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-00859

Asked by: Maggie Chapman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 05 June 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 19 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of total rail enhancement expenditure by Transport Scotland has been allocated to projects located in (a) Aberdeen, (b) Aberdeenshire, (c) Angus, (d) Dundee City, (e) Edinburgh and (f) Glasgow each year since 2007.

Question reference: S7W-00861

Asked by: Maggie Chapman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 05 June 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 19 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how much Transport Scotland has spent on (a) rail feasibility studies, (b) options appraisals, (c) business cases and (d) other related development work in (i) Aberdeen, (ii) Aberdeenshire, (iii) Angus, (iv) Dundee, (v) Edinburgh and (vi) Glasgow in each year since 2007.

Question reference: S7W-00860

Asked by: Maggie Chapman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 05 June 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 19 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how much Transport Scotland has spent on (a) rail infrastructure enhancements, (b) new stations, (c) line reopenings, (d) electrification projects and (e) associated feasibility studies and business cases in each year since 2007, broken down by (i) project and (ii) local authority area.

Question reference: S7O-00013

Asked by: Maggie Chapman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 May 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 4 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take to address reported concerns that implementing recent Equalities and Human Rights Commission guidance on single sex spaces will put at increased risk both transgender people and cisgender people who present in gender non-conforming ways.

Question reference: S6W-44379

Asked by: Maggie Chapman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2026
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 23 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the ability of charities to fulfil their charitable duties in the face of any hostility towards their work.

We fully appreciate the concerns being raised by the third sector about the rise in confrontational behaviour towards charity staff and volunteers. Officials in volunteering and in safer communities policy are working together with Police Scotland, local authorities and the third sector to identify and provide guidance and support.

While we are committed to upholding the rights to peaceful public assembly and freedom of expression, instances of hate, violence, or intimidation towards others will not be tolerated. We fully support Police Scotland to take appropriate action in response to criminal behaviour against charities and other voluntary organisations.

Question reference: S6W-44378

Asked by: Maggie Chapman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2026
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 23 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has had any discussions with the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) regarding the publication of guidance equivalent to the Charity Commission for England and Wales’ publication, How charities can respond to the current hostile environment.

Question reference: S6W-44176

Asked by: Maggie Chapman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 March 2026
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 19 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether any payments made by the Republic of Ireland's Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme will be disregarded for the purpose of awarding means-tested entitlements, such as help with care charges and Scottish Welfare Fund payments, in line with current practice for similar payments, such as from the Scottish Infected Blood Support Scheme.

The Scottish Government welcomes the commitment made by the UK Government on 13 March 2026 to disregard payments under the Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme. Correspondingly, reflecting our position that compensation payments can be disregarded where appropriate in the consideration of means-tested entitlements, work can progress in Scotland to consider specific disregards in respect of the Scheme.

Question reference: S6O-05707

Asked by: Maggie Chapman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 March 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any excess deaths associated with long waiting times in A&E departments, including the action it is taking to reduce preventable mortality.

Question reference: S6W-44177

Asked by: Maggie Chapman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 March 2026
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 18 March 2026

To as the Scottish Government for what reason the rate of successful applications for Adult Disability Payment is reportedly at an all-time low, and now lower than the equivalent payment in England and Wales.

Since the launch of Adult Disability Payment (ADP) in March 2022,45% of new applications have been approved–slightly higher than the 44% of new applications awarded Personal Independence Payment (PIP) in England and Wales over the same period.

Social Security Scotland’s latest statistics show that application volumes have been consistently higher than they were for PIP in Scotland. In the year up to October 2025, there were around 9,600 applications per month for Adult Disability Payment, compared to around 6,000 monthly PIP applications in the year prior to the launch of Adult Disability Payment.

Although ADP and PIP share eligibility criteria, ADP was designed to be more person-centred, prioritising dignity, fairness and respect, and offering a wide range of support to complete an application. As the system has matured following national rollout, award rates have reduced and stabilised, mirroring what happened when PIP was introduced.

Social Security Scotland and the Scottish Government continue to monitor authorisation rates and provide management information to the Scottish Fiscal Commission to support its forecasting.

Question reference: S6W-44179

Asked by: Maggie Chapman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 March 2026
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 18 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government when the equality strategy for women and girls, which it committed to in its Programme for Government 2025-26 and is developing in partnership with the National Advisory Council for Women and Girls, will be published.