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-00804

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Edinburgh and Lothians East, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Hannah Mary Goodlad on 17 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to extending permitted development rights for small-scale geothermal and heat networks.

The Scottish Government last year consulted on potential new permitted development rights for the installation (and subsequent repair and maintenance) of underground pipework and associated apparatus for the purposes of connecting individual buildings to a heat network. The Scottish Government decided not to make changes to permitted development rights at that time. We have recently committed to further explore improving permitted development rights, including for small-scale renewable energy production.

Question reference: S7W-01088

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Edinburgh and Lothians East, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 June 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 14 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding so-called corridor care, where patients receive care outwith appropriate clinical settings, what (a) data it collects and (b) advice it (i) provides to and (ii) work it carries out with NHS boards to support them in eradicating the issue.

Question reference: S7W-00802

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Edinburgh and Lothians East, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 16 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the recently announced cabinet secretary and ministerial titles no longer include explicit reference to social care.

Social care reform and the implementation of the Care Reform (Scotland) Act 2025 are a central focus for this Government. In our first 100 days, we are prioritising action to improve key areas within social care. This includes support for unpaid carers, work force conditions and access to services.

Social care is intrinsic to all health and wellbeing. The reference to Care in ministerial titles demonstrates its wider role within the whole health and social care system. It is reflective not just of formally established support packages, but also of broader service remits and requirements necessary for people to live well in their communities.

Question reference: S7W-00803

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Edinburgh and Lothians East, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 16 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will confirm that progressing towards a strong, sustainable and well-resourced social care sector will be one of its priorities.

We are investing over £2.3 billion in social care and integration in 2026-27. This investment includes an uplift to adult social care pay as well as providing support to deliver improvements to wider terms and conditions for workers, such as maternity and paternity pay and also to help with payment of PVG checks for workers.

The Scottish Government has a long-standing commitment to the principles of Fair Work for the social care sector. We want to improve the experience of the social care workforce, and we recognise and value the vital role they play in delivering high quality care and support to people across Scotland.

We have invested in the workforce to ensure they are paid at least the Real Living Wage rate. We have also committed further investment to improve maternity and paternity pay as well as funding to support workers with their PVG fees. Our plans for sectoral bargaining will help strengthen fairness, security and stability across the sector.

Question reference: S7W-00805

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Edinburgh and Lothians East, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Gethins on 12 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to encourage private investment in geothermal energy infrastructure.

Question reference: S7W-00515

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Edinburgh and Lothians East, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 May 2026
Current Status: Answered by Alison Thewliss on 10 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government when the proposed "Molly’s Suite" for paediatric palliative care will open.

The Scottish Government supports the development of a paediatric palliative care suite in Greater Glasgow and Clyde. We want to ensure that children and young people receive high quality palliative care and that their families and carers have flexible support, based on their individual needs, in a location that suits them.

‘Molly’s suite’ will build on the work done by young cancer patient Molly Cuddihy to ensure children and young people at the end of their life are properly supported and treated with dignity. Work to develop it is being led by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHS GGC), working in partnership with Children’s Hospices across Scotland (CHAS).

My officials have asked the Board for an update on progress, which I will share with the Member in due course.

Question reference: S7W-00535

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Edinburgh and Lothians East, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 May 2026
Current Status: Answered by Alison Thewliss on 9 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government when the complex care investment programme will deliver the 400 beds it is projected to free up in Scotland’s hospitals.

The Scottish Government and COSLA published the Coming Home Action Plan in March 2026. The action plan is backed by Scottish Government funding of up to £20m to support implementation. The majority of this funding will be distributed via the Independent Living Fund (ILF) Scotland through the creation of a new Coming Home fund.

No timeline has been set on releasing hospital beds through this new fund. In line with a person-centred approach and to ensure safe and supportive transitions, all moves from hospital to the community will progress at the pace appropriate for each person to ensure their individual needs are met.

Question reference: S7W-00496

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Edinburgh and Lothians East, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 May 2026
Current Status: Answered by Alison Thewliss on 9 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the Scottish National Party’s 2026 manifesto commitment to establish a Home Energy for Health support scheme, when it will commence.

Our Programme for Government, which will set out our plans, will be put to the Parliament in due course.

We have committed to supporting the cost of electricity for the use of life saving equipment in homes and we are taking this work forward. We plan to widen the support available by building on the national policy of reimbursing electricity costs for home dialysis equipment we published in 2024. We are continuing to engage with the third sector and NHS Boards to ensure implementation of the existing policy.

This work will help to inform future work relating to home energy health support.

Question reference: S7W-00501

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Edinburgh and Lothians East, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 May 2026
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 9 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government by what date the planned increase in cataract procedures through National Treatment Centres will be achieved.

Question reference: S7W-00526

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Edinburgh and Lothians East, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 May 2026
Current Status: Answered by Alison Thewliss on 9 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government when the EpiPen pilot scheme for eateries will commence.

Adrenaline auto-injectors (AAIs), such as an EpiPen®, are prescription-only medicines which are prescribed by an authorised healthcare professional and dispensed at a registered pharmacy. A current exception to this is that schools are allowed to purchase AAIs without a prescription, for emergency use in children with a prescription and who are at risk of anaphylaxis, but whose own device is not available or not working.

The regulation for the licensing, quality, safety, and efficacy of medicines is reserved to the UK Government and is the responsibility of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). Extending access to AAIs to eateries in Scotland will require a change to the Human Medicines Regulations (HMR) 2012. Scottish Government officials are engaging with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and the MHRA about the changes to the HMR 2012 that will be required and will develop options for a pilot following these discussions.