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-02835

Asked by: Amanda Lindsay, MSP for Central Scot and Lothians West, Reform UK
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 17 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S7W-02244 by Maree Todd on 31 August 2026, whether the Minister will publish statistics, including how many babies in West Lothian are admitted to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary for intensive care each year, what it anticipates the impact will be on the Simpson Neonatal Intensive Care Unit once other NHS boards stop providing a critical care unit at Level 3, and what travel and accommodation support parents in West Lothian will receive in cases where the mother and baby are receiving care on different sites.

The Scottish Government does not hold information on how many babies from West Lothian are admitted to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary each year.

The Scottish Government commissioned RSM UK to undertake detailed modelling and capacity planning to support local implementation plans. The resulting report identified a need for four additional staffed neonatal cots at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh to meet the increased demand.

I want to be clear that the care provided to babies from West Lothian will not change under the new neonatal care model. Where there is suspected extremely pre-term labour, the aim is to transfer mothers before birth (an in-utero transfer) to a maternity unit with a neonatal intensive care unit.

All neonatal units in Scotland can provide overnight accommodation for families when needed. Neonatal intensive care units, and most local neonatal and special care units, offer rooms on or near the unit, with additional accommodation available nearby. The Young Patients Family Fund also helps families with the costs of food, travel and accommodation while their baby is receiving neonatal care.

Question reference: S7W-03062

Asked by: Amanda Lindsay, MSP for Central Scot and Lothians West, Reform UK
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 September 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 24 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made regarding the consistency of the Care Inspectorate's current guidance on supporting transgender and gender-diverse children and young people in care settings with the findings and recommendations of the Cass Review, and whether it will ask the Care Inspectorate to withdraw or revise this guidance.

Question reference: S7W-02244

Asked by: Amanda Lindsay, MSP for Central Scot and Lothians West, Reform UK
Date lodged: Monday, 03 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 31 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, whether it will reconsider its proposal to centralise Level 3 neonatal intensive care services, in light of the impact such a proposal could have on families living across West Lothian who currently rely on these services.

For families in NHS Lothian, neonatal service delivery will remain unchanged with neonatal intensive care remaining at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary and Special Care remaining at St John’s Hospital.

I must be absolutely clear that this change is about saving babies lives. The evidence is clear, that outcomes for the smallest and sickest babies are improved when they are born and cared for in a unit with a high throughput of cases, and where support services are co-located and aligns with existing neonatal intensive care service models across the UK.

These changes will benefit a very small number of babies – those born at less than 27 weeks gestation and those very sickest babies who need multiple complex life support, or surgery.

Question reference: S7W-02715

Asked by: Amanda Lindsay, MSP for Central Scot and Lothians West, Reform UK
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 August 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 25 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports in The Times that LGBT Health and Wellbeing, which receives public funding, including from it, runs a “Queer Milk” group that supports biological men to breastfeed or chestfeed babies, whether it will (a) confirm what funding it has provided to the organisation and the factors considered in awarding that funding, (b) review that funding in light of these reports, (c) assess any safeguarding concerns arising from the feeding of infants by biological males through hormone-induced lactation, and (d) review the measures in place to ensure that public funding is not used to support activities that are inconsistent with child safeguarding requirements.

Question reference: S7W-02694

Asked by: Amanda Lindsay, MSP for Central Scot and Lothians West, Reform UK
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 August 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 24 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government regarding its new school bags for primary pupils initiative, (a) how much is expected to cost, (b) whether a detailed cost assessment was undertaken prior to the rollout of the initiative, (c) what colour options will be available for the school bags and (d) in light of reports that each bag will contain “a pencil case, stationery including pens, pencils, coloured crayons and a notebook plus a water bottle”, in addition to “resources to encourage reading, writing and maths practice at home”, what branding, logos, slogans or other printed material, if any, will appear on the bags and their contents, and what literature or other accompanying materials, if any, will be included in each bag.

Question reference: S7O-00169

Asked by: Amanda Lindsay, MSP for Central Scot and Lothians West, Reform UK
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 August 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 3 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what support it can provide to churches following the closure of the UK-wide Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme.

Question reference: S7W-01949

Asked by: Amanda Lindsay, MSP for Central Scot and Lothians West, Reform UK
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 13 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to reduce waiting times for children for neurodevelopmental assessments, including how it will ensure that CAMHS services have the staffing and resources needed to deliver timely assessments and appropriate support.

The Scottish Government is committed to improving timely access to needs-based support for children and young people, in line with GIRFEC and the National Neurodevelopmental Specification. Access to support should not be dependent on a diagnosis, except in limited circumstances such as the prescribing of ADHD medication.

We are continuing our work with COSLA and the Children and Young People’s Neurodevelopment Taskforce to deliver on the actions set out in the Review of the Specification for Children and Young People.

In 2025-26 we provided over £2.9 million of funding to support projects to improve access to neurodevelopmental support across Scotland. The 2026/27 Budget includes additional investment of £7.6 million.

It is important to recognise that CAMHS is a specialist service for those experiencing significant mental health issues. Neurodevelopmental conditions, such as autism and ADHD, are not mental health conditions. CAMHS is therefore not the correct service for neurodevelopmental diagnostic assessment, unless there is a co-occurring mental health condition that meets CAMHS criteria.

Question reference: S7W-01532

Asked by: Amanda Lindsay, MSP for Central Scot and Lothians West, Reform UK
Date lodged: Friday, 03 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 31 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its commitment to supporting the transition from fossil-fuelled vehicles to electric vehicles, what steps it has taken to encourage the development of policies that enable the safe use of cross-pavement charging solutions for households across all property types.

In 2025-26, the Scottish Government supported a pilot funding the installation of cross-pavement charging solutions to test their practical implementation, with the learning from this work helping to inform future policy and guidance.

The Scottish Government has also worked with the Scottish Collaboration of Transport Specialists (SCOTS) to support the development of national guidance for local authorities, covering the legal, safety, accessibility and practical considerations associated with cross-pavement charging.

The Scottish Government also funds a Cross-Pavement Charging Grant Scheme, which provides grants of up to £3,500 towards the purchase and installation of approved cross-pavement charging solutions, subject to local authority approval.

Question reference: S7W-01533

Asked by: Amanda Lindsay, MSP for Central Scot and Lothians West, Reform UK
Date lodged: Friday, 03 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 31 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish clear national guidance or minimum standards to ensure that residents wishing to install electric vehicle charging points are treated consistently and fairly across Scotland, rather than facing different requirements depending on their local authority.

Current legislation does not provide a basis for the Scottish Government to develop national guidance. Decisions on cross-pavement charging installations are the responsibility of Scotland’s local authorities, not Scottish Ministers.

However, the Scottish Government recognises the importance of a fair and consistent approach to EV charging across Scotland and has worked with the Scottish Collaboration of Transport Specialists (SCOTS) to develop national guidance covering legal, safety, accessibility and practical considerations.

Question reference: S7W-01534

Asked by: Amanda Lindsay, MSP for Central Scot and Lothians West, Reform UK
Date lodged: Friday, 03 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 31 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what support is available for residents who wish to switch to an electric vehicle but are unable to do so due to a lack of practical and affordable home charging options.

To help address this, it provides support through Energy Saving Trust, including grants of up to £400 through the Domestic Charge Point Fund for eligible households installing a home charge point, with support targeting rural and island households facing additional barriers to EV adoption. It also provides grants of up to £3,500 through the Cross-Pavement Charging Grant for approved charging solutions where off-street parking is not available, subject to local authority approval.

These measures support access to lower-cost home charging and a fair and accessible transition to electric vehicles across Scotland.

We also continue to call on the UK Government to address the imbalance in the rates of VAT levied on domestic and public EV chargers and provide equity for consumers.