- Asked by: Michael Marra, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 October 2026
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Current Status:
Due to be taken in the Chamber on 8 October 2026
Question to be taken in Chamber.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 8 October 2026
- Asked by: Malcolm Offord, MSP for West Scotland, Reform UK
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 October 2026
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Current Status:
Due to be taken in the Chamber on 8 October 2026
Question to be taken in Chamber.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 8 October 2026
- Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 October 2026
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Current Status:
Due to be taken in the Chamber on 8 October 2026
Question to be taken in Chamber.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 8 October 2026
- Asked by: Gillian Mackay, MSP for Central Scot and Lothians West, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 October 2026
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Current Status:
Due to be taken in the Chamber on 8 October 2026
Question to be taken in Chamber.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 8 October 2026
- Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh North Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 October 2026
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Current Status:
Due to be taken in the Chamber on 8 October 2026
Question to be taken in Chamber.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 8 October 2026
- Asked by: Andrew Baxter, MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 September 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Neil Gray on 6 October 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what minimum standards it expects local resilience partners to apply when evacuating communities affected by wildfire, including registration and subsequent contact with evacuees, transport for people without vehicles, and support for visitors unfamiliar with the area.
Answer
Scotland’s resilience arrangements are designed to be flexible and adaptable to a wide range of emergencies, including wildfires.
Under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004, Category 1 responders are required to assess risks, maintain emergency plans and put in place arrangements to warn, inform and protect the public. Scotland’s multi-agency resilience arrangements are set out in the Preparing Scotland guidance and associated guidance on the care of people affected by emergencies.
The Scottish Government does not prescribe national minimum standards for the evacuation of communities affected by wildfire. Instead, resilience partners are expected to develop and maintain proportionate local arrangements, informed by local risks and circumstances, including arrangements for evacuation, transport, shelter, humanitarian assistance and support for those affected. Scottish Government officials work closely with resilience partners through established resilience structures to review, exercise and continually improve these arrangements.
- Asked by: Andrew Baxter, MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 September 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Neil Gray on 6 October 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the suitability of emergency evacuation arrangements within civil contingency plans for responding to wildfires and other climate-related incidents, and when it most recently undertook such an assessment.
Answer
Scotland’s resilience arrangements are designed to be flexible and adaptable to a wide range of emergencies, including wildfires and other climate-related incidents.
Under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004, Category 1 responders are required to assess risks, maintain emergency plans and put in place arrangements to warn, inform and protect the public, including where evacuation may be required. Scotland’s multi-agency resilience arrangements are set out in the Preparing Scotland guidance and associated guidance on the care of people affected by emergencies, which include arrangements for evacuation, shelter and humanitarian assistance. The duties on responders and supporting guidance help ensure that arrangements remain appropriate for a range of potential emergencies.
The Scottish Government does not undertake a single national assessment of emergency evacuation arrangements for specific hazards such as wildfires. Instead, officials work closely with resilience partners through established local, regional and national resilience structures to review, exercise and continually improve emergency preparedness arrangements, including those relating to evacuation and the care of people affected by emergencies.
- Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 24 September 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Stephen Gethins on 6 October 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the finding by the Competition and Markets Authority, in its final report into the retail supply of home heating oil, that the lowest numbers of competitors supplying home heating oil are concentrated in the Highlands and Islands, and what measures it will take to improve consumer choice in these areas.
Answer
While we are actively considering how we can address the significant concerns for our rural and island communities that were raised in the report, only the UK Government has the power to deliver the structural reform needed for meaningful change. Given the current and ongoing volatility of international events, it is critical that they make urgent progress on implementing the report’s recommendations.
In the meantime, we will continue to provide support through our Scottish Emergency Heating Oil Scheme which enables eligible households to apply for £300 towards their heating oil and liquid petroleum gas bills.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 24 September 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 6 October 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what the current registration rate of GP practices under the Armed Forces Veteran Recognition Scheme is, and what steps it is taking to increase participation.
Answer
As of September 2026, 71 GP practices across Scotland are registered under the General Practice Armed Forces and Veterans Recognition Scheme so far. Whilst GPs operate independently and registration rates have increased in the past year, we clearly have more work to do to increase participation.
The Scottish Government continues to promote the scheme through engagement with NHS Boards, GP practices, the Ministry of Defence, Veterans Scotland and the Royal College of General Practitioners Scotland. Training resources remain available to all practice staff through NHS Education for Scotland's TURAS platform to help improve awareness of the health needs of veterans and Armed Forces families.
In addition, the Scottish Government has invested in Veterans Scotland during 2026-27 to deliver a dedicated GP Recognition Acceleration Scheme. As part of this work, a national GP Advocate has been appointed to promote the scheme directly with practices and primary care leaders, with the aim of increasing registrations and expanding the scheme's reach across Scotland.
- Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 24 September 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 6 October 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that an OpenAI agent infiltrated Australia's medicare system, and whether it will raise this as a matter of urgency with the UK Government.
Answer
The Scottish Government is aware an incident involving a public-facing health statistics service in Australia. It highlights why governments across the world must continue to take both the opportunities and risks of Artificial Intelligence (AI) seriously. The incident reinforces the need to consider AI agents as both a cyber threat and a governance challenge. It highlights the importance of monitoring automated access to public-facing services, ensuring robust controls around health data systems, and developing clear policies on the use, assurance and incident reporting of AI-enabled tools by suppliers and partners.
We continue to work closely with the UK Government, the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and health sector partners to maintain robust cyber resilience arrangements and monitor emerging cyber threats, including those associated with advances in AI. We do not currently consider that this incident requires action beyond established operational engagement with UK Government partners.
The Scottish Cyber Coordination Centre (SC3), which includes an embedded NCSC presence, has been briefed on this incident and will continue to liaise closely with the NCSC as further information becomes available.
More broadly, the Scottish Government is actively considering both the opportunities and risks associated with AI. Our AI Policy Framework will provide a clear foundation for the responsible use of AI, and our commitment to develop an AI Hub will provide support to health and care organisations to adopt AI safely and effectively.
