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-01557

Asked by: George Adam, MSP for Paisley, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 06 July 2026
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 7 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what the total cost of employing special advisers was in 2025-26.

Special Advisers are appointed in accordance with Part 1 of the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010 by the First Minister as a Special Adviser for the purpose of providing assistance to the Scottish Ministers.

The total cost of Special Advisers employed during the financial year 2025-26 was £2,160,036.

Total cost includes all salary costs, employer NI, and employer pension contributions. The level of employer NI, and civil service pension contribution is reserved and is not a matter for the Scottish Government.

The cost of Special Advisers during 2025-26 was based on the following Pay Bands and Pay Ranges:

Pay Band	Pay Range (£)	Number of Special Advisers in Band
2	£67,565 – £81,868	10
3	£84,364 – £107,385	7
4	£114,242 – £121,093	1

Information on current Special Adviser appointments for 2026-27 is available on the Scottish Government website and costs for the year will be reported after the end of the current financial year.

The First Minister has appointed a more streamlined Special Adviser team after the election who are supporting ministers to deliver on the things that matter most to the people of Scotland. As of the date of this response, there are 13 Special Advisers within the Scottish Government.

Question reference: S7W-01252

Asked by: George Adam, MSP for Paisley, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 June 2026
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Neil Gray on 23 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the recent Court of Session judgment in the For Women Scotland v Scottish Ministers case regarding the Scottish Prison Service's Policy for the Management of Transgender People in Custody and associated Operational Guidance.

Following careful consideration of Lady Ross’s judgment the Scottish Government has decided not to appeal.

This case involved important considerations regarding Ministers’ legal obligations under the Scotland Act 1998, the Equality Act 2010 and the European Convention on Human Rights, as well as the serious practical implications arising from the issues before the Court, including the risk of suicide recognised in the judgment.

The focus now moves to implementing the law, as clarified by the court maintaining a clear focus on the safety, wellbeing and rights of all those living and working within Scotland’s prisons. The Scottish Prison Service withdrew their Transgender Policy on 22 June, and work is underway to implement transfers of prisoners on 23 June.

The safety, wellbeing and rights of all those living and working within Scotland’s prisons and the welfare of affected individuals will be the primary consideration and operational changes will be taken forward carefully, lawfully and in a managed way.

Question reference: S6O-05620

Asked by: George Adam, MSP for Paisley, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 March 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to reduce crime in Scotland.

Question reference: S6O-05590

Asked by: George Adam, MSP for Paisley, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 February 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 4 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the progress of the Changing Places Toilets Scotland Fund.

Question reference: S6O-05551

Asked by: George Adam, MSP for Paisley, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 February 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis has been undertaken of the Scottish economy’s performance since the UK withdrew from the EU.

Question reference: S6O-05497

Asked by: George Adam, MSP for Paisley, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 February 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update regarding NHS waiting times.

Question reference: S6O-05475

Asked by: George Adam, MSP for Paisley, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 January 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 5 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what interaction it has had with Strathclyde Partnership for Transport regarding the Strathclyde Regional Bus Strategy.

Question reference: S6W-43334

Asked by: George Adam, MSP for Paisley, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 January 2026
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Natalie Don-Innes on 28 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what additional steps it is taking to support planning and the development of relationships between social work education providers and employers.

The Scottish Government recognises and values the importance of social workers and social work education. I am pleased to announce that we are investing, through the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) in a Local Learning Partnership (LLP) approach.

Additional funding of up to £600,000, will support key sector partners to work collaboratively to help address some of the challenges around social work workforce recruitment and retention. We will be trialling this model across a small number of areas, with an initial focus on strengthening quality practice learning arrangements for student social workers.

This investment will support collective efforts to improve the design, structure and delivery of practice learning opportunities, underpinning improvements in professional knowledge and skills. Over time, the Partnerships will provide greater insight for educators on local employer needs and a space within which people with lived experience can meaningfully participate in the development and evaluation of qualifying programmes.

Question reference: S6O-05447

Asked by: George Adam, MSP for Paisley, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 January 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 29 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the establishment of the Centre for Teaching Excellence.

Question reference: S6W-42657

Asked by: George Adam, MSP for Paisley, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 December 2025
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Ben Macpherson on 18 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how it is working with Scotland’s universities to support their future success and sustainability as a sector.

The Scottish Government recognises the crucial role that universities play in our country and their innumerable contributions to Scotland’s economy. That is why we have now created the Framework for Sustainability and Success of Scotland’s Universities – a collaborative project between the Scottish Government, Universities Scotland and other relevant stakeholders to co-design and secure a successful and sustainable future for Scotland’s university sector.

This is an issue that goes beyond party political boundaries, which is why the work of MSPs from across the chamber in seeking to find common ground on these complex issues is desirable and important. The Scottish Government and Universities Scotland are engaging on a cross party basis on this work.

The framework will be driven by a Steering Group including representatives from the sector, from government, from staff and student bodies, and from the business community. This Group will oversee exploration of options for ensuring a sustainable and successful future for Scotland’s 19 higher education institutions to 2045, and will focus on designing a route to support the sector to drive change.