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-02037

Asked by: Laura Moodie, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 July 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 25 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an overview of the remit and workplan of the National Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Strategic Group and an update on its progress, including the key challenges and priorities identified so far.

Question reference: S7W-02036

Asked by: Laura Moodie, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 24 July 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 21 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what national guidance applies to the use or withdrawal of request-stop and hail-and-ride arrangements on rural bus services, including what expectation there is that affected passengers and communities should be consulted before such arrangements are changed.

Question reference: S7W-01315

Asked by: Laura Moodie, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 22 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what staff resources within (a) it and (b) Education Scotland are allocated to the delivery of Learning for Sustainability, and what its position is regarding whether these are sufficient to deliver the outstanding actions in Learning for sustainability: action plan 2023 to 2030.

Question reference: S7W-01317

Asked by: Laura Moodie, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 22 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how it is working with (a) Education Scotland and (b) other stakeholders in delivering the actions contained in Learning for sustainability: action plan 2023 to 2030.

The Scottish Government works with a range of stakeholders through the national Learning for Sustainability (LfS) Leadership Group, which meets quarterly to help oversee and co-ordinate delivery of the LfS Action Plan. The group is co-chaired by the Scottish Government and Education Scotland, and member organisations represent interests across, for example, local authorities, skills development, qualifications, the teaching profession, and the environment.

Scottish Government and Education Scotland officials also work together to deliver shared actions, such as the development of new sustainable learning settings guidance for educators, which Education Scotland published in March 2026. Through provision of funding, the Scottish Government further supports stakeholders to deliver climate action in schools, global citizenship training for practitioners, and resources for taking learning outdoors.

Question reference: S7W-01316

Asked by: Laura Moodie, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 22 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the implementation of Learning for sustainability: action plan 2023 to 2030.

The refreshed Learning for Sustainability (LfS) Action Plan was published in 2023. Key achievements since then have included: publication of Sustainable Learning Settings guidance in English and Gaelic by Education Scotland, which will help to guide schools on how to achieve Target 2030; publication of a national framework for LfS in Initial Teacher Education to improve the embedding of LfS in initial teacher training, and; strengthening LfS as part of the Curriculum Improvement Cycle. In addition – and recognising that outdoor learning is a key aspect within LfS – the government is also working with partners to implement the Schools (Residential Outdoor Education) (Scotland) Act 2026.

Question reference: S7W-01227

Asked by: Laura Moodie, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 22 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 20 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what measures are in place to help ensure that all children can access extracurricular activities regardless of family income, in light of evidence suggesting that cost remains a significant barrier to participation.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that all children and young people can access extracurricular activities, regardless of family income, and we recognise that cost remains a significant barrier for some families.

We are taking forward a range of measures to reduce these barriers.

We continue to support the Active Schools programme, which provides free opportunities for children and young people to participate in sport and physical activity before, during and after the school day across all local authority areas, ensuring access irrespective of socio-economic background.

Our Summer of Sport investment is also providing opportunities for children and young people to take part in free and low-cost sporting activities this year. The aim is to create opportunities for children and young people, particularly those facing disadvantage, to get active, stay active, and enjoy the benefits of physical activity. We want children and young people to benefit from an inclusive system which leads to longer-term participation.

We recognise the importance of children and young people having the opportunity to take part in a wide range of hobbies, such as sport, music and the arts. We are engaging with key stakeholders to consider the overall landscape of provision across Scotland in order to better understand the barriers families face and identify further action to ensure all children can access the hobbies they enjoy.

These actions are part of our broader efforts, including through the Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan, to reduce costs for families and ensure that all children have the opportunity to benefit from activities that support their wellbeing, confidence and development.

Question reference: S7W-01229

Asked by: Laura Moodie, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 22 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 14 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how it is embedding a whole-family approach across education, childcare and wellbeing services, in response to evidence suggesting that poverty, mental health and access to childcare are interconnected challenges for families.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring families can access the support they need. Support that is joined up, easy to navigate, and shaped around the needs of the whole family. Since 2022, we’ve invested over £154.5 million through the Whole Family Wellbeing Funding Programme to support local areas transform holistic whole family support.

Our Third Tackling Child Poverty Delivering Plan, Bringing Hope, Building Futures, places whole family support at the heart of our approach. In 2026-27 this includes:

£50 million through the Whole Family Wellbeing Funding Programme to continue the transformation of local whole family support;
£15 million (per year) of baselined funding to local authorities for community-based mental health and wellbeing supports and services for children, young people and their families;
£6 million through the Fairer Futures Partnership programme to further test and embed improved delivery of holistic support for families in or at risk of poverty;
£1.9 million across 2026-2028 through our Child Poverty Practice Accelerator Fund to strengthen approaches to child poverty; and
£20 million through a new Whole Family Support Third Sector Delivery Fund to provide more support that wraps around families in their communities, making connections to public services and helping to break the cycle of poverty.

These measures are complemented by £15 million through the Childcare Support Fund, for short-term, flexible childcare support to help low-income families manage the cost of childcare and overcome barriers to employment, training and learning. In addition, the significant investment through the Scottish Attainment Challenge and Pupil Equity Funding, is working collaboratively across a range of local services and partners to best meet the needs of pupils and their families impacted by poverty.

Looking ahead we are bringing together the Whole Family Wellbeing Funding Programme, Fairer Futures Partnerships, and the Whole Family Support Early Adopter areas into one integrated system change programme from April 2027. This will streamline and strengthen our approach to systems change, providing a clear offer to local areas that supports the implementation of whole family approaches that best meet the needs of local communities.

Question reference: S7W-01659

Asked by: Laura Moodie, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 13 July 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 10 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its commitment in the British Sign Language National Plan 2023-2029 to promote and support the learning of BSL as a second language for hard-of-hearing and deafened people, whether any specific financial assistance is available to deafened or hard-of-hearing adults wishing to undertake an accredited in-person BSL course, and, if none is available, whether it will establish any such support.

Question reference: S7W-01140

Asked by: Laura Moodie, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 10 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it is making to provide a pathway for instrumental music teachers to become registered with the General Teaching Council for Scotland.

The Scottish Government recognises the positive impact that Instrumental Music Instructors play in supporting young people to learn a musical instrument.

I am aware that a range of music stakeholders representing Instrumental Music Instructors (IMIs) have advocated for IMI’s to be registered as Instrumental Music Teachers for some time. That is why we recently undertook a consultation exercise to understand the implications of this change and gather information from a range of partners on the consequences of this change in their respective areas. Following the conclusion of this consultation period I will be reviewing the information gathered with my officials, recognising the complexities which do exist when considering a change of this kind.

Question reference: S7W-01310

Asked by: Laura Moodie, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 9 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with Amey regarding the condition of the footpath alongside the A725 Hamilton Road in East Kilbride; what assessment has been made of its current condition; what steps are being taken to ensure that necessary repairs and vegetation management are carried out within the timescales set out in Amey’s trunk road maintenance contract, and what plans there are to develop this as a core cycle route in line with the East Kilbride Active Travel Network plan.

Transport Scotland’s Operating Company, Amey, has not yet had the opportunity to inspect the footpath to respond to this request. Footway inspections are undertaken every 12 months for this section of footway per the trunk road maintenance contract. The location has been referred for consideration within future maintenance programmes, and Amey’s Landscaping Team will assess the vegetation to determine any maintenance or improvement works required.

Active travel improvements are progressing elsewhere on the A726 in East Kilbride, with further A725 trunk road cycle infrastructure planned, subject to design development, programme coordination and available budgets.