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-02423

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Gethins on 27 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how many new "Scotland House" international offices it will open by the end of this parliament and what are the projected costs.

The Scottish Government is committed to strengthening Scotland’s international presence, in line with commitments set out in the manifesto, with the number of Scotland Houses expanded to over forty by the end of the Parliament.

An expanded Scotland House network will play an important role in attracting investment, supporting jobs and economic growth, and promoting Scottish Government priorities while helping Scottish businesses and key sectors access international opportunities.

Work is underway to develop options for delivery of these commitments, including consideration of future Scotland House locations. Decisions will be announced, and projected costs will be published, in due course.

Question reference: S7W-02459

Asked by: Michelle Campbell, MSP for Renfrewshire North and Cardonald, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Simita Kumar on 27 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how the Anti-Racism Observatory for Scotland will support and actively engage with communities across Scotland.

The Anti-Racism Observatory for Scotland (AROS) is independent of the Scottish Government. However, AROS has made clear that it is committed to working collaboratively with communities across Scotland through a trauma-informed, inclusive, participatory and non-extractive engagement approach. It will support communities by building confidence, skills and knowledge, enabling greater participation in anti-racism action and accountability.

This approach is grounded in co-production and seeks to strengthen existing community infrastructure and networks rather than create parallel structures:

AROS has established partnerships and Memoranda of Understanding with Regional Equality Councils (RECs), is developing regional hubs across Scotland, and has undertaken community engagement to build relationships with grassroots community organisations.
AROS is developing an engagement framework to ensure communities have meaningful opportunities to inform and shape its work through transparent communication and regular feedback mechanisms.
AROS will take an intersectional approach, working with organisations representing disabled people, LGBTQ+ communities, faith groups and others experiencing intersecting inequalities.
An Experts by Experience Panel, nominated through REC partners, will ensure lived experience informs AROS's priorities, research, scrutiny and reporting.

Question reference: S7W-02391

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Edinburgh and Lothians East, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 10 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 27 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how much NHS Scotland has spent on the recruitment and employment of internationally recruited staff in each year since 1999.

Prior to 2021, international recruitment was not widely utilised across NHS Scotland, and no direct funding was available to health boards to support these activities. Between 2021 and 2026, the Scottish Government invested more than £21.5 million to develop international recruitment capacity across NHS Scotland. This included funding for dedicated international recruitment leads and support for overseas recruitment costs, such as visa and sponsorship fees. This investment enabled the recruitment of more than 1,200 overseas professionals into roles across NHS Scotland.

Although no direct funding has been provided since 2024 to meet international recruitment costs, the infrastructure established through this investment remains in place. With the continued funding of an international recruitment lead in each health board, international recruitment can continue to be considered as a means of filling hard-to-recruit vacancies where appropriate.

Question reference: S7W-02381

Asked by: Duncan Dunlop, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 10 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 27 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether its pre-election commitment to expand funded childcare to children from 9 months old to the end of primary school, available 52 weeks a year, remains government policy.

As set out in the debate on Expanding Childcare on 27 May 2026, the Scottish Government has committed to expanding funded childcare to children from 9 months to the end of primary school, in this parliamentary term. As we shape our approach to expansion, we are committed to working in partnership with the childcare sector, parents, carers and children to ensure any future developments create a system that responds to the needs of families across Scotland and helps build a strong, sustainable and resilient childcare sector.

Question reference: S7W-02392

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Edinburgh and Lothians East, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 10 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 27 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has any plans to extend kinship care support payments to eligible young people up to the age of 21.

The Scottish Government has no current plans to extend kinship care allowances to age 21.

We recognise, however, the importance of supporting young people in kinship care as they move into adulthood. Existing legislation allows local authorities, where they consider it appropriate, to provide an allowance to certain eligible young people in kinship care after they reach 16 and until age 18.

A range of other support is available to eligible care-experienced young people as they move into adulthood, including Continuing Care and Aftercare, depending on their individual circumstances and care history.

Question reference: S7W-02299

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 27 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the commitment in the 2026 Scottish National Party manifesto to enact a statutory price cap on essential food items, what its response is to the comments reportedly made by the Scottish Retail Consortium and published in The Herald on 3 August 2026 that such a policy would not address the root cause of food price inflation and could lead to a wider range of products, and indeed sectors, being similarly targeted.

Question reference: S7W-02711

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Edinburgh and Lothians East, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 August 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 24 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has undertaken of the extent to which current Land and Buildings Transaction Tax rates and thresholds may discourage homeowners in Edinburgh from moving home, including downsizing, and what measures it is considering to improve housing mobility.

Question reference: S7W-02696

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 August 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 24 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether Historic Environment Scotland has conducted any research into the repurposing of vacant listed buildings for housing, in light of reports that similar research has been conducted by Historic England.

Question reference: S7W-02709

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 August 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 24 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the Buildings at Risk Register for Scotland is no longer publicly accessible as an online archive resource.

Question reference: S7W-02700

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 August 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 24 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to repurposing vacant listed buildings into housing.