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-02312

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh North Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 1 September 2026

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

As this is an operational matter for Scottish Water I have asked them to respond. Their reply is as follows:

"Environmental Standards Scotland has previously welcomed that Scottish Water and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) are working to develop an approach to identify overflows where action is needed to prevent dry weather spills from happening.

In the first instance, Scottish Water responds to and carries out any operational interventions to check for blockages, misconnections or other potential faults where any overflow events appear to be happening in dry weather. Scottish Water has also proposed a definition for dry day overflow events and is working in the background to investigate overflows using data from Event Duration Monitors installed as part of commitments made in its ‘Improving Urban Waters Route map’. Where overflow events are confirmed to be occurring in dry weather because of insufficient capacity in the sewerage system, a process is being developed whereby these will be identified as Unsatisfactory Intermittent Discharges (UIDs) and will be agreed with SEPA as a priority for improvement."

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: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 27 August 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.

The Scottish Government has directly funded the remediation of Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) in a number of Health Boards and is expecting to directly fund several further RAAC remedial projects across the health estate in due course. However, as a matter of building maintenance, any remediation of RAAC is primarily considered the responsibility of building owners and estate managers, including public bodies such as NHS Health Boards and Local Authorities, with costs met directly from their own budgets.

Question reference: S7W-02677

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh North Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 August 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 23 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance is provided to NHS boards to ensure that triaging accurately identifies and prioritises young people most in need of mental health support.

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: Answered by Gillian Martin on 24 August 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-01657

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh North Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 24 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Kirsten Oswald on 19 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S7W-01036 by Kirsten Oswald on 9 July 2026, whether it will provide an update on which of the actions recommended by the Independent Working Group on Antisocial Behaviour (a) have been implemented and (b) remain incomplete.

In a letter to the Criminal Justice Committee dated 16 December 2025, the then Minister for Victims and Community Safety set out the Scottish Government’s response to the report published by the Independent Working Group on Antisocial Behaviour. The response set out details about work that has been taken forward. A copy of the response can be found at: https://www.parliament.scot/-/media/files/committees/criminal-justice-committee/correspondence/2025/asb-iwg-response-letter-from-minister-vcs-16-december-2025.pdf. Since this letter was issued, work has continued in implementing the actions to which the Scottish Government committed.

Question reference: S7W-01656

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh North Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 24 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Kirsten Oswald on 19 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S7W-01019 by Kirsten Oswald on 9 July 2026, on what dates a) ministers and b) civil servants held discussions with Police Scotland and whether it will place a copy of any notes or minutes from these discussions in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe).

Ministers regularly meet with Police Scotland to discuss a range of matters. Meetings between Ministers and Police Scotland since 1 January 2026 exclusively focused on the antisocial use of vehicles and the powers available to officers to address these issues took place on 24 February 2026, 4 March 2026, and 21 July 2026. I will write to the Member with summary notes of these meetings. A copy of that correspondence will be placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. Number 66816). Separately, Scottish Government officials meet regularly with Police Scotland colleagues, including the Head of Roads Policing, to discuss a range of issues, including the antisocial and criminal use of vehicles.

Question reference: S7W-01658

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh North Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 24 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 18 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S7W-01047 by Mairi McAllan on 9 July 2026, when the next wave of Behaviour in Scottish Schools Research (BISSR) will be undertaken.

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-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.