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-44210

Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 March 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 23 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment has been made of the impact of paediatric long COVID on paediatric health and social care services.

No central assessment has been made of the impact of paediatric long COVID on paediatric health and social care services. Responsibility for service delivery rests locally with NHS boards which configure services taking into account local circumstances and the reasonable needs of their patient populations.

We are providing £4.5 million funding to NHS boards on a recurring basis to support the delivery of specialist support for long COVID, Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME)/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) and other similar conditions. In allocating this resource, NHS boards have been asked to consider what would be needed to extend provision for these conditions to paediatric services if there is an identified need for this in their board. Boards have also been asked to consider how they may collaborate to provide a more efficient and effective service, whether this may be for the most complex cases and/or for specific populations e.g. paediatrics.

Question reference: S6W-44211

Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 March 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 23 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what ongoing work is being undertaken regarding data collection on paediatric long COVID.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) describes long COVID as “a multi-system condition with a range of debilitating symptoms… people may have wide-ranging and fluctuating symptoms following an acute COVID-19 infection, which may vary in nature over time”. The ongoing impact of long COVID can be debilitating for some with impacts on daily activities and quality of life reported to include fatigue, breathlessness, anxiety, depression and cognitive impairment.

National population health surveys are currently the most appropriate source of data on the proportion of a population experiencing the long-term effects of COVID-19. The annual Scottish Health Survey (SHeS) is the most robust source of data on self-reported long COVID prevalence in Scotland, including among children. Long COVID is defined for this survey as symptoms that develop during or after a COVID-19 infection that continue more than four weeks after the infection and are not explained by something else. The most recent data for 2024 was published in October 2025. The data for children (aged under 16) are available via the survey dashboard. The question asked respondents who had had COVID-19 whether they currently had long COVID. 1% of children aged under 16 were reported to have long COVID. This is the lowest self-reported prevalence rate among all age groups shown in this survey. The overall adult self-reported prevalence rate was 7%.

The Scottish Government does not have access to data about long COVID held in NHS electronic systems. It is in any case difficult to identify people who have long COVID from within NHS records: not everyone with long COVID will attend their GP, and not all cases or symptoms will be recorded as long COVID. Research undertaken in Scotland, England and Wales has consequently shown that long COVID among adults is under-recorded in GP electronic systems compared with findings from surveys such as SHeS which ask about self-reported prevalence. It is reasonable to assume that long COVID among children is also likely to be under-recorded and is therefore difficult to assess accurately from health records.

Question reference: S6W-44212

Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 March 2026
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 18 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment has been made of the adequacy of Child Disability Payment for those affected by the long-term impact of paediatric long COVID.

Child Disability Payment (CDP) provides financial support to help families with the additional costs of being disabled or living with a long-term health condition. Entitlement is not dependent on a specific diagnosis and a child or young person with long COVID could be eligible if it significantly impacts their care or mobility needs. Being disabled impacts people in different ways and awards relate to the levels of needs that reflect individual circumstances.

Question reference: S6W-44132

Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 March 2026
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 12 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC and Raith Rovers FC making it to the KDM Evolution Trophy final, and confirmation that this will be played at the Wyre Stadium in Firhill, what its position is on the responsibility of national sporting bodies to ensure that such games are accessible to fans across the country.

The scheduling of fixtures in the KDM Evolution Trophy is the responsibility of the SPFL.

I understand the frustration of supporters in relation to return travel from the fixture. The Scottish Government supports any measures put in place by the clubs that make the game as accessible as possible to all fans.

In discussion with the SPFL around this issue, they confirmed that Firhill stadium was the only feasible venue for the match, given both the impact of recent bad weather on alternative venues, and the existing SPFL fixtures taking place on Easter Sunday. The timing of the match allows it to be shown live on BBC Alba, which provides free national coverage and makes the game as accessible as possible for those fans unable to travel.

Question reference: S6W-44067

Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 March 2026
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Jim Fairlie on 5 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish its strategic action plan on wildfires.

The Scottish Government’s strategic action plan on wildfires will be published on 5 March 2026. It can be accessed via the Scottish Government’s website: https://www.gov.scot/isbn/9781806438983

Following extensive consultation with a wide range of stakeholders, the action plan draws on lessons learned from the 2025 wildfire season and takes account of practice within the UK and internationally. The purpose of the action plan is to set out the practical and ongoing improvements that the Scottish Government and partner organisations intend to make to our preventative practices, our national preparedness and the management of our response to wildfires in Scotland.

Question reference: S6O-05612

Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 March 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting Scotland’s National Performing Companies.

Question reference: S6O-05594

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S6W-43714

Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 13 February 2026
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 20 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the recent request by NHS National Services Scotland to cease NHS funding of non-therapeutic male circumcision.

There has been no request made by NHS NSS to cease NHS funding of non-therapeutic male circumcision. The reference contained in a recent FOI release to NHS NSS requesting the cessation of NHS funding of NTMC was a factual error within internal Scottish Government correspondence due to two organisations using similar acronyms. The National Secular Society (also referred to as NSS) was the organisation which made this request.

NHS guidelines on how non-therapeutic male circumcision should be performed have been in place since 2008 in Scotland to ensure procedures are carried out safely. Non-therapeutic male circumcision is carried out in one of the four Paediatric Centres by trained paediatric surgeons, under general anaesthesia, as part of a regulated NHS system.

Question reference: S6O-05540

Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 February 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 19 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the Education (Scotland) Act 2025, how the new body, Qualifications Scotland, will ensure that the Learner Interest Committee is representative of all of Scotland, including rural and island areas and neurodivergent learners.

Question reference: S6O-05431

Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 January 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the construction and operational timeline for the new HMP Highland.