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: S6W-39953

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 August 2025
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 9 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what stakeholders it has engaged with during its current review of Land and Buildings Transaction Tax.

Question reference: S6W-39948

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 August 2025
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 9 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that NHS boards meet their responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010 with regards to offering autistic people who are unable to use the phone, communication methods appropriate to their needs, for example, letters or in-person communication.

The Scottish Government is committed to advancing inclusive communication in Scotland. We have therefore commissioned an inclusive communications toolkit for listed authorities, which includes NHS Boards, to consider. This toolkit aims to make improvements for those with different communication needs in Scotland.

The project will provide practical support to all public bodies in Scotland. It will help them to mainstream inclusive communication throughout their organisation and so meet the general equality duty.

The toolkit is currently being co-produced with people who communicate in diverse ways, public bodies, and other expert organisations. We intend to roll out this toolkit by early 2026.

Furthermore, the Scottish Government has collaborated with both autistic people and professional partners to produce resources to help healthcare practitioners understand and accommodate the communication needs of autistic individuals. These include an Autism Informed Services eBook and a series of posters, co-produced with an autistic working group, detailing how healthcare practitioners can anticipate, enquire about, and arrange adjustments to meet the needs of autistic patients, including communication needs. These resources are freely accessible on our Different Minds website.

Question reference: S6W-39942

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 August 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 9 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to address the projected increase in the prison population, which is expected to rise between 7,950 and 8,750 prisoners from July to December 2025, according to its Prison Population Projections: July 2025 report.

Scotland is not alone in facing challenges as a result of a rise in the prison population. There is no single reason for the increase and there is no single solution.

The Scottish Government has therefore taken a range of actions to address this, including changing the point of release for some short-term prisoners and bringing forward regulations to widen the use of home detention curfew, which enables selected individuals to be released to serve the last part of their sentence under curfew and clear licence conditions. Additional funding of £25m over two years has been provided to increase the capacity of community justice services across Scotland to support a sustained increase, where appropriate, in the use of alternatives to custody. This brings the total funding for community justice to £159m in 2025-26. We have also established an independent Sentencing and Penal Policy Commission to review how custody and community-based interventions are used, with a focus on reducing crime, supporting rehabilitation, and ensuring a sustainable prison population. Final recommendations will be delivered by the end of 2025 and will inform longer term action in this area.

Question reference: S6W-39952

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 August 2025
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 9 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made on its review of Land and Buildings Transaction Tax, as committed to during consideration of the 2025-26 Scottish Budget, and when the findings of the review will be published.

Work related to the Land and Buildings Transaction Tax review is ongoing.

Alma Economics has been appointed to undertake independent research on various aspects of the legislation and will engage with a range of relevant organisations to support this. The Scottish Government has also established a working group involving legal, property sector and other organisations to allow for detailed consideration of other specific issues.

As set out in Scottish Budget 2025-26, the review will support decisions in the next Scottish Parliament on whether any legislative changes should be brought forward.

Question reference: S6T-02649

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 08 September 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that Scottish local authorities spent over £100 million last year on bed and breakfast and hostel accommodation for homeless people.

Question reference: S6T-02658

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 08 September 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking in response to reports that the synthetic drug, spice, has been found in vapes that are being sold to school children.

Question reference: S6F-04291

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 08 September 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 September 2025

To ask the First Minister whether the Scottish Government will review its policy on public sector settlement agreements, in light of reports that £4 million of public money was spent on public sector pay-offs in 2023-24.

Question reference: S6F-04287

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 08 September 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 September 2025

To ask the First Minister what additional support the Scottish Government is giving to the Public Dental Service, in light of reports that there has been a 10% rise in spending over the last two years due to increased demand.

Question reference: S6F-04284

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 08 September 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 September 2025

To ask the First Minister what urgent steps the Scottish Government is taking in response to reports that nursing and midwifery vacancies have risen by 60% in six months.

Question reference: S6F-04275

Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 08 September 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 September 2025

Question to be taken in Chamber.