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-39927

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 05 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 11 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish the total cost of delivering national 24/7 thrombectomy access, and whether there is a funding gap preventing it from providing this service.

Question reference: S6W-39976

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 05 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angus Robertson on 11 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the funding that it provides for the initiative, what the eligibility requirements are for participation in the Women in Conflict 1325 Fellowship programme, and what definition of a "woman" is used to judge eligibility.

The Women in Conflict 1325 Fellowship is based around the principles of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 which reaffirms the role of women in the prevention and resolution of conflict, peace negotiations, peace-building, peacekeeping, humanitarian response and in post-conflict reconstruction, and stresses the importance of their equal participation in all efforts for the promotion of peace and security. By bringing together women activists from a range of conflict affected countries the Fellowship facilitates sessions focussing on conflict resolution, mediation, reconciliation and dialogue methodologies with an emphasis on inclusivity and sustainable conflict resolution. The Fellowship also includes workshops on personal self-care strategies for those living in conflict areas and involved in conflict-based work.

The Fellowship has been held 3 times a year since 2015 in Edinburgh and online during the Covid-19 pandemic, and has built up a fantastic network of over 360 women from 33 countries across the Middle East, Africa, South Asia and Latin America. These women are a diverse group, working in an equally varied range of professions related to peacebuilding and conflict resolution.

The Fellowship is delivered by Beyond Borders, with grant funding from the Scottish Government’s International Development Fund. Applications were recently sought by Beyond Borders for their October 2025 Fellowship Programme, with the requirements being experience or interest in working on conflict and peacebuilding. Applicants were asked to (a) complete an online form submission on the Beyond Borders website, which seeks to test applicants’ motivation, experience, knowledge, and to assess their understanding of the Women Peace and Security agenda in their own countries, and (b) submit a CV/Resume/Professional Biography, copy of passport, and Letter of Recommendation. There is no definition of a “woman” included within the criteria at this time.

The Scottish Government has been clear since the April 2025 judgement of the Supreme Court in For Women Scotland vs The Scottish Ministers that it accepts the judgement of the Supreme Court in For Women Scotland v The Scottish Ministers that it accepts the judgement.

Question reference: S6W-40430

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 08 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 11 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it reportedly can no longer ensure that no patient waits longer than one year for NHS treatment by March 2026.

Our position is unchanged on waiting times – by March 2026 no one will wait more than 12 months for a new outpatient appointment or inpatient/daycase treatment.

We are investing more than £110 million this year to cut waits, and we expect to see the full impact of our targeted funding in the coming months. This targeted funding is expected to deliver more than 213,000 additional procedures and appointments this year.

Our plan is clearly working with a record number of hip and knee operations last year and the highest level of operations performed in July since February 2020.

Question reference: S6W-40241

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 05 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 10 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what exemptions or reliefs will apply under the Building Safety Levy for (a) affordable housing, (b) small builders and (c) build-to-rent projects.

The Building Safety Levy (Scotland) Bill includes an exemption for new homes intended for social or affordable use, defined as homes let under Scottish secure or short secure tenancies and those funded under the Housing (Scotland) Acts of 1988 or 2001. The Bill also includes an exemption for developments occurring on islands.

The Scottish Government recognises that smaller developers can face proportionately higher development costs compared to others operating in the sector. Therefore, section 12 of the Bill enables Scottish Ministers to introduce a levy-free allowance. This is an annual number of units that will not be subject to the Levy, which will apply over and above any units covered by other exemptions. The Scottish Government is working with developers and industry stakeholders to gather evidence to inform the decision on where to set the allowance, which will be legislated for in secondary legislation.

The Bill as introduced includes build-to-rent developments within the scope of the Levy, consistent with the arrangements in place for the Building Safety Levy in England. The Scottish Government will continue to engage stakeholders throughout the legislative process to gather evidence and assess whether exemptions should be extended to include, for example, build-to-rent and mid-market rent properties.

Question reference: S6W-40272

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 05 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 10 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of there being a reported over 40,000 live applications for homelessness assistance, what urgent measures it is taking to reduce homelessness.

In my statement to Parliament on 2 September, I set out a suite of urgent actions to be taken in response to the housing emergency. Some of the measures to reduce homelessness include:

Committing to a multi-annual, multi-billion pound affordable housebuilding project worth up to £4.9 billion over the next four years, capable of delivering up to 36,000 affordable homes or put another way, providing 24,000 children with a safe, warm and affordable home.
Doubling investment in our immediate acquisitions fund from £40 million to £80 million this year. This will support the acquisition of at least 1,200 homes over the 18 months of the fund, helping families move out of temporary accommodation and into permanent tenancies without waiting on the construction of new homes.
Investing a £3 million capital grant to expand Housing First and create new tenancies, alongside a £1 million uplift to local authorities to accelerate existing Housing First programmes.
Extending rapid rehousing transition plan funding to 2026-27 to enable local authorities to prioritise settled housing for homeless households.
Rolling out a £1 million new national ‘fund to leave’. This could help up to 1,200 women and their children to leave abusive relationships.
Investing up to £2 million through the discretionary housing payments scheme to support households currently in temporary accommodation to find settled homes in the private rented sector. This is in addition to £97 million already being invested in discretionary housing payments in 2025-26 including £79m to mitigate the UK Government’s Bedroom Tax.

I called on partners across the housing sector and beyond to support work to accelerate the delivery of high-quality homes of all tenures, with a focus on the delivery of affordable and social homes. I have also set out the government’s expectation that local authorities, in compliance with ALACHO guidance, should contact every family in good quality temporary accommodation to explore opportunities to convert those temporary tenancies to permanent tenancies.

Question reference: S6W-39748

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 05 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 10 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports of rising economic inactivity among younger adults, what steps it is taking to improve workforce participation among this group.

To grow Scotland's economy, we must make full use of our potential workforce and remove barriers to employment.

Economic inactivity is a complex issue, and this government is acting through a coordinated, system-wide and multi-sector approach. To address this challenge, we have focussed on key transition points where individuals are most at risk of inactivity including young people.

Devolved employability and career services play a vital role in supporting young people into fair and sustainable work. Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) helps prepare school leavers for employment through a wide range of activities delivered by schools, employers, the DYW Employer Network, and partners across the third and Community Learning and Development (CLD) sectors, including Education Scotland and Skills Development Scotland. These activities include work tasters, information sessions, professional career advice, mentoring, and work experience placements.

As outlined in the Programme for Government, we’re working with schools in
2025-26 to expand effective support helping young people into positive destinations. We’ll also launch the First Minister’s Start-up Challenge to promote youth entrepreneurship. The 2025-26 Entrepreneurial Education Fund received 94 applications, up one-third from last year to further support young people across Scotland develop an entrepreneurial mindset, seeking a share of £1.2 million. Successful applicants will be notified in due course.

Addressing economic inactivity requires innovative approaches. We are working with local government, public sector and third sector partners to improve the reach and visibility of support services.

Young people who require ongoing support after leaving school are supported by Skills Development Scotland and access tailored employability services through No One Left Behind, helping them into work or other positive destinations such as further or higher education, aligned with their aspirations.

While students are statistically classified as economically inactive, these pathways are expected to lead to future employment and are considered positive steps toward long-term economic participation.

Work continues across government and with partners to identify further impactful actions to reduce economic inactivity.

Question reference: S6W-40424

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 September 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 24 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government which NHS boards offer thrombectomy services, and for what hours of the day.

Question reference: S6W-40248

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 September 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 24 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what activity it is carrying out to promote (a) the early presentation of skin health concerns and (b) sun-safety, particularly among younger adults.

Question reference: S6W-40250

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 September 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 24 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will commission an independent review of records retention and data gaps that affect the identification of people exposed to the pregnancy medication, stilbestrol (DES).

Question reference: S6W-40413

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 September 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 24 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many knife-related offences have been prosecuted in each year since 2015, and how many subsequent convictions there were.