Questions and answers

Question reference: S6W-42833

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 12 January 2026
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 22 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-42626 by Ivan McKee on 22 December 2025, whether it will provide an update on what consideration it is giving to the request from the Scottish Retail Consortium and other stakeholders for Scotland to follow England and introduce a permanent business rate discount for all retail, hospitality and leisure premises, in light of the recent announcement that Lets Go Glasgow BID has added its support to the call.

Question reference: S6W-43193

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 January 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 3 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what support is offered by the NHS to the victims of grooming gangs in Scotland.

Question reference: S6O-05360

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 January 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 14 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve Glasgow’s economic performance, in light of reports that the city continues to lag behind the rest of Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-40298

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 9 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-35424 by Jenni Minto on 17 March 2025, regarding referrals to secondary services from the Thistle drug consumption facility, whether it will provide a breakdown of any such referrals by service type, including (a) housing, (b) addiction recovery and (c) mental health services from 17 March until the current date, and how many of the referrals were made to addiction recovery services during this period.

The Scottish Government does not hold a breakdown of referrals from the Thistle drug consumption facility by service type, nor does it hold data on the number of referrals made to addiction recovery services from 17 March 2025 to current date. Such information may be available from Glasgow Health and Social Care Partnership who are responsible for operation of the Thistle facility.

The primary function of the safer drug consumption facility is to reduce drug-related harm by providing a safe, supervised environment for individuals who use drugs. Where additional support or treatment is required, staff may signpost individuals to the most appropriate services.

Question reference: S6W-40297

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 9 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-35424 by Jenni Minto on 17 March 2025, regarding referrals to secondary services from the Thistle drug consumption facility, whether it will provide a breakdown of these referrals by service type, including (a) housing, (b) addiction recovery and (c) mental health services, and how many of the referrals were made to addiction recovery services up to 17 March 2025.

The Scottish Government does not hold a breakdown of referrals from the Thistle drug consumption facility by service type, nor does it hold data on the number of referrals made to addiction recovery services from 17 March 2025 to current date. Such information may be available from Glasgow Health and Social Care Partnership who are responsible for operation of the Thistle facility.

The primary function of the safer drug consumption facility is to reduce drug-related harm by providing a safe, supervised environment for individuals who use drugs. Where additional support or treatment is required, staff may signpost individuals to the most appropriate services.

Question reference: S6T-02780

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 01 December 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 2 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that over 1,200 women have been treated for female genital mutilation in Glasgow in the past five years.

Question reference: S6W-40696

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 22 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 2 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on opening an inhalation room in The Thistle safer drug consumption facility, and how much it estimates this would cost.

The position of the Scottish Government is that any intervention proven to save lives and reduce harms, such as an inhalation room, should be considered on its merits.

We would support a proposal from The Thistle facility to the Lord Advocate for the introduction of such an inhalation space. However, the ability to progress such a development remains constrained by the current legal framework under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and the limits of the Lord Advocate’s prosecutorial discretion.

At this stage no cost estimate has been provided as no formal proposal for the inclusion of an inhalation room has yet been submitted by the Thistle.

Question reference: S6W-40695

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 22 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 2 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how much it estimates it would cost, per vehicle, to introduce mobile safer drug consumption units in Scotland.

The only existing Statement of Prosecution Policy from the Lord Advocate in relation to a safer drug consumption facility applies only to the operation of a fixed facility, mobile units are not currently within scope.

The Scottish Government has not received any proposals for the introduction of mobile safer drug consumption units in Scotland, nor have we undertaken any work to determine the estimated cost of such units.

As a result, we do not hold any cost estimates for this model.

Question reference: S6W-40694

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 22 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 2 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to introduce mobile safer drug consumption units in Scotland.

The Scottish Government remains open to considering well-developed proposals for Safer Drug Consumption Facilities (SDCF). However, a mobile facility would be difficult to deliver while still being able to meet the criteria previously set out by the Lord Advocate in relation to what she would consider in terms of a proposal for an SDCF and for which she would be able to offer a statement of prosecution policy.

The current statement of prosecution policy is specific to the Thistle facility in Glasgow. Any alternative model, such as a mobile service, would require further detailed consideration with the Lord Advocate, Police Scotland and COPFS to determine whether it could be accommodated within the existing legal framework

Question reference: S6O-04991

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 September 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what measures it is taking to improve night-time public transport connections between city centres and suburban areas, including support for late-night bus and rail services to improve affordability, safety and service reliability.

Chamber and committees