The Scottish Parliament

Question reference: S7W-04926

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh North Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 09 November 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 23 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-38389 by Jenni Minto on 16 June 2025, what timeline has been put in place to develop regulations under the Burial and Cremation (Scotland) Act 2016, which will remove applications for exhumation from the courts.

Question reference: S7W-04240

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh North Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 12 October 2026
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 9 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding its commitment to provide support for people without a formal diagnosis of autism or ADHD, whether this includes people awaiting diagnostic assessment and people who self-identify as autistic or having ADHD but have not sought a formal assessment.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that support is available for autistic people and people with ADHD on the basis of need rather than diagnostic status. This includes people who are awaiting diagnostic assessment and those who self-identify as autistic or as having ADHD but have not sought a formal assessment.

This recognises that diagnosis is only one part of a person’s journey and should not be the sole route through which support can be accessed.

We acknowledge that, for some, diagnostic assessment is an important part of understanding their needs and experiences. However, there are also individuals with neurodevelopmental support needs who may not meet diagnostic thresholds but whose needs can nonetheless have a significant impact on their wellbeing, relationships, education and day-to-day life.

Our first Adult Neurodevelopmental Route-Map will publish in November. This sets out our framework for a needs-led, neuro-affirming system of support for autistic people and people with ADHD. A key principle of the route-map is that support should be available according to need while recognising the continued importance of diagnostic assessment where clinically appropriate. We will work with partners across health, social care and the third sector to support implementation of the route-map.

The Neurodevelopmental Specification for Children and Young People sets out the principles and standards expected across services and aims to ensure that children, young people and families receive timely, needs-based support, in line with the Getting it Right for Every Child (GIRFEC) approach.

Question reference: S7W-04241

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh North Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 12 October 2026
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 9 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what consultation it has undertaken with NHS boards, including NHS Lothian, and primary care representatives regarding proposals to expand the role of GPs in the assessment of autism and ADHD, and what assessment it has made of the additional capacity and resources required to implement these proposals.

The Scottish Government recognises the pressures facing primary care, while also noting the important role that GPs and other primary care providers play in supporting people within their communities. We are continuing to work with NHS Boards, local authorities, COSLA, the third sector and other delivery partners to improve access to neurodevelopmental support for children, young people and adults.

Through the development of the first Adult Neurodevelopmental Route-Map, which will be published in November, and wider work to improve neurodevelopmental pathways, the Scottish Government has engaged with a range of stakeholders, including those working within our health boards, primary care and other clinicians, people with lived experience and third sector organisations.

We are also continuing to support implementation of the National Neurodevelopmental Specification for Children and Young People following a joint review of progress with COSLA in 2025. Our cross-sector Children and Young People’s Neurodevelopmental Taskforce, co-chaired by education and health, is supporting us to deliver this.

Although decisions regarding the design and delivery of local neurodevelopmental services, including workforce planning, capacity requirements and resource allocation, are matters for NHS boards, the Scottish Government will continue to work with NHS boards and other partners, to support implementation of the route-map and the Children & Young People’s Neurodevelopmental Specification.

Question reference: S7W-04242

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh North Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 12 October 2026
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 9 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how the £7.6 million that it has committed to local authorities to support children and young people with neurodevelopmental conditions will be allocated, including how much each local authority will receive and the services that the funding is intended to support.

The £7.6 million Neurodevelopmental Support Fund 2026/27 has been distributed to local councils, who will determine how best to use it in line with local needs and supporting guidance issued by the Scottish Government. It will mean more flexible support is provided to children, young people and their families to get the help they need, when they need it, informed by local circumstances.

The guidance has recently been published and is available at https://www.gov.scot/publications/children-young-peoples-neurodevelopment-support-fund-2026-27-supporting-guidance/.

Funding has been allocated to local authorities using the following formula: 86% on the basis of population aged 5 to 25, 7% on rurality and 7% on deprivation, with a minimum allocation of £50,000 per local authority.

The following table sets out local authority allocations.

Local Authority	Allocation (£m)
Aberdeen City	0.314
Aberdeenshire	0.401
Angus	0.155
Argyll & Bute	0.117
City of Edinburgh	0.734
Clackmannanshire	0.066
Dumfries & Galloway	0.202
Dundee City	0.222
East Ayrshire	0.158
East Dunbartonshire	0.131
East Lothian	0.151
East Renfrewshire	0.136
Falkirk	0.203
Fife	0.512
Glasgow City	0.955
Highland	0.337
Inverclyde	0.094
Midlothian	0.130
Moray	0.134
Na h-Eileanan Siar	0.050
North Ayrshire	0.170
North Lanarkshire	0.458
Orkney Islands	0.050
Perth & Kinross	0.207
Renfrewshire	0.228
Scottish Borders	0.162
Shetland Islands	0.050
South Ayrshire	0.136
South Lanarkshire	0.424
Stirling	0.147
West Dunbartonshire	0.114
West Lothian	0.252
Total	7.600

Question reference: S7W-04239

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh North Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 12 October 2026
Current Status: Holding Answer by Alyn Smith on 9 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of (a) dental education and service delivery models in (i) Dublin, through the partnership between Dublin Dental University Hospital and Trinity College Dublin, and (ii) Plymouth, through the partnership between Peninsula Dental School at the University of Plymouth and the Peninsula Dental Social Enterprise, and (b) how such approaches could be applied across Scotland, particularly in areas with reduced access to NHS dentists.

Question reference: S7W-04247

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh North Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 12 October 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 9 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance it has issued to local authorities regarding the evidence that they should consider and the economic and social impact assessments that they should undertake before imposing or varying council tax premiums on second homes, and whether it plans to introduce further guidance to promote a consistent, proportionate and evidence-based approach across Scotland.

Question reference: S7W-04249

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh North Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 12 October 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 9 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the effectiveness of council tax premiums on second homes compared with alternative measures available to local authorities, including planning powers and other housing policy interventions, in addressing local housing shortages and increasing the supply of homes available for permanent occupation.

Question reference: S7W-04243

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh North Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 12 October 2026
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 9 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how the £600,000 in new funding to support autistic adults will be allocated, including what proportion of the funding will be used to provide support for adults awaiting an autism or ADHD assessment.

£613,640 is being allocated to Autism Initiatives for a one-year test of change across a number of Integration Joint Board (IJB) areas. The areas taking part are those that have open waiting lists for people seeking autism assessment. Referrals will be received for people who have been on the autism assessment waiting list the longest. More information on the areas taking part in this test of change will be confirmed in due course.

The majority of the funding will be used for diagnostic assessments and post-diagnostic support for adults with autism, although some funding will be provided to support individuals with autism or ADHD who are unlikely to receive an assessment during the test of change year. This will help those individuals to gain understanding of their condition and provide peer, community and other support. A proportion of the overall funding will specifically benefit individuals from minority ethnic communities.

Question reference: S7W-04248

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh North Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 12 October 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 6 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any potential economic and social impacts of varying council tax premiums on second homes, including in rural and island communities where second homes may represent a significant proportion of the local housing stock, and how it takes these impacts into account when determining whether such premiums are an appropriate response to local housing shortages.

The Scottish Government published impact assessments as part of its 2023 consultation on Council Tax for second homes and long-term empty homes and non-domestic rates thresholds for self-catering accommodation, including an Island Communities Impact Assessment screening summary.

The Council Tax (Variation for Unoccupied Dwellings) (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2026 provide local authorities with flexibility to determine the Council Tax treatment of second homes and long-term empty homes in their area.

Local authorities are independent bodies, democratically elected and accountable to their local electorate. Responsibility for developing and implementing a local policy on Council Tax charges for second and long-term empty homes therefore rests with the relevant local authority. It is for each Council to determine its policy and to consider the local impacts of the choices it makes, including what consultation or assessment is appropriate when developing and implementing that policy.

As such, local authorities are relevant authorities under the Islands (Scotland) Act 2018 and it is for each authority to consider whether local decisions require an Island Communities Impact Assessment or any other assessment of impacts on local communities.

The Scottish Government has published guidance to support Councils in exercising their discretion which is available online at Local government finance circular 6/2026: council tax on second and long-term empty homes guidance - gov.scot. This sets out the relevant legislative framework and provides guidance to local authorities on applying their discretion to reduce or increase Council Tax liability for second and long-term empty homes. It also notes that local authorities may use Housing Need and Demand Assessments and Local Housing Strategies to inform the development of Council Tax charging policies.

The guidance encourages local authorities to consider local housing need, the local economy and tourism, public services, community impacts, hardship and the circumstances of individual owners when deciding whether and at what level to apply a premium.

As decisions on whether to apply a premium, and at what level, are matters for individual local authorities, it is for those authorities to consider local evidence and undertake any assessments they consider necessary to inform their decisions. The Scottish Government does not supervise individual local authorities’ exercise of these powers and it would not be appropriate for the Scottish Government to intervene in a Council’s local policy decision.

Question reference: S7W-04757

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh North Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 November 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 18 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of Scotland being the only part of the UK where women can be criminalised for ending their own pregnancy, what plans it has to introduce legislation to (a) decriminalise abortion, (b) disapply the Abortion Act 1967 in Scotland and (c) establish a framework for abortion care in Scotland that is compliant with human rights and international health standards.

Chamber and committees

Questions and answers

Filter your results Hide all filters

Question reference: S7W-04926

Answer

Question reference: S7W-04240

Answer

Question reference: S7W-04241

Answer

Question reference: S7W-04242

Answer

Question reference: S7W-04239

Answer

Question reference: S7W-04247

Answer

Question reference: S7W-04249

Answer

Question reference: S7W-04243

Answer

Question reference: S7W-04248

Answer

Question reference: S7W-04757

Answer