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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-41013

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 03 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 24 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support college staff wellbeing, in light of Audit Scotland’s findings in its recent report, Scotland’s Colleges 2025, that workforce reductions and curriculum changes have increased workloads and stress.

Colleges are responsible for operational matters, such as managing workforce restructuring and curriculum changes. This includes ensuring they meet their obligations as an employer, including providing appropriate support to protect the health, safety and overall wellbeing of staff.

The Scottish Government acknowledges the impact funding constraints, that to a significant extent flow from UK Government decisions, and associated workforce restructuring decisions will have on staff. The Scottish Government has been consistently clear that such decisions must be informed by Fair Work principles, following meaningful engagement with staff and trade unions.

Question reference: S6W-40948

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Claire Baker (on behalf of the SPCB) on 24 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body how much it cost to install any instarinse products in the Scottish Parliament building.

Question reference: S6W-41031

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 06 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 24 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how the Tay Cities Region Deal is supporting manufacturing firms.

Question reference: S6W-41003

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 03 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 24 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the recent report by Audit Scotland, Scotland’s Colleges 2025, which recommends that the funding model for colleges should better reflect equity and demand for courses, whether it will review the funding model.

The Colleges Tripartite Alignment Group, comprised of Colleges Scotland, the Scottish Government and the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) has been exploring issues in the sector. Informed by the Group’s discussions, the SFC introduced changes to the college funding model for Academic Year 2025-26 in response to requests from the sector.

The SFC has committed to undertaking a fundamental review of the funding allocation model over the coming year.

Question reference: S6W-40793

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 23 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how much public money has been spent on emergency accommodation as a result of any breaches of homelessness laws in each of the last five financial years.

Local authorities are obliged to offer advice and assistance to people who are at risk of or are experiencing homelessness, and provide temporary accommodation if it is needed, including on an emergency basis. The Scottish Government supports local authorities to meet these statutory duties through annual funding delivered through the local government finance settlement but does not hold information on the amount of funding spent by local authorities on emergency temporary accommodation.

Question reference: S6W-40994

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 06 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 22 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the recent report by Audit Scotland, Scotland’s Colleges 2025, which highlights that two colleges required liquidity support from the Scottish Funding Council in 2023-24, what criteria were used to approve this support.

The Scottish Funding Council (SFC) regularly monitors and engages with the colleges and universities it funds as part of its role in ensuring the sustainable and coherent provision of fundable further and higher education.

It is for SFC to consider the criteria used to approve liquidity support. Given that the circumstances of individual colleges will differ, each case will be considered on its own merit.

Question reference: S6W-41016

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 03 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 22 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has made of the impact of college campus closures on students from deprived communities, as noted by Audit Scotland in its recent report, Scotland’s Colleges 2025.

Colleges in Scotland operate as autonomous institutions, with governance frameworks that grant them independence in managing their operations including decisions about campus footprint, staffing, and curriculum.

This autonomy is designed to enable responsiveness to local needs and flexibility in delivering education. However, Ministers are clear that colleges are expected to ensure their strategic decisions reflect the needs of the people, the region, and the communities they serve.

In its development of the 10 year College Infrastructure Investment Plan, in collaboration with the sector and due to publish in autumn 2026, the Scottish Funding Council is looking at the whole college sector to ensure the approach to infrastructure is strategic and supports coherent provision.

Question reference: S6W-40998

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 03 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 22 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the recent report by Audit Scotland, Scotland’s Colleges 2025, which found that funding for mental health support has been withdrawn, whether it will provide additional funding to maintain mental health counselling services in colleges, following the end of transition funding in 2023-24.

Despite continuing fiscal challenges, the Scottish Government has increased the direct mental health programme budget for 2025-26 by 1.2% to £270.5 million. We expect total mental health spending to reach record levels – around £1.5 billion - in 2025-26. We have invested significantly in a range of mental health services, including allocating over £160 million since 2020 on community-based support for children, young people and adults. It is important to emphasise that students have access to, and benefit from, the support services provided by the NHS and in our communities.

We also continue to fund NUS Think Positive to work with colleges, universities and students’ associations to develop and promote their mental health support offer.

Our Student Mental Health Action Plan was published in September 2024. The Plan aims, through collaboration between colleges, universities, public and third sector, to join up support that is already available, embedding students into the wider communities in which they live and study. Through the Action Plan’s Delivery Group, the Scottish Government is bringing partners together to make this happen.

Question reference: S6W-41008

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 03 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 22 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to reverse the reported 12.4% decrease in college enrolments in 2023-24 compared with 2022-23, as highlighted by Audit Scotland in its recent report, Scotland’s Colleges 2025.

The Scottish Funding Council’s (SFC) funding allocation to Scotland’s colleges for the current academic year (2025-26) equates to a 2.6% increase in funding for teaching activity, and a 4.8% increase for capital maintenance funding, to support colleges to continue to invest in student’s learning experiences.

In 2023-24, there was a reduction in very short courses which contributed to the reported decrease in overall college enrolments.

Question reference: S6W-41009

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 03 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 22 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the decrease in the number of full-time equivalent college students to the lowest level in the last 10 years in 2023-24, as noted in the recent report by Audit Scotland, Scotland’s Colleges 2025.

The Scottish Funding Council (SFC) regularly monitors college student numbers, including headcount, enrolment and full-time equivalent students. SFC publishes this information on an annual basis through its College Statistics 2023-24 - Scottish Funding Council.

Colleges receive funding from the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) based on the number of credits they deliver. The SFC increased the credit price from 2023-24 which is an increase to the investment in each individual student.