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: S6O-05303

Asked by: Paul McLennan, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 December 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 17 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the Royal College of Psychiatrists in Scotland on its proposal, The future of provision for neurodevelopmental conditions.

Question reference: S6O-05318

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 December 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the housing secretary has had with ministerial colleagues regarding arrangements for accessing pension funds as a source of investment to build affordable and social housing.

Question reference: S6O-05292

Asked by: Michelle Thomson, MSP for Falkirk East, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 December 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 17 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the Scottish Land & Estates report, Repopulating Rural Scotland, including how the recommendations align with its current strategies to address rural depopulation.

Question reference: S6W-42503

Asked by: Rona Mackay, MSP for Strathkelvin and Bearsden, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 December 2025
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answer expected on 7 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on when it plans to publish its response to the UK Covid-19 Inquiry’s Module 2 report, which was published on 20 November 2025.

Question reference: S6W-42502

Asked by: Clare Haughey, MSP for Rutherglen, Scottish National Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 December 2025
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answer expected on 7 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish its findings on the Future Medical Workforce project.

Question reference: S6W-42237

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 01 December 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 10 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the conclusion of the Marine Directorate’s contract with Airtask Group for marine compliance aerial surveillance flights, what plans it has to enforce compliance on Scotland’s waters.

Aerial surveillance continues to be conducted by the Marine Directorate (MD) via two programmes. Firstly, through an MoU with the Joint Maritime Security Centre (JMSC) part of the UK Government. Under the MoU, MD can request patrolled fixed winged manned flights from Prestwick through the UK2SARG programme. This flexible approach allows MD to request up to 200 flying hours annually with the possibility of increasing hours should it be required.

Also, during the summer the larger two Marine Protection Vessels (MPVs) utilise a 3-year contract with an external provider to operate Remote Piloted Aerial Surveillance Systems (RPAS) or drones. These are launched and controlled from the MPVs for short to medium range flights.

Additionally, Remote Electronic Monitoring technology is being expanded to relevant Pelagic vessels from March 2026, it is already in place for all scallop dredge vessels. This system includes CCTV cameras to remotely monitor fishing activities.

Question reference: S6W-42313

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 December 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 10 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-40488 by Ivan McKee on 2 October 2025, and in light of the publication of the Sustainable Digital Public Services Delivery Plan 2025-2028, whether it will provide an update on the number of self-sufficient information and communications technology (ICT) structures with dedicated data centres and professional staff that exist within the Scottish public sector, including non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs), NHS boards and local government.

Question reference: S6W-42240

Asked by: Fulton MacGregor, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 01 December 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 10 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has any plans to introduce routine prostate cancer screening for (a) the whole population and (b) people in higher risk groups.

The Scottish Government, along with all other UK nations, takes advice from the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC). The UK NSC does not currently recommend prostate screening for the whole population. The UK NSC will consider whether to extend their recommendation for prostate screening should evidence support this, including from existing trials like TRANSFORM. The Scottish Government will consider any future recommendations made by the UK NSC in this regard.

Evidence shows that prostate cancer is both more common and aggressive in men with BRCA variants compared to the general population. Following a recent review of evidence, the UK NSC has launched a public consultation which focuses on the UK NSC’s draft recommendation to offer a targeted national prostate cancer screening programme to men with confirmed BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene variants every 2 years, from age 45 to age 61. The consultation will close on 20 February 2026, following which, the UK NSC will consider the results and agree a final updated recommendation.

In anticipation of a potential recommendation for targeted prostate cancer screening, a clinician-led short-life working group, chaired by the Chief Medical Officer for Scotland, will assess Scotland’s readiness to respond to any future advice from the UK NSC on prostate screening.

Question reference: S6W-42238

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 01 December 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 10 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the conclusion of the Marine Directorate’s contract with Airtask Group for marine compliance aerial surveillance flights, what assessment it has made of the impact of the contract ending on fish surveys.

Under an MoU with JMSC (Joint Maritime Security Centre), the amount of dedicated fishery protection manned fixed wing flying hours remains at 200 hours per annum. There is therefore no impact on dedicated fishery surveillance. Additionally, the use of Remote Piloted Aircraft Surveillance from the Scottish Government’s Marine Protection Vessels supplements fishery surveillance as does the expansion of Remote Electronic Monitoring (REM) on Scallop dredge and pelagic vessels.

Question reference: S6W-42263

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 December 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 10 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason its Planning and Environmental Appeals Division approved planning permission for the proposed battery energy storage site near Taynuilt, in light of it reportedly receiving 135 objections.

A Reporter from the Planning and Environment appeals division allowed the appeal and granted planning permission, subject to conditions, for the proposed battery energy storage facility near Taynuilt because the development was found to comply with the relevant provisions of the local development plan and NPF4.

While the Reporter acknowledged that 135 objections had been submitted, the concerns raised, such as landscape and visual impact, residential amenity, and fire risk, were fully considered. Overall, the adverse effects were judged to be limited and outweighed by the significant contribution the development would make to renewable energy storage and climate targets.

The full decision notice can be read at Scottish Government - DPEA - Document.