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-01141

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Kirsten Oswald on 2 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what powers Police Scotland has to issue warnings and fines for the dangerous use of e-bikes and e-scooters in pedestrian and residential areas.

An e-scooter, or an e-bike that does not meet the requirements for an electrically assisted pedal cycle, are treated as motor vehicles, and in relation to these Police Scotland can issue a fixed penalty notice for using the vehicle without insurance or without a licence, seize and remove the vehicle under road traffic law, and charge the rider with careless or dangerous driving. An e-bike that meets those requirements is treated as a pedal cycle, and the police can act against careless or dangerous cycling and against riding on a footway. Also, police can issue a warning to the driver if the vehicle is used in a manner causing alarm, distress, or annoyance. If caught repeating the antisocial behaviour within 12 months, officers can immediately seize the vehicle.

Question reference: S7O-00131

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 June 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to renew its strategy on preventing knife crime, particularly among young people.

Question reference: S7W-00776

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Kirsten Oswald on 16 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the £200,000 fund for Social Impact Partners as outlined in the 2026 Scottish National Party manifesto, whether it has now established it, and, if not, when it will do so and what outcomes it expects that it will achieve.

Officials are engaging with potential partners to develop a programme of work that seeks to increase investment that supports the growth and development of outcomes based commissioning through the use of Social Impact Partnerships to support interventions that:

1) prevent and stop re-offending

2) provide safe spaces for young people to divert them from anti-social behaviour and crime

The Scottish Government will keep Parliament updated regarding all progress made towards achieving this commitment.

Question reference: S7W-00775

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Kirsten Oswald on 16 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what it considers is a successful enough outcome from the £200,000 fund for Social Impact Partners for it to decide to establish a new £10 million Social Impact Investment Fund, as outlined in the 2026 Scottish National Party manifesto.

Outcomes and outcomes frameworks will be scoped out as part of a programme of work that seeks to increase investment that supports the growth and development of outcomes based commissioning through the use of Social Impact Partnerships to support interventions that:

1) prevent and stop re-offending

2) provide safe spaces for young people to divert them from anti-social behaviour and crime

The Scottish Government will keep Parliament updated regarding all progress made towards achieving this commitment.

Question reference: S7W-00647

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 29 May 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 11 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to adopt a public financing model for the purchase of new trains, similar to that proposed in the report commissioned by ASLEF and written by Glasgow University academics, A Public Vision for Financing Scotland’s Railways.

Train ownership and operational costs over the asset’s lifespan constitute a substantially greater share of total expenditure than the initial purchase price. It is therefore essential to explore a range of financing and procurement options to ensure best value for money and long-term affordability.

As the First Minister has set out in the previous government, we are making good progress towards initiating a programme of bond issuances from 2026-27, with a total programme of around £1.5 billion over the next parliamentary term, subject to market conditions.

As set out in the published outline business case (https://www.gov.scot/policies/investment-finance/scottish-government-bonds), this programme will support capital investment within our existing borrowing powers and limits. Any proceeds will be used exclusively for capital spending and infrastructure, in line with our legal powers.

The business case considers a range of borrowing options, including continued use of the National Loans Fund and other sources, and concludes that a bond programme can represent value for money while supporting our wider economic objectives.

ASLEF’s recent report on Green Bonds provided a useful contribution, and we remain open to further discussion and analysis alongside current Scottish Government policy for the procurement of significant contracts in the future.

In terms of bond structures, we are keeping our options open, including the potential use of green bonds alongside conventional or unlabelled issuances.

Question reference: S7W-00677

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 01 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 11 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the commitment outlined in the Scottish National Party's 2026 manifesto, when it will commence work on a public health campaign on the safe use of social media for young people.

Question reference: S7O-00086

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 June 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 17 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason people on the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde waiting list for ADHD assessments are reportedly being informed that their expected waiting times have been extended beyond those previously communicated.

Question reference: S7W-00679

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 01 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 10 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how it measures the effectiveness of Bairns' Hoose models across Scotland and whether all iterations are achieving the same results.

Question reference: S7W-00676

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 01 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 10 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how many bleed kits it has distributed across Scotland to date, and how many more it plans to distribute over the next 12 months.

The Scottish Government’s public health approach to violence has prevention at its core and our focus is aimed at preventing and reducing harm for people in Scotland’s communities.

My heartfelt condolences go to Lisa Petrie for the heartbreaking loss of her son, John McNab. I commend Lisa on the work she has been doing to educate young people on the dangers of carrying knives as well as her campaign to roll out bleed kits which helped inform our commitment.

Scottish Government will engage with partners to inform how bleed kits are rolled out to community settings and what quantities would be appropriate and effective.

Question reference: S7W-00678

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 01 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 9 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how many children have (a) accessed Bairns' Hoose programmes and (b) been through the court system without accessing support from a Bairns' Hoose, since 2021 to date.

Data on the number of children accessing Bairns’ Hoose services is not currently collected by the Scottish Government. This reflects the current phase of the Bairns’ Hoose programme and the different stages that partnerships are at in their journey towards developing Bairns’ Hoose services. Work is underway with partnerships to develop a standardised approach to data collection to support future monitoring.

Bairns’ Hoose is specifically for those children who have experienced abuse, neglect or exploitation which has caused, or is likely to cause, significant harm and is not intended to support all children who have been through the court system. The first Bairns’ Hoose open its doors in 2023 with national rollout planned from 2027.