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-38969

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 23 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the announcement of £40 million to support the University of Dundee, from which part of the Scottish Budget this will be allocated.

Question reference: S6W-39043

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 22 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many dental therapists work in (a) Scotland in total and (b) general dental practices that offer NHS services, as of 2025.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information centrally. However, we have been able to access the latest workforce survey, published by NHS Education for Scotland (NES) on 31 December 2024. There are approximately 267 WTE dental therapists currently employed in Scotland, with around 200 working in practices alongside independent contractor dentists. A further 55 are employed by the NHS in Public Dental Services (PDS), providing dental services for people who cannot access care from an independent dentist due to special needs, while the remaining 12 work in hospital services.

Question reference: S6W-38970

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Independent
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 22 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the ministerial statement on the 2024-25 provisional outturn on 24 June 2025, and the response by the Minister for Public Finance regarding whether he will report to the Parliament before making any awards under phase 2 of the Public Sector Heat Decarbonisation Fund, which closed for applications on 27 May 2025, whether it will publish details of all the applications received, including the address of the building, a brief description of the works to be undertaken, the value of the building, the amount of the grant sought and the amount of any grant being considered, and whether it will propose the scheduling of a ministerial statement on this matter prior to any decisions being taken on the awarding of grants.

This funding supports public bodies to lead by example and take early and sustained action to achieve the priorities of the forthcoming Heat in Buildings Bill and decarbonise the public sector estate to reach net zero by 2045. It is anticipated that funding awards will be issued in August 2025 and details of successful projects – including recipient organisation, building location(s), grant awarded, and project overview – will be published later in 2025.

The value of building(s) in scope will not be published. The rateable value of a building is not the only measure of value for money and there are other relevant factors to consider when assessing options for how best to achieve a decarbonised public sector estate. It is also imperative that public bodies have quality, efficient premises which reduce energy costs and that they reside in areas which meet the needs of the essential services they provide.

The Scottish Government does not publish details of unsuccessful projects; however, all applications undergo robust technical assessment, and funding is offered only to projects that clearly meet the objectives of the scheme and have the potential to progress to deployment, driving value for money from our investment.

Parliament will be informed of the outcome of Phase 2 of Scotland’s Public Sector Heat Decarbonisation Fund once the application assessment process has concluded.

Question reference: S6W-38932

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 22 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many jobs it estimates have been lost in Scotland due to its policy against the building of new nuclear power stations under current technologies.

The Scottish Government does not hold the information requested and has not had any recent discussions with the UK Government regarding Scotland's participation in the nuclear energy programme.

The Scottish Government has been clear that it does not support the building of new nuclear power stations under current technologies due to the legacy of radioactive waste that is created and the cost of nuclear development. Regarding cost, the Seventh Carbon Budget, published in March 2025, shows that the unit cost of onshore wind capacity in 2025 is £1410/KW compared to £12920/KW for nuclear.

The Scottish Government is instead focussed on supporting the deployment of renewables, which are both cheaper and faster to deploy than nuclear. This focus is delivering benefits to Scotland’s people and economy, with the Fraser of Allander Institute Report, published in May 2025, finding that Scotland hosts a thriving renewable energy sector, which supported approximately £15.5 billion of output, £6.6 billion of Gross Value Added (GVA), and more than 47,000 jobs in 2022.

Question reference: S6W-38966

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 22 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its position regarding introducing at-home human papillomavirus self-sampling as part of the NHS cervical screening programme, in light of reports that such at-home screening tests are to be offered in England.

The Scottish Government welcomes the recommendation made by the UK National Screening Committee in June 2025 that evidence supports offering HPV self-sampling to individuals who have not attended their cervical screening appointment within six months of their most recent invitation. Self-sampling has the potential to significantly enhance accessibility and increase participation in life-saving cervical screening.

The cervical screening programme in Scotland is working towards offering the first self-sampling kits by spring 2026. The initial roll out will focus on reducing inequalities through offering self-sampling to some of the most deprived areas first, as we know cervical screening uptake is lower in these areas.

Question reference: S6W-39103

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 July 2025
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 22 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-29546 by Shona Robison on 17 September 2024, and regarding any implications for the Scottish Budget, what its position is on whether it considers "Westminster austerity" to be ongoing or to have ended, and what justification it has for such a conclusion.

Westminster austerity does continue to impact on public services. For example, the increase to employers’ national insurance without fully funding the impact of this on public service delivery has the impact of reducing the actual funding for delivery of programmes and was taken forward by the UK Government irrespective of the impact of that reduction on the outcomes of those programmes and activity.

Question reference: S6W-38935

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 22 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has carried out an economic impact assessment of its policy against the building of new nuclear power stations under current technologies.

Question reference: S6W-38956

Asked by: Edward Mountain, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 22 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to publish the revised Heat in Buildings legislation.

Question reference: S6W-38933

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 22 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding Scotland’s participation in the nuclear energy programme, which was announced in the UK Spending Review 2025.

Question reference: S6W-38957

Asked by: Edward Mountain, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 22 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to consult on the proposed measures in the revised Heat in Buildings legislation before its publication.

We consulted on proposals for a Heat in Buildings Bill between November 2023 and March 2024, in response to which we received a wide a range of views. We recently outlined our intention to introduce a revised Heat in Buildings Bill during this Parliamentary session, which builds upon many of the issues raised in response to the consultation – including ensuring that it does not negatively affect those in or at risk of fuel poverty. There may be some elements on which we decide to seek further views; however, we will do this directly with key stakeholders to ensure that we meet legislative timeframes.