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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

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Dates of parliamentary sessions
  1. Session 1: 12 May 1999 to 31 March 2003
  2. Session 2: 7 May 2003 to 2 April 2007
  3. Session 3: 9 May 2007 to 22 March 2011
  4. Session 4: 11 May 2011 to 23 March 2016
  5. Session 5: 12 May 2016 to 5 May 2021
  6. Current session: 12 May 2021 to 12 February 2025
Answer status
Question type

Displaying 939 questions Show Answers

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Question reference: S6W-34857

  • Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
  • Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 February 2025
  • Current Status: Answer expected on 11 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to introduce respiratory protective equipment (RPE) to prisons to protect staff from being exposed to toxic fumes when any incidents involving the illicit use of drugs occur. 

Question reference: S6W-34856

  • Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
  • Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 February 2025
  • Current Status: Answer expected on 11 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of plans in England and Wales to implement a phased removal of wet-shave razors from adult male prisons, what plans it has to replicate such a proposal in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-34321

  • Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
  • Date lodged: Friday, 31 January 2025
  • Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 10 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking through its draft Budget 2025-26 to increase local access to thrombectomy for people who have had a stroke in Dumfries and Galloway.

Question reference: S6W-34520

  • Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
  • Date lodged: Thursday, 06 February 2025
  • Current Status: Answer expected on 6 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on (a) the comment by NatureScot on 19 July 2026 that “raptor persecution undertaken in connection with grouse moor management could take place anywhere on a property, not just on the grouse moor itself”, and (b) whether the Wildlife Management and Muirburn (Scotland) Act 2024 needs to be amended to ensure that the 16AA grouse shooting licence covers an applicant’s whole landholding and not the grouse moor only.

Question reference: S6W-34517

  • Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
  • Date lodged: Thursday, 06 February 2025
  • Current Status: Answer expected on 6 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish the (a) legal and (b) other advice obtained by NatureScot regarding which areas of land should be covered by a 16AA licence under the Wildlife Management and Muirburn (Scotland) Act 2024.

Question reference: S6W-34518

  • Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
  • Date lodged: Thursday, 06 February 2025
  • Current Status: Answer expected on 6 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the reported criticisms from members of the conservation sector regarding the changes made to grouse shooting licences by NatureScot and, in the light of this, what steps it plans to ensure that the operation of section 16AA licences fulfils the intentions of (a) it and (b) the Parliament.

Question reference: S6W-34519

  • Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
  • Date lodged: Thursday, 06 February 2025
  • Current Status: Answer expected on 6 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government on what dates NatureScot met (a) Police Scotland and (b) the National Wildlife Crime Unit before seeking approval for a new grouse licensing condition regarding raptor persecution from land and estates.

Question reference: S6W-34322

  • Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
  • Date lodged: Friday, 31 January 2025
  • Current Status: Answer expected on 28 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government when it will end the practice, highlighted in its 2018 report, Coming Home, of adults being inappropriately detained in hospital or living out of their own area.

Question reference: S6O-04305

  • Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
  • Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 January 2025
  • Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what the current average timescale is for non-criminal complaints against the police to be allocated for investigation by Police Scotland.

Question reference: S6O-04276

  • Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
  • Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 January 2025
  • Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reported concerns raised by Colleges Scotland that the role of colleges is being damaged by relentlessly falling budgets.