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-02889

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 September 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 18 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the findings of the Prison Officers’ Association in its report, Crisis Point Reached - The Pressures Facing Scotland’s Prison Officers Uncovered, which indicate that 91% of prison officers do not believe that they will be physically or mentally capable of working until the state pension age of 68.

Question reference: S7W-02935

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Edinburgh and Lothians East, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 September 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 18 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the additional clinical workforce required to provide a national 24/7 thrombectomy service, including interventional neuroradiologists, radiographers, anaesthetists and other relevant staff, and what steps it is taking to address any workforce gaps.

Question reference: S7W-02936

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Edinburgh and Lothians East, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 September 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 18 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made towards implementing artificial intelligence technology to support the identification and triage of patients who may be eligible for thrombectomy, and whether any outstanding approvals or financial sign-offs are currently delaying implementation.

Question reference: S7W-02885

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 September 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 18 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Criminal Justice Committee’s recommendations in its January 2026 report, Inquiry into the harm caused by substance misuse in Scottish Prisons, whether it will commit to publishing national figures on staff exposure incidents and subsequent health outcomes, which are currently recorded only for internal purposes.

Question reference: S7W-02915

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 September 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 18 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what action it has taken since May 2026 to deliver on its November 2025 commitment to create bespoke national statutory housing standards for seasonal agricultural workers.

Question reference: S7W-02939

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Edinburgh and Lothians East, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 September 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 18 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to commission data on the use of (a) alcohol, (b) cigarettes and (c) vapes by under 18s, in light of no such data having been published since 2018.

Question reference: S7W-02883

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 September 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 18 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what clinical guidelines are being developed to manage the risks associated with poly-substance use and the diversion of prescription drugs within prisons.

Question reference: S7W-02870

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 September 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 18 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers that the current crewing arrangement for specialist wildfire firefighting resources is suitable.

Question reference: S7W-02659

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 24 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 3 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made in securing a new operator for the Dundee Airport to London Heathrow route operating under the public service obligation.

Dundee City Council is the lead body for the Public Service Obligation (PSO) between Dundee and London. The Scottish Government understands that Dundee City Council are in the process of developing proposals for a new PSO air service to London. If Dundee City Council requests a funding contribution to a future PSO then the Scottish Government will fully consider that request. Should a new PSO be imposed, the airline to operate the service will be selected through an open tender procedure as required by legislation. It should be noted that the Scottish Government continues to provide subsidy to enable the ongoing operation of Dundee Airport.

Question reference: S7W-02591

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 3 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any financial impact on the voluntary sector of excluding charity shops and Community Amateur Sports Club community retail shops from the Water and Sewerage Charges Exemption Scheme, and whether it has any plans to review the scheme’s eligibility criteria.

The water and sewerage charges exemption scheme is funded by the general non-household customer base through an uplift in their water and sewerage charges. To ensure that the scheme does not result in unfair competition with the small businesses who are part of funding the scheme, charities operating a retail outlet, such as a café or charity shop, are not eligible.

The Principles which apply to charges, including the terms of the exemption scheme, have been set for the 2021-27 period and there is no ability to deviate from the criteria within this period. Following a public consultation in January 2026, the terms of the exemption scheme for 2027-33 will be confirmed when Ministers publish the Principles of Charging this Autumn.