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-42138

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 November 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 10 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding the safety of nuclear power.

Question reference: S6O-05225

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 November 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether it will commit to structured engagement with MSP staff trade unions on an ongoing basis.

Question reference: S6T-02757

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 17 November 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that the University of Edinburgh plans to reduce jobs by up to 1,800 as part of £140 million in budget reductions by 2026-27, including what action it will take to protect staff and students from the impact of any such redundancies.

Question reference: S6W-41260

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 13 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Natalie Don-Innes on 10 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of kinship carers have reported that the financial allowance they receive does not cover the full cost of care since May 2021.

According to the most recent Children’s Social Work Statistics, there are around 4,000 children in kinship care in Scotland. In a recent review of the Scottish Recommended Allowance for Foster and Kinship carers (SRA), of the 131 kinship carers who responded, 41% agreed that the financial support given to carers was fairer since the SRA was introduced, 37% said it had improved their finances, and 22% said it was sufficient to meet the full costs of looking after children in their care.

Since the review, we have committed an additional £1.9 million to uprate the SRA, with increased weekly rates backdated to 1 April 2025. We plan to publish a national vision for kinship care by the end of the year, and it will set out what further action we are taking to support kinship carers.

Question reference: S6W-41252

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 13 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Natalie Don-Innes on 10 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many families have lodged complaints regarding flexibility of hours in the early learning and childcare system since May 2021.

Question reference: S6W-41194

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 10 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 7 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has considered using youth work to help the development of its post-COVID-19 pandemic economic recovery strategy, and, if so, what action has been taken, and what the outcome has been.

The Scottish Government recognises the valuable support provided to young people through high quality youth work. This work contributes to the Scottish Government’s priority of eradicating child poverty and tackling inequality.

Youth work falls within the scope of Community Learning and Development (CLD). The Requirements for Community Learning and Development (Scotland) Regulations 2013, in effect, requires local authorities to identify need and plan provision of CLD. In line with the Verity House Agreement, local authorities have the autonomy to deliver services that meet the needs of young people in their areas. However, the Scottish Government published strategic Guidance to Local authorities to support them to develop their CLD plans in 2024 which can be accessed at: Supporting documents - Community learning and development: guidance for 2024 to 2027 - gov.scot.

An independent review of CLD was commissioned in December 2023. The Scottish Government welcomed the Learning: For All. For Life. report published in July 2024, which made 20 recommendations varying in complexity and scope. The report can be accessed at: Supporting documents - Learning: For All. For Life. A report from the Independent Review of Community Learning and Development (CLD) - gov.scot.

The Scottish Government and COSLA accepted recommendation 1.1 to set up a joint CLD Strategic Leadership Group. The group has a broad range of members representing multiple sectors with an interest in youth work as part of CLD. A list of members can be found here: Community Learning and Development Strategic Leadership Group - gov.scot. The SLG have convened on four occasions and are considering the remaining recommendations of the report.

Question reference: S6W-41229

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 10 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Natalie Don-Innes on 7 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of the children’s services workforce is currently employed through temporary or agency contracts.

Question reference: S6W-41099

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Natalie Don-Innes on 7 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what work it has undertaken to review the financial model for supporting private and independent providers of childcare, in particular the provision of sustainable rates, and what its position is on whether its financial modelling remains valid.

The Scottish Government and COSLA are continuing to progress the longer-term reforms to the sustainable rates setting process as set out in the 2023 joint Sustainable Rates Review.

The joint 2025-26 sustainable rates guidance, published 20 February 2025, reflects the recommendations of the Review – in particular by encouraging local authorities to introduce greater standardisation in the rate setting process. Local authorities are expected to make progress towards reflecting the changes outlined in this guidance during 2025-26.

Full implementation of these changes requires more robust and reliable data to improve the sustainable rate setting process, as recommended by the Review. To support this new national ELC cost surveys are being undertaken independently by the Diffley Partnership. When the survey data is available the Scottish Government and COSLA will consider carefully with the sector its potential implications for policy, guidance and funding in future years.

Question reference: S6W-41516

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 27 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Natalie Don-Innes on 7 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason third sector organisations have reportedly not been involved in the operation of the Scottish Government Online Safety Taskforce, which was announced in January 2025.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-41513 on 7 November 2025. The Taskforce will bring together work from across Government. The Scottish Government is engaging with a wide range of third sector bodies, including those representing children and young people, as well as public sector stakeholders in developing and delivering work focused on tackling online harms to children and young people. This includes the various stakeholders involved in the National Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Strategic Group - gov.scot.

The Taskforce will be considering how engagement on the government’s overarching approach to online harm can be enhanced further to support a more joined up dialogue with stakeholders including the third sector.

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers.

Question reference: S6W-41513

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 27 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Natalie Don-Innes on 7 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding has been allocated to the Scottish Government Online Safety Taskforce, which was announced in January 2025.

As referenced in the Scottish Government Programme for Government 2025-26: Building the Best Future for Scotland, the purpose of the Taskforce is to strengthen our approach to keeping children safe online, providing oversight and direction across Scottish Government and identifying what more can be done to protect children and young people. In meeting this purpose it will bring together work from across government to better effect, maximising the funding available across government to keep children safe online and help promote wellbeing through positive behaviours.