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-01007

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 12 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 24 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Police Scotland regarding cross-border organised crime and so-called county lines drug activity affecting Scotland.

Question reference: S7W-00992

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 12 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 23 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of a 2024 UK Government report suggesting that ketamine use among young people in England and Wales had increased by 231% since March 2013, what plans it has for related research to be carried out in Scotland.

The Scottish Government is concerned at reports of harm from ketamine, particularly amongst young people.

The Scottish Government does not publish data on treatment for ketamine dependency at the level of detail requested.

In the 2023 Scottish Health Survey, 3% of those aged 16-24 reported that they had used ketamine in the previous 12 months. The Scottish Health Survey 2023 - volume 1: main report - gov.scot.

There is the possibility for under-reporting of drug use in surveys and those who have substance use issues may be less likely to take part in a survey. To note also that the survey only samples from private households, so anyone who is homeless or living in an institution will not be included.

The Scottish Health Survey includes questions on drug use every two years and the next release of this data will be later in 2026 which will provide further data on the prevalence of ketamine use.

Question reference: S7W-00993

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 12 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 23 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how many people have received treatment for ketamine dependency in each of the last five years, broken down by (a) age group and (b) NHS board area.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information. Public Health Scotland provide information through Drug and Alcohol Information System (DAISy) the national database that holds data about drug and alcohol services.

The DAISy initial assessments report tables, provide information on ketamine which is grouped into a larger ‘dissociatives’ category and presented at NHS Board of Residence level per financial year. Tables 4.4 and 4.5 relate to the drugs cohort and report on all drugs listed at assessment and main drug only; tables 5.9 and 5.10 are the same but for the ‘both drugs and alcohol’ cohort. These figures relate to the first assessment a person has had in each year, NHS Board and substance type, so do not represent individuals. Disclosure control has been applied so values are not available for every NHS Board. Data are available for financial years 2021-22 to 2024-25 inclusive.

The quarterly RADAR management information dashboard, presents monthly data for the main drug reported at assessment, by NHS Board of treatment, which includes specific data on ketamine (Chart 2: Main Drug). These data can be found on the ‘Service Indicators’ page and are for all assessments recorded in DAISy. The data include all assessments for drugs and both alcohol and drugs so are not equivalent to individuals. Data in the dashboard currently cover November 2020 – February 2026 and no data have been suppressed. Filters at the top of the page can be used to select the area and time period of interest, and there is a filter above the chart to select the drug of interest. To note that there is a minor issue with ‘Chart 1’ in the current version of the dashboard, which means that data for individual NHS Boards are not displayed. Chart 2 is unaffected and the issue will be corrected in the next release (July 2026).

Question reference: S7W-00994

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 12 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 23 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what data is collected on ketamine-induced bladder damage in Scotland.

Question reference: S7W-00997

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 12 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 23 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what specialist services are available in Scotland for people experiencing long-term health complications arising from ketamine use.

The UK Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) recommended in their ketamine review of January 2026, that work on drug treatment should be collaborative with specialist urology, pain management, hepatology and gastroenterology services.

In Health Boards throughout Scotland, Urology departments have clinical guidance in assessment and multidisciplinary management of bladder symptoms related to ketamine use. Due to an increase in admissions of young people, Aberdeen Royal Infirmary Urology department has created a specialist 'ketamine bladder' clinic.

The Scottish Government are aware of a significant spike in ketamine harms - particularly among young people, and it is an integral part of our new Strategic Plan, to create further standards to ensure services can adapt to changing drug trends. It highlights the need for responsive and adaptive services, with improvement to treatment pathways in drug services, and connections to primary, acute and specialist settings.

Question reference: S7W-00996

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 12 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 23 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has carried any recent public health campaigns relating to ketamine use and, if so, what evaluation has been made of their effectiveness.

At this time the Scottish Government has not carried out any public health campaigns in relation to ketamine use.

The Scottish Government however provides funding to Public Health Scotland, to monitor ketamine use and related harms, through its RADAR (Rapid Action Drug Alerts and Response) program. The system acts as an early warning network to track emerging trends, local clusters of harm, and toxicology data in Scotland.

There are several Scottish Government funded organisations that are publicising the risks of taking ketamine and where to get help. These include:

The Scottish Drugs Forum provides free targeted e-learning resources for healthcare staff and the public, helping them recognize early warning signs of ketamine dependency and understand how to reduce the risks
Turning Point, a leading national social care charity, is running a nationwide campaign focusing on early intervention and harm reduction, to help people understand the tolerance limits and mental health impacts of ketamine
Change, Grow, Live are a health and social care charity that is running an online campaign, to help people understand what ketamine is, detailing the side effects, risks and how to keep safe when taking it.

Question reference: S7W-00995

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 12 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 23 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to raise awareness among young people of the risks associated with ketamine use, including that of permanent bladder damage.

The Scottish Government are aware of an increase in ketamine use by young people, and published the Standards for Young People in November 2025, to ensure support in drug services meets their needs.

Several Scottish Government funded organisations are publicising the risks of taking ketamine and where to get help. These include:

Crew, an Edinburgh based charity, provides Nightlife Harm Reduction at clubs and festivals, offering welfare, advice, harm reduction information and immediate crisis support
Turning Point, a leading national social care charity, is running a nationwide campaign focusing on early intervention and harm reduction without using scare tactics, aimed at helping youth understand the tolerance limits and mental health impacts of ketamine
With You, a support charity that is providing information and help to young people on their website, including peer written stories of other young people’s experience with ketamine.

Question reference: S7W-00883

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 08 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 16 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will evaluate recent research from the Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences on the impact of reintroducing large herbivores on the richness and abundance of pollinator species, and whether it has any plans to incorporate these findings into its biodiversity strategy, land-use strategy, and future rural payment schemes.

There is evidence of the benefits of large herbivore impact on biodiversity outcomes in some circumstances from a range of contexts, including in the UK. The Scottish Biodiversity Delivery Plan includes an action to explore how best to support optimal herbivore densities to enhance biodiversity outcomes in the uplands. We have funded the James Hutton Institute to research the effects of different domestic grazing regimes on biodiversity at the Glen Finglas Woodland Trust site for over 20 years. The results show variable benefits to biodiversity from different grazing regimes with ‘winner and losers’ under each type of grazing. Our approach is therefore to support such interventions in nature restoration projects in the right circumstances, on a case by case basis.

Question reference: S7W-00884

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 08 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 16 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what research it has undertaken on the use of wild or semi-wild large herbivores as a nature-based tool for insect conservation and habitat restoration.

Question reference: S7O-00031

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 June 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 10 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how it is taking forward plans to rebalance the non-domestic rates system.