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: S6O-05568

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 February 2026
Current Status: Due to be taken in the Chamber on 26 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what criteria are applied in deciding on the location of the new walk-in GP clinics.

Question reference: S6W-43682

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 February 2026
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Neil Gray on 13 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the escalation status of NHS Ayrshire and Arran for finance.

The NHS Scotland Support and Intervention Framework is one of the key elements of the evidence-based approach to monitoring performance and managing risk across the NHS in Scotland. All NHS Boards are reviewed against the framework based on their financial position. Following careful consideration of NHS Ayrshire and Arran’s position, the decision was made by Government for the Board to be escalated to Stage Four of the Framework for finance, specifically: financial sustainability; financial management and control; and financial governance and leadership. This is based upon a financial assessment of the Board and the level of support required to deliver a return to financial sustainability.

On 4 November 2025, Audit Scotland published a Section 22 report regarding NHS Ayrshire and Arran’s financial position concluding “the severity of the financial challenge facing NHS Ayrshire and Arran is unprecedented”. As a response the Scottish Government has been liaising closely with the Health Board on their financial position and the Director General now deems further escalation necessary to ensure the Board’s financial recovery. There has been a recent change in the Board’s leadership, and so the focus of escalation will be to provide the Executive team a package of support commensurate with the financial challenges faced.

Stage Four escalation will come into immediate effect and will involve senior external support and monitoring from Scottish Government. This will support the Board to return to financial sustainability, including establishing an Assurance Board chaired by Scottish Government.

The Scottish Government will continue to work with NHS Ayrshire and Arran to monitor their financial position and assist with longer term financial planning and improvement. Regular updates will be provided to Ministers on the financial position of NHS Ayrshire and Arran following this escalation.

The Parliament will of course be kept updated on any further developments.

Question reference: S6O-05518

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 February 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its discussions with the UK Government regarding free-to-air television broadcasting in Scotland, including in relation to sporting events such as the 2026 Glasgow Commonwealth Games and 2027 Tour de France.

Question reference: S6O-05502

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 February 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 12 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on when the purchase of Ardrossan Harbour from Peel Ports Group will be successfully concluded.

Question reference: S6W-43088

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 January 2026
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 26 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how many homicides have been recorded in each year since 1999.

The number of victims of homicide recorded in each year since 1999 was published in Homicide in Scotland 2024-25 on 28 October 2025 and is provided in the following table.

Homicide victims, Scotland, 1999-00 to 2024-25.

Year	Total Victims
1999-00	123
2000-01	106
2001-02	116
2002-03	125
2003-04	109
2004-05	137
2005-06	96
2006-07	121
2007-08	116
2008-09	99
2009-10	82
2010-11	100
2011-12	93
2012-13	63
2013-14	62
2014-15	63
2015-16	59
2016-17	65
2017-18	59
2018-19	64
2019-20	67
2020-21	59
2021-22	53
2022-23	53
2023-24	57
2024-25	45

Source: Homicide in Scotland 2024-25 - gov.scot.

The next update to the Homicide in Scotland Accredited Official Statistics series will be provided in October 2026, which will include homicide statistics for financial year 2025-26.

Question reference: S6O-05343

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 December 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government when it last discussed the purchase of Ardrossan Harbour with Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd.

Question reference: S6W-42549

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 December 2025
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Richard Lochhead on 12 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on hosting the 2027 Tour de France Grand Départ.

Bringing the 2027 Tour de France Grand Départ to Edinburgh is a tremendous opportunity for our country. We are delighted that Scotland is co-hosting the biggest free spectator event alongside our partners in England and Wales and are committed to ensuring it will demonstrate that Scotland is the perfect stage for major events. The Grand Depart will consist of the first 3 Stages of the 2027 Tour, starting in Edinburgh then visiting Wales and England.

The Scottish Government will invest up to £9.25 million, which includes a contingency provision. This funding will help Scotland realise the full potential of the social and economic benefits the Tour de France will bring to our country, as well as ensure that the event is delivered safely, securely and successfully.

Our investment sits alongside funding contributions from the UK and Welsh Governments and includes investment into a UK-wide social impact programme. We are also extending this investment into a Scotland-specific social impact programme, which will seek to improve health by increasing cycling participation, supporting the Scottish Government’s wider active travel commitments, driving community cohesion and supporting economic growth. Scottish Cycling will play a pivotal role in this programme as our national governing body for cycling and are already seeking to recruit to their team to help with delivery. We look forward to sharing more details on this programme in due course.

As a natural progression from hosting the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships, the Tour de France will be part of an incredible pipeline of major events in Scotland – sitting between the Commonwealth Games in 2026 and the UEFA European Football Championships in 2028. Hosting the Grand Départ for the 2027 Tour de France will enhance Scotland’s already stellar reputation as an international events destination, and will allow us to further showcase our country on the world stage, with the event being broadcast in 190 countries, with around 150 million viewers in Europe alone.

Through the relevant budget review processes, the Scottish Government will continue to scrutinise budget lines and engage with the Scottish Parliament’s Finance and Public Administration Committee as appropriate.

Question reference: S6O-05315

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 December 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many affordable homes it anticipates will be built in North Ayrshire between 2025 and 2032 as part of its Affordable Housing Supply Programme.

Question reference: S6W-42139

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 5 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in accordance with section 61 of the Housing (Scotland) Act 2025, when it plans to take forward regulations to change the economic index for the uprating of mobile home pitch fees.

Provisions for changing the basis for uprating mobile home pitch fees, from the Retail Prices Index to the Consumer Prices Index, were included at section 61 of the Housing (Scotland) Act 2025 (the Act), which received Royal Assent on 6 November 2025. We are now working on the secondary legislation required to commence provisions within the Act and will provide updates on the Scottish Government website (https://consult.gov.scot/local-government-and-communities/change-to-basis-of-pitch-uprating-consultation/) as we progress to implement the mobile home pitch fee provisions.

Question reference: S6W-41911

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 14 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 1 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how it encourages schools to teach pupils about the Scottish enlightenment, including its impact in Scotland and beyond, and to what extent the subject is taught.

It is important that young people are supported to develop an understanding of the history, heritage and culture of Scotland, and an appreciation of local and national heritage within the world. While the curriculum in Scotland does not mandate specific areas of history to be taught in schools, the experience and outcomes cover a range of key themes which are relevant to the Enlightenment.

For example, the social studies curriculum at second level states that pupils should be able to investigate a Scottish historical theme to discover how past events or the actions of individuals or groups have shaped Scottish society. The social studies curriculum at third level states that pupils should be able to show my understanding of how people and events have contributed to the development of the Scottish nation. Further detail on these and other Experiences and Outcomes is available at:

Curriculum for Excellence: Experiences and outcomes.

Within the social studies curriculum framework, it is then for teachers and schools to determine detailed courses of learning. The number of pupils in Scotland who sat Advanced Higher History was 1,305 in 2025. The Scottish Government does not hold data on the extent to which schools cover the Scottish enlightenment within the Broad General Education.

In the senior phase history qualifications, there is a further option to focus on Scotland: from the Treaty of Union to the Enlightenment, 1707–1815 as a field of study in Advanced Higher. Pupils also have an opportunity to undertake an assignment as part of qualifications in the senior phase and have the option to focus on an area of history which is of interest to them. The SQA’s Advanced Higher History course specification provides further detail on the Scottish enlightenment field of study, confirming that it covers cultural achievements of the Enlightenment, including: education and attitudes towards improvement; history, philosophy, social commentary; contacts with England and Europe; architecture, painting, literature; poetry and the languages of Scotland.