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 862 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S7W-01218

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scot and Lothians West, Reform UK
Date lodged: Monday, 22 June 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 20 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government (a) when the new cluster development organisation for Scottish life sciences, as set out in the Life Sciences Strategy for Scotland 2035 Vision, was, or will, be constituted, (b) what its role and remit are, and (c) what is, or will be, its governance and oversight structure.

Question reference: S7W-01217

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scot and Lothians West, Reform UK
Date lodged: Monday, 22 June 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 20 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what progress it has made regarding Delivery Plan for Sprint 1 for its Life Sciences Strategy for Scotland 2035 Vision.

Question reference: S7W-01216

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scot and Lothians West, Reform UK
Date lodged: Monday, 22 June 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 20 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government which minister has responsibility for life sciences policy and delivery, and what its position is for not including life sciences as a specific ministerial responsibility, as had previously been the case.

Question reference: S7W-01215

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scot and Lothians West, Reform UK
Date lodged: Monday, 22 June 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 20 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what the role, remit, and governance and oversight structure for the NHS National Pharmaceutical Agency, which is listed as a responsibility of the Minister for Community Care, are or will be.

Question reference: S7W-00632

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scot and Lothians West, Reform UK
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 May 2026
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 5 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made toward establishing a register of ancient woodlands.

In line with the action in the Scottish Biodiversity Delivery Plan, the development of a new Ancient Woodland Register is in progress.

NatureScot is leading this and has set up a steering group which includes public bodies and wider stakeholders to support the development of the Register. Resources have been allocated to commission a contractor over the next two years to work with the steering group to develop and publish the Register.

Question reference: S7W-00243

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scot and Lothians West, Reform UK
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 May 2026
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 4 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the commitment in the Scottish National Party manifesto to enact a statutory price cap on essential food items, what discussions it has had with its Scottish Business Growth Group regarding the proposal.

Question reference: S7W-00248

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scot and Lothians West, Reform UK
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 May 2026
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 4 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the commitment in the Scottish National Party manifesto to enact a statutory price cap on essential food items, what its response is to the reported comments from Prosper Scotland regarding the proposal “that it’s extremely hard to see how it could feasibly operate”.

Question reference: S7W-00246

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scot and Lothians West, Reform UK
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 May 2026
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 4 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the commitment in the Scottish National Party manifesto to enact a statutory price cap on essential food items, what its response is to the comments from the Food and Drink Federation in The Times on 17 April 2026 that the policy “risks undermining investment” and “food security”.

Question reference: S7W-00245

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scot and Lothians West, Reform UK
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 May 2026
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 4 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the commitment in the Scottish National Party manifesto to enact a statutory price cap on essential food items, what its response is to the comments from the Scottish Grocers’ Federation in The Herald on 17 April 2026 that the policy could “threaten the viability” of convenience stores.

Question reference: S7W-00244

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scot and Lothians West, Reform UK
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 May 2026
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 4 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the commitment in the Scottish National Party manifesto to enact a statutory price cap on essential food items, what its response is to the comments from the Institute of Public Policy Research in The Times on 27 April 2026 that the policy is unlikely to make a “tangible difference to household budgets”.