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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: S6O-05623

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 March 2026
Current Status: Due to be taken in the Chamber on 11 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs has had with the Scottish Prison Service regarding arrangements for prisoners eligible to vote in the forthcoming Scottish Parliament election.

Question reference: S6W-43934

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 February 2026
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 4 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde has spent almost £1 million on suspending staff with pay since 2022, and what action it is taking to lower these costs.

The Scottish Government expects all Health Boards to follow national guidance and employment law when considering the suspension of employees. The NHS Scotland Guide to Suspension advocates a risk-based approach to assess whether the employee poses a clinical or financial risk, or is a risk to themselves or others. It also encourages the use of early-resolution approaches prior to suspension, where safe and appropriate, as a means of minimising both disruption and associated costs.

Question reference: S6W-43930

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 February 2026
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 4 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that the 12-week target for outpatient cardiology appointments is met.

As part of this year’s additional investment in Planned Care, we have allocated over £500,000 to Health Boards to reduce long waits for cardiology. Between 31 July 2025 and 31 January 2026, new outpatient waits over 52 weeks for cardiology reduced by 70%, while waits of over 12 weeks have reduced by 17%.

We want to maintain that momentum which is why our budget for next year includes a record figure of almost £22.5 billion for health and social care. We will scale up productivity and efficiency programmes to create additional capacity, as we work towards achieving the 12 week new outpatient standard. Health boards will also take forward a new collaborative subnational planning approach - working together to optimise capacity for all specialities, including cardiology, so that patients receive the care that they need as soon as possible.

Question reference: S6W-43931

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 February 2026
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 4 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that the six-week target for patients to receive an echocardiogram is met.

Our budget for next year includes a record figure of almost £22.5 billion for health and social care. We will scale up productivity and efficiency programmes to create additional capacity and health boards will take forward a new collaborative subnational planning approach - working together to optimise capacity for all specialities and diagnostic tests, including echocardiogram, so that patients receive the care that they need as soon as possible.

Last year our Scottish Cardiac Audit Programme (SCAP) published cardiology diagnostic data, including waiting times statistics, for the first time. This is an important step forward to support monitoring and improvement of echocardiograph services in Scotland.

Data on echocardiography will be incorporated into future SCAP reports. Monitoring of performance through SCAP allows us to identify where challenges are being faced in the delivery of high quality cardiac care and work closely with clinical and operational teams to address issues. Health Boards are also expected to identify issues and work to improve performance locally.

Question reference: S6W-43940

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 February 2026
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 4 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon should make a personal statement to the Scottish Parliament about issues relating to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital.

Question reference: S6W-43933

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 February 2026
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 4 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of whether it will meet its target to ensure that no patient waits longer than one year for treatment by March 2026.

Question reference: S6W-43929

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 February 2026
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 4 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that 246 ambulances took patients from Scotland to hospitals in England in 2024, including to Newcastle, and what action it is taking to ensure that patients do not have to leave Scotland for emergency treatment.

These cross border transfers are minimal in terms of total numbers of patients transferred to Hospital in Scotland. They are part of an on-going agreement between the Scottish Ambulance Service, North East and North West NHS Ambulance Services to support each other during periods of high demand and during critical incidents.

Part of this agreement will sometimes see patients from England transferred to Borders General Hospital for treatment.

To ensure patient safety, the Scottish Ambulance Service will always take patients to the nearest possible hospital in a life threatening situation, which in some parts of Scotland, may be over the border.

We continue to invest in our ambulance service with additional investment of £12.7m this year compared with 2024-25. This is helping the Service to recruit over 290 additional frontline staff this year, following on from the 241 recruited last year.

Question reference: S6W-43928

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 February 2026
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 3 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether any NHS boards continue to provide homeopathy, and what its position is on whether homeopathy services should be provided on the NHS.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information which is a matter for NHS Boards locally.

The Scottish Government’s position on homeopathy is unchanged. While some Complementary and Alternative Medicines, including homeopathy, may offer relief to some people, it is for NHS Boards to determine which treatments they offer in line with national and local priorities and national guidance: http://www.sehd.scot.nhs.uk/dl/DL(2016)06.pdf.

Prescribing decisions, including the use of homeopathy, are made by clinicians in consultation with patients, drawing on their competencies, evidence-based advice, and relevant guidance. The Scottish Government expects that any treatment provided is appropriate, person-centred, safe, effective, and subject to ongoing review between clinicians and their patients.

Question reference: S6W-43937

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 February 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 11 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to prevent assaults in hospitals, and what assessment it has made of the effectiveness of any action it has already taken to date.

Question reference: S6W-43935

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 February 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 11 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how much in total has been spent on national treatment centres to date, broken down by (a) centre and (b) costs involved.