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-02761

Asked by: Paul McLennan, MSP for East Lothian Coast and Lammermuirs, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 31 August 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 15 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the ongoing review of support for part-time study, including whether it plans to reform the £25,000 personal earnings eligibility threshold and the level of Part-Time Fee Grant support available for private training provider delivery, particularly for Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) practitioners progressing to the revised Social Services (Children and Young People) Level 9 qualification.

Question reference: S7W-02762

Asked by: Paul McLennan, MSP for East Lothian Coast and Lammermuirs, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 31 August 2026
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Angela Constance on 31 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its commitment to publish a Health and Care Improving Flow Plan within the first 100 days of the current parliamentary session.

The Scottish Government is today publishing the Health and Care Improving Flow Plan 2026-2031, delivering our commitment to publish a National Flow Plan within the first 100 days of this administration.

The Plan sets out our ambition for one connected system, simple routes to care, ensuring every person receives the most appropriate response as quickly as possible. It outlines action to improve navigation into care, expand home and community-based services, strengthen discharge arrangements, improve acute hospital flow, and tackle overcrowding and corridor care.

The Plan has been developed jointly with Scotland East and Scotland West Sub-National Planning Committees and informed through engagement with NHS Boards, Health and Social Care Partnerships, clinicians, national agencies, care providers and other partners. Detailed operational implementation arrangements an collaboration with partners will continue to be developed following publication.

The Plan can be accessed here: Health and Care Improving Flow Plan 2026-2031.

Through delivery of this Plan we will improve access to care, support more care closer to home, reduce delays and improve outcomes for people across Scotland.

Question reference: S7O-00138

Asked by: Paul McLennan, MSP for East Lothian Coast and Lammermuirs, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 August 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 1 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to reform abortion law in 2026-27.

Question reference: S7W-02061

Asked by: Paul McLennan, MSP for East Lothian Coast and Lammermuirs, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 21 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to improve access to flexible childcare for parent carers of disabled children who work outside standard school and nursery hours.

Under the Additional Support for Learning Act 2004, education authorities are responsible for identifying and meeting the additional support needs of children in early learning and childcare (ELC) settings. In line with the National Standard, we expect local authorities and settings to work together to support children with additional support needs to access their funded ELC hours. The Funding Follows the Child approach enables families to access provision in the public, private or third sectors.

Question reference: S7W-02058

Asked by: Paul McLennan, MSP for East Lothian Coast and Lammermuirs, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 21 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what action it plans to take to ensure that families raising disabled children, including those with complex additional support needs, will fully benefit from the planned expansion of childcare provision across Scotland.

Question reference: S7W-02059

Asked by: Paul McLennan, MSP for East Lothian Coast and Lammermuirs, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 21 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any impact of funded childcare provision on employment rates among parent carers of disabled children.

Question reference: S7W-02057

Asked by: Paul McLennan, MSP for East Lothian Coast and Lammermuirs, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 21 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to work with COSLA to ensure that the planned expansion of childcare across Scotland is informed by the lived experience of parent carers of disabled children, including those with complex additional support needs.

Question reference: S7W-02067

Asked by: Paul McLennan, MSP for East Lothian Coast and Lammermuirs, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Gethins on 19 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has assessed the land area that would be required to accommodate 5.4GW of ground-mounted solar capacity by 2035, based on an illustrative scenario in which 60% of Solar Energy Scotland’s 9GW ambition is delivered through ground-mounted solar, and, if so, what (a) land area, in hectares, and (b) percentage of Scotland’s total land area this would represent.

Question reference: S7W-02062

Asked by: Paul McLennan, MSP for East Lothian Coast and Lammermuirs, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Gethins on 19 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the statement by the Minister for Europe, External Affairs and Energy on 28 May 2026 regarding an assessment of the potential for installing solar panels in underused spaces, whether it has defined the term "underused spaces" and, if so, what definition it uses and how that definition relates to policies in National Planning Framework 4.

Question reference: S7W-02063

Asked by: Paul McLennan, MSP for East Lothian Coast and Lammermuirs, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Gethins on 19 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the potential for installing solar panels in underused spaces, and when it plans to complete and publish any such assessment.