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-04243

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh North Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 12 October 2026
Current Status: Answer expected 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.

Question reference: S7W-04238

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

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reported pressures on university finances, what assessment it has made of the potential for international dental student fee income to contribute to higher education revenue.

Question reference: S7W-04246

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

To ask the Scottish Government what evidence it used to inform its decision to introduce legislation allowing local authorities to apply council tax premiums to second homes, and what evidence it holds regarding the efficiency of such premiums in increasing the availability of housing for permanent occupation.

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: Answer expected 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: Answer expected 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-04242

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh North Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 12 October 2026
Current Status: Answer expected 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.

Question reference: S7W-04245

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

To ask the Scottish Government what support is available to victims and survivors of sexual violence while waiting for criminal proceedings to conclude, and what assessment it has made of whether there are any gaps in support between discharge from specialist services and the accused appearing in court.

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: Answer expected 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-04126

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh North Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 October 2026
Current Status: Answer expected 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.

Question reference: S7W-03586

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh North Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 7 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, of all the applications for a crisis grant from the Scottish Welfare Fund that were declined in the last three years, what percentage were declined on the grounds that the applicant had previously received support and was assessed as not meeting the qualifying criteria for a further award.

In 2023-24, 27.8% (27,545) of declined Crisis Grant applications were recorded as Excluded as a result of previous application history. In 2024-25, the equivalent figure was 25.0% (22,950), and in 2025-26 it was 26.7% (23,980).

The category, Excluded as a result of previous application history, covers a range of circumstances related to an applicant's previous application history and is not limited to cases where a previous award was the reason for refusal. It is also possible that applications where previous support was a relevant factor may have been recorded under another category.