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 46716 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S6F-04069

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 12 May 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 15 May 2025

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6F-04070

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 12 May 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 15 May 2025

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6F-04087

Asked by: Collette Stevenson, MSP for East Kilbride, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 12 May 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 15 May 2025

To ask the First Minister, regarding any implications for its work to tackle poverty, what assessment the Scottish Government has made of the Department for Work and Pension’s forecasts reportedly indicating that the UK Government’s planned reductions to disability benefits will impact 700,000 families that are already in poverty.

Question reference: S6W-35730

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 12 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to develop a single passporting system of support for students in (a) further and (b) higher education to support widening access.

The final report of the Commission on Widening Access was published in 2016. A lot has changed since 2016 and we are now considering what has worked well and what we could do better.

The Scottish Government recognises the need to simplify the support landscape for students as it can be difficult for young people and their parents and carers to identify what support is available particularly in non-linear learning pathways.

The Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) currently provides living cost support to higher education students whilst the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) provides bursary support to further education students via individual colleges. The Scottish Government is pressing ahead with the proposal to consolidate all student support funding within SAAS. Bringing student support responsibilities together unlocks opportunities and enables new ways of administering student support, collecting data and providing coherent information and guidance to learners and institutions.

Through the Student Mental Health Action Plan Scottish Government has committed to working with institutions, Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS), CoSLA, and prospective students to explore what information institutions require to inform continuity of support for newly-enrolled students, and how students and their families can be supported to request and share this information with colleges and universities. This action is being driven forward by the Plan’s Delivery Group, which met recently, and includes consideration of the use of the Getting it Right for Everybody (GIRFE) practice model to support a more person centred offer of support.

Question reference: S6W-36469

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 12 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider introducing a statutory duty on universities to uphold freedom of speech, similar to that set out by the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023 in England.

The Scottish Government has no plans to introduce legislation in relation to freedom of speech at universities, however it fully supports individuals’ rights to freedom of expression, and believes universities to be places where freedom of expression should always be promoted and fostered, but this should be done in a courteous and respectful manner.

The Scottish Government expects universities to comply with relevant legal requirements in respect of academic freedom (which is addressed in section 26 of the Further and Higher Education (Scotland) Act 2005), and carefully consider existing Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) guidance on freedom of expression for higher education providers in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-36467

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 12 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many formal complaints it has received in each of the last five years relating to concerns regarding freedom of speech on university campuses.

Question reference: S6W-36482

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 12 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the right of academics and students to express gender-critical views without facing discrimination or censure.

The Scottish Government fully supports individuals’ rights to freedom of expression, and believes universities to be places where freedom of expression should always be promoted and fostered, but this should be done in a courteous and respectful manner. As autonomous bodies, universities are responsible for internal institutional matters such as complaints made or disciplinary action taken against staff and students.

Question reference: S6W-37221

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 28 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 12 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many of the 210 appeals against SEPA's sea lice control measures, reported active as of March 2025, (a) have been (i) upheld and (ii) dismissed and (b) are still under consideration.

Question reference: S6W-37441

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 12 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the number of convictions that have been made under section 40 of the Regulatory Reform (Scotland) Act 2014 since it came into force.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-34490 on 18 February 2025:

Based on the latest published Criminal Proceedings data (available to 2022-23), since January 2014, there have been no prosecutions under section 40(1) of the Regulatory Reform (Scotland) Act 2014 (where this was the main crime).

The Criminal Proceedings in Scotland bulletin (2023-24) is scheduled for publication in autumn 2025.

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

Question reference: S6W-37586

Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 May 2025
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Neil Gray on 12 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its consideration of the escalation status for NHS Grampian, under the NHS Scotland Support and Intervention Framework.

NHS Grampian has been experiencing significant financial and operational pressures for several months. This led to the Health Board’s escalation to Stage 3 of the NHS Scotland Support & Intervention Framework for financial management in January 2025. Whilst Stage 3 is the first formal stage of escalation and, as such, NHS Grampian has been receiving tailored support, there remain concerns about the Board’s financial position, plans, leadership and governance; and any associated impact this may have on the delivery of local services.

Following careful consideration, the Government has decided that NHS Grampian’s escalation status be raised to Stage 4 for finance, leadership and governance. Further, formal escalation is felt necessary (along with the additional support and scrutiny this provides) to help mitigate the significant risks to both the local Board and wider, overall NHS Scotland financial positions.

The key focus of this further escalation will be to arrest the rate of expenditure in NHS Grampian and help mitigate immediate concerns about financial and associated operational pressures, and to stabilise the system. One of the key, initial elements of this package of enhanced support and scrutiny will be a whole system diagnostic, to be carried out by an external consultancy and is expected to conclude in June. That will help to inform the tailored support package that follows and will provide a robust basis for the wider, transformation work required over the longer term in NHS Grampian; in support of the local leadership under the new Chief Executive, with the interviews for that post taking place in early June.

With the agreement of Parliament, a ministerial statement will be provided at the appropriate point to keep members updated on this matter.