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: S6W-40037

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 22 August 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 19 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how many complaints have been made about care homes in each of the last 10 years.

Question reference: S6W-40040

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 22 August 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 19 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether people face a so-called postcode lottery in accessing social care services.

Question reference: S6W-40025

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 August 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 18 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take to maintain the viability of the social care sector, in light of reports that more than 60% of social care charities risk imminent closure.

Question reference: S6W-40029

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 August 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 18 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any impact of the reported shortage of care home places on delayed discharge from hospitals.

Question reference: S6W-40026

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 August 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 18 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of future demand for care home places, and how it plans to meet this demand.

Question reference: S6W-40027

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 August 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 18 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many care home places will be needed by 2050.

Question reference: S6W-39491

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 July 2025
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 20 August 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to introduce legislation to prevent the loss of jobs due to the development of AI.

Regulation of artificial intelligence is a reserved matter, and the Scottish Government continues to engage with the UK Government on this issue. We understand that the UK Government is preparing to introduce new legislation related to AI, and we will continue to work closely with them to ensure that Scotland’s interests are represented.

While we do not have plans to introduce legislation specifically aimed at preventing job losses due to AI, we are focused on mitigating potential impacts through proactive measures. This includes investment in AI literacy and skills development to ensure that individuals and communities are equipped to adapt to technological change.

Question reference: S6W-39492

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 July 2025
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 18 August 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to use AI to prevent children and young people people from accessing and using social media platforms.

The Online Safety Act (OSA) is a reserved matter, and enforcement falls under the remit of Ofcom, which is developing codes of practice and guidance for platform providers. These include requirements for platforms to implement age assurance systems to prevent children from accessing inappropriate content.

We continue to monitor developments in online safety regulation and work with UK counterparts to ensure that children and young people in Scotland are protected online.

Question reference: S6W-39489

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 July 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 18 August 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to provide first aid training to (a) primary and (b) secondary school pupils.

There is no mandatory curriculum in Scotland and the Scottish Government does not prescribe the content of lessons taught within Scottish schools. The Curriculum for Excellence framework allows teachers to plan and deliver learning which meets the needs of learners at every age and stage. This includes delivering learning and teaching on first aid.

There are a range of "experiences and outcomes", which outline expectations for learning and progression in the curriculum in Scottish schools. The section on Physical Wellbeing includes the statement, ‘I know and can demonstrate how to keep myself and others safe and how to respond in a range of emergency situations.’ This means both first aid and Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) can be taught as a part of the curriculum in Scotland. Resources used in schools include the Save a Life for Scotland approach, which provides training and advice on taking account of any healthcare needs of particular pupils. The Scottish Primary School First Aid Programme, launched by St Andrew’s First Aid, also provides free and easy online access for primary teachers to download and teach first aid in their class.

Question reference: S6W-39494

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 July 2025
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 18 August 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to enhance and refresh Scotland's Artificial Intelligence Strategy since its last update in 2022.

The Scottish Government has committed to launching the AI Scotland programme, announced in the Programme for Government in May, to lead the development of a refreshed national AI plan. This builds on the current AI Strategy, which concludes in 2026.

AI Scotland will be a national transformation programme aimed at accelerating AI adoption and innovation across sectors. It is being delivered through close collaboration between business, academia, government, and public agencies.

The refresh process is currently underway. Further updates will be shared publicly as new commitments and deliverables are finalised under the AI Scotland programme.