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-42246

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 01 December 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 9 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that maternity wards have safe staffing levels.

We expect Health Boards to plan for their workforce in conjunction with their responsibilities under the Health and Care (Staffing) (Scotland) Act 2019. The Act places duties on Health Boards to ensure that at all times suitably qualified and competent individuals are working in such numbers as are appropriate for the health, wellbeing and safety of patients, the provision of high-quality care and the wellbeing of staff.

On the 29 October I announced the establishment of the Scottish Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce. The Taskforce will complement the existing audit and inspection system in place in Scotland, and provide support and expertise on implementation of policy, service standards, and improvement activity across NHS Boards. It will be chaired by the Minister for Public Health and Women’s Health.

The Scottish Government is also taking action as part of the Nursing and Midwifery Taskforce (NMT) to drive lasting change to improve retention and attraction into these professions. The NMT recommended actions are designed to have a meaningful and lasting impact on workforce wellbeing. They aim to address key issues such as workload, professional development, and workplace culture to create a more supportive and sustainable environment for Nurses and Midwives to work.

Question reference: S6W-42222

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 9 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the Audit Scotland report, Cyber-attack affecting operations and services: The 2023/24 audit of Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, which was published on 27 November 2025, what recent discussions it has had with local authorities regarding their resilience to deal with cybersecurity threats, including what preparations they have in place should an attack occur, and whether such discussions are ongoing.

The public sector provides a range of digital public services and it is critical that these are secure and resilient.

Local Authorities are independent corporate bodies, entirely separate from the Scottish Government, and it is up to each council how it plans for, manages, and mitigates its risks. However the Scottish Government routinely engages with and encourages public sector organisations to adopt a proactive, risk-based governance approach, with board-level accountability to build and improve their cyber resilience.

The Scottish Government has set out a framework including guidance on how to:

Assess their cyber resilience maturity,
Align with minimum security standards,
Benchmark performance, and
Prioritise investment based on risk.

It is supported by practical tools such as self-assessment templates and critical systems mapping resources.

The Scottish Government has in place the Notifiable Scottish Public Sector Cyber Incidents Procedure. This is a voluntary process which encourages Scottish Public Sector bodies to report cyber incidents to the Scottish Cyber Coordination Centre the SC3). The process also encourages reporting of cyber incidents to the UK Government National Cyber Security Centre and Police Scotland where appropriate.

The SC3 also provides ongoing support to local authorities in the form of:

24/7 national incident response coordination
Daily threat intelligence and early warning notifications
Cyber exercising and preparedness programmes, and
Guidance on standards and best practice.

This national support is helping to equip our public bodies with the tools, intelligence and skills needed to build and maintain strong cyber resilience.

During December the Director of Resilience in the National Cyber Security Centre will be briefing all CEOs on the importance of cyber resilience. The Scottish Government will also be meeting with all Chief Information Security Officers to reinforce the importance of extra vigilance during the festive period.

Question reference: S6W-42223

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 9 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the Audit Scotland report, Cyber-attack affecting operations and services: The 2023/24 audit of Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, which was published on 27 November 2025, what support it provides to local authorities to protect themselves against potential cybersecurity attacks.

The public sector provides a range of digital public services and it is critical that these are secure and resilient.

Local Authorities are independent corporate bodies, entirely separate from the Scottish Government, and it is up to each council how it plans for, manages, and mitigates its risks. However, the Scottish Government does actively support and help build the cyber resilience of our local authorities, through the provision of guidance, resources, networking and skills development.

The Scottish Government encourages public sector organisations, including local authorities to adopt a proactive, risk-based governance approach, with board-level accountability to build and improve their cyber resilience. We have set out a framework that includes guidance on how to:

Assess their cyber resilience maturity,
Align with minimum security standards,
Benchmark performance, and
Prioritise investment based on risk.

The Scottish Government has in place a Notifiable Scottish Public Sector Cyber Incidents Procedure. This is a voluntary process which encourages Scottish Public Sector bodies to report cyber incidents to the Scottish Cyber Coordination Centre (SC3). The process also encourages reporting of cyber incidents to the UK Government National Cyber Security Centre and Police Scotland where appropriate.

The SC3 provides ongoing support to local authorities in the form of:

24/7 national incident response coordination
Daily threat intelligence and early warning notifications
Cyber exercising and preparedness programmes, and
Guidance on standards and best practice.

This national support is helping to equip our public bodies with the tools, intelligence and skills needed to build and maintain strong cyber resilience.

Question reference: S6W-42221

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 9 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Audit Scotland report, Cyber-attack affecting operations and services: The 2023/24 audit of Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, which was published on 27 November 2025, in particular the comment that “all councils [should] prioritise preparation and testing of plans…recent high-profile cases have shown that nobody is immune, but everyone can be prepared so disruption is minimised. This is especially important for councils, whose staff provide services to many of the most vulnerable within our communities”.

The Scottish Government encourages public sector organisations (including local authorities) to adopt a proactive, risk-based governance approach, with board-level accountability to build and improve their cyber resilience. The Scottish Government provides a range of resources and advice to help build public sector cyber resilience. It should be noted that local authorities are independent corporate bodies, entirely separate from the Scottish Government, and each must plan for, mitigate, and manage their own cyber risks.

Question reference: S6W-42303

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 December 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 17 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding its definition of rewilding for public bodies, which was published in 2023, what work it has undertaken to develop, apply or review it.

Question reference: S6W-42304

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 December 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 17 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how its rewilding definition aligns with international rewilding principles, including those recently published by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Question reference: S6W-42302

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 December 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 17 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what meetings it has held at a ministerial level to consider the definition of rewilding for public bodies, on what dates any such meetings took place, and what the outcomes were.

Question reference: S6W-42245

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 01 December 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 15 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on introducing routine childhood type 1 diabetes screening.

Question reference: S6W-42140

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 November 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 10 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the Scottish Qualifications Authority about the 2026 exam timetable to ensure that candidates are not disadvantaged by exams occurring on the same day, such as candidates who are sitting Higher English and Higher Health and Food Tech Exams.

Question reference: S6W-41673

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 18 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the evidence given at the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee on 4 November 2025, how many times the sustainable aviation fuel expert working group has met, and on what dates.