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-43252

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 January 2026
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 5 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the furlough scheme that was announced to support the retention of jobs at the company, whether Alexander Dennis has provided the required evidence of sufficient contracted orders to sustain long-term manufacturing operations in Scotland, and, if so, on what date any such evidence was (a) received and (b) assessed.

Question reference: S6W-43327

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 January 2026
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 5 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-43104 by Fiona Hyslop on 26 January 2026, for what reason it does not hold the information requested and, in light of ScotRail being owned by it through Scottish Rail Holdings Limited (SRH), whether it will ask SRH to provide this detail.

While publicly owned, ScotRail is a distinct legal entity, separate from Scottish Ministers, which is both empowered and required to take operational decisions in the execution of its duties. This includes issuing relevant guidance to its passengers. If all public bodies and publicly-owned companies issued copies of all operational guidance to Scottish Ministers, and were Scottish Ministers to note and file all such guidance, the administrative burden of that duplication would be significant.

ScotRail, as a train operating company owned by a non-departmental public body (Scottish Rail Holdings (SRH)), is subject to Freedom of Information (Scotland) regulations and can provide information under these regulations.

As SRH is not an Executive Agency of the Scottish Government, it is not appropriate for its Chief Executive Officer to respond to Parliamentary Questions. The member may wish to write to SRH directly.

Question reference: S6W-43430

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 29 January 2026
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 5 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will introduce (a) standards and (b) regular public reporting on hospital discharges and the use of non-clinical spaces to deliver care, in light of national standards being set for emergency department waits and ambulance holdovers but no equivalent standards relating to discharges or corridor care.

a)Standards on hospital discharges and the use of non-clinical spaces

We do not collect national data on the use of non-clinical spaces. Our focus is on addressing the underlying causes of this practice, such as high hospital occupancy and poor patient flow.
We are driving improvements and working closely with local systems to ensure plans are in place to improve system flow. Through the NHS Scotland Operational Improvement Plan, we are investing £220 million to reduce waiting times, improve hospital flow, and minimise delayed discharges.

b)Regular public reporting

Regular public reporting on hospital discharges is already undertaken and published by Public Health Scotland (PHS) and can be found on their website.

Question reference: S6W-43459

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 29 January 2026
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 5 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-43144 by Ivan McKee on 27 January 2026, whether it will confirm whether Corporate Travel Management North Ltd holds any data on frequent flyer or other travel loyalty scheme accounts used in connection with ministerial air travel booked through Scottish Government travel management arrangements.

Question reference: S6W-43422

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 29 January 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 5 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what financial support there will be for regional transport partnerships to support the development and delivery of franchising of local bus services.

The Scottish Government has allocated £4 million funding to support Local Transport Authorities to build business cases for local bus improvement through franchising, announced as part of the draft Scottish Budget for 2026-27.

Work on the design of the fund is at an early stage, but we will develop appropriate governance arrangements and work on the detail of administering the £4 million, which will be considered with various stakeholders, including CoSLA and regional transport partnerships.

Question reference: S6W-43251

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 January 2026
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 5 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with Alexander Dennis since September 2025 to establish the reasons for the company reportedly not having applied for any funding through the furlough scheme that was created to support it, and whether any conditions of the scheme have prevented or delayed access to the funding.

Question reference: S6W-43413

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 January 2026
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 5 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the report by The Brain Tumour Charity, The Cost of a Brain Tumour: The Economic Case for Urgent Action, including the recommendations made.

Question reference: S6W-43253

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 January 2026
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 5 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the ongoing employment position of shop-floor manufacturing workers at Alexander Dennis's site in (a) Larbert and (b) Falkirk, in light of reports that the company has not applied for any funding through the furlough scheme that was created to support the retention of jobs at the company.

Question reference: S6W-43436

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 29 January 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 5 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to launch a public consultation on any legislation required to enable the operation of roll-on, roll-off (a) passenger and (b) freight ferry services between Rosyth and Dunkirk.

Question reference: S6W-43250

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 January 2026
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 5 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding has been formally (a) applied for, (b) approved and (c) distributed to date through the furlough scheme for Alexander Dennis, in each month since the scheme was announced.