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-04460

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 23 October 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 20 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the implications of Scotland's ageing population for (a) hospital bed occupancy and (b) demand for consultant geriatricians.

Question reference: S7W-04466

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 23 October 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 20 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether all infrastructure required to connect the Kilmarnock South Battery Energy Storage System to the transmission network was assessed during the original consenting process and, if not, what additional infrastructure has subsequently been identified and for what purpose.

Question reference: S7W-04458

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 23 October 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 20 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how many consultant geriatricians are currently employed by NHS Scotland, broken down by NHS board, and what assessment it has made of whether current staffing levels are sufficient to meet projected demand arising from Scotland's ageing population.

Question reference: S7W-03886

Asked by: Alan Brown, MSP for Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 October 2026
Current Status: Answered by Liam McArthur (on behalf of the SPCB) on 23 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what assessment it has made of whether the resources allocated to the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman are sufficient, in light of reported increases in case-handling response times.

All officeholders are required to submit an annual budget bid to the SPCB for approval. It is for the SPSO to decide on its total bid. Budget bids, including the SPSO’s, were scrutinised by the SPCB in late 2025 before consideration by the Finance and Public Administration Committee in January 2026. The bids were agreed by Parliament as a whole in the Budget Bill for 2026-27.

The SPCB considered a request for contingency funding from the SPSO on 25 June 2026. The SPCB approved contingency funding of up to £203,304 for six investigative roles for the remainder of the 2026-27 period. The SPSO had requested this resource to cover three financial years, however, the SPCB did not considered it possible, at this stage, to consider the bids for 2027-28 and 2028-29. As a matter of good financial governance, these should be considered as part of the budget process. The SPSO have been advised to re-submit those requests as part of the 2027-28 budget process.

The SPCB will consider all officeholder budget bids for 2027-28 in November.

Question reference: S7W-04040

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 October 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 23 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how much of the Bus Infrastructure Fund will be spent in the Scottish Borders.

Scottish Borders Council has been awarded £1.117 million through the Bus Infrastructure Fund across 2025-26 and 2026-27.

In 2025-26, Scottish Borders Council used its allocation to support the design and development of new bus infrastructure projects, the installation and upgrade of bus shelters, the introduction of real-time passenger information displays across the region, and improvements to bus stops and boarding facilities in locations including Newstead, Chirnside, Peebles, Melrose, Heiton, Duns and West Linton.

In 2026-27, Scottish Borders Council will continue to invest in bus infrastructure improvements through its Bus Infrastructure Fund Tier 1 allocation, including the development of a proposed multi-modal transport hub in Peebles.

Question reference: S7W-04041

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 October 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 23 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how the Bus Infrastructure Fund will aim to support rural services in areas such as the Scottish Borders.

The Bus Infrastructure Fund supports bus services through improving the infrastructure that they rely on. In 2026-27 £20 million has been provided to all local authorities through Tier 1 of the fund, which is dedicated to supporting the design, development, and delivery of bus infrastructure, including improvements to accessibility such as enhanced bus stops, shelters, real-time information and small-scale bus priority measures. The fund’s allocation methodology places significant weight on rural dispersion, with funding invested to support public transport services and address local transport needs.

Question reference: S7W-03910

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 October 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 23 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the decision was made to no longer operate the Glen Sannox using liquefied natural gas (LNG) following its 2026 annual overhaul.

Question reference: S7W-03971

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 05 October 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 23 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of the condition and maintenance of pavements, footways and other pedestrian routes on the incidence of slips, trips and falls, particularly among older people, and what action it is taking with local authorities and other relevant bodies to improve the safety and quality of walking infrastructure.

Local authorities have a duty under the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984 to manage and maintain local roads and pavements in their area. Assessment of the condition and maintenance of local pavements is not undertaken by the Scottish Government and is a matter for the relevant local authority.

Transport Scotland does however manage and maintain pavements that form part of the trunk road network. Defects identified are assessed and addressed in accordance with established risk-based maintenance standards and response times.

Furthermore, the Scottish Government is investing £41 million in road safety in 2026-27, including £14.5 million through the Road Safety Improvement Fund to support local authorities in delivering measures to reduce road-related risk and casualties on the local road and pavement network.

Question reference: S7W-04025

Asked by: Julie MacDougall, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Reform UK
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 October 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 23 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will commit to supporting increased tourism across Fife, in light of data sourced from VisitScotland indicating that the region is ranked on the lower end of tourist numbers for the whole country, recording 1.1 million overnight visitors compared to Edinburgh's 4.5 million visitors and the Highlands' 2.8 million.

The Scottish Government recognises tourism’s importance to Fife’s economy and continues to work through VisitScotland, Fife Council and local partners to promote the region, support tourism businesses and encourage year-round visitation. This includes supporting destination development projects such as the Fife Pilgrim Way and maximising opportunities from major events, including The Open 2027 in St Andrews, while also engaging with local stakeholders to help strengthen and grow Fife’s visitor economy.

Question reference: S7W-03983

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 05 October 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 23 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that older people living in rural communities can access reliable transport services that support independent living.

In addition to the National Concessionary Travel Scheme which provides free bus travel for everyone aged 60 and over, the Scottish Government also provides funding to support local authorities in meeting their statutory responsibilities to identify and support socially necessary bus services, helping to maintain connectivity where commercial provision is not available. We are working with local authorities and regional transport partnerships to improve public transport through initiatives such as the Bus Infrastructure Fund, support for community and demand-responsive transport, and investment in ferry services, with a particular focus on addressing the challenges faced by rural and island communities.