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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

Filter your results Hide all filters

Displaying 48079 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S6F-04255

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 01 September 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 4 September 2025

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6F-04244

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 01 September 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 4 September 2025

To ask the First Minister, in light of SEPA's warnings of water scarcity over the summer and the introduction of restrictions on water abstraction last week in some areas, including North Fife, what action the Scottish Government is taking to secure water supply in Scotland in the face of changing climate conditions.

Question reference: S6F-04257

Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 01 September 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 4 September 2025

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6F-04256

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 01 September 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 4 September 2025

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6W-39936

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 August 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 1 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many consultants have been appointed to NHS Scotland in each year since 2020, and what assessment it has made on whether those figures are sufficient to meet demand and reduce waiting times.

The information requested on how many consultants have been appointed to NHS Scotland in each year since 2020 can be found on the TURAS NHS Education for Scotland workforce statistics site at:

NHS Scotland workforce | Turas Data Intelligence.

Since 2020, we have increased the Medical & Dental Consultant workforce by 10.9% (from 5,606.4 WTE as at March 2020 to 6,217.5 WTE as at March 2025).

The Scottish Government works with a stakeholder group to undertake annual reviews of the number of specialty training places (for resident doctors) needed across all specialties in order to meet anticipated future service demand and consultant need.

In response to the recommendations from these reviews, the Scottish Government has funded the creation of hundreds of additional specialty training places in Scotland across multiple different specialties since 2014.

Question reference: S6W-39892

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 August 2025
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 1 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-12986 by Jamie Hepburn on 20 December 2022, how many students have taken up a medical school place at the University of (a) Glasgow, (b) Edinburgh, (c) Aberdeen, (d) St Andrews and (e) Dundee, in each year since 2020-21.

The numbers of entrants to first degree pre-clinical medicine courses, by university, have been provided in the following table.

The tables only cover those entering ‘pre-clinical medicine’ and do not include other students entering medical schools on ‘clinical medicine’ or students in continuing years of study.

First degree entrants to pre-clinical medicine at Scottish Providers

	2020-21	2021-22	2022-23	2023-24
The University of Aberdeen	215	220	280	300
The University of Dundee	185	185	195	230
The University of Edinburgh	235	255	285	275
The University of Glasgow	335	325	295	335
The University of St Andrews	175	250	190	190
Total	1,145	1,230	1,240	1,335

Source: HESA student data

Pre-clinical medicine as defined by HECOS subject classification '100276'

Entrants covers new students only

Figures have been rounded to the nearest 5

Includes all domiciles of entrants

Question reference: S6W-39890

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 August 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 1 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding its Community and Renewable Energy Scheme has provided to support the repair of community-owned wind turbines in each year since 2021.

The Community and Renewable Energy Scheme (CARES) scheme has, on occasion, provided ad hoc support to communities looking to repair small scale wind turbines. Currently, CARES supports renewable energy generation projects through its Community Energy Generation Growth Fund. While support is focussed on the development of new projects, repairs can be considered as part of a wider project on a case-by-case basis.

Since 2021, CARES has offered a total of £63,772 in funding to support the repair of community-owned wind turbines. £24,000 was offered in 2021 and £39,772 has been offered in 2025.

Question reference: S6W-39886

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 August 2025
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 1 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many organisations made applications to the Regeneration Capital Grant Fund in 2024-25, broken down by eligible town.

Question reference: S6W-39595

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 11 August 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 1 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government when its ministers last met with (a) Shell UK Limited, (b) ExxonMobil, (c) the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and (d) the Health and Safety Executive to discuss the Mossmorran complex, and what issues were discussed on each occasion.

The former Minister for Climate Action last met with representatives of the Shell Natural Gas Liquids plant, and Exxonmobil Fife Ethylene Plant on 28 October 2024. The Minister discussed with the businesses, their views on Just Transition planning, their long-term plans, as well as wider matters regarding participation in the Acorn project and engagement with the UK Government regarding the Track process.

Scottish Government Ministers have not met with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency or the Health and Safety Executive in that last 4 years to specifically discuss the Mossmorran industrial complex.

Question reference: S6W-39597

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 11 August 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 1 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has received on which upstream fields supply feedstock directly to the Mossmorran natural gas liquids plant, and how many tonnes each field supplied in financial years (a) 2022-23, (b) 2023-24, (c) 2024-25 and (d) 2025 to date.