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-02668

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 25 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, as part of its commitment to reduce child poverty, whether it will consider widening the eligibility criteria of the Young Patients Family Fund to make it more accessible to the families who are most in need of financial support by taking a "cash first" approach to remove any barriers faced by those most in need of financial support.

The Young Patient Family Fund (YPFF) is designed to support the families of all babies, children and young people under the age of 18 who require inpatient care in Scotland. While there are no plans at this time to introduce a cash-first approach through the YPFF, we recognise the importance of ensuring that families can access support without undue financial hardship.

Health Boards are asked, where possible, to pre-book travel and accommodation for families. In addition, to ensure that families can access support while their child is receiving inpatient care, free meals from hospital catering services, patient meals, or meal vouchers and tokens that can be used in hospital catering facilities may also be available.

Question reference: S7W-02667

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 25 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, as part of its commitment to reduce child poverty, whether it will consider widening the eligibility criteria of the Young Patients Family Fund to make it more accessible to the families who are most in need of financial support by extending it to (a) outpatients attending regular appointments, and (b) day patients as appropriate.

The Young Patient Family Fund (YPFF) is designed to support the families of all babies, children and young people under age 18 who require inpatient care in Scotland. There are no plans to expand eligibility of the YPFF at this time.

In the last two years, the Scottish Government has provided over £3.1m per year in financial support to eligible families under this scheme.

In addition to support available under the YPFF, financial support for travel to hospital appointments is available through the patient travel expenses reimbursement schemes. Under these schemes, patients and authorised escorts can reclaim reasonable travel costs associated with attending a hospital appointment, in line with eligibility criteria and medical requirements.

Question reference: S7W-03531

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 September 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 8 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide details of all the meetings that took place between Professor Caroline Hiscox and Professor Jann Gardner and (a) the First Minister and/or (b) the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Care since December 2024, including what items were discussed and whether minutes were taken.

Question reference: S7W-03577

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 September 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 8 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the factors contributing to the reported decline in the number of veterans approved for support under the Low-cost Initiative for First-Time Buyers (LIFT) scheme to one per year between 2024 and 2026, and what targeted outreach it plans to introduce to increase uptake.

Question reference: S7W-03578

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 September 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 8 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what the current registration rate of GP practices under the Armed Forces Veteran Recognition Scheme is, and what steps it is taking to increase participation.

Question reference: S7W-03579

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 September 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 8 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government by what date it will establish the dedicated working group to oversee the local authority rollout of the Veterans Homelessness Prevention Pathway following the publication of the Scottish Veterans Commissioner’s 2026 Progress Report.

Question reference: S7W-03532

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 September 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 8 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether the appointment of Professor Caroline Hiscox and Professor Jann Gardner as lead officers for the East and West Subnational Planning and Delivery Committees was subject to competition.

Question reference: S7W-03580

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 September 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 8 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government by what date the digital transfer pathways for Defence Medical Service records will be fully operational in NHS Scotland.

Question reference: S7W-03522

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 September 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 6 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what the final amount spent on proposals for a Learning Disabilities, Autism and Neurodivergence Bill was, broken down by category of expenditure.

Question reference: S7W-03535

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 September 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 6 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether the posts of chief executive for its proposed West and East NHS boards would be subject to open competition.