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-03700

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 28 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 20 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will introduce a requirement for farmed-animal welfare indicators and mortality data to be published in a centralised and publicly-accessible format.

Question reference: S7W-03715

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 28 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 20 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the potential role of Community Health and Care Hubs, as proposed in the Programme for Government, in improving community-based management of long-term conditions such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis and what investment will be made in community-based allied health professionals, including specialist nurses, dietitians, and psychologists, to support this work.

The Community Health and Care Hubs programme is intended to provide modern facilities capable of supporting integrated multidisciplinary care delivered closer to home. Detailed decisions regarding clinical pathways, workforce models and the management of specific conditions, including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, will be determined through wider service and workforce planning processes rather than through the infrastructure programme itself.

We will publish our Long Term Conditions Strategy for Adults in March 2027, which will include digestive conditions within its scope.

Question reference: S7W-03706

Asked by: Martyn Day, MSP for Falkirk East and Linlithgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 28 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 20 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what financial support it has considered putting in place to encourage individuals to enter the counselling profession.

The Scottish Government recognises the important contribution that counsellors make in supporting mental health and wellbeing in Scotland. Individuals undertaking counselling qualifications may be able to access a range of student support available through Scotland’s higher and further education funding arrangements, subject to eligibility criteria.

Higher education in Scotland is based on the ability to learn, not the ability to pay. Through our investment in colleges, universities and student support, we are helping people of all ages to access education and training opportunities while supporting the workforce needs to deliver high-quality public services across Scotland.

The Scottish Government has no plans to introduce any profession-specific financial support for individuals entering the counselling profession.

Question reference: S7W-03714

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 28 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 20 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the Long Term Conditions Framework was not referenced in the Programme for Government and whether it remains on track to be published by March 2027.

Question reference: S7W-04355

Asked by: Katherine Sangster, MSP for Edinburgh and Lothians East, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 19 October 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 16 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support the mental health of university students, in light of the 2021 Thriving Learners survey, which indicated that 73.5% of Scotland-based university students surveyed reported having low wellbeing and 19.6% that they either had suicidal ideation or had attempted suicide in the six months prior to the survey.

Question reference: S7W-04337

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 19 October 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 16 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the findings in the Scottish Human Rights Commission's October 2026 report, Economic, social and cultural rights in the South of Scotland, regarding access to healthcare, social care and support for people with learning disabilities in rural communities.

Question reference: S7W-04346

Asked by: Joe Long, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 19 October 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 16 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what arrangements it has put in place to ensure that private and voluntary organisations delivering social care services are directly involved in its current three-month programme of intensive dialogue on social care reform, and which organisations have been invited to participate.

Question reference: S7W-04340

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 19 October 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 16 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has worked with COSLA to ensure a consistent approach across planning authorities to the treatment of hyperscale AI data centre applications during the period before national planning guidance is finalised.

Question reference: S7W-04342

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 19 October 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 16 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding the impact of energy-intensive hyperscale AI data centres on electricity costs and the capacity of the electricity grid available to Scottish households and businesses.

Question reference: S7W-04350

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scot and Lothians West, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 19 October 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 16 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) sites with planning permission for housing and (b) housing units with planning permission were owned or controlled by companies that entered insolvency, in each financial year from 2019-20 to 2025-26.