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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-42484

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 December 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 17 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government by what date the national investigation into maternity services will (a) commence and (b) publish its report.

The Scottish Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce will look at the scope of a national review of maternity services based on the emerging themes and outcomes of the Healthcare Improvement Scotland Inspections of Maternity Units across Scotland, and any other area that the Taskforce might identify. It will also look at the provision of maternity services in rural areas, including in Caithness and Stranraer.

A full workplan will be agreed by the Taskforce once it has been established, and Parliament will be updated in due course.

Question reference: S6W-42483

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 December 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 17 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, what its response is to the report, Independent Investigation into Maternity and Neonatal Services in England – Reflections and Initial Impressions, which was published 9 December 2025, and how this will inform its national investigation into maternity services.

We note the publication of Baroness Amos’ Reflections and Initial Impressions report with interest. The report records issues Baroness Amos has identified from her engagement with families in England and provides updates on her investigation and next steps. The report also describes the five areas of work defined in the Terms of Reference: the local investigation phase, a system wide review, inequalities, a review of the legal framework regarding the role of Coroners in relation to stillbirths and compensation following harm caused by clinical negligence and the development of one set of national standards.

While we recognise some similarities between Baroness Amos’ findings and what Healthcare Improvement Scotland’s independent, ongoing inspection programme is reporting, it is important to recognise that Baroness Amos is conducting a rapid investigation into maternity and neonatal services in England. The Scottish Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce will play a key role in ensuring lessons are learned and improvements are made following investigations and reviews in Scotland. It will also define the scope of a national review in Scotland.

We will continue to review outputs from the English rapid investigation as they are published.

Question reference: S6W-42485

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 December 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 17 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what the remit of its national investigation into maternity services will be, and what specific issues it will examine.

Question reference: S6W-42475

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 December 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 17 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what process was followed that resulted in the chairs of NHS Lothian and Greater Glasgow and Clyde being chosen to chair the respective Sub-National Planning and Delivery Committees for Scotland East and Scotland West; whether a vote was taken among all NHS board chairs, and whether any NHS boards objected to the chosen chairs.

The Chairs of NHS Lothian and NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde were invited to chair the Sub-National Planning and Delivery Committees (SPDCs) following an assessment of the practical considerations required to support the running of the proposed SPDCs. NHS Lothian and NHS Greater Glasgow Clyde, as the largest Health Boards, were identified as having the capacity and capability to do so. It is, however, the responsibility of the participating Health Boards to determine how they will implement The Co-operation and Planning Directions 2025 which came into force on 13 November 2025. This includes the development of the terms of reference of the SPDCs which will provide further details on membership and chairing arrangements.

Question reference: S6W-41460

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Friday, 24 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 12 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will make it a requirement for data on the number of patients receiving care in corridors in hospitals to be regularly collected and published.

We are clear that no patient should be treated in a space not fit for clinical care. To address the wider pressures that can lead to this, we are investing £200m through the Operational Improvement Plan to address high hospital occupancy and improve patient flow. This is why this funding is being targeted towards reducing delayed discharges and increasing capacity by expanding Hospital at Home services to 2,000 beds by the end of 2026.

Although there is existing data already collected and published such as 12 hour A&E waits and acute receiving occupancy we are actively considering ways in which data collection can be further developed with Public Health Scotland. This includes how to improve consistency of four-hour recording for A&E attendances. We will continue to work with Public Health Scotland, National Services Scotland and the Centre for Sustainable Delivery to understand and identify any gaps in the current data to improving urgent and unscheduled care analysis.

Question reference: S6W-41462

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Friday, 24 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 6 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether children who are born from first-cousin relationships have a higher risk of genetic conditions and other health defects.

Question reference: S6W-41461

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Friday, 24 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 6 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the reported increased health risks for children born from first-cousin relationships, whether it will ban first-cousin marriages in Scotland.

Question reference: S6O-05154

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S6O-05109

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 October 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made regarding the number of households whose council tax bills could rise as a result of the proposals in its consultation on the future of council tax.

Question reference: S6W-41466

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Friday, 24 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 29 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what the estimated annual operating cost will be for the 15 proposed walk-in GP clinics.

As set out in answer S6W-41307 on 13 October 2025, improving access to primary care is a key priority for this Government. We recognise the vital role that GPs, community nurses, pharmacists, dentists and other members of the primary care team play as the foundation of healthcare in our communities.

We are committed to strengthening the whole primary care system, building on our ongoing commitment through the Service Renewal Framework to shift more care into community settings and make services more accessible for patients.

As part of this, we will develop options for new and innovative ways to improve access to primary care, including local walk-in models which will provide more flexibility for patients. It is our intention to develop proposals for a model would see these services open Monday-Sunday. We will develop these proposals first as a pilot model which will complement current core general practice and provide a range of same-day assessment and small-scale diagnostics. To do this we will work in collaboration with NHS Boards and primary care delivery partners to ensure they strengthen, rather than duplicate, existing primary care services.

The Scottish Government will set out further details as these plans develop.

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.