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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-41297

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 13 October 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 10 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, for each of the 21 recommendations in the report Transvaginal Mesh Case Record Review that it decided to accept, whether it will set out the evidence in each case that demonstrates that the recommendation has been implemented.

Question reference: S6W-41283

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 13 October 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 10 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will support Glasgow City Council and Glasgow's 59 housing associations to establish a Common Housing Register to improve the efficiency of housing stock allocation in the city.

Question reference: S6W-41296

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 13 October 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 10 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the 21 listed recommendations in the report, Transvaginal Mesh Case Record Review, which of the recommendations it (a) accepted and (b) rejected.

Question reference: S6W-41298

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 13 October 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 10 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, for each of the 21 recommendations in the report Transvaginal Mesh Case Record Review that it decided not to accept, what the reasons were in each case for the decision not to implement the recommendation.

Question reference: S6W-41302

Asked by: Clare Haughey, MSP for Rutherglen, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 13 October 2025
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Neil Gray on 13 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to explore every avenue to support the sector and bring new care workers into social care roles in Scotland.

The UK Government’s hostile and restrictive migration policies are damaging Scotland’s health and social care sector.

In Scotland we need a migration system that works for our NHS, our social care sector, our businesses and third sector. Until we have the full powers over migration that will come with independence, we will do all we can within the devolved powers of the Scottish Parliament to mitigate the UK Government’s harmful approach to migration.

I am therefore pleased to confirm today that the Scottish Government will create a bespoke offering to help social care workers who have been displaced to come to Scotland and contribute to our care sector.

We will provide £500,000 to mitigate the devastating impact of the UK Government’s closure of the care worker visa route and provide targeted support to help displaced social care workers.

This will support international social care workers already in the UK who have lost their social care jobs as a result of their employer losing their visa sponsor licence, to come to Scotland and contribute their valuable skills to our social care sector. It is our intention for this work to begin immediately so that social care workers can settle into new jobs before Christmas.

Question reference: S6W-41307

Asked by: Emma Harper, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 13 October 2025
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Neil Gray on 13 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what further action it is taking to improve access to primary care.

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.

Question reference: S6W-40832

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 26 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 10 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment has been made of the impact that the Highlands and Islands Development Board had on the economic and social development of the Highlands and Islands.

The impact that the Highlands and Islands Development Board (HIDB), the precursor to Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), cannot be overstated. HIE has an excellent timeline on their website: 50 Years of Highlands and Islands Enterprise which highlights the history and key stories as it evolved into the agency we see today and is being updated to mark its 60th anniversary this year.

At the outset, in the face of chronic population decline, sparse economic activity and high unemployment, HIDB was set up to assist the people of the Highlands and Islands to improve the economic and social conditions in the region. Over the past 60 years, the GVA gap between the region and Scotland, has narrowed considerably. In 1965 the region accounted for 2% of Scotland’s total. In 2023 this had risen to 8.5%. Since 1965, population across the region has grown from 381,000 to 470,000, an increase of 23% compared to 6% across Scotland. The very fact that HIE exists today is testament to the success HIDB made in laying the foundations and supporting economic development.

HIE continues that legacy, having never lost sight of its original role, and it is an integral part of the Scottish Government’s economic development landscape, alongside our other economic development agencies, Scottish Enterprise and South of Scotland Enterprise.

More recently, HIE has supported key projects such as Sumitomo, with its new £350m subsea cable manufacturing plant at Port of Nigg. It continues to deliver the Scottish Land Fund, in partnership with the National Lottery Community Fund, on behalf of the whole of Scotland, enabling people to take control of local resources for the long-term benefit of their communities. It’s development officers play a key role in supporting communities with grassroots driven community wealth building. And HIE’s commitment to a place-based approach through its 8 area teams, keeps it grounded and in touch with the needs of businesses and communities across a diverse part of our country.

During 2024-2025 HIE’s support led to a record 15 inward investment projects, securing £81 million in external investment for the region. Its work led to around £24 million in green investment and £28 million in external investment in community group projects and social enterprises. We have continued to protect HIE’s budget as far as possible with an increased opening budget of £56 million, for 2025-2026.

HIE’s Scottish Government sponsor team, finance partners and policy officials are regularly appraised of HIE’s activities and assess performance on an ongoing basis, through its annual reports and accounts, and regular engagement.

I look forward to seeing the work of HIE contributing to the next 60 years and beyond.

Question reference: S6W-40833

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 26 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 10 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to mark the anniversary in November of the founding of the Highlands and Islands Development Board.

I am pleased to see Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), and its hard-working staff, leading on marking this significant milestone both internally and through a series of communications. HIE’s Chief Executive Stuart Black, highlighted the approaching anniversary in his recent blog: Celebrating 60 years – shaping the future of the Highlands and Islands | HIE in August.

Ministers have been invited to join an evening reception to celebrate the joint 60 anniversary of HIE and Prosper, in Inverness on 27 November. And the First Minister is delighted to have the opportunity to address HIE staff in early November as the Anniversary arrives, to reflect on the past 60 years and to thank HIE colleagues for their hard work and contribution to economic development across the Highlands and Islands.

During 2024 to 2025, HIE have supported over 600 projects and secured £81 million in external investment in the region. That, alongside £28 million flowing into community projects, and social enterprises, as HIE continues to prove its worth as a key part of our economic development landscape.

The economic potential of the region is massive, as evidenced by the publication of the Regional Transformational Opportunities research | HIE commissioned by HIE. The First Minister and I have both put on record our support for the work that HIE do, and we will continue to advocate strongly for the key contribution HIE, makes to the economy of the Highlands and Islands.

Question reference: S6W-40831

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 26 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 10 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will commission a national shipbuilding strategy to address the reported current structural and competitive barriers to the growth of commercial shipbuilding exports.

Question reference: S6O-05049

Asked by: Willie Coffey, MSP for Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 9 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of the energy price cap increase on fuel poverty in Scotland.

The Scottish Government's most recent fuel poverty scenario modelling was published Friday October 3rd covering the October to December 2025 period under an Ofgem price cap of £1,755 for the typical dual fuel household paying by direct debit and is available online. This analysis estimated a national fuel poverty rate of 33% (830,000 households) and an extreme fuel poverty rate of 17% (420,000 households).

In an energy rich country like Scotland, nobody should be struggling to pay their energy bills. We need urgent action from the UK Government to fulfil their promise to cut bills by £300.