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-02412

Asked by: Duncan Dunlop, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 August 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 8 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of whether the current concessionary travel reimbursement rate model adequately reflects the higher average fare, and therefore higher revenue-forgone cost, of rural bus journeys compared with urban journeys.

Question reference: S7W-02432

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scot and Lothians West, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 August 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 8 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the number of additional audiologists and hearing care professionals that will be required to reduce audiology waiting lists to pre-pandemic levels, and what action it is taking to recruit and train that workforce.

Question reference: S7W-02448

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 August 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 8 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government for its response to Environmental Standards Scotland's Improvement Report on its investigation into the effectiveness and enforcement of engine idling laws in Scotland, published in June 2026, which found that the current £20 fixed penalty notice for engine idling risks no longer functioning as an effective deterrent, and whether it will increase the level of the fixed penalty notice for engine idling to a level commensurate with other equivalent driving offences.

Question reference: S7W-02449

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 August 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 8 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with ScotRail and relevant UK bodies in relation to the use of under 30s discount railcards on peak time trains?

Question reference: S7W-02446

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 August 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 8 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how many GP practices have been required to implement temporary reductions in clinical activity, appointment availability or service provision to facilitate migration to the Vision 3 GP clinical system.

Question reference: S7W-02351

Asked by: Julie MacDougall, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Reform UK
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 August 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 8 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government if it has knowledge of how many biological men will be taking part in programs ran by the "LGBT Health and Wellbeing" charity to instruct them in "Queer Milk classes" on how to breastfeed, given the Scottish Government has provided nearly £262,000 in aid to this charity.

Question reference: S7W-02444

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 August 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 8 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what contingency plans have been put in place should a GP practice determine that the Vision 3 GP clinical system is adversely affecting its ability to provide safe and effective patient care.

Question reference: S7W-01652

Asked by: Martyn Day, MSP for Falkirk East and Linlithgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 24 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 11 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, following the Royal College of Emergency Medicine's report, State of Emergency Medicine in Scotland, which concluded that, under current arrangements, it would take 237 years to reduce 12-hour waits in emergency departments to 1,000 cases, what specific actions it has taken to ensure Scotland's emergency departments receive year-round support.

The Scottish Government recognise and share the concerns within the RCEM report, particularly around the impact that long waits in emergency departments have on patients and staff. That is why we are implementing initiatives to reduce acute hospital occupancy and stream patients to the most appropriate services to improve patient flow and reduce waiting times.

As part of our first 100 days commitments, we will publish a new national plan to improve hospital flow. Developed in partnership with NHS Boards, Health and Social Care Partnerships, and other key system partners, the plan will set out actions to improve patient flow across the healthcare system, helping to ensure that people receive the right care, in the right place, at the right time.

Improving access to care, reducing waiting times, and easing pressure on hospitals, particularly through strengthening primary and community care, will be central to our plan.

The 2026-27 budget provides almost £22.5 billion investment in health and social care services, exceeding consequentials and providing a real terms uplift to enable more sustainable and resilient services. As part of this, £100 million has been invested to build on the progress made in the 2025-26 Operational Improvement Plan, to release capacity within the system and bolster our urgent care services.

Question reference: S7W-01650

Asked by: Martyn Day, MSP for Falkirk East and Linlithgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 24 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 11 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government (a) for any lessons it has identified from the experience of delivering health and social care services during winter 2025-26 and (b) whether these have resulted in changes to its current surge planning arrangements.

The Scottish Government undertook a lessons learned exercise following winter 2025-26 involving NHS Boards, Health and Social Care Partnerships, national organisations and Scottish Government officials. The review found that planning and partnership working had improved, but that services continued to face significant pressures associated with high hospital occupancy, delayed discharge, workforce challenges and sustained demand across health and social care.

The review also found that many of the pressures experienced during winter reflect wider year-round challenges rather than a short-term seasonal event. Key lessons identified included the importance of whole-system working, improving patient flow, supporting workforce resilience, strengthening preventative approaches and providing earlier and clearer national direction.

These findings are informing current planning for 2026-27, including a refresh of the National Planning Priorities and Principles for Surge and Winter Preparedness, strengthened governance and assurance arrangements, enhanced regional coordination and improved operational intelligence. They are also informing development of the National Flow Plan, which is intended to improve patient flow, reduce delayed discharge, improve use of available capacity and strengthen whole-system coordination across urgent and unscheduled care services.

Question reference: S7W-01651

Asked by: Martyn Day, MSP for Falkirk East and Linlithgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 24 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 11 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, with respect to NHS services, what contingency measures it has put in place to be implemented in the event that surge planning does not deliver the anticipated improvements in patient flow and hospital capacity.

The Scottish Government's surge and resilience preparedness approach includes established monitoring, escalation and assurance arrangements to support NHS Boards and their partners in responding to periods of sustained operational pressure. These arrangements do not rely on any single intervention to deliver improvements in patient flow or hospital capacity.

Where pressures exceed local capacity, NHS Boards can implement local escalation procedures and access support through existing regional and national coordination arrangements. Alongside these arrangements, the Scottish Government is developing a National Flow Plan to support longer-term improvements in patient flow, occupancy management, delayed discharge and system resilience. The Scottish Government continues to work closely with NHS Boards and Health and Social Care Partnerships to monitor pressures, support appropriate action and maintain safe and effective services.