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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

Filter your results Hide all filters

Displaying 38 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S7W-04292

Asked by: Duncan Dunlop, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 October 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 12 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the 591 young people who were eligible for continuing care but were not receiving it on 31 July 2025, (a) how many declined an offer of continuing care, (b) how many were not offered continuing care, and (c) what reasons were recorded for eligible young people not entering continuing care.

Question reference: S7W-04293

Asked by: Duncan Dunlop, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 October 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 12 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the 4,841 young people who were eligible for aftercare services but were not receiving them on 31 July 2025, (a) how many declined the offer of aftercare support, (b) how many had not been offered aftercare support, (c) what reasons were recorded for eligible young people declining the offer of support, and (d) how many were contacted between 1 August 2025 and 31 July 2026 to determine whether they required aftercare support.

Question reference: S7W-04291

Asked by: Duncan Dunlop, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 October 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 12 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance it provides to local authorities regarding the use of part-time timetables for looked after children.

Question reference: S7W-03613

Asked by: Duncan Dunlop, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 6 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide information regarding the cost of the installation of traffic lights in Springholm on the A75 in Dumfries and Galloway, including from which fund the finance came, what the annual maintenance and running costs are and from which budget that expenditure is made.

The installation cost of the Reverse Speed Discrimination Traffic Signals on the A75 in Springholm, which includes the upgrade to the detection/activation system was £179,011.18. These were funded from Transport Scotland’s Trunk Road Casualty Reduction budget.

Maintenance of traffic signal equipment is covered as part of the Transport Scotland’s South West Network Management Contract Core Operations budget, which manages several various operations through a monthly payment. As this is a single budget it is not possible to extract costs for individual items.

As the Reverse Speed Discrimination Traffic Signals relate to the trial of an innovative traffic signal operation, maintenance of some specific elements are funded from the Trunk Road Casualty Reduction budget. A fault detection remote monitoring system for the traffic signals is maintained at an annual cost in the order of £15,000. Maintenance works were also carried out on the traffic counter loops in Springholm early in 2026 which provide data for the ongoing monitoring at a cost of £23,698.98.

Question reference: S7W-03612

Asked by: Duncan Dunlop, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 6 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether any evaluation has been made of the installation of traffic lights in Springholm on the A75 in Dumfries and Galloway, the purpose of which is to reduce speeding, including whether there is evidence that this has resulted in a reduced number of accidents and average speed of vehicles.

A series of speed management measures were introduced in Springholm including the erection of vehicle activated speed limit reminder signs and speed indicator devices. In December 2017, this was further supported by the introduction of a trial of innovative technology comprising two sets of Reverse Speed Discrimination Traffic Signals through the village to manage driver behaviour.

In 2023, an evaluation was undertaken of the effectiveness of these signals by Amey, Transport Scotland’s Operating Company for the South West Unit. This focussed on the impact on vehicle speeds through Springholm using data from permanent traffic loop sites installed prior to the signals being introduced and personal injury collisions.

In the 6-year period prior to the installation of the signals (1 December 2012 to 30 November 2017) there were 3 personal injury collisions recorded. Since the installation of the signals in December 2017 to the date of the evaluation report (November 2023) there were no personal injury collisions recorded.

Monitoring of the average speed of vehicles through the village also indicated that the signals were mostly effective in reducing vehicle speeds, with the exception of one site, which recorded a slight increase in the speed of eastbound vehicles exiting the village.

Question reference: S7W-03614

Asked by: Duncan Dunlop, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 6 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it or Transport Scotland has issued any guidance to local authorities regarding the installation of traffic lights with the purpose of reducing vehicle speeds, such as the ones in Springholm on the A75 in Dumfries and Galloway.

Transport Scotland has not issued guidance to local authorities regarding the installation of Reverse Speed Discrimination Traffic Signals, such as the ones in Springholm on the A75 in Dumfries and Galloway. These were introduced as a trial. For Reverse Speed Discrimination Signals to be used as a speed management measure at other locations on the trunk road network or on local authority roads, as they currently are at Springholm, this will require amendment of the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions (TSRGD) 2016 to make these signals enforceable like other traffic signals.

Question reference: S7O-00357

Asked by: Duncan Dunlop, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 September 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that communities hosting multiple onshore wind developments, including Tweedsmuir, receive a fair and lasting share of the benefits arising from those developments.

Question reference: S7W-03772

Asked by: Duncan Dunlop, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 September 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 27 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to strengthen resilience to wildfires, droughts, flooding and other climate changes through nature-based solutions, including peatland restoration, wetland protection, river restoration and native woodland expansion.

Question reference: S7O-00328

Asked by: Duncan Dunlop, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 September 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what commitment it will give to extending the Borders Railway beyond Tweedbank to Hawick and Carlisle.

Question reference: S7W-03060

Asked by: Duncan Dunlop, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 22 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how it measures the effectiveness of online safety resources that it provides to parents and carers, beyond the number of resources produced or distributed.