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: S6W-37176

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 13 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance has been issued to NHS boards on equality issues in each of the last 10 years, broken down by who issued it and when.

The Scottish Government expects all Boards, to comply with the legislative requirements, and in their role as employers to meet the standards set out in the national workforce policies. All guidance regarding patient health, health care delivery and workforce policies and updates, are communicated to key stakeholders in Boards for dissemination.

These are all published publicly on the NHS Scotland Publications website.

Question reference: S6W-37296

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 13 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of NatureScot describing the two-year public engagement for the Forestry and Land Scotland Glen Affric beaver translocation proposal as "above and beyond" the requirements of the Scottish Beaver Strategy, for what reason it is now undertaking further engagement outside of the accepted local process, and how it will ensure that this additional engagement will represent the full range of views in the community.

The Scottish Government is absolutely committed to expanding the beaver population across Scotland for the benefit of biodiversity, in line with Scotland’s Beaver Strategy.

Whilst we welcome the Glen Affric beaver translocation proposal, it is clear, that there remain concerns about the proposal among the local community.

NatureScot will therefore undertake some additional engagement to ensure the concerns around impact of beavers on land and fisheries managers has been fully explored ahead of any licensing decision. This process is in line with the Scottish Code for Conservation Translocations in seeking to ensure there are acceptable mitigations in place.

We understand that there may be frustration around the timeframe for this licencing decision, but with proposals such as this we have to ensure the best chance of success for wildlife living alongside the people and communities most affected.

Question reference: S6W-37103

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 13 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-36772 by Jenny Gilruth on 22 April 2025, when the decision to stop gathering teacher vacancy data from local authorities was taken; what the justification for this decision was, and who made the decision.

Formal teacher vacancy data has not been collected or published since 2010 following the results of a user consultation on proposals to cease a number of education data collections in order to minimise the response burden on schools and local authorities.

Informal teacher vacancy data was collected from local authorities between 2016 and 2019 for the purpose of informing annual teacher workforce planning. This data collection was stopped in 2020 to reduce the burden on schools and local authorities during the pandemic, and due to concerns about the effectiveness of the data in informing the teacher workforce planning process.

Current teacher vacancy information is available from individual local authorities or at www.myjobscotland.gov.uk.

Question reference: S6W-37074

Asked by: Pam Gosal, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Kaukab Stewart on 13 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it had with LGBTQ+ groups in relation to the For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers case.

No meetings were held with organisations or stakeholders to discuss the case of For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers prior to the Supreme Court judgment as it is not appropriate for the Scottish Government to comment on live legal proceedings. Following the Supreme Court ruling on 16th April, the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice met with key LGBTQI+ Equality stakeholders on 17th April to discuss the judgment and understand how the Scottish Government can support the LGBTQI+ community. The Scottish Government remains committed to advancing equality for LGBTQI+ people and will regularly meet with LGBTQI+ Equality organisations to ensure we continue to promote, protect and realise the rights of every LGBTQI+ person in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-37046

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 13 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the live streaming of tribunals involving public bodies, and what guidance exists on this issue.

The courts, tribunals and judiciary are independent of the government. This is necessary in order to preserve the independence of the judiciary and to protect it from political interference. Decisions on the livestreaming or other broadcasting of court or tribunal proceedings are ultimately a matter for the judiciary, supported by the relevant administrative body. Scottish Tribunals are administered by the Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service (SCTS). As such, the Scottish Government has not produced guidance regarding livestreaming of tribunal proceedings.

Certain tribunals including the Employment Tribunal in Scotland, the Immigration and Asylum Tribunal, and the Social Entitlement Chamber are reserved and SCTS and the Scottish Government has no remit over these.

Question reference: S6W-36909

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 13 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what policy is in place for vetting and approving access to gender-affirming items by prisoners convicted of violent or sexual offences.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

The Management of Transgender People in Custody Policy 2023 is in place for managing transgender people in prisons who may need access to additional property to assist them to live in their affirmed gender.

The procurement of these items is subject to the same level of assurance and approval processes as it is for all items requested by individuals living in prisons.

Question reference: S6W-36907

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 13 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what costs have been incurred by the Scottish Prison Service since 2021 in sourcing any wigs, underwear and other gender-affirming items for transgender inmates.

Question reference: S6W-36916

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 13 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any implications of the delaying of downgrading elements of the Grangemouth Flood Protection Scheme, particularly for (a) the Port of Grangemouth and (b) other key national infrastructure.

The next steps in the process for the Grangemouth Flood Protection Scheme are to be undertaken by the local authority.

Should Falkirk Council confirm the scheme in its current form and wish to access further Scottish Government funding, it will be necessary to demonstrate that the scheme, in whole or phased elements, is value for money, and assessed against other flood protection schemes across Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-37276

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 13 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether any First Minister has ever (a) met and (b) requested to meet the Chairman of INEOS, Sir Jim Ratcliffe.

Question reference: S6W-37045

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 13 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether any guidance has been issued to NHS boards and public bodies regarding the practice of seeking private hearings or restricting access to tribunals.