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-40582

Asked by: Michael Marra, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 30 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the commitment in its fiscal sustainability delivery plan to “simplify the education and skills public body landscape”, which public bodies will be (a) merged and (b) closed; what the timeline is for this, and what financial savings will be made.

The Post-School Education and Skills Reform Programme includes work to simplify the funding body landscape. Subject to approval by the Scottish Parliament, the Tertiary Education and Training (Funding and Governance) (Scotland) Bill allows responsibility for securing and funding all apprenticeships to be consolidated at the Scottish Funding Council. Responsibility for funding further education student support is moving from the Scottish Funding Council to the Student Awards Agency Scotland administratively. These changes simplify roles and responsibilities, but nobody is being merged or closed. These changes will happen over financial year 2026-27.

The Scottish Government responded to the Stage 1 Report on the Bill, from the Education, Children and Young People Committee, on 19 September 2025. This included an update on the costs and savings for the Bill in Annex A of the Tertiary Education and Training (Funding and Governance) (Scotland) Bill - response to Stage 1 Report. Minister for Higher and Further Education; and Minister for Veterans

Furthermore, the Education Reform programme is making good progress in improving the landscape of national education bodies. The passing of the Education (Scotland) Act 2025 provides a platform for the establishment of His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education (HMIE) and for Qualifications Scotland to replace the Scottish Qualifications Authority. The programme is ensuring that these are both more focused on their role in improvement for learners and able to function as efficiently as possible. This has included, for example, models which support increased use of shared services. Alongside this we are also working to ensure that a refocused Education Scotland is streamlined and focussed on curriculum improvement.

Question reference: S6W-40590

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 30 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many thefts of global positioning system (GPS) units from farm machinery have been recorded in each of the last five years, broken down by the estimated total value of these units, and how many subsequent (a) prosecutions and (b) convictions there have been.

The Scottish Government does not hold information specifically on the number of recorded thefts of global positioning system (GPS) units from farm machinery or any subsequent prosecutions or convictions for this type of theft.

Accredited Official Statistics are published by Scottish Government on recorded crime and criminal proceedings (see links below). However, it is not possible to break these statistics down by type of motor vehicle, which items were stolen or the value of these items. It should also be noted that the type of crime recorded for thefts of global positioning system (GPS) units from farm machinery will vary depending on the circumstances in which the crime occurred.

Latest statistics on the recorded number of thefts are published in Table 1 in the Recorded Crime in Scotland, year ending June 2025 publication.

Latest statistics on the number of people proceeded against and convicted for the crimes of theft are published in Tables 4a and 4b the Criminal Proceedings in Scotland 2022-23 publication.

It should also be noted that these two sets of statistics are based on separate and distinct data sets. They count different things (crimes versus people) at different times (date a crime was recorded versus date a case concludes in court) in fundamentally different ways and cannot be linked.

Question reference: S6W-40485

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 15 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angus Robertson on 30 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether, in the First Minister's recent meetings with the President of the United States, the issue of the Open Championship golf tournament being held possibly at the Trump Turnberry course in Ayrshie was discussed.

Question reference: S6T-02699

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 29 September 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the report from the Scottish Funding Council stating that universities and colleges are in unsustainable financial situations, with some at risk of insolvency in the current financial year.

Question reference: S6T-02690

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 29 September 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service has issued an extreme wildfire warning for the first time in September since 2020.

Question reference: S6T-02701

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 29 September 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason patients across Scotland will reportedly not be able to fully access the new MyCare NHS app until 2030.

Question reference: S6F-04345

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 29 September 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 2 October 2025

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government’s position is on whether NHS Tayside should exempt legal claims by former patients of Professor Sam Eljamel from the three-year time-bar which is currently in place.

Question reference: S6F-04352

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 29 September 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 2 October 2025

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to reported comments from the chair of the British Medical Association in Scotland, that Scotland's NHS is "dying before our eyes".

Question reference: S6F-04341

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 29 September 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 2 October 2025

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6F-04356

Asked by: Gordon MacDonald, MSP for Edinburgh Pentlands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 29 September 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 2 October 2025

To ask the First Minister, regarding the potential impact on marginalised communities and public services in Scotland, what the Scottish Government’s response is to UK Government proposals to introduce a mandatory digital ID scheme.