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-02835

Asked by: Amanda Lindsay, MSP for Central Scot and Lothians West, Reform UK
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 17 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S7W-02244 by Maree Todd on 31 August 2026, whether the Minister will publish statistics, including how many babies in West Lothian are admitted to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary for intensive care each year, what it anticipates the impact will be on the Simpson Neonatal Intensive Care Unit once other NHS boards stop providing a critical care unit at Level 3, and what travel and accommodation support parents in West Lothian will receive in cases where the mother and baby are receiving care on different sites.

The Scottish Government does not hold information on how many babies from West Lothian are admitted to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary each year.

The Scottish Government commissioned RSM UK to undertake detailed modelling and capacity planning to support local implementation plans. The resulting report identified a need for four additional staffed neonatal cots at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh to meet the increased demand.

I want to be clear that the care provided to babies from West Lothian will not change under the new neonatal care model. Where there is suspected extremely pre-term labour, the aim is to transfer mothers before birth (an in-utero transfer) to a maternity unit with a neonatal intensive care unit.

All neonatal units in Scotland can provide overnight accommodation for families when needed. Neonatal intensive care units, and most local neonatal and special care units, offer rooms on or near the unit, with additional accommodation available nearby. The Young Patients Family Fund also helps families with the costs of food, travel and accommodation while their baby is receiving neonatal care.

Question reference: S7W-02885

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 17 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Criminal Justice Committee’s recommendations in its January 2026 report, Inquiry into the harm caused by substance misuse in Scottish Prisons, whether it will commit to publishing national figures on staff exposure incidents and subsequent health outcomes, which are currently recorded only for internal purposes.

The Scottish Prison Service (SPS) is an Executive Agency of the Scottish Government and has responsibility for operation of prisons including staffing.

Information on health outcomes is not held by SPS as responsibility for prison healthcare services rests with NHS Boards.

SPS has worked proactively in partnership with the Trade Union Side to develop and implement protocols designed to support and protect staff who may encounter situations involving potential exposure to unknown substances. This collaborative approach helps ensure appropriate safeguards are in place for staff and supports a consistent operational response across the prison estate. SPS continues to review how such incidents are recorded with a strong focus on staff safety, welfare and support.

Question reference: S7W-02849

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 17 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what financial approvals remain outstanding in order for the artificial intelligence technology proposed to support thrombectomy services to be deployed, and what the expected timescale is for each such approval.

Funding in 2026-27 to procure artificial intelligence technology to support thrombectomy service expansion has been approved by the Scottish Government. There are ongoing discussions to finalise the award to a supplier.

Funding for future years is dependent upon the costed thrombectomy expansion model being developed by Public Serviced Delivery Scotland and will be subject to the usual financial approvals processes.

Question reference: S7W-02870

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 17 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers that the current crewing arrangement for specialist wildfire firefighting resources is suitable.

Deployment of resources and crewing arrangements are operational matters for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS). It has the ability to mobilise resources nationally for any wildfire incident.

As part of the SFRS Wildfire Strategy, which was launched in 2023, 37 community fire stations across Scotland now provide enhanced wildfire response capability. While this forms the specialist wildfire response capability all other operational community fire station personnel are able to respond to wildfire incidents and support operational activity.

Question reference: S7W-02848

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 17 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether all the public funding required for the deployment of artificial intelligence technology proposed to support thrombectomy services has been approved, and, if not, what funding remains to be approved.

Question reference: S7W-02850

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 17 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government who has responsibility for providing the final financial approval required for the deployment of artificial intelligence technology proposed to support thrombectomy services.

Question reference: S7O-00284

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 September 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 24 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will increase support for research into brain tumour diagnostics and treatment.

Question reference: S7O-00286

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Fife North East, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 September 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 24 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will support the proposal to reopen a railway station at Newburgh, Fife.

Question reference: S7O-00285

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 September 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 24 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take to ensure that Glasgow city centre has an enhanced police provision.

Question reference: S7O-00252

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 September 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 22 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that frontline police officers are not routinely used to fill any gaps in mental health provision.