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-04327

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 16 October 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 13 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what funding has been provided to the Scottish Association of Minority Ethic Educators, and for what purpose that funding was provided.

Question reference: S7W-04029

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 October 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 12 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports that, while it is developing national guidance on hyperscale data centres, a planning application for a 1GW hyperscale data centre in Dumfries and Galloway has been submitted and the local community given 21 days to comment, what arrangements are in place for the consideration of hyperscale data centre planning applications before the guidance is published.

Question reference: S7W-04026

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 October 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 12 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the development of planning guidance for hyperscale AI data centre developments, what opportunities exist for communities, including the Auchtertool community in Fife, to contribute to the guidance within the next three months, to ensure that they can have confidence in the guidance that is produced.

Question reference: S7W-03819

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 October 2026
Current Status: Answered by Ruth Charteris on 15 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the HMICS and HM Inspectorate of Prosecution in Scotland report, Citing witnesses in the sheriff court, which found that email citation has been a competent method of citation since 2007, what assessment it has made of barriers to its routine use for civilian witnesses.

COPFS is committed to working with justice partners in exploring opportunities to improve witness citation arrangements, making use of technology in doing so, while ensuring the effectiveness and reliability required of the criminal justice process. While email has been a competent method of citation since 2007, its application raises practical, technological and legal considerations, including how receipt by the intended individual can be reliably established in order for effective enforcement action to be taken in the event of failures to attend court in response to citation and data protection considerations.

Email is not the only potential solution, nor would it be appropriate in every case. Consideration is extending to the opportunities that a wider range of digital solutions may offer. The approach taken must account for the needs and preferences of those receiving citations, the potential for greater choice, the operational and delivery implications of any future approach and, as recognised in the joint inspection, the need for witness citation processes to be trauma informed and use accessible language.

Question reference: S7W-03820

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 October 2026
Current Status: Answered by Ruth Charteris on 15 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the HMICS and HM Inspectorate of Prosecution in Scotland report, Citing witnesses in the sheriff court, which found that evidence was led in 13% of sheriff summary trials and 21% of sheriff and jury trials in 2024-25, what action it is taking to reduce the number of victims, witnesses and police officers cited to attend trials that do not proceed as scheduled.

The Summary Case Management (SCM) model which commenced roll-out in January 2025 has enabled more cases to resolve before a trial diet is assigned, thereby reducing the number of victims, witnesses and police officers cited to attend trials, through earlier disclosure of evidence, early engagement between the Crown and defence and active judicial case management.

Where a trial is scheduled, earlier and more focused preparation has provided greater opportunity for evidence to be agreed and for those witnesses whose attendance is necessary to be identified before citations are issued.

The joint inspection recognised that SCM has significantly reduced the number of witnesses, including police witnesses, requiring to be cited or re-cited to court.

Work is underway to consider how the principles and learning from SCM can inform similar improvements to case management in solemn criminal proceedings.

Question reference: S7W-03821

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 October 2026
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 15 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the HM Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland Annual Report 2025-26 stating that there is no equivalent inspectorate providing routine independent scrutiny of Scotland’s courts and tribunals system, whether it will consider establishing such a body.

Question reference: S7W-03818

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 October 2026
Current Status: Answered by Ruth Charteris on 15 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the HMICS and HM Inspectorate of Prosecution in Scotland report, Citing witnesses in the sheriff court, which found that 398,714 witness citation and re-citation events occurred in sheriff courts in 2024-25, what action it is taking to reduce the unnecessary citation of witnesses.

The 398,714 citation and re-citation events referred to comprises both summary and sheriff and jury proceedings. Of those, 337,090 related to summary proceedings and 61,624 to sheriff and jury proceedings.

Improvements to case preparation and management of summary criminal cases as a result of roll-out of the Summary Case Management (SCM), including earlier disclosure of evidence, early engagement between the Crown and defence, and active judicial case management, have enabled cases capable of resolution to be identified at an earlier stage and reduced the number of cases in which a trial requires to be assigned.

Where a trial does take place, earlier and more focused preparation has provided greater opportunity for evidence to be agreed and for those witnesses whose attendance is necessary to be identified before citations are issued, avoiding their citation.

The joint inspection by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland and HM Inspectorate of Prosecution in Scotland recognised that the Summary Case Management model, which commenced in January 2025, has been successful in significantly reducing the number of witnesses, including police witnesses, requiring to be cited or re-cited to court in summary proceedings from the period 2025-25 to 2025-26.

Work is underway to consider how the principles and learning from SCM can inform similar improvements to case management in solemn criminal proceedings.

Question reference: S7W-03720

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 28 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 15 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, of the 299,445 pupils recorded as having an additional support need in 2025, how many have received an assessment by an educational psychologist.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information. The annual pupil census records whether pupils have an additional support need and the type of support recorded for them but does not collect information on whether an individual pupil has received an assessment by an educational psychologist.

Education authorities are responsible for identifying, providing for and reviewing the additional support needs of children and young people in their area. Education authorities can request input from a range of agencies to support them in meeting their duties under the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004.

While educational psychologists play an important role in helping children and young people learn and develop, not all children with additional support needs will require an assessment by an educational psychologist. Additional support needs can arise from a wide range of circumstances and the nature of the assessment and support required will depend on the individual needs of the child or young person.

Question reference: S7W-03722

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 28 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 15 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on the number and proportion of pupils with additional support needs whose current package of educational support has been assessed or reviewed by an educational psychologist as being appropriate to meet their identified needs.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information. The annual pupil census collects information on pupils recorded as having additional support needs and the types of support recorded for them but does not collect information on whether that support has been assessed or reviewed by an educational psychologist.

Education authorities are responsible for identifying, providing for and reviewing the additional support needs of children and young people in their area. Educational psychologists are one of a range of professionals who may contribute to the assessment and review of a pupil’s needs and support, depending on the individual circumstances of the child or young person.

Question reference: S7W-03724

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 28 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 15 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on the average waiting time for a pupil to receive an assessment by an educational psychologist, broken down by local authority.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information.

Education authorities are responsible for identifying, providing for and reviewing the additional support needs of children and young people in their area. Local authorities are responsible for the provision of educational psychology services and for determining how those services are deployed to meet local needs. Information on waiting times for assessment by an educational psychologist is not collected centrally by the Scottish Government.