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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

Filter your results Hide all filters

Displaying 44951 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S6W-41119

Asked by: Emma Harper, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 October 2025
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Jim Fairlie on 9 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether the muirburn licensing provisions in the Wildlife Management and Muirburn (Scotland) Act 2024 will be implemented on 1 January 2026, in light of the lessons learned following the wildfires in Dava and Carrbridge in summer 2025.

Following discussions with a number of stakeholders and experts over recent weeks, I have decided to delay implementation of the muirburn provisions until the start of the next muirburn season in Autumn 2026.

This decision will provide us with the time and opportunity to carefully consider the upcoming changes to muirburn and how these changes can be brought forward in a way which does not adversely affect our ability to prevent and respond to wildfires. Wildfires as I saw this summer, are very damaging to our precious peatland carbon stores and further discussions on this issue will take place with key stakeholders and at the Wildfire Summit on 14 October 2025.

Question reference: S6W-41121

Asked by: Bill Kidd, MSP for Glasgow Anniesland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 October 2025
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Natalie Don-Innes on 9 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government when it will complete the refresh of Common Core of Skills, Knowledge & Understanding and Values for the "Children's Workforce" in Scotland.

I can announce that the refresh of this common core resource for everyone in Scotland working with Scotland’s children and young people has been completed and the updated resource is now available online Supporting Scotland's Children: Core Knowledge and Values

The relaunched resource is now called Supporting Scotland’s Children – Core Knowledge and Values and replaces the previous common core. It provides a clear framework and sets out the essential knowledge and values that everyone working with babies, children, young people and families should share, including children’s rights, wellbeing, safeguarding and partnership working. It reflects current policy priorities including GIRFEC, The Promise, and UNCRC incorporation, and is intended as a practical tool for induction, training, and ongoing learning across all sectors.

A refresh of the Common Core was highlighted as key to Keeping the Promise by 2030 and is set out as a priority in The Promise Scotland’s Change Programme.

Question reference: S6W-41120

Asked by: Keith Brown, MSP for Clackmannanshire and Dunblane, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 October 2025
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Neil Gray on 9 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its consideration of the escalation status for NHS Forth Valley, under the NHS Scotland Support and Intervention Framework.

NHS Forth Valley had been experiencing difficulties with performance, including concerns raised by Healthcare Improvement Scotland following unannounced inspections in 2022. This led to the Board being escalated to Stage 4 of the NHS Scotland Support & Intervention Framework in November 2022 for governance, leadership and culture, bringing direct formal oversight and coordinated engagement from Scottish Government in the form of an Assurance Board.

The NHS Forth Valley Assurance Board, which last met on 5 September 2024, was then satisfied that NHS Forth Valley has made considerable progress in delivering their Assurance and Improvement Plan and that the organisation was sufficiently evidencing tangible improvements across the three areas for which they were escalated: governance, leadership and culture, and the decision was taken to de-escalate the Board to Stage 3 of the Framework from 1 October 2024. Moving to Stage 3 meant that NHS Forth Valley no longer required direct formal oversight and the Assurance Board was stood down.

The Board continued to be reviewed by the Scottish Government’s National Planning and Performance Oversight Group (NPPOG) and following careful consideration, the decision has been taken that NHS Forth Valley’s escalation status for governance, leadership and culture, should be lowered to Stage 2 from 9 October 2025. This decision also reflects the continued dedication, effort, and commitment of NHS Forth Valley staff which is bringing results and progress in reducing the longest waits.

Scottish Government will continue to engage with NHS Forth Valley and monitor progress with a view to reporting back to NPPOG in March 2026.

Question reference: S6W-41105

Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 October 2025
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Neil Gray on 9 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government when it will provide an update on the NHS Grampian escalation to Stage 4 for Finance, Leadership and Governance.

The Scottish Government has established an Assurance Board, which has now met six times. The purpose of the Assurance Board is to provide oversight, scrutiny, and support to NHS Grampian as it develops and implements its improvement plans. The Assurance Board has engaged directly with NHS Grampian’s leadership team, including the Chair and Non-Executive members of the NHS Grampian Board. To ensure transparency the minutes of meetings and supporting documentation of the Assurance Board are published on the Scottish Government website.

The new Chief Executive and Accountable Officer for NHS Grampian, Laura Skaife-Knight is now in post, and her appointment will help to provide stability to the board.

As part of the £85 million investment to support improvement in hospital flow and A&E waiting times, NHS Grampian will receive £5.97 million in additional funding to support improvements in A&E performance, focusing on initiatives that will shift the balance of care and reduce hospital occupancy including Hospital at Home, Frailty, and Discharge without Delay.

A diagnostic report provided by KPMG at the request of the Scottish Government has now been published. The report identifies key challenges within NHS Grampian, including issues around leadership stability, governance structures, and financial sustainability.

Both the Scottish Government and NHS Grampian welcome the report. The rapid diagnostic review has provided fresh perspectives on potential areas for improvement, which NHS Grampian will now consider as they develop their improvement plans. This will be supported and scrutinised by the Assurance Board to ensure swift and effective progress.

Prioritisation of the improvement actions which NHS Grampian include in their plans will be critical in focussing capacity on the areas which will make the most impact and drive real sustainable change.

I will commit to updating Parliament on the improvement plans and the work of the Assurance Board as they develop.

Question reference: S6W-41067

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 October 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 5 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has carried out regarding whether, at its commencement, its COVID-19 and flu vaccination programme for winter 2025-26 was fully resourced with regard to staffing and vaccine availability.

Question reference: S6W-41064

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 October 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 5 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of flu in the winter 2024-25 period on NHS staff absence rates, and how this compares with the (a) 2017-18, (b) 2018-19, (c) 2022-23 and (d) 2023-24 period.

Question reference: S6W-41070

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 October 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 5 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to encourage the uptake of flu vaccines by frontline health workers, in light of reports from Public Health Scotland that vaccination rates among these workers have fallen to 35%.

Question reference: S6W-41072

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 October 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 5 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government by what date all NHS boards will have received their full stock of the (a) COVID-19 and (b) flu vaccine for public immunisation programmes.

Question reference: S6W-41091

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 October 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 5 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how it is measuring the impact of opt-out testing in A&E departments on the prevalence of (a) blood borne viruses and (b) the hepatitis C virus, and the subsequent uptake of treatment.

Question reference: S6W-41103

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 October 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 5 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the Scottish Prison Service paying an annual membership fee of £3,090 to the Stonewall Diversity Champions scheme represents value for money for the taxpayer.