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-41149

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 6 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to introduce a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week thrombectomy service, in light of the recent announcement that such a service has been introduced at Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham.

A commitment to a round-the-clock thrombectomy service was set out in our Stroke Improvement Plan and this remains our aim for the thrombectomy service in Scotland.

NHS National Services Division have been commissioned by Scottish Government to lead on the development of a national thrombectomy service and have undertaken work to establish the current position of thrombectomy services. A task and finish group has been established, to undertake an assessment of updated capacity and analysis of clinical, operational, financial and workforce challenges to inform work on increasing provision.

Included in this will be to steps to benchmark against NHS England and international models.

Question reference: S6W-41534

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 6 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many working days have been lost in the NHS in the last five years due to staff stress and other mental health conditions.

Question reference: S6W-41545

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 6 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers that the £71 million National Treatment Centre investment programme is on track across all sites.

Historic real terms cuts to our block grant from the UK Government have put pressure on our capital budget and the delay in the UK Government setting the Autumn budget is having a knock-on effect on our planning.

As a result of budget constraints, in December 2023, all NHS Boards were advised to pause development of all projects not already in construction.

We are currently working with all NHS Health Boards to develop a whole system NHS infrastructure plan to inform long-term investment priorities across Scotland – this includes consideration of National Treatment Centres.

Question reference: S6W-41535

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 5 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what the total financial cost has been of staff absences related to stress, anxiety and depression in NHS Scotland since 1 January 2020.

Question reference: S6W-41536

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 5 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what measures it is taking to support the mental wellbeing of nurses, midwives and other frontline NHS staff.

Prioritising the mental wellbeing of health and care professionals, including nurses, midwives and other frontline NHS staff, is vital to help them to navigate complex challenges and continue to provide person-centred, high-quality support. The Scottish Government are supporting staff throughout the NHS through funding of over £2.5m annually to support staff wellbeing.

This funding provides our workforce with access to psychological interventions and therapies, self-service resources through the National Wellbeing Hub and the National Wellbeing Helpline delivered by NHS 24. Registered staff also have access to confidential mental health services through the Workforce Specialist Service (WSS).

Further, the national ‘Supporting Work Life Balance’ workforce policies provide staff with a range of flexible working options to help them to balance their lifestyle, to improve their mental wellbeing, whilst maintaining and promoting the best possible service to our patients and service users.

The Scottish Government actively works with stakeholders to support and enhance workforce wellbeing. In September, National Wellbeing Week, delivered by our National Wellbeing Champions Network with Scottish Government support, provided healthcare staff with valuable tools, practical insights and positive mental health benefits.

Question reference: S6W-40993

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 03 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 31 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the economic impact of the 20% real-terms funding reduction for colleges since 2021-22, as reported by Audit Scotland in its recent report, Scotland’s Colleges 2025.

Decisions made by the UK Government since the financial crash in 2008, and their overall austerity policy position since 2010, continue to have a profound and negative impact on the finances available to the Scottish Government, the economy, and to the college sector. In recent years this challenging scenario has been exacerbated by increased national insurance costs, high energy costs and high inflation.

Rising national insurance contributions have added over £11 million of extra cost on to our colleges. The Scottish Government is seeking to mitigate the impact of these costs by providing an additional £5.5 million in this current financial year, but the added costs to our public sector from increased national insurance contributions are not helping us to realise our potential for economic growth.

We recognise the pressures facing the college sector, which have been set out clearly by both Audit Scotland and the Scottish Funding Council (SFC), and I will continue to work collaboratively with the college sector on those challenges.

Question reference: S6W-40996

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 03 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 31 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the long-term sustainability of the college estate, in light of the recent report by Audit Scotland, Scotland’s Colleges 2025, which notes that estimated costs for maintenance and meeting net zero emission targets may approach £1 billion.

The Scottish Funding Council’s (SFC) College Infrastructure Strategy (CIS) sets out the SFC’s approach to determining future investment in Scotland’s college estate and other college infrastructure. The SFC has been engaging closely with the college sector to deliver the CIS. This Strategy sets out the collective approach between SFC and colleges to develop a 10 year College Infrastructure Investment Plan which is due to be published in autumn 2026.

That plan will consider the size and shape of the college estate, taking account of future ways of working, different delivery methods, opportunities for collaboration and changing curricula. It will also consider the net zero credentials and the digital infrastructure, as well as the fabric.

It will also identify investment needs, which includes investment for net zero, training equipment and digital needed for a sustainable college estate to deliver good outcomes for students, staff and communities.

Question reference: S6W-41156

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 30 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has undertaken of what the potential impact could be of removing Land and Buildings Transaction Tax on the purchase of a primary residence.

The Scottish Government has not considered the potential impact of removing Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (LBTT) on the purchase of a primary residence and has no plans to remove any element of the tax.

Removing any element of LBTT would result in less funding being available to support public services in Scotland. In 2024-25 for example, £899m was raised from total LBTT, resulting in a net positive contribution to the Scottish Budget of £274 million.

Question reference: S6O-05114

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 October 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what projection it has made of the cost of welfare payments after 2030.

Question reference: S6W-41012

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 03 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 29 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to reinstate or replace the Flexible Workforce Development Fund, in light of Audit Scotland’s findings in its recent report, Scotland’s Colleges 2025, that its withdrawal has reduced employer-based training opportunities.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that Scotland’s colleges continue to be at the heart of local and regional level work to support economic development.

We recognise the value of the Flexible Workforce Development Fund to both employers and learners. Through its Outcomes Framework and Assurance Model, the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) engages with colleges to maximise their engagement with employers and to respond to industry and sector needs. Modern Apprenticeships are one form of provision that colleges provide to meet those needs.

The introduction of the SFC’s College Transformation Framework in Academic Year 2025-26 aims to increase flexibility in the system. The Framework offers options around bespoke funding arrangements between colleges and the SFC to enable colleges to plan their curriculum more effectively to reflect the needs of industry.