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-39093

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 July 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 24 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any impact of the reported delay in delivering the national Fracture Liaison Service audit on its ability to monitor any inequalities in access to early osteoporosis diagnosis.

The FLS audit has been commissioned to drive improvements and support clinical decision-making in effectively evaluating gaps in osteoporosis care. This will reduce health inequalities for the people of Scotland, especially for those most at risk of fractures.

Public Health Scotland (PHS) is responsible for delivering and implementing the Fracture Liaison Service (FLS) audit. While they identified some initial recruitment-related delays, these have been addressed and completed.

PHS do not anticipate any further impact following this initial delay and progress is continuing at pace, on track and within the guidance set out by Scottish National Audit Programme (SNAP).

Question reference: S6W-39091

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 July 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 24 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-36002 by Jenni Minto on 1 April 2025, whether it or Public Health Scotland can provide an update on the timeline for the introduction and delivery of the Fracture Liaison Service audit.

Public Health Scotland (PHS), is responsible for implementing and delivering the Fracture Liaison Service (FLS) audit. While they identified some initial recruitment-related delays, these have been addressed and completed.

Scottish Government is satisfied that the FLS audit is on track as expected, and within the guidance set out by Scottish National Audit Programme (SNAP).

More details on the SNAP guidance and governance process can be found here - Scottish National Audit Programme (SNAP).

Question reference: S6W-39092

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 July 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 24 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what interim mechanisms are being used to monitor the performance of fracture liaison services while work on the national audit is ongoing.

Public Health Scotland (PHS) is responsible for implementing and delivering the Fracture Liaison Service (FLS) audit. They are working with NHS Boards across Scotland, to provide the necessary support as they develop the audit in line with Scottish National Audit Programme (SNAP) governance.

Scottish Government expects that everyone with a long-term condition to be able to access the care and support they need to be able to live well. As such, we expect that all NHS Boards have monitoring procedures in place to manage the performance and effectiveness of their services.

Question reference: S6W-39112

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 July 2025
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 24 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what mechanisms it has in place to monitor any potential impact of the Scottish National Investment Bank’s investments on housing supply, including the number of homes delivered as a result of those investments.

Question reference: S6W-39231

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 July 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 24 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government was assessment it has made of any impact on cross-border trade of measures introduced to prevent the bluetongue virus entering Scotland.

The Scottish Government's Centre of Expertise on Animal Disease Outbreaks (EPIC) have undertaken studies into the levels of cross border trade between Scotland and England, with input from the Institute of Auctioneers and Appraisers Scotland (IAAS) to determine an economic evaluation of that trade on a monthly basis. EPIC have also conducted a study to assess the impacts on Scottish livestock movements in response to the England-wide restriction zone, with consideration to the control strategy which includes the requirement for pre-movement testing. The findings of these reports have been shared with key industry stakeholders in Scotland, devolved administrations and Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) colleagues for further analysis and discussion.

Question reference: S6W-39080

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 30 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 24 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, as part of the initiative to provide more specialist clinical care in the community, as detailed in the Health and Social Care Renewal Framework, whether increased specialist support in local settings will be available for people with inflammatory bowel disease in order to allow those with Crohn’s disease or colitis to manage their condition closer to home.

The Scottish Government has overall responsibility for health and social care policy in Scotland; however, the statutory responsibility for delivering or commissioning services at a local level lies with local authorities, NHS Boards and integrated health and social care partnerships. Operational decisions, including whether there is a need for additional specialist nurses, are therefore matters for those bodies.

Question reference: S6W-39297

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 July 2025
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 24 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on what proportion of new cars registered in Scotland in 2024 were acquired through the Accessible Vehicles and Equipment Scheme.

As of year-end 2024 there were 36,884 new cars registered in Scotland through the Accessible Vehicles and Equipment (AVE) Scheme, representing 22% of all cars registered in Scotland throughout the year. We are proud to have delivered vital mobility support to disabled people through the AVE Scheme.

The AVE Scheme offers disabled people a range of vehicles on affordable leasing terms, including vehicles with no advanced payment required, a comprehensive package of care and maintenance for no more than the weekly cost of the mobility component of their qualifying benefit.

Question reference: S6W-39153

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 04 July 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angus Robertson on 24 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what due diligence it undertook prior to it reportedly approving £300,000 of public funding for the Edinburgh International Book Festival.

Ministers took the decision on 28 March 2025 to provide this funding for the Edinburgh International Book Festival (EIBF) to support their Schools Programme.

This programme aims to provide each of the 5,000 children participating annually with a range of free, in-person events, free books and supporting accessibility through a Transport Fund. Engaging children with reading is an aim that the Scottish Government strongly supports.

There was a range of engagement between the EIBF and officials regarding the programme. The organisation’s past performance in delivering educational and community projects was considered, alongside its financial governance and reporting processes. The review found that the proposal was financially robust and achievable, with a clear plan for sustainable delivery.

Analysis concluded that, without the aforementioned support, the festival would need to stop their schools programme, a key part of their strategic plan. Therefore the decision was taken to protect the schools programme following the loss of corporate sponsors.

Question reference: S6W-39164

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 04 July 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 24 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether its funding decisions have contributed to any reduction in police capacity.

Scottish Government funding in 2024-25 enabled Police Scotland to undertake the highest level of recruitment since its inception, and Scotland continues to have more police officers per capita than England and Wales.

Furthermore, the Scottish Government has increased police funding year-on-year since 2016-17, investing more than £14.6 billion since the creation of Police Scotland in 2013, with £1.64 billion being invested in policing in 2025-26.

Decisions on how these resources are allocated, including the deployment of police officers, is a matter for the Chief Constable, who confirmed to the SPA Board on 27 March 2025 that the “Scottish Government funding allows us to continue officer recruitment for a full time officer establishment of around 16,500, while modernising the workforce to release experienced officers from roles which don’t need warranted powers so that we can prioritise, maximise, and support the frontline to deliver for our communities.”

Question reference: S6W-39156

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 04 July 2025
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 24 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how many jobs in Scotland are reliant on the naval shipbuilding programme.

Parliament dissolved ahead of election

Chamber and committees

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