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: S6W-41749

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 07 November 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 21 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many additional support needs professionals have been registered in each year since 1999.

Question reference: S6W-41750

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 07 November 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 21 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many school additional support needs professionals there have been in each year since 1999, broken down by local authority.

Question reference: S6W-41755

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 07 November 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 21 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is regarding the evacuation of classrooms due to disruptive behaviour from pupils, and how many times classrooms have been evacuated due to such behaviour in each year since 1999, broken down by local authority.

Question reference: S6W-41753

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 07 November 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 21 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many children and young people have been placed in adult services in each year since 1999.

Question reference: S6W-41574

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 7 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of congestion charges on businesses.

The Transport (Scotland) Act 2001 (“the 2001 Act”) provides a discretionary power for local authorities to implement local road user charging schemes. It will be for local authorities to undertake any required assessments if they consider a road user charging scheme appropriate to support the outcomes of their local transport strategies. Should any local authority seek to develop any scheme, they are required under the 2001 Act to carry out consultation including with those organisations representing persons or individuals that are likely to be affected by any provisions in any proposed charging scheme.

Question reference: S6W-41573

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 7 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government when Ministers will update Parliament on the progress to deliver the Sheriffhall roundabout upgrade project.

The Scottish Government continues to support the promotion of improvements to Sheriffhall Roundabout as part of its £300 million commitment to the Edinburgh and South-East Scotland City Region Deal.

Following publication of the draft Orders and Environmental Statement, Transport Scotland received a significant number of representations, including over 2,700 objections, to the proposed scheme. Given the number of objections, a Public Local Inquiry (PLI) was held from 31 January to 8 February 2023 during which the appointed independent Reporter heard evidence from objectors and Transport Scotland (as the Promoter).

The PLI Reporter has submitted her conclusions and recommendations to the Scottish Government, and this is currently under active consideration before advice is provided to and a decision made by Scottish Ministers on whether to complete the statutory process.

Ministers will update Parliament as soon as possible, which will follow the advice of officials and is still awaited. It is only right that my officials take the appropriate time to consider the significant number of objections received, along with the conclusions and recommendations made by the Reporter, prior to providing advice to Ministers.

I am of course keen to see progress made, however, it is essential that due process is followed. The statutory right for individuals to have their say on the proposals, and for these to be fully considered, cannot be set aside.

Question reference: S6W-41581

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 7 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government when Ministers will provide an update to Parliament on plans to extend the support provided to unpaid carers after the person they have cared for dies.

The Carer’s Assistance (Miscellaneous and Consequential Amendments, Revocation, Transitional and Saving Provisions) (Scotland) Regulations 2025 were passed by Parliament on 5 November 2025. From 15 March 2026, they extend entitlement to Carer Support Payment, Scottish Carer Supplement, and Carer Additional Person Payment for 12 weeks after the cared for person dies. As a result, unpaid carers in Scotland will get over £350 in extra support when compared to people receiving Carer’s Allowance, which is paid for 8 weeks after the cared for person dies, in the rest of the UK.

Question reference: S6W-41576

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 7 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of congestion charges on lower paid workers who drive.

Question reference: S6W-41575

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 7 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on patients paying a congestion charge to access health services.

Question reference: S6W-41572

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 6 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government on how many occasions NHS boards have been placed in escalation status in each year since 1999.

The NHS Scotland Support and Intervention Framework (formerly known as the Performance Escalation Framework) has existed in its current form with five separate stages since 2016. A description of the Framework and the current position on territorial NHS Boards who are receiving formal support and scrutiny within the Framework is provided at:

www.gov.scot/publications/nhs-scotland-support-and-intervention-framework/

Please see the following table that covers on how many occasions territorial NHS Boards have been receiving formal support and scrutiny (that is, at Stage 3 or above on the Framework) since 2016. There were alternative arrangements in place from 1999 to 2016 to manage key risks to delivery in territorial NHS Boards and ensure enhanced support, scrutiny, oversight and intervention, where appropriate.

Calendar Year	Number of occasions
2016	3
2017	1
2018	7
2019	4
2020	1
2021	2
2022	1
2023	1
2024	0
2025*	5

*As at 6 November 2025