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-02391

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Edinburgh and Lothians East, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 10 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 27 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how much NHS Scotland has spent on the recruitment and employment of internationally recruited staff in each year since 1999.

Prior to 2021, international recruitment was not widely utilised across NHS Scotland, and no direct funding was available to health boards to support these activities. Between 2021 and 2026, the Scottish Government invested more than £21.5 million to develop international recruitment capacity across NHS Scotland. This included funding for dedicated international recruitment leads and support for overseas recruitment costs, such as visa and sponsorship fees. This investment enabled the recruitment of more than 1,200 overseas professionals into roles across NHS Scotland.

Although no direct funding has been provided since 2024 to meet international recruitment costs, the infrastructure established through this investment remains in place. With the continued funding of an international recruitment lead in each health board, international recruitment can continue to be considered as a means of filling hard-to-recruit vacancies where appropriate.

Question reference: S7W-02381

Asked by: Duncan Dunlop, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 10 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 27 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether its pre-election commitment to expand funded childcare to children from 9 months old to the end of primary school, available 52 weeks a year, remains government policy.

As set out in the debate on Expanding Childcare on 27 May 2026, the Scottish Government has committed to expanding funded childcare to children from 9 months to the end of primary school, in this parliamentary term. As we shape our approach to expansion, we are committed to working in partnership with the childcare sector, parents, carers and children to ensure any future developments create a system that responds to the needs of families across Scotland and helps build a strong, sustainable and resilient childcare sector.

Question reference: S7W-02392

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Edinburgh and Lothians East, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 10 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 27 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has any plans to extend kinship care support payments to eligible young people up to the age of 21.

The Scottish Government has no current plans to extend kinship care allowances to age 21.

We recognise, however, the importance of supporting young people in kinship care as they move into adulthood. Existing legislation allows local authorities, where they consider it appropriate, to provide an allowance to certain eligible young people in kinship care after they reach 16 and until age 18.

A range of other support is available to eligible care-experienced young people as they move into adulthood, including Continuing Care and Aftercare, depending on their individual circumstances and care history.

Question reference: S7W-02299

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 27 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the commitment in the 2026 Scottish National Party manifesto to enact a statutory price cap on essential food items, what its response is to the comments reportedly made by the Scottish Retail Consortium and published in The Herald on 3 August 2026 that such a policy would not address the root cause of food price inflation and could lead to a wider range of products, and indeed sectors, being similarly targeted.

Question reference: S7W-02694

Asked by: Amanda Lindsay, MSP for Central Scot and Lothians West, Reform UK
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 August 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 24 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government regarding its new school bags for primary pupils initiative, (a) how much is expected to cost, (b) whether a detailed cost assessment was undertaken prior to the rollout of the initiative, (c) what colour options will be available for the school bags and (d) in light of reports that each bag will contain “a pencil case, stationery including pens, pencils, coloured crayons and a notebook plus a water bottle”, in addition to “resources to encourage reading, writing and maths practice at home”, what branding, logos, slogans or other printed material, if any, will appear on the bags and their contents, and what literature or other accompanying materials, if any, will be included in each bag.

Question reference: S7W-02704

Asked by: Martyn Day, MSP for Falkirk East and Linlithgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 August 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 24 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will revise the statutory guidance on Self-Directed Support to make clear that individual budgets may be used to fund sport and physical activity where this contributes to an agreed personal outcome.

Question reference: S7W-02716

Asked by: Yi-pei Chou Turvey, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 August 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 24 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding the future of the "Wallace letter of recommendation", which is currently on loan to the National Records of Scotland from the UK National Archive.

Question reference: S7W-02714

Asked by: Adam Harley, MSP for Strathkelvin and Bearsden, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 August 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 24 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish its new national plan for hospital flow and whether the plan will include structural changes to the NHS and NHS boards.

Question reference: S7W-02713

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Edinburgh and Lothians East, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 August 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 24 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has considered introducing a two-year suspension of the Additional Dwelling Supplement for purchases of residential properties intended for long-term private rental, particularly in areas experiencing housing shortages, such as Edinburgh.

Question reference: S7W-02697

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 August 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 24 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether (a) it or (b) the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service has any plans to designate Aviemore Community Fire Station as a wildfire station, in light of the recent wildfire in Cairngorms National Park.