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-02443

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 31 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has undertaken a formal user satisfaction survey of GPs, practice managers and other primary care staff who have migrated to the Vision 3 GP clinical system and, if so, whether it will publish the findings of this survey.

User feedback from GPs, practice managers and other primary care staff who have migrated to the new Vision system has been collected by Public Services Delivery Scotland through an ongoing lessons learned exercise. There is also continued engagement with stakeholders including GP representative groups including the Royal College of GPs and the Scottish GP Council.

As a result of feedback, several additional supports have already been implemented following escalation to OneAdvanced. Scottish Government and Public Service Delivery Scotland continue to engage with GP Practices and we have increased the level of post migration support available in response to feedback.

Question reference: S7W-02478

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 14 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 31 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S7W-01758 by Angela Constance on 3 August 2026, what wider reform of access to healthcare the review of the Patient Travel Reimbursement Scheme guidance will form part of, and when it expects that work to conclude.

The Scottish Government has committed to a review of the Patient Travel Reimbursement Schemes guidance. However, as the scope, timing, and governance of the review have not yet been agreed and no start date has been confirmed, it is not currently possible to provide details of any wider reform programme that the review may inform or support, or when the work is expected to conclude.

The Scottish Government will provide further information on the review, including its remit and timescales, once these have been established.

Question reference: S7W-02445

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 31 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish all risk assessments, risk registers and mitigation plans relating to the roll-out of the Vision 3 GP clinical system that are related to patient safety, operational resilience or service capacity.

Question reference: S7W-02477

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 14 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 31 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S7W-01758 by Angela Constance on 3 August 2026, what the scope and terms of reference of the review of the Patient Travel Reimbursement Scheme guidance will be, and whether the review will consider the travel costs incurred by children and young people with cancer.

Question reference: S7W-02446

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 31 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how many GP practices have been required to implement temporary reductions in clinical activity, appointment availability or service provision to facilitate migration to the Vision 3 GP clinical system.

The Scottish Government does not hold information on GP Practices implementing short term reductions in clinical activity, appointment availability or service provision. The Scottish Government has agreed with Public Service Delivery Scotland to increase the post migration support to help practices familiarise themselves with the new system and reduce any short-term disruption.

Post migration support arrangements include:

Enhanced post-go-live support.

Dedicated supplier follow-up arrangements.

Additional onsite training.

Access to training environments.

Vision awareness sessions and webinars.

Additional workshops for Health Board and practice staff.

As part of an ongoing lessons learned exercise, several additions have already been implemented following escalation to OneAdvanced. A dedicated follow up, post migration Service Desk team, now contact the practice to ensure anything that is outstanding is rectified within an agreed timescale.

Question reference: S7O-00153

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 August 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 2 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what further action it will take to increase house building, particularly in rural areas.

Question reference: S7W-02264

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 26 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of the number of applications for support through the Strategic Research Programme 2022-27 that it has (a) received and (b) accepted.

A total of 128 project proposals were received and considered for the Strategic Research Programme 2022-27 and 123 projects were accepted. See the following table:

Strategic Research Programme - Projects	Accepted	Rejected
Biomathematics and Statistics (BioSS)	3
Theme A - Plant and animal health	23	4
Theme B - Sustainable food system and supply	58
Theme C - Human impacts on the environment	11
Theme D - Natural resources	22	1
Theme E - Rural futures	6
Total	123	5

The Biomathematics and Statistics Institute (BioSS) provides data analysis, statistics, mathematical modelling and bioinformatics support to the Strategic Research Programme.

Question reference: S7W-02265

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 20 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding it expects to deliver annually to the Strategic Research Programme in 2027-32

The proposed allocation under the 2027-2032 Strategic Research Programme is set out in the following table:

Strategic Research Funding 2027-32 (£)

PROPOSED (subject to annual budgeting decisions)	2027-28	2028-29	2029-30	2030-31	2031-32
TOTAL	44,404,000	45,414,600	46,424,286	47,330,000	48,151,000

Further information regarding the Scottish Governments Strategic Research Programmes can be found here: Environment, natural resources and agriculture: strategic research programme

Question reference: S7W-02308

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 20 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a timeline for the release of funding through the Crofting Agriculture Grant Scheme.

Question reference: S7W-02263

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 20 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an annual breakdown of the allocation of funding to each theme of the Strategic Research Programme 2022-27.

The following table sets out the Environment and Forestry Directorate, Strategic Research Funding provided by Scottish Government to our Main Research Providers, The James Hutton Institute, Moredun Research Institute, Scotlands Rural College and The Rowett Institute by theme for the period 2022-27:

Theme	2022-23	2023-24	2024-25	2025-26	2026-27	Totals
A - Plant and animal health	5,332,988	5,142,796	4,813,671	4,838,938	4,442,673	24,571,066
B - Sustainable food system and supply	12,119,586	10,698,686	9,756,685	9,388,815	8,552,983	50,516,755
C - Human impacts on the environment	3,050,000	3,419,700	3,751,000	4,049,998	3,860,000	18,130,698
D - Natural resources	7,086,217	6,809,663	7,091,299	6,910,741	6,507,156	34,405,076
E - Rural futures	1,432,510	1,475,251	1,531,512	1,633,509	1,549,884	7,622,666
F – Vision and Impact and Biomathematics and Statistics (BioSS)	1,949,449	1,714,819	1,743,471	1,797,710	1,763,987	8,969,436
Totals	30,970,750	29,260,915	28,687,638	28,619,711	26,676,683	144,215,697

The Biomathematics and Statistics Institute (BioSS) provides data analysis, statistics, mathematical modelling and bioinformatics support to the Strategic Research Programme.