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-00665

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 01 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 12 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider exploring the introduction of a public interest test to assess whether a service can be delivered more effectively in-house before any decision to outsource is made.

Public bodies are required to ensure delivery models achieve best value and meet the needs of the communities they serve. Decisions on whether services are delivered in-house or outsourced are a strategic matter for Scottish public bodies, taken through established commissioning and business planning processes.

While there is no single mandated public interest test in Scotland presently, the underlying principle of early, evidence-based assessment of delivery options are reflected in existing frameworks, with the Scottish Public Finance Manual and business case development processes supporting evidence-based decisions. These include consideration of value for money, affordability, risk, skills, capacity and wider impacts.

The Scottish Government keeps its approach to service delivery under review as part of its wider programme of public service reform. As part of this, we are currently exploring the opportunity to introduce a public interest test to further support make or buy decisions.

Question reference: S7W-00759

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 11 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the 138 official reports received by Police Scotland of sexual assault and rape occurring in Scottish hospitals, in which over half resulted in a criminal charge, what assessment it has made of the effectiveness of current processes for investigating and progressing any such cases.

Reports of rape and sexual assaults in hospitals are very concerning. Such incidents are abhorrent and we encourage all victims to report sexual crime to the police, including those that may have happened some time ago. Health Boards have legal duties to keep staff, patients and visitors safe. Health Boards are expected to record all incidences of assaults using their local reporting systems and escalate to Police Scotland, where appropriate.

Investigation of sexual assault and rape is an operational matter for Police Scotland who are accountable to the Scottish Police Authority.

Question reference: S7W-00757

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 11 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what steps are being taken to ensure consistent and comprehensive data collection on the profile of perpetrators of sexual assault and rape in Scottish hospitals, including whether they are (a) patients, (b) staff or (c) visitors, in order to better inform prevention and safeguarding measures.

The recording of information on the profile of sexual assault and rape perpetrators is an operational matter for Police Scotland, and any such incident should be reported to them to ensure victims can access the justice they deserve. Beyond this, Health Boards have a legal duty to record data on violence and aggression within their estates, and the Scottish Government expects them to have the necessary reporting systems in place to do this.

Question reference: S7W-00667

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 01 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Hannah Mary Goodlad on 11 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what work it has undertaken to develop a public sector insourcing plan.

The Scottish Government recognises the importance of ensuring public services deliver best value and this is at the core of the Public Service Reform strategy.

Public bodies are supported to consider all delivery models, including insourcing where appropriate. However, decisions on whether services are delivered in-house or externally are for individual bodies, based on their assessment of value for money, delivery confidence and outcomes.

The Scottish Government has established and signposts guidance to support best value decisions which includes the Scottish Public Finance Manual and Public Service Reform Frameworks.

Question reference: S7W-00769

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 June 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 18 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of data obtained by BBC Scotland News through a Freedom of Information request, which indicates a 55% increase in physical assaults in schools over two years, whether it plans to reverse reductions in behavioural specialists, educational psychologists and speech and language staff to create a safer learning environment.

Question reference: S7W-00771

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 June 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 18 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the Recording and Monitoring in Schools Short Life Working Group's progress in developing guidance for improved reporting systems.

Question reference: S7W-00770

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 June 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 18 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports by BBC Scotland News that five local authorities were unable to provide figures on physical attacks in school settings because they did not store data in academic year format, what assessment it has made of the extent of underreporting of physical, verbal, and sexual assaults against school staff.

Question reference: S7W-00755

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 June 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 17 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S7W-00001 by Neil Gray on 28 May 2026, whether it will provide the names of the SFRS Retained fire stations that have had a first pumping appliance unavailable for 50% of the time or more, in each of the last five years.

Question reference: S7W-00758

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 June 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 17 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will issue guidance to NHS boards setting clear requirements for the recording and reporting of sexual offences committed within hospital settings.

Question reference: S7W-00666

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 01 June 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 15 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the analysis by the Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) that indicates an increase of up to 40% in outsourcing by local authorities, what assessment it has made of any impact of outsourcing on (a) jobs and (b) revenue in the public sector.