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-03970

Asked by: Ash Regan, MSP for Edinburgh Eastern, Alba Party
Date lodged: Monday, 24 March 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 March 2025

To ask the First Minister, in light of reports of an escalation in gang-related violence in Edinburgh, with recent shootings in Niddrie and West Pilton, what immediate action can be taken to support the emergency services in ensuring the safety and reassurance of communities in the Edinburgh Eastern constituency.

Question reference: S6F-03944

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 24 March 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 March 2025

To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government is taking to reduce waiting times for children and adolescents for the diagnosis of autism and ADHD.

Question reference: S6F-03938

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 24 March 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 March 2025

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6F-03940

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 24 March 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 March 2025

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6F-03939

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 24 March 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 March 2025

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6W-35362

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 24 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether any potential contingent liability implications against future budgets is estimated at the time of entering any arrangements that may subsequently trigger that liability requiring to be met, and in what year any payment of a contingent liability counted for budget and public spending monitoring purposes.

Question reference: S6W-35535

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 24 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many pupils have been suspended from (a) primary and (b) secondary school due to (i) verbal abuse directed at and (ii) a physical assault on a teacher in each year since 2004.

The number of pupils that have been suspended for verbal abuse of staff or physical assault against staff in primary and secondary schools from 2005-06 is set out below.

Table 1. Cases of exclusion in primary schools due to (i) verbal abuse directed at and (ii) a physical assault against staff since 2005-06.

Year	Verbal abuse of staff	Physical assault against staff
2005-06	1,791	Not available
2006-07	2,006	Not available
2007-08	1,787	881
2008-09	1,633	901
2009-10	1,419	889
2010-11	1,368	874
2012-13	1,298	961
2014-15	1,341	1,279
2016-17	1,563	1,518
2018-19	1,260	1,261
2020-21	583	533
2022-23	739	856

Table 2. Cases of exclusion in secondary schools due to (i) verbal abuse directed at and (ii) a physical assault against staff since 2005-06.

Year	Verbal abuse of staff	Physical assault against staff
2005-06	8,472	Not available
2006-07	9,123	Not available
2007-08	8,202	517
2008-09	6,870	382
2009-10	6,161	380
2010-11	5,379	315
2012-13	4,433	320
2014-15	4,122	263
2016-17	3,648	297
2018-19	3,228	344
2020-21	1,633	185
2022-23	2,511	381

These statistics include temporary exclusions only. These statistics relate to cases of exclusion so due to pupils being excluded multiple times, some pupils may be double-counted. Where more than one reason in a single case of exclusion is given, those reasons are counted under each relevant category.

Before 2008, data on acts or threats of violence did not distinguish between incidents involving pupils and those involving staff. As a result, exclusion data for physical assaults against staff is unavailable prior to 2008.

The Scottish Government does not hold exclusion data from before 2005-06.

Since 2010-11, the Scottish Government has collected exclusion data biennially, meaning data is only available for odd-numbered years. Data will next be collected and published for the 2024-25 academic year.

Question reference: S6W-35541

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 24 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many teachers have reported experiencing burnout or excessive workload in each of the last six years.

Question reference: S6W-35363

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 24 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has undertaken any assessment of the costs of undertaking peatland restoration, and whether any such costs are (a) static, (b) falling and (c) rising; what the current (i) average cost is and (ii) range of costs are per hectare, and what the main factors affecting the range of costs are.

The Scottish Government has commissioned research through ClimateXChange (CxC) to better understand peatland restoration costs. This results of this research will be published shortly.

Previous research assessing the costs of peatland restoration can be found here: The costs of peatland restoration – data & initial analysis 2020 | SEFARI, The costs of peatland restoration – data & analysis update 2021 | SEFARI

Question reference: S6W-35368

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 10 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 24 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how it measures the number of women who leave the workforce due to experiencing menopause; from which sector, and whether such women seek financial benefits.

The health and wellbeing of women at work is a key element of the Scottish Government’s approach to Fair Work, including supporting women experiencing symptoms of menopause.

The Scottish Government does not hold data on the number of women who leave the workforce due to experiencing menopause. However, UK research by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development - Menopause in the workplace: Employee experiences - published in 2023, that of the over 1,500 women experiencing symptoms of menopause surveyed, 17% were considering leaving due to a lack of support in relation to their symptoms. Also, research from 2022 by the Fawcett Society on Menopause in the workplace in the UK indicated that one in ten women who worked during the menopause left their jobs due to their symptoms.

We are taking action towards supporting those experiencing symptoms of menopause in the workplace - please refer to recently answered question reference S6W-35367 on 12 March 2025 for further information.

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers