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-01365

Asked by: Kayleigh Kinross-O'Neill, MSP for Edinburgh and Lothians East, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 26 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 15 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the comments made by the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice and Housing in the Chamber on 9 June 2026, when it will publish the results of the investigation into the reasons for the fall in the proportion of successful applications for Adult Disability Payment.

The Scottish Government’s assessment is that the reduction in Adult Disability Payment approval rates is primarily associated with a substantial increase in the number of applications received. While authorisation rates have reduced over time, the number of approved applications has remained broadly stable over the last year.

Social Security Scotland is committed to ensuring people can access the support to which they are entitled and has taken steps to make the application process as accessible as possible, in line with the principles of the Scottish Government's Benefit Take-up Strategy.

Question reference: S7W-00907

Asked by: Kayleigh Kinross-O'Neill, MSP for Edinburgh and Lothians East, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 22 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to reduce waiting times for autism and ADHD assessments in the Edinburgh and Lothians East parliamentary region.

We are continuing to work with NHS Boards, local authorities, COSLA, the third sector and other delivery partners to improve access to neurodevelopmental support for children, young people and adults across Scotland.

For children and young people, this includes continuing our work with COSLA and the Children and Young People’s Neurodevelopment Taskforce to deliver on the actions set out in the implementation review of the National Neurodevelopmental Specification for Children and Young People.

For adults, we will also ensure we work with partners across Scotland to take forward the proposals from the Royal College of Psychiatrists in Scotland’s 4-tier national pathway for neurodevelopmental conditions; ensuring anyone with or without a formal neurodevelopmental diagnosis can access the support they need when and where they need it.

In 2025 we launched the next phase of our £2.5m multi-year Autistic Adult Support Fund, which aims to help support autistic adults within communities and improve their wellbeing.

Additional funding in 2025/26 of over £2.9 million is also being used to deliver a range of projects aimed at improving access to neurodevelopmental support.

Question reference: S7W-00908

Asked by: Kayleigh Kinross-O'Neill, MSP for Edinburgh and Lothians East, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 19 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what workforce planning it has conducted for clinical psychologists in NHS Lothian, in light of reports that many newly qualified practitioners are experiencing difficulty securing employment.

Whilst the Scottish Government sets strategic policies and frameworks for the NHS in Scotland, operational matters including staffing are the responsibility of the relevant NHS Board. This ensures local recruitment decisions are based on regional and local priorities. NHS Boards are responsible for providing safe, effective and high quality care, in line with their statutory service provision, national standards, providing access to psychological treatments and workforce planning responsibilities.

Clinical psychologists are highly valued as part of wider multi-disciplinary teams in Scotland. They play an important role in supporting people to access psychological therapies (PT) and helping local areas to meet the national waiting times standard for PT.

In September 2023 we published the National Specification for Psychological Therapies and Interventions and the Core Standards for Mental Health. These set out the standards to which we expect psychological therapies and mental health services to be delivered, including appropriate staffing.

We recognise the vital role of effective workforce planning in supporting the renewal of our health services, ensuring Scotland has the right number and mix of staff, including clinical psychologists, now and in the future. Work is underway to develop a comprehensive approach that strengthens workforce planning across Scotland, aligned with the ambitions of the Health & Social Care Service Renewal Framework. This work will improve the quality and use of workforce data, enabling us to better understand current capacity, forecast future demand, and respond proactively to the needs of our workforce.

We are committed to working collaboratively with partners across health, social care, education and the third sector, to ensure our workforce planning is robust, evidence-based and sustainable.

Question reference: S7W-00198

Asked by: Kayleigh Kinross-O'Neill, MSP for Edinburgh and Lothians East, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 May 2026
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 8 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will set out how, as participants in the Accessible Vehicle and Equipment Scheme, customers who receive their allowance through Social Security Scotland might be affected by changes to the Motability UK scheme from 1 July 2026.

The Scottish Government is working with Motability Operations to understand how any changes stemming from UK Government tax changes in its November 2025 Budget might affect its customers in Scotland who use the Accessible Vehicles and Equipment (AVE) Scheme.

We are aware of the upcoming changes announced by Motability to new and renewing lease customers elsewhere in the United Kingdom. Motability will separately set out in due course how any changes will apply to its future provision in Scotland under the AVE Scheme.

The Scottish Government remains committed to the AVE Scheme and ensuring that eligible clients get the right vehicle to meet their needs and to allow them to remain independent.

Question reference: S7O-00025

Asked by: Kayleigh Kinross-O'Neill, MSP for Edinburgh and Lothians East, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 June 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what is being done to help eligible applicants for Adult Disability Payment access the support that they need, in light of the reported fall in the proportion of applications approved from 57% to 34%.

Question reference: S7W-00631

Asked by: Kayleigh Kinross-O'Neill, MSP for Edinburgh and Lothians East, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 May 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Gethins on 2 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what the timetable is for the reintroduction of the Buildings (Heating and Energy Performance) and Heat Networks (Scotland) Bill.