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-05066

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 October 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 29 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the validity of HMRC's analysis of Scottish Income Tax statistics, including the July 2025 outturn publication.

Question reference: S6O-05045

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 October 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of it being Scottish Women and Girls in Sport Week, what financial progress has been made against its 2021-22 Programme for Government commitment to double its investment in sport to £100 million by the end of the current parliamentary session.

Question reference: S6F-04345

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 29 September 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 2 October 2025

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government’s position is on whether NHS Tayside should exempt legal claims by former patients of Professor Sam Eljamel from the three-year time-bar which is currently in place.

Question reference: S6O-04916

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 September 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Transport Scotland about motorway gantry signage.

Question reference: S6W-38784

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 3 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to promote any benefits of outdoor learning and access to high-quality green spaces in schools, in light of the finding in the report, School Grounds in Scotland in 2025, that almost 40% of Scottish schools have fewer than five trees within their boundaries.

Education Scotland, the national education agency, promotes the benefits of outdoor learning by sharing a range of resources, guidance and case studies via their new Learning for Sustainability webpage and by facilitating peer-to-peer learning through the Learning for Sustainability mentors’ network. The Scottish Government also provides funding to the Scottish Advisory Panel for Outdoor Education to maintain and update its “Going Out There” website which provides a range of toolkits, risk assessment guidance and online learning.

Outdoor learning features strongly in the government’s Learning for Sustainability Action Plan. As part of that plan, a dedicated outdoor learning national working group has been considering further ways to support and promote outdoor learning. The group will provide its final report and recommendations to Ministers later this year.

In relation to access to green spaces in schools, the £2bn Learning Estate Investment Programme (LEIP) is being delivered in partnership with local authorities and will benefit tens of thousands of pupils across Scotland. Through the LEIP, projects are encouraged to maximise the use of the outdoor environment for learning, social activities and recreation.

Question reference: S6W-38785

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 3 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to amend curriculum guidelines to promote any positive effects of learning in outdoor spaces, in light of the finding in the report, Schools Grounds in Scotland in 2025, that only around one third of secondary schools regard outdoor spaces as either very useful or essential learning resources.

The Curriculum Improvement Cycle is currently reviewing and strengthening Scotland’s Curriculum for Excellence. Guidance, professional learning and resources on a wide range of matters will be considered as part of that process.

Education Scotland hosts and shares a range of guidance Outdoor learning resources | Resources | Education Scotland to support outdoor learning provision through the curriculum. Schools and local authorities can also access the GOING-OUT-THERE-PRINT-V3.pdf guidance and associated interactive toolkits online, which have been key to supporting delivery of safe and legally competent outdoor learning experiences.

Question reference: S6W-38786

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 3 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will change its guidance on school ground improvement planning, in light of the School Grounds in Scotland in 2025 research, which has reportedly identified budget reductions over the past two decades as a major barrier to the improvement of outdoor spaces in Scottish schools.

It is the statutory responsibility of all local authorities to manage and maintain their school estate and the Scottish Government engages regularly with the Association of Directors of Education in Scotland and Scottish Heads of Property Services networks, including to share the School Grounds in Scotland 2025 report.

The Scottish Government’s Learning Estate Strategy (LES), which was produced in collaboration with COSLA, makes clear that outdoor learning and the use of outdoor learning environments should be maximised. The LES also highlights that good consultation about learning environments, and direct engagement with learners and communities about their needs, should lead to better outcomes for everyone.

Question reference: S6W-38783

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 26 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the statistic in the report, School Grounds in Scotland in 2025, that around one in three primary schools have reported issues with flooding within school grounds.

Question reference: S6W-38782

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 26 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to provide adequate outdoor space for all pupils, in light of the findings in the report, School Grounds in Scotland in 2025, that 15% of primary schools and 16% of secondary schools have lost outdoor space because of building development.

Question reference: S6O-04842

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 June 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide further details of any plans to introduce continuous alcohol monitoring technology for offenders across Scotland.