Seòmar agus comataidhean

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

Criathragan Hide all filters

Displaying 1347 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S6W-44402

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2026
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Neil Gray on 13 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to commitment given by the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care on 27 November 2025, whether it will provide an update on the progress of NHS Tayside’s investigation into the destruction of theatre logbooks, and what further information will be offered on the progress of this process.

I have been advised by NHS Tayside that external investigators AAB began their formal investigation in February 2026, and that they are independently analysing all the documents they have requested to date, with further documentation being identified and new information requested as witness interviews progress and additional evidence is heard.

The agreed scope of the investigation is to:

Review NHS Tayside’s systems, processes, actions and governance arrangements in response to the Do Not Destroy notice
Examine NHS Tayside’s internal investigation to assess whether the Health Board has a full and accurate understanding of how the destruction occurred
Identify any systemic or procedural weaknesses that contributed to the incident
Provide recommendations to strengthen controls and prevent recurrence.

NHS Tayside has indicated it expects to receive its final investigation report and recommendations during the first week in April. The report will then be considered by NHS Tayside’s board and next steps agreed. The First Minister has written to the Chief Executive of NHS Tayside to ask that she keep former patients updated with any developments in the weeks ahead.

Question reference: S6W-44113

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 06 March 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 20 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will establish an equivalent to the UK Government's Places of Worship Renewal Fund in Scotland, in light of the reported closure of the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme, and what assessment it has made of the provision of any Barnett consequential funding that may support doing so.

Question reference: S6W-44114

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 06 March 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 20 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with (a) the UK Government and (b) religious organisations in Scotland, including the Church of Scotland, regarding (i) the closure of and (ii) a replacement for the UK Government's Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme.

Question reference: S6W-43867

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 February 2026
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 3 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the work being carried out to simplify the application process of the Home Energy Scotland Grant and Loan Scheme, in light of its commitment in its 2025-26 Programme for Government.

The wide range of improvements delivered for the Home Energy Scotland (HES) Grant and Loan scheme include introduction of a digital customer claim verification process, simplified documentation requirements, language and layout updates to the application portal, as well as improved guidance and named caseworker support for applicants. We have also developed guidance tailored for installers.

These changes have improved the customer journey, with customer satisfaction scores rising to consistently above 90%. I attended a roundtable with installers and manufacturers in the clean heat sector at the Energy Training Academy in February to gather further feedback, and we remain committed to making further improvements.

Question reference: S6W-43868

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 February 2026
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 3 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-38780 by Mairi McAllan on 11 July 2025, by what date it will publish data relating to the average application and claim processing timescales for the Home Energy Scotland Grant and Loan Scheme.

Question reference: S6W-43865

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 February 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 2 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to (a) increase awareness of and (b) improve screening for lobular breast cancer.

(a) We know that the earlier all cancers, including lobular breast cancer, are diagnosed the easier they are to treat and even cure which is why we continue to invest in our Detect Cancer Earlier (DCE) Programme. Detect Cancer Earlier’s Be The Early Bird campaign launched in March 2023 aiming to reduce fear of cancer and empower those with possible symptoms to act early.

Following successful independent evaluation, the campaign re-ran several times (September 2023, August 2024, March 2025 and September 2025) to prompt health-seeking behaviour, targeting those aged 40+ from areas of deprivation.

The Scottish Referral Guidelines (SRGs) for Suspected Cancer support primary care clinicians to identify those with symptoms suspicious of cancer, including lobular breast, and identify those who require urgent assessment by a specialist. A clinical review of SRGs has been completed with updated guidance published on 6 August 2025.

(b) Breast tomosynthesis, or 3D mammography, is a low-dose X-ray imaging technique that creates 3D images of the breast and is more effective at detecting lobular breast cancers. This advanced technology is now available in all six breast screening centres.

Question reference: S6W-43864

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 February 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 26 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of the cancer research funding that it has awarded to date has been allocated to research on lobular breast cancer, and whether this has been in proportion to the prevalence of the condition, which accounts for a reported 15% of breast cancer cases.

The Scottish Government’s Chief Scientist Office supports open competitive grant and fellowship schemes for applied health research in Scotland across a wide remit that is inclusive of consideration of applications for research relating to cancers, including lobular breast cancer. Applications submitted to these schemes are assessed through independent expert peer-review with funding recommendations made by independent expert committees. While funding has been awarded for breast cancer research, none has been for research on lobular breast cancer specifically.

Question reference: S6W-43863

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 February 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 26 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the suggestion by Lobular Moonshot Project for a ringfenced £20 million fund to be established by it and the other UK governments in the UK to support, over five years, research on the basic biology of lobular breast cancer.

Question reference: S6W-43866

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 February 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 26 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what funding it plans to make available for research into lobular breast cancer, and what its position is on whether such research funding should be proportionate to the prevalence of the condition.

The Scottish Government’s Chief Scientist Office (CSO) supports applied health research in Scotland through open competitive grant and fellowship schemes with a wide remit inclusive of research across the range of clinical conditions including types of cancers. Funding through these schemes is not specifically allocated to specific conditions so as not to constrain the range of research that can be funded. Applications submitted to these schemes are assessed through independent expert peer-review with funding recommendations made by independent expert committees. CSO also contributes financially to the National Institute of Health & Care Research (NIHR) in order that researchers in Scotland can apply to NIHR research programmes. NIHR recently issued a highlight notice to encourage applications for “high quality studies on Invasive Lobular Carcinoma (ILC) or lobular breast cancer".

Question reference: S6O-05585

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 February 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 4 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government when the new Future Farming Investment Scheme will be open for applications.