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: S6T-02884

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 09 February 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 10 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that a former Chief Nursing Officer offered the parents of Sophia Smith £20,000 and a holiday following her death in the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in 2017.

Question reference: S6T-02885

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 09 February 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 10 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the final report and recommendations of the Sentencing and Penal Policy Commission, in light of the reported high levels of public concern regarding the findings.

Question reference: S6F-04654

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 09 February 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 12 February 2026

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6F-04670

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 09 February 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 12 February 2026

To ask the First Minister whether the Scottish Government will make further changes to the draft Budget 2026-27 published in January in relation to business rates, hospices and the care sector.

Question reference: S6F-04667

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 09 February 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 12 February 2026

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to reports that police stations across Lanarkshire, including in Bellshill, will be closed permanently to the public or have their hours reduced from 1 April.

Question reference: S6F-04672

Asked by: Michelle Thomson, MSP for Falkirk East, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 09 February 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 12 February 2026

To ask the First Minister how often he or the Scottish Ministers engage with the Scottish Government’s Washington DC International Office regarding the Scotch whisky industry and other economic interests in the United States.

Question reference: S6F-04675

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 09 February 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 12 February 2026

To ask the First Minister whether the Scottish Government will provide an update on the Service Delivery Review of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.

Question reference: S6F-04656

Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 09 February 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 12 February 2026

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6F-04655

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 09 February 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 12 February 2026

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6W-43464

Asked by: Roz McCall, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 29 January 2026
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 9 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on to what degree investment in local core paths and all-abilities routes remains a priority within its active travel and outdoor access policies.

Access authorities, that is our local and National Park authorities, have a duty under the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 to uphold access rights and to draw up a plan for a system of paths, a Core Path network, which is sufficient to give local users and visitors reasonable access throughout their area. As a local authority responsibility, the Scottish Government supports this duty primarily through the provision of the annual block grant to local authorities.

Funding to support access was devolved in the Local Government concordat reached in 2008 and remains the responsibility of Local Authorities. Local government funding for access is distributed through a Grant-Aided Expenditure Land Access £8.1 million block grant allocated based on proportions of population and path lengths, with a minimum allocation of £70,000.

However, the funding is not ring-fenced. It is the responsibility of individual Local Authorities to manage their budgets and allocate the total financial resources available on the basis of local priorities, once they have met their statutory obligations. The Scottish Government provided record block grant funding of over £15 billion to local authorities in 2025-26, an increase of £1 billion or 4.7 per cent in real terms compared to last year’s budget.

In addition, access may be improved through active travel infrastructure. The Scottish Government supports Local Authorities to deliver active travel infrastructure through Tier 1 of the Active Travel Infrastructure Fund which Local Authorities receive directly and can use with the flexibility to meet their own local priorities.

For larger scale projects to promote everyday journeys, these can be funded through Tier 2 of the Active Travel Infrastructure Fund for which applications are invited annually from Local Authorities, Regional Transport Partnerships and National Park Authorities. Projects funded though Tier 2 should ensure that they improve the quality of access for all abilities, supported by Equality Impact Assessments. Where required, there is also a suite of other guidance and best practice that delivery partners should use in developing projects to ensure that accessibility is considered at the outset.

Parliament dissolved ahead of election

Chamber and committees

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