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-02924

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 17 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Prison Officers' Association Scotland report, Crisis Point Reached, which noted that the number of staff departures recorded by the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) as "Normal Resignations" doubled between 2015 and 2023, what discussions it has had with SPS regarding staff retention.

The Scottish Prison Service (SPS) is an Executive Agency of the Scottish Government and has responsibility for operation of prisons including staffing.

SPS has recruited record numbers of Prison Officers in recent years to support prison estate expansion, including HMP Stirling and HMP Kilmarnock, and address increasing prisoner numbers and complexity. Targeted attraction and engagement activities have also increased workforce diversity.

For 2025-26, the turnover rate across SPS was 7.7%, which represented a 1% reduction on the previous year (2024-25). SPS has also experienced a significant reduction in leavers from prison officer roles in the early part of this financial year in comparison to previous years.

SPS monitors staff retention through regular workforce planning discussions. The Workforce Planning Management Group reviews turnover trends, reasons for leaving, and actions to improve retention, informed by workforce data and employee feedback.

Question reference: S7W-02838

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 17 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what formal mechanisms are in place to ensure that the Scottish Ministers maintain active oversight of, and provide appropriate support for, the implementation of recommendations arising from any independent or internal reviews into the prosecution of sexual offences, and how frequently progress is jointly assessed with the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.

Appropriate governance and oversight mechanisms will depend on the nature of a review and the scope of its recommendations. For example, following Lady Dorrian’s 2021 review on Improving the Management of Sexual Offence Cases the Scottish Government established the Lady Dorrian Review Governance Group to consider approaches to implementing the review’s recommendations. Many of the recommendations requiring legislation were taken forward in the Victims, Witnesses and Justice Reform (Scotland) Bill, which was enacted last year, and the Group remained active throughout the Bill’s passage.

For internal reviews, responsibility lies with the relevant organisation. For example, in 2021 the then Lord Advocate, Dorothy Bain KC, commissioned Susanne Tanner KC to carry out a review of how prosecutors deal with reports of sexual offences. The report, which was published in December 2025, is being considered by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.

There are also regular cross-sector forums where key issues relating to the prosecution of sexual offence cases may be reviewed and discussed as necessary, including the Victims Taskforce, which I co-chair with the Lord Advocate. Details of the Taskforce’s meetings and work can be found here: Victims Taskforce - gov.scot.

Question reference: S7W-02595

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Alyn Smith on 17 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how many Scottish-domiciled students have had their student contribution fee paid for in order to study at (a) Trinity College Dublin, (b) University College Dublin, (c) University College Cork, (d) the National University of Ireland, Galway (now the University of Galway), and (e) the National University of Ireland, Maynooth (now Maynooth University), in each year since 2007-08, and what the total value of those payments was in each year.

Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) covers the student contribution fee on behalf of eligible Scottish-domiciled students undertaking an approved first-degree course at specified higher education institutions in the Republic of Ireland.

Figures on the number of Scottish-domiciled students whose student contribution fees were paid and the total value of those payments in each year are provided in the following table.

Student contribution fees paid to specified Irish institutions for Scottish-domiciled students, academic years 2020-21 to 2025-26
Higher education institution	2020-21		2021-22		2022-23		2023-24		2024-25		2025-26		Total
Higher education institution	No of students	Amount (euros)	No of students	Amount (euros)	No of students	Amount (euros)	No of students	Amount (euros)	No of students	Amount (euros)	No of students	Amount (euros)	No of students	Amount (euros)
Maynooth University	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Trinity College Dublin	6	18,000	c	c	c	c	c	c	7	14,000	c	c	43	112,000
University College Cork	c	c	c	c	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	c	c
University College Dublin	c	c	c	c	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	6	18,508
University of Galway	-	-	-	-	c	c	c	c	-	-	c	c	c	c
Total	11	33,254	11	33,254	10	30,000	8	16,000	7	14,000	7	17,500	55	144,008
Source: SAAS
Note: Some figures have been replaced with ‘c’ due to low student numbers, including some where there are 5 or more where disclosure risks identifying individuals at other institutions in a given year.

Please note that the table includes readily available figures covering academic years 2020-21 onwards.

Question reference: S7W-03367

Asked by: Heather Anderson, MSP for Dundee City West, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 September 2026
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Angela Constance on 17 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish its response to the UK COVID-19 Inquiry’s Module 3 report examining the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare systems across the UK.

The Scottish Government has today published its response to the UK Covid-19 Inquiry’s Module 3 report. The Covid-19 pandemic touched every community and every family in Scotland in different ways. For many, it brought profound loss, separation, uncertainty and hardship. The Scottish Government extends its deepest sympathy to everyone who lost loved ones and to all those whose lives were impacted by the pandemic.

I want to express my sincere thanks to everyone who contributed to the Inquiry, including those who shared difficult and personal experiences. I also want to acknowledge the vital work of the Covid Inquiries Response Engagement Group, whose input to the response has been invaluable. The insights shared by representatives of groups disproportionately impacted by the pandemic, including bereaved families, disabled people, minority ethnic communities, older people and others most affected by the pandemic have shaped our response.

I would also like to express my sincere gratitude for the sacrifices made throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, and for the extraordinary dedication of the health and social care workforce. Their professionalism, compassion and resilience were especially evident in the care provided to those most vulnerable during an exceptionally difficult period.

The Scottish Government remains committed to taking forward the actions and timelines for implementation set out in this response, and to doing so in a way that recognises and respects the many sacrifices made by the public health workforce during the pandemic to protect our healthcare system, and the loved ones lost during the pandemic.

The Scottish Government will provide regular progress updates on the actions set out within the response. The response is available at: UK Covid-19 Inquiry - Module 3 report: Scottish Government response

Question reference: S7W-03349

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 September 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 30 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with South Lanarkshire Council regarding the future of the site at Clydebridge.

Question reference: S7W-03369

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 September 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 30 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how much it spent on digital advertising to promote the Programme for Government, broken down by platform.

Question reference: S7W-03360

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 September 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 30 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what work it is doing with VisitBritain to ensure that Scotland's cruise destinations and experiences are promoted abroad.

Question reference: S7W-03371

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 September 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 30 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how many digital adverts it has created to promote its Programme for Government and related policy announcements.

Question reference: S7W-03358

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 September 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 30 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether a location for its proposed walk-in GP clinic in Elgin has been confirmed, and, if so, whether it will provide further details.

Question reference: S7W-03381

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 September 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 30 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made in improving and increasing toilet facilities and access to toilets for train drivers in Scotland.