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: S6W-41120

Asked by: Keith Brown, MSP for Clackmannanshire and Dunblane, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 October 2025
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Neil Gray on 9 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its consideration of the escalation status for NHS Forth Valley, under the NHS Scotland Support and Intervention Framework.

NHS Forth Valley had been experiencing difficulties with performance, including concerns raised by Healthcare Improvement Scotland following unannounced inspections in 2022. This led to the Board being escalated to Stage 4 of the NHS Scotland Support & Intervention Framework in November 2022 for governance, leadership and culture, bringing direct formal oversight and coordinated engagement from Scottish Government in the form of an Assurance Board.

The NHS Forth Valley Assurance Board, which last met on 5 September 2024, was then satisfied that NHS Forth Valley has made considerable progress in delivering their Assurance and Improvement Plan and that the organisation was sufficiently evidencing tangible improvements across the three areas for which they were escalated: governance, leadership and culture, and the decision was taken to
de-escalate the Board to Stage 3 of the Framework from 1 October 2024. Moving to Stage 3 meant that NHS Forth Valley no longer required direct formal oversight and the Assurance Board was stood down.

The Board continued to be reviewed by the Scottish Government’s National Planning and Performance Oversight Group (NPPOG) and following careful consideration, the decision has been taken that NHS Forth Valley’s escalation status for governance, leadership and culture, should be lowered to Stage 2 from 9 October 2025. This decision also reflects the continued dedication, effort, and commitment of NHS Forth Valley staff which is bringing results and progress in reducing the longest waits.

Scottish Government will continue to engage with NHS Forth Valley and monitor progress with a view to reporting back to NPPOG in March 2026.

Question reference: S6W-41095

Asked by: Keith Brown, MSP for Clackmannanshire and Dunblane, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 October 2025
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Angus Robertson on 8 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what further publications it has planned in connection with its policy on giving people in Scotland the information that they need to make an informed decision on their constitutional future.

On 8 October 2025, the Scottish Government will publish a new paper setting out why Scotland should become an independent country, and what an independent Scotland could look like.

It explains how independence offers the potential of transformational change, building a new economy to boost living standards, making the most of our energy resources, protecting our NHS, creating a migration system that meets Scotland’s needs, and rejoining the European Union.

The proposals set out in this publication feature analysis of the evidence that informs them, as well as references to sources.

A Fresh Start with Independence will be available to view on the Scottish Government website from 8 October 2025 at Building a new Scotland - gov.scot

Question reference: S6O-05024

Asked by: Keith Brown, MSP for Clackmannanshire and Dunblane, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 September 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 2 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government when the housing secretary will meet with those constituents from Tillicoultry affected by reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete, following the commitment to do so that was made in early August.

Question reference: S6W-40307

Asked by: Keith Brown, MSP for Clackmannanshire and Dunblane, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 September 2025
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Angus Robertson on 3 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what further publications it has planned in connection with its policy on giving people in Scotland the right to decide their constitutional future.

On 4 September 2025, the Scottish Government will publish a new paper which evidences and updates the right of people in Scotland to decide their future.

Your Right to Decide demonstrates that the right to decide has been accepted across the political spectrum, including by former UK Prime Ministers and calls on the current UK Government to respect this key democratic principle.

Your Right To Decide will be available to view on the Scottish Government website from 4 September 2025 at https://www.gov.scot/isbn/9781806430321.

Question reference: S6O-04855

Asked by: Keith Brown, MSP for Clackmannanshire and Dunblane, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 June 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with NHS Forth Valley regarding access to health services for communities that rely on local bus links.

Question reference: S6W-37995

Asked by: Keith Brown, MSP for Clackmannanshire and Dunblane, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 30 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 11 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how much private sector investment has been leveraged as a result of the Stirling and Clackmannanshire City Region Deal, and how this is spread between the two local authority areas.

Funding for the Deal is awarded to the Stirling and Clackmannanshire region rather than individual council areas, including joint projects between the three main Deal partners, Stirling Council, Clackmannanshire Council and University of Stirling. The Stirling and Clackmannanshire City Region Deal private sector investment total secured to date is £476,000, with this investment coming through the University of Stirling’s Scotland’s International Environment Centre (SIEC Phase 1) as commissioned work.

All other secured and leveraged investment in the Deal is from the public sector, including academia, or third sector.

Question reference: S6W-37994

Asked by: Keith Brown, MSP for Clackmannanshire and Dunblane, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 30 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 10 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how much of the £90.2 million invested through the Stirling and Clackmannanshire City Region Deal has been invested directly in the (a) Stirling and (b) Clackmannanshire Council area.

Funding for the Deal is awarded by both Governments to the Stirling and Clackmannanshire region rather than individual Local Authority areas with investment decisions ultimately made by regional partners. This includes joint projects between the three main Deal partners, Stirling Council, Clackmannanshire Council and University of Stirling.

Neither the initial capital investment location nor the lead delivery partner for a specific Deal project conveys where the economic impact of Government investment is realised at Local Authority level. An indicative investment breakdown based on project location includes:

£21.55 million within Clackmannanshire;
£62.08 million within Stirling; and
£6.56 million pan Stirling and Clackmannanshire.

Question reference: S6W-37993

Asked by: Keith Brown, MSP for Clackmannanshire and Dunblane, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 30 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 10 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made towards the delivery of the Stirling and Clackmannanshire City Region Deal.

The Scottish Government and UK Government have made a joint investment commitment of £90.2 million to the Stirling and Clackmannanshire City Region Deal over a ten year period until the end of March 2030.

The Deal, now in its 6th year of delivery, has spent £34.68 million of this available funding up to the end of quarter 4 of financial year 2024-25. This has resulted in completion of the following five projects:

restoration of the Japanese Gardens at Cowden;
a digital hub in Cowie, offering training and business development opportunities;
Walk, Cycle, Live Stirling active travel project, providing two high quality walking and cycling routes;
A Regional Energy Masterplan, supporting a strategic whole systems approach to energy across Stirling and Clackmannanshire; and
transfer of land from the Ministry of Defence to Stirling Council to enable wider regeneration at Forthside.

Meanwhile, the following four projects are in delivery:

a flexible skills project, providing skills development opportunities to improve the employability of up to 500 individuals;
an inclusion workers and investment fund, providing tailored employability support to 245 people from traditionally excluded groups;
Scotland’s International Environment Centre (SIEC), offering research and collaboration opportunities to protect and enhance natural resources; and
the National Aquaculture Technology and Innovation Hub (NATIH), a research facility and business development hub for sustainable aquaculture food production that is due to open in November 2025.

Question reference: S6W-37996

Asked by: Keith Brown, MSP for Clackmannanshire and Dunblane, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 30 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 10 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many jobs have been directly created as a result of the Stirling and Clackmannanshire City Region Deal, broken down by (a) local authority area and (b) projects which (i) have been delivered and (ii) are in the delivery phase.

The Stirling and Clackmannanshire City Region Deal has created 82 jobs. Due to the nature of Deal investment, job creation can arise over several years post project completion. These job figures reflect the early delivery stage of the overall Growth Deal with only five projects fully complete to date.

	Projects delivered: Stirling Council area	Projects in delivery: Stirling Council area	Projects delivered: Clackmannanshire Council area	Projects in delivery: Clackmannanshire Council area	Total
Stirling Council projects	2	10			12
Clackmannanshire Council projects			32	4	36
University of Stirling projects	0	24	0	10	34
Total	2	34	32	14	82

Question reference: S6W-37992

Asked by: Keith Brown, MSP for Clackmannanshire and Dunblane, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 30 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 9 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has received from the UK Government regarding the projected budget and revised timescales for the delivery of the Emergency Services Network (ESN) in Scotland, and what impact any delays are expected to have on emergency services in Scotland.

The Scottish Government received an Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme (ESMCP), Draft Programme Business Case (PBC) from the Home Office in May 2024. This indicated that the Emergency Services Network (ESN) would be delivered by 2029-30.

Since then the Home Office has completed a major re-procurement exercise, which has resulted in the appointment of new commercial suppliers to deliver the Programme. The Home Office is currently updating the 2024 PBC and associated documentation, to reflect the impact of the new suppliers. This information is expected to be shared with partner organisations, including Scottish Government, in the coming weeks.

While the re-procurement exercise has introduced delays into the Programme, this has not had any operational impacts on the emergency services in Scotland, who continue to use the Airwave network for critical communications.