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-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-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-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-04126

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh North Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 October 2026
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 5 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what action is being taken to improve continuity of care for patients who are required to change psychiatrists, including when moving between NHS board areas, and to ensure that responsibility for the care of patients with complex mental health needs is clearly defined between NHS mental health services and primary care providers.

The Scottish Government recognises the importance of continuity of care for people receiving mental health treatment, including when moving between services or NHS Board areas. Our Core Mental Health Quality Standards emphasise the importance of strong links between primary and secondary care services, including supporting people when moving between or out of services.

Decisions about transferring care are based on individual clinical need. Where ongoing secondary mental health care is required, care can be transferred to the appropriate local service. Best clinical practice is for the transferring service to retain clinical responsibility until the person has engaged with the receiving team. This flexible approach supports person-centred care while recognising that individual needs and local service arrangements vary.

The Scottish Government's refreshed Mental Health and Wellbeing Delivery Plan sets out our priorities to improve mental health support and services over the next three years and is aligned to wider health system reform. It reflects a shared commitment across national and local government to meet people's needs, regardless of where they live in Scotland. As part of this work, we will publish a Mental Health and Wellbeing Blueprint by autumn 2027, which will set out the role of each part of the mental health and wellbeing system and support stronger collaboration across services.

Question reference: S7W-04313

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh North Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 16 October 2026
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 5 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the cumulative financial impact of repeated disclosure fees on workers who are required to obtain disclosures for multiple organisations.

I have asked Gerard Hart, Chief Executive of Disclosure Scotland to respond. His response is as follows:

Dedicated work assessing the cumulative financial impact on individuals making multiple disclosure applications was undertaken in 2019 when a membership model was last under detailed consideration. The 2019 assessment formed part of five year user journey work done ahead of introducing the Disclosure (Scotland) Bill. This was referred to at page 35-36 of Financial Memorandum Disclosure (Scotland) Bill.

On 1 April 2025, the fee for a Level 2 PVG disclosure (previously a PVG scheme record) for an existing scheme member was reduced from £59 to £18 in line with the cost for the now defunct PVG short scheme record (a disclosure product which did not include criminal history information).

Question reference: S7W-04315

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh North Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 16 October 2026
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 5 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what the marginal cost is of processing an additional disclosure for an existing member of the Disclosure Scotland scheme who is subject to continuous monitoring, and what assessment it has made of whether the £18 fee is proportionate to that marginal cost.

This is an operational matter for Disclosure Scotland their response is as follows:

Unit cost analysis in September 2023 found the average direct unit cost (including overheads from frontline operations) of producing a PVG scheme disclosure, including on existing scheme members, was £24.45 and the average full (including all overheads) unit cost was £50.50.

Work on future fee approaches will incorporate updates to this analysis.

Question reference: S7W-04314

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh North Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 16 October 2026
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 5 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding workers who are required to obtain disclosures for multiple organisations, whether it plans to review options, including a multi-organisation application, an annual cap on disclosure fees or a membership-based model, which would allow separate organisational links and safeguarding notifications to be retained without requiring a separate fee for each organisation.

Question reference: S7W-04312

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh North Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 16 October 2026
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 5 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether the proposed review of disclosure fees, which was reportedly due to commence in October 2025, was approved and undertaken, and, if so, what the outcome of the review was.

This is an operational matter for Disclosure Scotland to advise on.

I have sought their advice, and Disclosure Scotland’s last review of fees concluded in January 2025, with The Fees for Scheme Membership and Disclosure Applications (Scotland) Regulations 2025 laid before Parliament on 3 February 2025, which came into effect on 1 April 2025. No fee review was commenced in October 2025.

Disclosure Scotland commenced work reviewing future fee approaches in 2026.

Question reference: S7W-04758

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 what action it has taken to implement the Abortion Law Expert Group’s recommendations, which were published in November 2025.

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.