duties to identify, provide for and review the additional support needs of their pupils. This includes support for children and young people with caring responsibilities.

Additionally, we funded Young Scot to work with young carers to create a page on the Young Scot website, which hosts information and resources for young carers about what support is available to them at key transitions, including going from Secondary School onto further education or work. Skills Development Scotland (SDS) is also highlighting to career advisers the additional support young carers may need at this pivotal time. SDS will continue to look at how we can support young carers as they move into employment.

Question reference: S6W-35182

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 3 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many patients were on waiting lists for physical activity programmes (a) in total and (b) for over a year, in each of the last five years.

Question reference: S6W-35213

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 3 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government when it will next raise the matter of the use of electric shock collars on dogs with the Rural Affairs and Islands Committee.

The Scottish Animal Welfare Commission has been asked to look at aversive devices training devices and is expected to report in the near future. A Review of electric shock collars is also underway as part of the wider review of the Animals and Wildlife (Penalties Protections and Powers) (Scotland) Act 2020, due to report by 1 April 2025.

The Scottish Government will carefully consider the recommendations from SAWC and the Review before deciding how to proceed.

Question reference: S6W-34901

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 3 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what plans there are to extend the emergency department opt-out blood borne virus testing pilot to areas of higher prevalence.

Improving access to testing for blood borne viruses (BBV) plays an important role in achieving the Scottish Government’s hepatitis C elimination and HIV transmission elimination goals. However it is vital that we carefully consider which interventions are likely to be most effective in Scotland. This is why we have funded emergency department (ED) opt-out testing pilot projects in NHS Lothian, Grampian and Highland.

Whilst there are no imminent plans to expand ED opt-out testing, the Scottish Government is using evaluation data from the pilot projects, combined with evidence from the programme in England and Scottish Government-funded academic research, to determine whether further roll-out would be acceptable, deliverable and cost-effective.

Question reference: S6W-35061

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 3 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what plans it has to ensure that Transport Scotland takes action to mitigate any safety concerns regarding the Shawhead flyover in Coatbridge.

Regular updates will be provided by Transport Scotland to Ministers to ensure appropriate action is taken to address concerns at the Shawhead Flyover. The current position is that Transport Scotland has asked its maintenance contractor (Scottish Roads Partnership) to assess several options for works at the junction to improve driver confidence. This work is underway. In addition, Transport Scotland has also asked Police Scotland for the junction to be assessed by their Police Camera Safety Team in the next site selection exercise, which is due to begin in April.

Question reference: S6W-34900

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 3 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has carried of the reasons for the reported increase in the percentage of people diagnosed with HIV who no longer engaged with HIV clinical services.

The latest data on people living with HIV in Scotland and not attending for HIV treatment and care can be found in Public Health Scotland’s HIV in Scotland surveillance report, which is available at: https://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/hiv-in-scotland/hiv-in-scotland-update-to-31-december-2023/.

It is important to note that changes to service delivery during and since the COVID-19 pandemic mean that the reported proportion of diagnosed individuals receiving treatment may be an under-estimate and work is underway to ensure the accuracy of this reporting.

Through our HIV Transmission Elimination Delivery Plan, we are working with partners including the third sector to ensure that people living with HIV are receiving the treatment, care and support they need. Through our Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund for Adults we are also funding a number of projects offering peer support and practical assistance which can help people living with HIV to stay well and engage or re-engage in care.

Question reference: S6W-34819

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 3 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many people have been referred for transgender chest surgery, including masculinising mastectomies, in each of the last five years, also broken down by how many were aged (a) 17 to 25 and (b) 26 and over.

This information is not collected centrally by the Scottish Government and is an operational matter for NHS National Services Scotland, National Services Division (NSD).

Gender reassignment surgeries, as a treatment option for assessed gender dysphoria, are highly specialised and are carried out within the framework of a four-nations contract managed by NHS England. This contract is managed on NHS Scotland’s behalf by NSD.