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-43844

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 February 2026
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 27 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what funding is available for foodshare projects.

In 2025-26 we allocated £315,000 to FareShare to redistribute high quality surplus food to community organisations with an emphasis on shared meals and promoting cash-first.

We also allocated a total of almost £200,000 to the four established regional community food networks in Scotland, which are Community Food Initiatives North East, Lanarkshire Community Food and Health Partnership, Edinburgh Community Food and the Glasgow Community Food Network. This funding helps tackle food insecurity, promotes community food and supports improved health and wellbeing.

Through our Investing in Communities Fund, we have provided around £2.8 million of funding each year between 2023-26 to 32 organisations to enable them to provide holistic support services to address poverty and inequality, including activities to directly tackle food insecurity.

Question reference: S6W-43843

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 February 2026
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 27 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on whether it is continuing the Investing in Communities Fund beyond March 2026.

Question reference: S6W-43870

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 20 February 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 26 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, following the pause to the publication of The Long Term Conditions Framework in December 2025, what progress has been made in establishing an advisory board for grouped long-term conditions, including myalgic enchephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) and long COVID, and when the initial recommendations will be provided to the Scottish Government.

I opened an event with clinicians and third sector organisations on 25 February to set out the role and remit of the work on long term conditions going forward.

This work is a vital part of the Service Renewal Framework, Major Change One on the services that prevent disease, enable early detection and effectively manage chronic and long term conditions.

Advisory Groups led by clinicians and third sector organisations will now be set up with recommendations made to the new administration for consideration.

Question reference: S6W-43801

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 February 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 10 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answers to the Urgent Question and supplementary questions by Dorothy Bain on 18 February 2026, what information has been provided by the Lord Advocate to (a) the First Minister and (b) any special advisers about the criminal case against Peter Murrell, and when.

Question reference: S6W-43848

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 February 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 10 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answers to the Urgent Question and supplementary questions by Dorothy Bain on 18 February 2026, and in light of the Lord Advocate and the Solicitor General having recused themselves from Operation Branchform, whether this means that they should not have had any knowledge of, or dealings with, the criminal case against Peter Murrell, and, if so, for what reason a minute was sent to the First Minister.

Question reference: S6W-43799

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 February 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 10 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answers to the Urgent Question and supplementary questions by Dorothy Bain on 18 February 2026, whether the Lord Advocate has ever contacted any minister or special adviser about any criminal case, aside from the case against Peter Murrell, and, if so, on what occasions, and who was contacted.

Question reference: S6W-43847

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 February 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 10 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answers to the Urgent Question and supplementary questions by Dorothy Bain on 18 February 2026, how many times the Lord Advocate has advised ministers of an indictment in criminal cases, and in which cases.

Question reference: S6W-43672

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 February 2026
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 24 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding its draft Budget 2026-27 and the associated level 4 tables, whether it will provide a detailed breakdown of the £1,052.7 million allocation in the budget line, "Health Capital Investment".

The opening Health Capital position in each year begins with a projected overcommitment that is then managed to arrive at a breakeven outturn position.

The following table provides a forecast of costs in 2026-27 under a breakeven assumption, but are subject to change as the year progresses.

Project	£000
Maintenance	221,973
Air Ambulance Contract	107,836
IFRS 16 Leases	97,684
Projects in Construction – Baird & ANCHOR Hospital, Queen Elizabeth University Hospital Rectification Projects, Golden Jubilee Phase 2 Expansion, Radionuclide Pharmacy	88,532
Priority Projects – Belford Hospital, St Brendan’s Hospital, Princess Alexandra Eye Pavillion, Monklands Hospital Replacement	162,000
Radiotherapy Replacement Programme	26,201
Ambulance Replacement Programme	26,244
Capital Receipts	-20,000
Indirect Capital – NHS Boards	342,230
Total	1,052,700

Question reference: S6W-43652

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 February 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 24 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the UK Government's press release of 3 February 2026, Government to cover travel costs of children with cancer, which accepted the proposal by Young Lives vs Cancer for a £10 million travel fund to support the cost of the young people travelling for treatment, what (a) steps it will take to ensure parity for children and under-25s in Scotland who have cancer with those in England, (b) discussions it has held with the UK Government regarding the implementation of the fund, and whether these will inform any decisions about expanding the Young Patients Family Fund eligibility criteria to include all such young people, including those receiving treatment as day-patients, and (c) assessment it has carried out of any impact on reducing health inequalities of expanding the Young Patients Family Fund's eligibility criteria to include these young people.

The Young Patients Family Fund (YPFF) is designed to support the families of all babies, children and young people from birth to age 18 who require inpatient care in Scotland regardless of diagnosis.

Financial support for travel to hospital appointments is available through the patient travel expenses reimbursement schemes. Under these schemes, patients and authorised escorts may reclaim reasonable travel costs associated with attending hospital appointments, subject to eligibility criteria and clinical requirements. These arrangements apply across Scotland and provide support to eligible young people and their families irrespective of condition.

Scottish Government officials met with counterparts in the UK Department of Health and Social Care in March 2025 as part of wider engagement on the development of their National Cancer Plan for England. During this meeting, officials shared learning on the implementation and administration of the Young Patients Family Fund.

Question reference: S6W-43666

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 February 2026
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 24 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to its publication, Our Health and Social Care App: MyCare.scot - National Rollout High-Level Summary, what the total annual estimated cost is of building and operating the MyCare.scot app in each financial year from 2025-26 to 2029-30.

The Full Business Case for the Digital Front Door (DFD) programme has been approved and includes a range of financial projections over the five-year period, and delivery options. The wider DFD programme includes the delivery of the MyCare.scot app and all associated non-digital support that is required.

The DFD programme represents a significant, long-term investment in Scotland’s digital health and care infrastructure, spanning build and operation phases over a ten-year horizon. DFD’s purpose is to transform how people across Scotland access and interact with health and social care services, through development and delivery of digital channels including MyCare.scot

DFD encompasses more than the MyCare.scot app alone. It includes the design, build and operation of the underlying common and reusable platform infrastructure, organisational readiness across all implementing organisations, digital inclusion, equality and accessibility work, staff costs and ongoing service development in response to user needs.

The business case brings together capital and revenue needs for the whole programme and has been developed in line with best practice guidance for major IT and digital programmes.

Funding has been allocated to a number of delivery partners to support implementation of the wider programme. A total of £17.650 million has been allocated to NHS Education for Scotland (NES), including £12 million confirmed for financial year 2025-26. Funding beyond 2025-2026 remains subject to future budget approval through the normal Scottish Budget process. A detailed breakdown of expenditure to date is set out in the answer to question S6W-39294 on 29 July 2025.

The costs of MyCare.scot cannot be isolated from the wider DFD programme costs without misrepresenting the programmes overall scope. These figures therefore reflect the full DFD programme, of which MyCare.scot is the central delivery:

2026-27 - Capital £10.4m, Revenue £28.3m

2027-28 - Capital £9.7m, Revenue £31.2m

2028-29 - Capital £3.2m, Revenue £28.5m

2029-30 - Capital £3.2m, Revenue £21.1m

These estimated figures exclude optimism bias, which has been considered as part of the Business Case process, in line with best practice guidance.

The Digital Front Door programme is aligned with the Scottish Government Service Reform agenda and supports delivery of the Operational Improvement Plan, the Population Health Framework, and the Health and Social Care Service Reform Framework. It contributes to improving access to services, strengthening workforce capability and supporting sustainable reform across health and social care.

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.