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-34520

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 25 February 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.

The Scottish Government agrees with the comment made by NatureScot that raptor persecution undertaken in connection with grouse moor management could take place anywhere on a property, not just on the grouse moor itself.

NatureScot introduced a new condition to enable them to revoke or suspend a licence where there is evidence of raptor persecution, connected to the grouse moor but outside of the licensed area. The condition added by NatureScot is an alternative to amending the Wildlife Management and Muirburn (Scotland) Act 2024. However, we will monitor the situation and, if necessary, consider amending the legislation.

Question reference: S6W-34519

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 25 February 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-34517

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 25 February 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-34959

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 14 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 24 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on introducing compulsory pay caps for locum doctors in the NHS.

In Scotland, the government does not have the authority to unilaterally implement a salary cap for agency locum doctors working in the NHS. The remuneration of agency locum doctors is determined by the terms and conditions outlined in their individual contracts, which are negotiated between NHS employers and the doctors themselves. Internal NHS Locum Doctors however are employers on NHS Terms and Conditions, at NHS rates of pay.

We recognise that we must seek to secure best value whenever we are delivering services within NHS Scotland, allowing us to maximise the impact that our investment has on the quality and availability of patient care.

Accordingly, we are working with colleagues across NHS Scotland to explore how we can reduce our reliance on agency and have developed best practice guidance to ensure that all locum engagements have the appropriate senior sign-off by an individual working under the delegated authority of the Chief Executive.

Question reference: S6F-03814

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 17 February 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 20 February 2025

To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government is taking to reduce the disability employment gap.

Question reference: S6W-34897

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 17 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has regarding how many people who are resident in (a) Scotland are registered with a GP in England and (b) England are registered with a GP in Scotland.

Question reference: S6O-04316

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 February 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 19 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made on annual reporting of its incentivisation of selective fishing gear and low-impact techniques that the rural affairs secretary committed to commissioning in January 2023.

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.

The delivery of a national thrombectomy service has already received over £38m of investment. Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary and Galloway Community Hospital are both now able to refer suitable patients for thrombectomy procedures.

We have recently provided funding for thrombectomy nurse posts in spoke sites with high rates of ischaemic stroke, including in NHS Dumfries and Galloway, and this will support maximising access to thrombectomy across Scotland.

Work is ongoing to establish how the £16 million funding announced in the Scottish budget, once scrutinised by the Scottish Parliament, will be best used to maximise the number of patients able to benefit from thrombectomy.

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.