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-01392

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 26 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 23 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider allowing GP practices to return to, or adopt, alternative clinical IT systems, including EMIS or EMIS Web, where practices consider that the Vision 3 system is adversely affecting their ability to provide safe and efficient care.

Question reference: S7W-01561

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 06 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 23 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-31971 by Gillian Martin on 12 December 2024, whether it still plans to bring forward proposals to improve water, wastewater and drainage policy, and if so, by what date it will do so.

The Scottish Government is considering its water related policies to ensure they continue to meet the public’s expectations and deliver adaptation to the growing impacts of drought and flooding arising from climate change. We will set out our commitments as usual in our Programme for Government.

Our publicly owned Water and Wastewater services are funded by customers. Any changes to policies or legislation must strike a balance of producing the right outcomes at an affordable price for customers.

Question reference: S7W-01384

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 26 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 23 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment was carried out, prior to contract award, of the functionality, reliability, integration capability and clinical usability of the Vision 3 system in modern general practice settings.

During the procurement process, supplier responses were assessed through a series of scoring exercises involving Subject Matter Experts (SMEs), including GPs, nurses, pharmacists, practice managers, health board facilitators, IT specialists and information governance experts. Functional and non-functional requirements were reviewed, tested and validated by both clinical and administrative users to ensure they met the agreed specification. Evidence of compliance was assessed and approved by relevant experts, and all requirements were accredited before migrations commenced.

Question reference: S7W-01386

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 26 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 23 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how many reports of concerns, complaints or incidents it has received regarding the rollout or operation of the Vision 3 system in GP practices, broken down by NHS board area.

Scottish Government do not hold records of the number of reports of concerns, complaints or incidents regarding the rollout or operation of the Vision 3 system broken down by health board area.

The Scottish Government is aware of concerns raised by practices and representative bodies, including through correspondence, ministerial correspondences and representations from the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP). The Scottish Government has also received Parliamentary Questions on these matters and continues to engage with PSD Scotland about the issues being raised.

Question reference: S7W-01389

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 26 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 23 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what escalation process is in place for GP practices that consider that the Vision 3 system is unworkable or having an adverse impact on patient care.

GP practices can escalate issues with the Vision system via their health board representatives, who in turn can raise these with the programme team. GP practice scan log any issues with the One Advanced(Vision) Service Desk.

The GP IT Re-provisioning Programme has a robust governance framework, governed by the GP IT Service Management Board, which meets regularly and features representation from Scottish Government, RCGP, SGPC and NHS Scotland stakeholders, including health board representation. Programme progress and status are assessed as part of each meeting.

Question reference: S7W-01413

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 23 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how it is responding to each of the five recommendations in the Environmental Standards Scotland report, Protecting Scotland’s seafloor: an assessment of Scottish Ministers’ implementation of the Marine Strategy Regulations 2010.

The Scottish Government is giving careful consideration to Environmental Standards Scotland’s (ESS) report, Protecting Scotland's seafloor: an assessment of Scottish Ministers' implementation of the Marine Strategy Regulations 2010. I have written to the Chief Executive Officer of ESS confirming that the Scottish Government will engage constructively with ESS to agree an appropriate action plan within the suggested timescale. The Scottish Government's position on the report’s findings and recommendations will be set out through this engagement and in its formal response.

Question reference: S7W-01393

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 26 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 23 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to the approach taken by other UK administrations in relation to GP clinical IT systems, including any decisions to move away from Vision-based systems.

The GPIT procurement was undertaken through a formal, competitive procurement process led by National Services Scotland (now Public Services Delivery Scotland), in line with European Single Procurement Document (ESPD) requirements.

Three suppliers met the criteria for inclusion on the Scottish GP IT framework :Cegedim/INPS (Vision), Optum (EMIS) and Microtest/EVA Technologies. However, Microtest withdrew from the framework in 2021 and EMIS withdrew in 2022. As a result, Vision became the only remaining supplier on the framework and is currently the only GP clinical system available through that national procurement arrangement.

Question reference: S7W-01380

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 26 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 23 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any patient safety implications arising from the rollout of the Vision 3 system, including in relation to system integration, ease of access to clinical information, any delays in processing patient information and any increase in administrative burden.

As with all major digital programmes, risks relating to patient safety, system integration, access to clinical information and administrative impacts are assessed and actively managed throughout the programme lifecycle.

Public Services Delivery Scotland continues to work closely with health boards, GP practices and the supplier to monitor issues raised during migrations and system use. Where concerns are identified, they are reviewed through established governance processes and appropriate mitigations are put in place to support the continued delivery of safe and effective patient care.

Question reference: S7W-01379

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 26 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 23 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of the Vision 3 system on GP and practice staff workload, wellbeing, morale and retention.

Public Services Delivery Scotland, on behalf of the Scottish Government, is working with health boards to ensure that training is delivered at the right stages of the migration process, reinforced following go-live, and supported through practical, hands-on learning opportunities.

Health boards have been asked to ensure that practices receive appropriate support before, during and after migration, including sufficient protected time for training and familiarisation with the system. Where necessary, health boards may consider temporary adjustments to clinical activity to support a safe transition and staff wellbeing.

PSDS is also working closely with One Advanced and health boards to address issues identified by practices and to improve the overall user experience as the rollout progresses.

Question reference: S7W-01390

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 26 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 23 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will pause any further rollout of the Vision 3 system pending a full review of its impact on GP practices, staff wellbeing, patient safety and service capacity.

The Scottish Government has no plans to pause the rollout of the Vision hosted system. EMIS PCS is due to reach end of life in June 2027, and Vision is currently the only GP clinical system available through the national framework for practices requiring a replacement system.

Patient safety, staff wellbeing, service capacity and operational risks are monitored through established programme governance arrangements. PSD Scotland continues to work closely with health boards, GP practices and One Advanced to identify and address issues, strengthen training and support, and implement lessons learned from migrations. This approach is intended to support the safe and effective transition of practices from EMIS PCS before support for that system ends.