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: S6O-05712

Asked by: Meghan Gallacher, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 March 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting first-time buyers.

Question reference: S6O-05673

Asked by: Meghan Gallacher, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 March 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 19 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to prevent further job losses in the oil and gas supply chain as a result of the energy transition.

Question reference: S6O-05630

Asked by: Meghan Gallacher, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 March 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 12 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government when it was first informed of water and mould ingress at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital.

Question reference: S6W-43475

Asked by: Meghan Gallacher, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 30 January 2026
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 12 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to publish its inquiry into Skye House.

In February 2025 the Scottish Government commissioned Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) and the Mental Welfare Commission (MWC) to undertake independent joint inspections and visits of all Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) inpatient units in Scotland as a matter of priority.

HIS and the MWC visited Skye House from 18-20 August 2025 and plan on publishing their joint visit and Safe Delivery of Care Inspection report later this month.

The Scottish Government will continue working closely with HIS, the MWC and relevant Health Boards to ensure long-term improvements in care for children and young people.

Question reference: S6O-05407

Asked by: Meghan Gallacher, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 January 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 22 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how the increase in the international development fund that was announced in the draft 2026-27 Scottish Budget will be spent.

Question reference: S6O-05350

Asked by: Meghan Gallacher, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 December 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve pupil attendance in schools.

Question reference: S6O-05279

Asked by: Meghan Gallacher, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 December 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made on increasing the number of overnight beds for parents in neonatal wards.

Question reference: S6W-41388

Asked by: Meghan Gallacher, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 14 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what discussion it, or any of its agencies, including the Building Standards Division, has had with local authorities across Scotland regarding the use of the BS 8414 cladding system test, to ensure notification is given if the test is used to demonstrate compliance for external wall cladding systems.

The Scottish Government’s Building Standards Division (BSD) requires local authority verifiers to notify BSD under Section 34 of the Building (Scotland) Act 2003 when certain methods are used to demonstrate compliance with mandatory building standards. Specifically, notification is required where:

BS 8414 fire performance testing and associated guidance in BR 135, or
Extended field of application assessments under BS 9414

Following the Grenfell Tower tragedy, Local Authority Building Standards Scotland (LABSS) played a key role through participation in expert working groups and panels convened by the Scottish Government, which included consideration of the role of BS8414.

Question reference: S6W-41387

Asked by: Meghan Gallacher, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 13 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the findings of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, what its position is on whether it is appropriate for the BS 8414 cladding system test to reportedly still form part of Scotland’s building standards technical handbooks for demonstrating compliance for external wall cladding systems.

Public safety remains a foremost priority for the Scottish Government. To strengthen fire safety standards following the Grenfell Tower tragedy, an independent panel of fire safety experts was convened to assess the risks associated with combustible cladding materials and to review the role of the BS 8414 fire performance test.

The use of BS 8414 test data and BR 135 classification reports is now only permitted for buildings outside the scope of the combustible cladding ban. Where such evidence is submitted in support of a building warrant application, local authority verifiers must notify the Building Standards Division. In these cases, rigorous compliance checks must be carried out throughout the design and construction phases, with all supporting evidence thoroughly documented.

In addition, the Scottish Government will extend the ban from April 2026 on combustible external wall cladding systems to include hotels, boarding houses, and hostels, further reducing fire risk in buildings where occupants may be especially vulnerable.

Following the publication of the final Grenfell Tower Inquiry report and the Scottish Government’s formal response, a comprehensive review of fire safety standards will be undertaken. This will include a call for evidence later this year to ensure that future policy is informed by a broad range of expertise and stakeholder input.

Question reference: S6O-05136

Asked by: Meghan Gallacher, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 November 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 12 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the recent convictions of a grooming gang for sexual exploitation in Dundee, what steps it is taking to prevent similar cases across Scotland, including through the establishment of a national inquiry into grooming gangs.