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-01464

Asked by: Helen McDade, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Reform UK
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 20 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of a combined cost of £425 million for bank and agency nursing and midwifery staffing in 2025-26, equivalent to 7,320 whole-time-equivalent staff, and in the context of appointable newly qualified nurses being unable to secure permanent posts, what assessment it has made of the value for money of expenditure on supplementary staffing.

The use of temporary staff in an organisation as large and complex as NHS Scotland will always be required to ensure vital service provision during times of unplanned absence, sickness and increased unforeseen activity, with the majority of spend on temporary staff directed through the NHS staff bank. These are NHS staff, on NHS contracts at NHS rates of pay.

In keeping with our commitment to direct as much of our resources as possible towards frontline services, the latest workforce statistics demonstrate the significant progress made to reduce NHS Scotland’s reliance on agency workers, with a 39% reduction in nurse agency usage alongside a 4% reduction in medical agency usage delivered across 2025-26.

Question reference: S7W-01465

Asked by: Helen McDade, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Reform UK
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 20 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how the further reduction in the nursing working week, which increases the number of staff required to maintain the same number of care hours, has been factored into NHS boards' plans for recruitment of newly qualified nurses.

Investing in staff wellbeing supports retention rates, reduces absenteeism and helps foster a more sustainable workforce.

NHS Boards are responsible for determining the workforce needed to deliver services safely and effectively, and have worked with us to prepare for the reduced working week.

The impact of the reduced working week is reflected in NHS Boards workforce plans, which considered the factors required to maintain safe service provision.

Recruitment of newly qualified nurses is informed by workforce planning undertaken at local and national levels, and we will continue to work with NHS Boards to ensure an appropriate nursing workforce supply.

Question reference: S7W-01459

Asked by: Helen McDade, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Reform UK
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 20 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how many candidates were assessed as suitable for appointment through NHS boards' newly qualified nurse recruitment programmes but were not offered a post, broken down by (a) NHS board and (b) field of practice, in each of the last three years, and whether NHS boards operate reserve or waiting lists for such candidates.

Question reference: S7W-01455

Asked by: Helen McDade, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Reform UK
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 20 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how many people have graduated from pre-registration children's and young people's paediatric and neonatal nursing programmes at higher education institutions in each of the last three years, broken down by institution.

Question reference: S7W-01456

Asked by: Helen McDade, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Reform UK
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 20 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how many funded children's and young people's nursing posts were available to newly qualified nurses, and how many newly qualified children's and young people's nurses were offered a post, broken down by NHS board, in each of the last three years.

Question reference: S7W-01750

Asked by: Helen McDade, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Reform UK
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 July 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 13 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the contrast between the three to five written complaints made annually and the safeguarding concerns identified by the Care Inspectorate and the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture, what specific steps it will take to improve children's confidence in the internal complaints system at St Mary's Kenmure.

Question reference: S7W-01752

Asked by: Helen McDade, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Reform UK
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 July 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 13 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Council of Europe Committee for the Prevention of Torture report on its June 2025 visit to Scotland, which was published on 2 July 2026, by what date it will implement the outstanding recommendations of this report in relation to children's secure accommodation, and how it will report progress.

Question reference: S7W-01321

Asked by: Helen McDade, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Reform UK
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 16 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take to improve patient safety for children when blood gas testing identifies abnormal results such as significantly raised lactate levels, including whether it will introduce a national patient safety standard requiring abnormal blood gas or blood test results in children to be repeated, verified or formally reviewed before discharge decisions are made where those results have been attributed to sample quality, environmental factors or other concerns about reliability.

Although there is no current specific guideline that requires blood tests with results outside the normal limits to be repeated in all cases before discharge from hospital, these are considered as part of a full clinical assessment.

Healthcare Improvement Scotland’s Scottish Patient Safety Programme (SPSP) Perinatal and Paediatric programmes, underpinned by the SPSP Essentials of Safe Care, are co-designed to support improved outcomes for women, babies, children, young people and families in Scotland. These programmes work with staff and families to review and strengthen the approach to recognition of deterioration through the Scottish Maternity and Paediatric Early Warning Scores (MEWS and PEWS).

The planned implementation of Martha’s Rule will enable a real-time clinical review of a patient’s treatment and condition, rather than a formal second opinion or diagnosis.

The right to request a second opinion is already enshrined in the Charter of Patient Rights and Responsibilities.

The Scottish Government and Health Boards across Scotland have recently committed to expand the Right Decision Service across health and care in Scotland. This will bring up to date, quality assured and approved guidance to clinicians on their computers, tablet and phones.

The Scottish Government expects NHS Boards and other healthcare providers to use appropriate guidelines and respond to safety alerts as well as listen when patients express concerns or complain about the safety of their care.

Question reference: S7W-01727

Asked by: Helen McDade, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Reform UK
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 July 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 12 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how many children are currently placed in each of Scotland's four secure accommodation centres on welfare grounds only, and in how many cases such children are accommodated within the same living unit as children detained under criminal justice legislation.

Question reference: S7W-01726

Asked by: Helen McDade, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Reform UK
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 July 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 12 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports that a 13-year-old girl accommodated at St Mary's Kenmure secure accommodation centre had her request to be transferred away from young male offenders with whom she was placed, denied, for what reason the request was denied and what risk assessment was undertaken in relation to her safety and wellbeing before that decision was made.