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-03895

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 October 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 29 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the Prison Officers' Association report, Crisis Point Reached - The Pressures Facing Scotland’s Prison Officers Uncovered, published in October 2025, and which of the 41 recommendations have been implemented.

Question reference: S7W-03894

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 October 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 29 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government on what dates ministers have visited HMP Barlinnie during (a) 2025 and (b) 2026, and which of these visits involved meetings with (i) trade unions, (ii) prison officers and/or staff, (iii) prisoners and (iv) prisoners' families.

Question reference: S7O-00340

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 September 2026
Current Status: Due to be taken in the Chamber on 6 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will commit to including the expansion of 1,140 hours of funded early learning and childcare to all twins and other multiple-birth children from age two in its forthcoming Early Learning and Childcare Strategic Framework.

Question reference: S7W-03484

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 21 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 30 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-44440 by Natalie Don-Innes on 24 March 2026, what assessment it has made of the impact of childcare costs on the ability of parents with twins and other multiple births to return to, remain in or increase their participation in the workforce, and whether it will publish the evidence informing that assessment.

The Scottish Government has not made an assessment of the impact of childcare costs on the ability of parents with twins and other multiple births to return to, remain in or increase their participation in the workforce.

As highlighted in answer to S7W-03482 on 29 September 2026, the recent Programme for Government set out our intention to publish and consult on a blueprint for a transformed childcare offer in 2027, focussing on what matters most to families. I encourage families with multiples to engage with the consultation when it is published to inform consideration of future policy.

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers.

Question reference: S7W-03483

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 21 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 29 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to its answers to question S6W-44443 by Natalie Don-Innes on 19 March 2026 and question S7W-03030 by Siobhian Brown on 18 September 2026, whether it has undertaken or commissioned an estimate of the annual cost of providing 1,140 hours of funded early learning and childcare from the age of two to children in families with multiple births and, if not, whether it will undertake such an assessment before finalising its forthcoming childcare blueprint.

Full assessment of future childcare delivery options and costs will be undertaken as part of the parliamentary and budgetary processes. While a definitive assessment of scope or costs of any new policy position is not available at this time, information relating to previous limited considerations of this matter was released as part of a Freedom of Information request in May 2026. It can be found in the following document (document 33):

FOI+202600511271+-+Information+Released+-+Attachment+3.pdf

Question reference: S7W-03485

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 21 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 29 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what estimate it has made of the number of families with twins or other multiple births who are currently unable to access funded early learning and childcare for their children from the age of two solely because multiple-birth status is not an eligibility criterion, and what estimate it has made of the number of additional children who would become eligible if such a criterion was introduced.

As set out in answer to S7W-03483 on 29 September 2026, a definitive assessment of scope or costs of any new policy position has not been undertaken. Some limited consideration was given previously and released as part of a Freedom of Information request in May 2026. It can be found in the following document (document 33): FOI+202600511271+-+Information+Released+-+Attachment+3.pdf.

This included an estimate of the number of additional children who would become eligible although this was for illustrative purposes only.

Question reference: S7W-03482

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 21 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 29 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether its forthcoming childcare blueprint will include a specific assessment of the case for extending 1,140 hours of funded early learning and childcare from the age of two to children in families with multiple births, including an assessment of the costs, benefits and potential impact on parental employment, and whether it will publish its conclusions on this issue as part of the consultation.

As set out in the Programme for Government in early September, we will publish and consult on a blueprint for a transformed childcare offer in 2027, focussing on what matters most to families. Given the scale of our ambition to transform childcare, it is only right we take the time to develop that blueprint and we will publish it for consultation next year. Decisions on future delivery and costs will be considered through the appropriate parliamentary and budgetary processes.

Question reference: S7W-03656

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 25 September 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 9 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, if all the Option 1 measures proposed in the Fisheries Management Measures within Scottish Inshore Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and Proposed Priority Marine Feature (PMF) Management Areas consultation were adopted for the 11 selected Priority Marine Features, what percentage of Scotland’s inshore waters which are outwith the Marine Protected Areas network will be subject to year-round spatial restrictions on (a) all commercial fishing, (b) scallop dredging, (c) nephrops trawling, (d) both scallop dredging and nephrops trawling and (e) creeling.

Question reference: S7W-03654

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 25 September 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 9 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, if all the Option 1 measures proposed in the Fisheries Management Measures within Scottish Inshore Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and Proposed Priority Marine Feature (PMF) Management Areas consultation were adopted for all MPAs, what percentage of Scotland’s inshore waters which are designated as being within the Marine Protected Areas network would be subject to year-round spatial restrictions on (a) all commercial fishing, (b) scallop dredging, (c) nephrops trawling, (d) both scallop dredging and nephrops trawling and (e) creeling.

Question reference: S7W-03693

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 25 September 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 9 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers that fire and rehire practices are consistent with Fair Work Principles.