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-01759

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh North Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 13 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S7W-01050 by Ben Macpherson on 13 July 2026, when the CLD Workforce Plan will be completed and published.

The CLD Standards Council are leading a range of activity to progress recommendation 5.2 of the Independent Review of CLD to develop a CLD Workforce Plan. This includes establishing a Working Group with representation from across the CLD sector and undertaking a workforce needs survey.

The CLD Standards Council will present recommendations on the requirements of a workforce plan to the CLD Strategic Leadership Group (SLG) when the group reconvenes later in the year. Subject to approval, a workforce plan will be developed and circulated to the SLG for final approval in Autumn 2027, followed by implementation.

Question reference: S7W-01760

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh North Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 13 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S7W-01053 by Ben Macpherson on 13 July 2026, when the National CLD Workforce Survey will be completed and its findings made available to view.

Question reference: S7W-02322

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh North Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 August 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 3 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has provided any funding to (a) NHS health boards and (b) local authorities in order to carry out remedial works on Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) found in buildings.

Question reference: S7W-02312

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh North Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 August 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 3 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to identify the scale of dry weather sewage spills in Scotland.

Question reference: S7W-02310

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh North Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 August 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 3 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether, for the purposes of assessing the legality of sewage overflows, it will publish a definition of "heavy rainfall".

Question reference: S7W-02311

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh North Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 August 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 3 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that Peter Hammond of Windrush Against Sewage Pollution has described Scottish Water as the "least transparent" water company in the UK.

Question reference: S7W-02309

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh North Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 August 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 3 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that nearly 90% of sewage spills in Scotland may be illegal.

Question reference: S7W-01631

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh North Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 5 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to protect and strengthen additional learning provision for deaf children and young people, including access to specialist teachers, communication support and other educational services, in light of reported concerns regarding reductions in local authority resources and any potential impact on educational outcomes.

All children and young people should receive the support that they need to reach their full potential. Education authorities are under a statutory duty to identify, provide for, and to review the support that they provide for pupils with additional support needs, including those who are deaf. They also have duties to employ teachers of deaf children and young people where support for a pupil is required.

The Scottish Government continues to invest in the school workforce and the provision of additional support for learning. The 2026-27 Budget provides £186.5 million of additional resource to councils. This includes £28 million investment in the ASL workforce and builds on the £15 million each year for pupil support assistants. Councils have the flexibility to use this funding to increase the number of teachers of deaf children and young people in their area and provide other specialist support such as BSL Tutors and Communication Support Workers. Councils have also continued their record investment in additional support for learning, with almost £1.1 billion spent in 2024-25.

In addition to postgraduate qualifications in deaf education, professional learning opportunities in supporting children and young people with sensory needs are available via the Scottish Sensory Centre, Education Scotland and CALL Scotland.

Notwithstanding the support that the Scottish Government already provides to schools we recognise the need to go further and we have already committed to expanding the provision of BSL training for teachers and to ensuring that a pool of specialist teachers to support those children who are blind, partially sighted, deaf or deafblind. I will update Parliament on these plans in due course.

The Education (Scotland) Act 2025 ensures that the Qualifications Scotland and HMIE will have due regard to the specific needs and interests of those receiving BSL learner education or BSL medium education.

Question reference: S7W-01585

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh North Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 4 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on introducing a Scottish statutory instrument to devolve powers to local authorities for determining the location and deployment of speed cameras and speed calming measures within local areas.

General enforcement of road traffic offences including speeding is the operational responsibility of Police Scotland.

The Scottish Safety Camera Programme supports automated enforcement through national operational prioritisation and deployment of safety camera resources in accordance with the Scottish Safety Camera Programme Handbook. The Handbook also sets out the existing process of engagement with local authorities to provide localised input through annual site selection. Through targetted camera enforcement, the purpose of the Programme is to improve driver behaviour and reduce injury collisions in line with the Road Safety Framework to 2030.

An annual site prioritisation process is undertaken each year and involves partners including the three regional safety camera units, all thirty-two local road authorities, Transport Scotland for trunk roads and Police Scotland. This exercise acts to identify potential new camera sites which meet the minimum criteria, while at the same time assessing the performance of existing enforcement strategies.

In addition to annual site selection, where there are emerging or short term road safety concerns, all road authorities currently have the ability to request a short term or flexible safety camera deployment as required.

Local authorities have a statutory duty in terms of section 39 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 to promote road safety on local roads and where appropriate, speed calming measures. It is for a local authority to consider appropriate measures which will safeguard road users and residents, and to determine the priority that should be given to any road safety measures. It is not for Scottish Ministers to intervene in a local authority’s day-to-day performance of these particular duties.

Question reference: S7W-01608

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh North Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 30 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will review its position on reported calls for the introduction of a national fund to help address the presence of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) in buildings on university campuses.

Our commitment to the university sector is clear. Our overall 2026-27 investment will exceed £1.4bn, which includes a combined increase of over £55m in resource and capital funding for universities via the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) - equivalent to a 5% uplift on last year’s budget. We also continue our collaborative project between Scottish Government and Universities Scotland on the Framework for Sustainability and Success of Scotland’s Universities launched in December 2025. This will explore options that will ensure our universities are sustainable and well positioned to respond to current and future challenges. I am grateful to cross-party colleagues for their engagement in this work, which I hope will continue as we consider these complex long-term issues.

The Scottish Government position on the responsibility for addressing the presence of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) has not changed. RAAC is primarily a building maintenance issue and responsibility lies with the owner of the building.

The SFC continues to engage with colleges and universities on estate-related matters, including issues relating to RAAC, and keeps the Scottish Government informed of significant sector-wide developments. Institutions are expected to take a risk-based approach to identifying, managing and mitigating any risks associated with RAAC, taking account of relevant professional guidance. The Scottish Government remains in regular contact with the SFC regarding estate-related risks affecting the tertiary education sector and will continue to monitor the position.