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-02164

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Edinburgh and Lothians East, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 31 July 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 28 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what recent review it has carried out into the provision of sexual health clinics in rural areas.

Question reference: S7W-02185

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Fife North East, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 31 July 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 28 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the availability of fractional exhaled nitric oxide testing for asthma in primary care settings, including the proportion of primary care settings that offer such testing.

Question reference: S7W-02184

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Fife North East, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 31 July 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 28 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with NHS Scotland and NHS boards regarding increasing the availability of fractional exhaled nitric oxide testing for asthma in primary and secondary care settings, and whether additional funding would be required to enable such an increase.

Question reference: S7W-02169

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Edinburgh and Lothians East, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 31 July 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 28 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to reduce demand for hip and knee replacements over the next five years through preventative approaches, including what additional and targeted investment is being made in musculoskeletal services, such as physiotherapy, and how it will assess the effectiveness of this.

Question reference: S7W-01730

Asked by: Helen McDade, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Reform UK
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 31 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Children (Care, Care Experience and Services Planning) (Scotland) Act 2026 and the Restraint and Seclusion in Schools (Scotland) Act 2026 receiving Royal Assent in May 2026, what its timescale is for implementing the provisions of these Acts and for issuing the statutory guidance required to prohibit face-down prone restraint of children in secure accommodation.

The wellbeing and safety of children and young people is paramount. The Scottish Government is clear that restraint should only be used in exceptional circumstances, as a last resort, or when it is the only practicable means of securing the welfare or safety of the child or another person. The statutory guidance will reflect this.

Work is ongoing to plan next steps for implementation and timescales in relation to this important work and the Scottish Government will provide an update about this in due course.

The Scottish Government is funding the Centre for Excellence for Children's Care and Protection (CELCIS), in partnership with the University of Strathclyde, to deliver the “Holding Differently – Containing Distress” project to strengthen the evidence base on efforts to reduce the use of physical restraint in residential child care services. Early findings from this project will inform work on the guidance.

Question reference: S7W-01641

Asked by: Sanne Dijkstra-Downie, MSP for Edinburgh Northern, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 10 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Gethins on 31 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made towards the introduction of utilities-based statutory undertaker rights for heat network developers, and when it plans to bring forward the necessary legislation.

Our consultation on proposals for a new installation and maintenance licence to grant heat network organisations statutory rights and powers ran from 13 March to 5 June 2026. We are now analysing responses, and a full report will be published in due course. The consultation paper sets out our intention to include the necessary provisions in the Heat in Buildings Bill later this parliamentary session. The consultation paper can be found at:https://www.gov.scot/publications/installation-maintenance-licence-heat-networks/

Question reference: S7W-01840

Asked by: Maggie Chapman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 20 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 31 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that people seeking to use Monifieth Beach do not experience a repeat of the recent health warnings and instructions to stay out of the sea due to high levels of E coli.

Designated bathing waters are routinely sampled by SEPA during the bathing season and inspections on Scottish Water assets are also carried out pre-bathing and during bathing season (1 June 2026 to 15 September 2026) to ensure compliance.

The Monifieth bathing water is classified as “Excellent”. However, short-term fluctuations in water quality can occur at all bathing waters for a variety of reasons, for example following heavy rain due to a range of pollution sources. Where advice against bathing is issued SEPA investigates to identify and take action to mitigate where possible any sources of pollution.

Question reference: S7W-01532

Asked by: Amanda Lindsay, MSP for Central Scot and Lothians West, Reform UK
Date lodged: Friday, 03 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 31 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its commitment to supporting the transition from fossil-fuelled vehicles to electric vehicles, what steps it has taken to encourage the development of policies that enable the safe use of cross-pavement charging solutions for households across all property types.

In 2025-26, the Scottish Government supported a pilot funding the installation of cross-pavement charging solutions to test their practical implementation, with the learning from this work helping to inform future policy and guidance.

The Scottish Government has also worked with the Scottish Collaboration of Transport Specialists (SCOTS) to support the development of national guidance for local authorities, covering the legal, safety, accessibility and practical considerations associated with cross-pavement charging.

The Scottish Government also funds a Cross-Pavement Charging Grant Scheme, which provides grants of up to £3,500 towards the purchase and installation of approved cross-pavement charging solutions, subject to local authority approval.

Question reference: S7W-01640

Asked by: Sanne Dijkstra-Downie, MSP for Edinburgh Northern, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 10 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Gethins on 31 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to introduce a statutory obligation or financial incentives to ensure that heat network zone delivery is more effectively driven through Local Heat and Energy Efficiency Strategies, and, if so, what timeline it is working to.

We have created a clear pathway from LHEES to delivery with respect to heat networks: LHEES identify potential heat network zones, and our HNSU is working with local authorities to delve into these opportunities further to commercialise them, in preparation for any capital funding bid to SHNF.

As noted in the National Planning Framework 4, local development plans should take into account the area’s LHEES. The spatial strategy should take into account areas of heat network potential and any designated heat network zones.

Question reference: S7W-01636

Asked by: Sanne Dijkstra-Downie, MSP for Edinburgh Northern, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 10 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Gethins on 31 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether the forthcoming Buildings (Heating and Energy Performance) and Heat Networks (Scotland) Bill will include a requirement for public buildings to connect to heat networks where these are available, and what assessment it has made of the potential impact of such a requirement.