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: S7F-00053

Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 September 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 1 October 2026

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S7W-02963

Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 04 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 18 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government which companies have been considered ineligible for grant funding since the First Minister's statement to Parliament on 3 September 2025, in which he stated that the Scottish Government would “pause new awards of public money to arms companies whose products or services are provided to countries where there is plausible evidence of genocide being committed by that country”.

Scottish Enterprise has previously advised that 13 organisations had been identified as ineligible for support under the policy.

Records relating to applications for support are held by the relevant delivery body. Where those records are held by a public body, decisions regarding the publication or disclosure of information are operational matters for that organisation.

However, I have requested that officials ask delivery bodies to provide the Scottish Government with the same information released by Scottish Enterprise, and I will come back to Ross Greer MSP in due course.

Question reference: S7W-02574

Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 17 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has any plans to review maternity pay arrangements for teachers, specifically the point at which occupational maternity pay is reduced to statutory maternity pay.

Teachers’ terms and conditions of service, including maternity pay, are matters determined through the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers (SNCT), which comprises teaching unions, local government employers and the Scottish Government.

Maternity pay arrangements, alongside a broader range of family-friendly policies, are currently being reviewed through ongoing discussions within the SNCT.

This review is intended to ensure that these policies continue to meet the needs of a modern workforce, while taking account of equality considerations, service delivery requirements and affordability.

Any changes to maternity pay arrangements would require agreement between all SNCT parties.

Question reference: S7F-00043

Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 September 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 17 September 2026

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S7W-02570

Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 15 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the upcoming mandatory fortification of certain wheat products with folic acid, what plans it has to protect members of vulnerable groups for whom exposure to folic acid may have negative health effects, such as those on certain cancer treatments.

The decision to proceed with fortification of non-wholemeal wheat flour with folic acid is based on robust assessment of the available evidence. The Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN), which provides independent scientific advice to Ministers and risk assessments on nutrition and related health issues, recommended folic acid fortification following an extensive assessment of the evidence on folate and health. A wide range of impacts were considered, including in relation to cancer and cancer treatments. The reviews are available at:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/338892/SACN_Folate_and_Disease_Prevention_Report.pdf

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/637111/SACN_Update_on_folic_acid.pdf

The impact assessment for the policy is available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5d020f3640f0b609ad3158a3/folic-acid-impact-assessment.pdf

Non-wholemeal wheat flour is already the established vehicle for mandatory fortification, as it is currently fortified with calcium, iron, niacin, and thiamine. It was agreed UK-wide to limit folic acid fortification to flour that is already fortified, so that individuals are able to avoid fortified flour if they choose to or need to. These individuals will continue to be able to consume wholemeal flour and other non-wheat products, including gluten-free products and soy and spelt flours.

The mandated level of folic acid fortification for non-wholemeal wheat flour minimises the risk of people exceeding the recommended upper level of folic acid intake whilst helping to ensure that there is around a 20% decrease in the number of pregnancies affected by neural tube defects in the UK each year. The level of fortification is based on scientific modelling by Food Standards Scotland: https://www.foodstandards.gov.scot/sites/default/files/migration/downloads/STOCHASTIC_MODELLING_TO_ESTIMATE_THE_POTENTIAL_IMPACT_OF_FORTIFICATION_OF_FLOUR_WITH_FOLIC_ACID_IN_THE_UK_-_FINAL_REPORT_-_July_31_2017.pdf

The NHS provides guidance for individuals who may need to avoid folic acid, for example, due to specific medical conditions or interactions with medication. People in this situation are advised to seek advice from a healthcare professional.

The Scottish Government, together with the other UK nations, will monitor closely the impacts of fortification on health, including on the incidence of neural tube defects and on population health more widely.

Question reference: S7W-02569

Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 15 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the upcoming mandatory fortification of certain wheat products with folic acid, how it will monitor potential adverse effects for members of vulnerable groups for whom exposure to folic acid may have negative health effects, such as those on certain cancer treatments.

The Scottish Government, together with the other UK nations, is planning to evaluate the impact of the policy, including on the incidence of neural tube defects and on population health more widely. It is important that both the anticipated benefits and any potential adverse effects are considered as part of this evaluation.

The level of folic acid fortification will be kept under review as part of the evaluation of this policy. Work is underway to identify and establish appropriate baseline and post-implementation measures so that the impact of fortification can be robustly assessed, including any emerging evidence relating to groups who may be at increased risk of adverse effects.

Question reference: S7W-02571

Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 15 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the upcoming mandatory fortification of certain wheat products with folic acid, what steps it will take to ensure clear product labelling and the provision of affordable, accessible, unfortified alternatives.

To ensure people can easily identify products that are suitable for them, added vitamins and minerals, including folic acid, must be labelled in the flour’s ingredients list in accordance with food information and labelling requirements. This must also be declared when fortified flour is used as an ingredient in other food products, enabling consumers to make informed choices about the food they purchase. A 24-month transition period has been provided ahead of the regulations coming into force to give businesses sufficient time to amend their product specifications and labelling.

To maintain consumer choice and access to unfortified options, only non-wholemeal wheat flour will be required to be fortified with folic acid. This means individuals can avoid flour fortified with folic acid if they need to or choose to. These individuals will continue to be able to access products made from unfortified flour, which includes wholemeal flour, and other non-wheat products, including gluten-free products and other flour types such as soya and spelt.

A range of work is underway to ensure that people have access to healthy, affordable food. We have launched a consultation to gather views and evidence on whether capping the price of essential food items could help to improve affordability. We are also supporting local convenience stores to provide healthy, affordable options through the Scottish Grocers Federation Healthy Living Programme.

Question reference: S7W-02827

Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 10 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of Scottish Procurement Policy Note 3/2026, which companies have been excluded from a public procurement exercise on the basis of their involvement in the procurement of assets from illegal settlements.

Scottish Procurement Policy Note 3/2026 sets out the options available to public sector buyers in relation to bidders which may be engaged in grave professional misconduct, including human rights violations. Companies cannot be pre-emptively excluded from procurement exercises, this can only occur when a company has requested to participate or has submitted a tender.

Procurement legislation is intended to ensure not only that contracting authorities are able to exclude unsuitable bidders, but that such companies are discouraged from bidding in the first place.

The Scottish Government has not excluded any companies on the basis of their involvement in the exploitation of assets from illegal settlements.

We do not hold information on whether other contracting authorities have excluded bidders on this basis. It is for each autonomous contracting authority to ensure that it complies with its own procurement policies and associated legal obligations. Decisions about whether to exclude a bidder from any given procurement process must be made on a case-by-case basis, and it is for the contracting authority concerned to carry out this process.

Question reference: S7W-02826

Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 10 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of Scottish Procurement Policy Note 3/2026, how many times legal advice has been sought to determine the legality of excluding a bidder from a procurement process on the basis that the goods or produce supplied by that bidder were produced in illegal settlements.

Question reference: S7W-02828

Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 10 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of Scottish Procurement Policy Note 3/2026, how many contracts have been awarded via public procurement to companies listed in the UN database of companies engaged in listed activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, as published by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), since October 2024.

Public Contracts Scotland (PCS) is Scotland’s national procurement portal for public sector contracting opportunities. All regulated contracts must be advertised on PCS and award notices must be recorded on the site. It also holds data on contracts voluntarily recorded by contracting authorities across Scotland.

A search of PCS data indicates that, since October 2024, no public procurement contracts recorded on PCS have been awarded to a company listed in the UN database of companies engaged in listed activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, as published by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). The search was based on matching the company names recorded on PCS with those appearing exactly as listed in the UN database.