- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 May 2026
-
Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 5 June 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to build the remaining National Treatment Centres.
Answer
The Scottish Government’s Infrastructure Delivery Pipeline sets out the infrastructure projects and programmes the Scottish Government will fund over the next four financial years.
The Scottish Government is working with all Health Boards to develop a whole system infrastructure plan to identify investment priorities across NHS Scotland. Projects that had previously begun the business case process but were then paused, such as the remaining National Treatment Centres, will be considered as part of this work.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Edinburgh and Lothians East, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 May 2026
-
Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 5 June 2026
To ask the Scottish Government when "Isla’s Principles", to ensure that children and young people presenting with potential cancer symptoms receive prompt diagnoses, will be fully implemented across NHS Scotland.
Answer
The Scottish Government has commissioned the Centre for Sustainable Delivery to develop Isla’s Principles, a campaign to promote clinical guidance and support for clinicians to follow best practice in decision-making and communication with patients and colleagues, tailored to reflect the experience of Isla Sneddon. CfSD has planned a publication date of Autumn 2026.
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 May 2026
-
Current Status:
Answered by Stephen Flynn on 5 June 2026
To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to support further electrification of the east coast rail line to Aberdeen by the end of the current parliamentary session.
Answer
The Scottish Government remains committed to continued electrification of passenger rail services in Scotland.
Electrification plans are being developed to align with Scotrail's fleet renewal requirements, in order to deliver electrification and decarbonisation in the most efficient manner. Our plans for the fleet renewal programme is set out in Transport Scotland Rail Recharged: Scotland’s Fleet Transition Strategy, published in November 2025.
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Monday, 01 June 2026
-
Current Status:
Answered by Stephen Gethins on 5 June 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding any impact that the reduction of firm power capacity following the closure of the Hunterston B power station in 2022 has had on constraint payments made to balance the grid.
Answer
The management of the grid and the administration of constraint payments are reserved matters and are the responsibility of the UK Government and the National Energy System Operator. The Scottish Government has no role in setting or administering such payments.
The Scottish Government regularly engages with the UK Government and system operators on investment in transmission infrastructure which is required to reduce constraint costs.
- Asked by: Joe Fagan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 May 2026
-
Current Status:
Answered by Stephen Flynn on 5 June 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to further enhance (a) East Kilbride, (b) Hairmyres and (c) Thorntonhall train stations.
Answer
The £144m East Kilbride Enhancement Project electrified 22.4km of railway line and saw the relocation of Hairmyres station. Brand new, fully accessible stations were built at both East Kilbride and Hairmyres, including a transport interchange at Hairmyres. This work was completed in December 2025.
There are no current plans for improvements to the station at Thorntonhall, the station has step free access to the platforms and offers a waiting area for passengers.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 May 2026
-
Current Status:
Answered by Kirsten Oswald on 5 June 2026
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the Scottish National Party 2026 manifesto commitment to increase police powers to confiscate and retain e-bikes and e-scooters being used antisocially or criminally, when it plans to implement these powers.
Answer
We are working at pace with Police Scotland to explore how to ensure we implement this manifesto commitment in the right way to effectively tackle the antisocial and criminal use of vehicles, including illegally modified e-bikes and e-scooters. The Scottish Government will keep Parliament updated regarding all progress made towards achieving this commitment.
- Asked by: David Green, MSP for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross, Scottish Liberal Democrats
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 May 2026
-
Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 5 June 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what (a) financial and (b) non-financial changes it plans to make to the Golden Hellos initiative, which aims to improve the recruitment of GPs, consultants and dentists to rural and island communities.
Answer
The Scottish Government commissioned the Scottish School of Primary Care to undertake an independent evaluation of the Golden Hello initiative for GPs. The evaluation was published in March 2026: https://www.sspc.ac.uk/media/Media_1254907_smxx.pdf.
The Golden Hello initiative does not currently apply to dentists or consultants. Any future expansion and improvement plans for Golden Hellos will be set out in due course.
- Asked by: David Green, MSP for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross, Scottish Liberal Democrats
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 May 2026
-
Current Status:
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 5 June 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the current shortage of affordable housing in rural and island areas, and how this will inform the design of its proposed Rural and Island Housing Fund.
Answer
Local authorities, as the statutory housing provider, are responsible for assessing housing need in their areas. Local Housing Strategies are supported by a Housing Need and Demand Assessment, which is undertaken every five years.
The Scottish Government is committed to delivering 110,000 affordable homes by 2032, with at least 10% in rural and island communities and supported by our Rural and Islands Housing Action Plan.
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 May 2026
-
Current Status:
Answered by Stephen Flynn on 5 June 2026
To ask the Scottish Government when Transport Scotland will take over responsibility for the operation and maintenance of the Clyde Tunnel from Glasgow City Council.
Answer
Transport Scotland has yet to commence discussions with Glasgow City Council regarding the Clyde Tunnel.
These discussions will help inform the development of a range of options on how the manifesto offer to “take on responsibility for the maintenance of the Clyde Tunnel, freeing around £1 million of cost to the local authority…”, could practicably be delivered. This work will also consider responsibilities for discharging statutory duties and likely cost of these options.
- Asked by: Joe Fagan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 May 2026
-
Current Status:
Answered by Stephen Flynn on 5 June 2026
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will set out what its role is in relation to the development of ScotRail timetables.
Answer
Timetable development is a complex and iterative process and primarily a matter managed by ScotRail working in collaboration with Network Rail and other passenger and freight operators. Network Rail considers key constraints such as headways (safe spacing between trains), junction margins, and platform availability (headways, junction margins, and platform availability can be particular constraints on the approaches to and inside in busy stations such as Glasgow Central). Transport Scotland ensures that Scottish Government policies and strategies inform service planning decisions.