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-40574

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 30 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-38373 by Gillian Martin on 17 June 2025, whether it will provide an update on its plans to review and revise the guidance regarding the exceptional circumstances in which it is permissible for storm overflows to spill.

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-40851

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 29 September 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 27 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is regarding the Thrombectomy Advisory Group's update paper to the National Planning Board in August 2019, stating that “five essential components must all be provided for any given catchment population to receive a full thrombectomy service".

Question reference: S6W-40850

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 29 September 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 27 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether the opportunity for rail freight diversion from the east and west coast main lines will be a factor in the business case for extending the Borders Railway to Carlisle.

Question reference: S6W-40841

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 29 September 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 27 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve data collection and monitoring on secondary breast cancer.

Question reference: S6W-40711

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 29 September 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 27 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that publicly funded trips under the Techscaler programme are not misused, in light of reported concerns of them being used as "free holidays" involving individuals who are not business founders.

Question reference: S6W-40839

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 29 September 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 27 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assistance it provides to people with diabetes on low incomes to afford podiatry treatments.

Question reference: S6W-40844

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 29 September 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 27 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure consistent access to early diagnostics and treatment for people living with pancreatic cancer to avoid a so-called postcode lottery.

Question reference: S6W-40845

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 29 September 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 27 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what urgent action it is taking to improve early diagnosis and outcomes for people affected by pancreatic cancer, in light of reports of extremely low survival rates in Scotland associated with late-stage diagnosis and limited access to robust diagnostics and treatment resources.

Question reference: S6W-40852

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 29 September 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 27 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has considered seeking to amend the definition of peatland under the Wildlife Management and Muirburn (Scotland) Act 2024 to cover areas of peat with a thickness of 30 centimetres or greater, and if so, what the outcome was, in light of the recent decision by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to restrict burning of upland peat in England to a maximum depth of 30 centimetres, except where covered by a licence.