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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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

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Question reference: S6W-38538

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 19 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what the total cost to the public purse has been of supporting Ferguson Marine since 2019.

Question reference: S6W-38542

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 19 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what immediate action it is taking to address the Royal College of Radiologists’ view that there is a “ticking timebomb” in cancer care due to a shortage of specialists.

Scottish Government recognises the challenges facing oncology services and our workforce as demand increases across NHS Scotland. We are working with NHS Scotland to address staffing as a matter of urgency, working closely with NHS Board and clinical leaders from across the country to address pressures in a sustainable way.

We have established the National Oncology Coordination Group to provide a coordinated and collaborative response to immediate and foreseeable service pressures. It provides rapid real-time assessment of highest risk services and proactively develops risk mitigation proposals, in line with the overall strategic aim for cancer.

We continue to take action to address workforce pressures. Actions include expanding the Clinical Oncology and Medical Oncology specialty training programmes and providing £6.6 million of additional funding to Systemic Anti-Cancer Therapy (SACT) and Acute Oncology to increase regional working, workforce recruitment and to maximise capacity across the existing workforce.

More than £106 million has been allocated to NHS Boards in 2025-26 to address waiting times, with £21 million for imaging. We will reduce the radiology backlog so that 95% of referrals are seen within six weeks by March 2026, through expanding to seven-day services, recruitment, and utilising mobile scanning units.

Question reference: S6W-35965

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 06 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 19 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on what proportion of (a) adults and (b) children in each NHS board area have seen an NHS dentist in each year since 2024, and how this compares with (i) 2010, (ii) 2015 and (iii) 2020.

Question reference: S6W-38411

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 06 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 19 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what role the Scottish Funding Council has played in scrutinising the University of Edinburgh’s financial strategy.

The Scottish Funding Council (SFC) has continued to monitor and assess the financial health (sustainability and viability) of universities, including Edinburgh, through regular engagement and analysis of financial returns, which universities are required to submit to SFC each academic year. SFC also considers universities’ individual circumstances and exposure to risk, capacity to respond to financial challenges and other relevant available information.

Financial sustainability of universities is a condition of grant set out in SFC’s Financial Memorandum with universities. As autonomous institutions, universities are responsible for their own strategic and operational decision making, and are required to notify SFC if they identify material risks to their financial viability or sustainability.

Question reference: S6W-38401

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 06 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 19 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to improve Scotland’s GDP growth rate, in light of reported figures stating that it has grown less than that of the rest of the UK.

Scotland’s economy remains one of the best performing parts of the UK with GDP per person in Scotland growing by 10.3%, compared to 6.1% in the UK and productivity has grown at an average rate of 1.1% per year compared to the UK average of 0.4% since 2007. Despite figures in Quarter 1 of 2025 showing GDP to be lower in Scotland compared to the UK, the pace of growth increased from 0.1% in the last quarter of 2024 to 0.4%.

The Scottish Government published its National Strategy for Economic Transformation (NSET) in 2022, setting out a ten year transformation plan with the objective of creating a fair, green and growing economy and establishing Scotland as a world-class entrepreneurial nation and ensuring that our businesses, industries, regions, communities and public services are more innovative and productive than they have ever been. This year’s Programme for Government sets out specific actions that we will take to grow the economy over the remainder of this parliamentary term.

However, reserved powers on crucial issues such as trade and migration, and the damage of Brexit, all impact Scotland’s economic growth and can create challenging conditions for Scottish businesses. With our limited powers, we are maximising opportunities for economic growth in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-38403

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 06 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 19 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to strengthen collaboration with UK counterparts to promote growth, jobs and productivity.

The Scottish Government regularly meets with UK Government counterparts at official and ministerial levels and on a bilateral and multilateral basis, to discuss shared priorities, including economic growth. The Scottish Government continues to build on this dialogue to deliver joint action and deeper collaboration in this space. For example, the Scottish Business Growth Group, a cross-government forum jointly chaired by the Minister for Business, and Secretary of State for Scotland brings together ministers from both governments alongside business representatives. I have also recently written to the Chancellor of the Exchequer and UK Secretaries of State on the importance of deepening cooperation including aligning devolved and reserved powers to accelerate delivery and maximise the impact of economic growth for Scotland and the UK

Question reference: S6W-38410

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 06 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 19 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what safeguards are in place to ensure that (a) academic quality and (b) student experience are maintained in any universities that are undertaking major financial restructuring.

Question reference: S6W-37877

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 19 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the Care Inspectorate’s impartiality, in light of reports of it promoting a charity linked to individuals convicted of child sexual abuse.

Question reference: S6W-37875

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 19 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has instructed the Care Inspectorate to suspend any guidance referencing LGBT Youth Scotland pending a formal review.

Question reference: S6O-04836

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 June 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason medical supplies were sent to Ukraine with a condition that they be used for civilian purposes only.