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-44360

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 25 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-43847 by Dorothy Bain on 11 March 2026, whether it will provide the information requested regarding how many times the Lord Advocate has advised ministers of an indictment in criminal cases, and in which cases, and for what reason it did not provide this information in its answer.

Question reference: S6W-44374

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 25 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether the Minister for Public Health and Women's Health held a ministerial cross party group meeting following the publication of the report, How Safe Are Our Scottish Hospitals, and, if so, when any such meeting took place, and what issues were discussed.

Question reference: S6W-44040

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 March 2026
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 12 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the current implementation of free personal and nursing care reflects the original policy intent of the Community Care and Health (Scotland) Act 2002.

Question reference: S6W-43848

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 February 2026
Current Status: Answered by Dorothy Bain on 11 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.

The Solicitor General and I were not involved in decisions in this case. Recusal from operational prosecution decision-making by the Law Officers does not prevent them being advised of significant milestones in a case nor does it prevent them from notifying the government of such milestone.

As head of the system of prosecution in Scotland, I have overall responsibility for the investigation and prosecution of crime, including those cases in which they have recused themselves from decision-making. It was appropriate, therefore, to provide confirmation and necessary reassurance to the government that the normal, well-established practice of recusal had been followed.

Question reference: S6W-43801

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 February 2026
Current Status: Answered by Dorothy Bain on 11 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.

In my letter to the Presiding Officer of 24 February 2026 I confirmed that there have been two minutes to the First Minister, in March 2025 and January 2026. These were to advise the First Minister that separate procedural milestones had been reached, to confirm that the appropriate processes had been followed in relation to Law Officers not being involved in decision-making, and to remind him that it would not be appropriate to make any public comment on the matter.

Question reference: S6W-43799

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 February 2026
Current Status: Answered by Dorothy Bain on 11 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: Answered by Dorothy Bain on 11 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-44039

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 March 2026
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 10 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what mechanisms exist to monitor compliance by local authorities with statutory duties relating to free personal and nursing care, particularly where payments are delayed due to financial pressures.

Question reference: S6W-44038

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 March 2026
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 10 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether it is appropriate for local authorities to prioritise free personal and nursing care payments based on risk assessment or funding availability, including where an eligible person is self-funding.

Question reference: S6W-44037

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 March 2026
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 10 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is aware of local authorities operating waiting lists for free personal and nursing care, and what its position is on whether this is consistent with the statutory framework.