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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-05029

Asked by: Clare Haughey, MSP for Rutherglen, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 October 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the implementation of its international strategy, how and by what mechanisms it is engaging with the governments of other European nations.

Question reference: S6O-05030

Asked by: Ruth Maguire, MSP for Cunninghame South, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 October 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what representations NGOs have made to it regarding its work to support humanitarian assistance in Palestine.

Question reference: S6O-05031

Asked by: Meghan Gallacher, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 October 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding its role in proposing the scheduling of parliamentary business, how it can help ensure that parliamentary time is used constructively for the remainder of this parliamentary session.

Question reference: S6W-40738

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 1 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will increase funding for the No Knives, Better Lives campaign, in light of the campaign having a reported 12% real-terms reduction in its funding since 2022-23.

Against a background of increased funding pressures, we have committed over £6 million to support delivery of a range of prevention and early intervention activities through the Violence Prevention Framework, since its publication in 2023. This investment supports a range of partners, who are working jointly to deliver on the priorities set out in the Framework. YouthLink Scotland’s No Knives, Better Lives programme itself has been financially supported with grant funding of over £5.7m since 2009, including almost £300k in 2025-26. This has allowed YouthLink Scotland to deliver social media messages about knife crime prevention as well as No Knives, Better Lives training sessions to 6,000 front line practitioners and 650 peer educators. This has enabled the programme to reach 165,000 young people across all 32 local authorities in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-40737

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 1 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how it monitors repeat GP attendances for unresolved symptoms, what data it collects on such cases, and how this data informs policy to prevent missed diagnoses.

The Scottish Government recognises the importance of early diagnosis of cancer or serious illness and would expect any patient presenting with potential symptoms to be assessed as quickly as possible.

The Scottish Referral Guidelines (SRG) for Suspected Cancer support primary care clinicians to identify those with symptoms suspicious of cancer 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.

Question reference: S6W-40739

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 1 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the 2025 biennial workforce survey by the Society of Chief Officers of Trading Standards in Scotland (SCOTSS), which highlights a shortage of staff and resources.

Question reference: S6W-40749

Asked by: Annabelle Ewing, MSP for Cowdenbeath, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 1 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government which NHS boards have exercised their discretion to return vaccination delivery responsibility to rural GPs.

Since 2022, Health Boards have been responsible for delivering Scotland’s vaccination programmes. The Scottish Government has always recognised that there may be circumstances (eg, in remote and rural places) were some vaccination services need to be delivered by General Practice. It is important that such flexibility exists to ensure that vaccination is as readily accessible to people as possible, regardless of local geography or other situations. However, it is not the case that Health Boards can do so on a discretionary basis.

Through an Options Appraisal process put in place by the Scottish Government, Health Boards must demonstrate a clear and evidenced need for particular vaccination services to be delivered by General Practice. Scottish Ministers must agree such proposals. A small number of discrete cases have been approved, including one practice within NHS Borders and several practices within Argyll and Bute Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP). In each instance these have been approved in response to specific circumstances to support access to vaccination. Approval has also been given for Highland HSCP to establish a mixed model of vaccine delivery, that will include some GP practices in the area delivering some vaccination services. Highland HSCP are developing their mixed model, and the Scottish Government, along with Public Health Scotland (PHS), are working closely with them to ensure a safe and accessible service.

Question reference: S6W-40733

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 1 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the reported plans to do so in England, whether it plans to adopt a version of the so-called Jess’s Rule to ensure that people repeatedly presenting with unresolved medical symptoms are referred for further investigation.

The Scottish Government does not know at this juncture what the rolling out of Jess’s Rule will require in terms of implementation either by GPs or NHS England. We will be in a position to consider the benefits of the rule when we know more.

However, the Scottish Government understands that the RCGP learning resource which supports “Jess’s Rule” is available to GPs who are members in Scotland as well as in England. We would encourage GPs to make use of this resource.

Question reference: S6W-40745

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 1 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of it withdrawing the Scottish Good Practice statement on myalgic enchephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) and adopting the NICE Guideline on the condition, how compliant specialist services for ME/CFS are to be instituted and monitored for NICE Clinical Guideline compliance across Scotland, and whether it will implement and fund the Delivery Plan elements that are within its devolved competence.

The provision of healthcare services is the responsibility of NHS boards. We expect all boards to ensure that their services are informed by current clinical best practice. In commissioning boards’ plans for the recently announced £4.5 million a year in funding for ME/CFS, long-COVID and other similar conditions, we have stressed the importance of ensuring that services are informed by current clinical best practice, such as National Institute for Excellence in Healthcare (NICE) guidelines NG:206 and NG:188- which are available to clinicians across the UK.

There are no devolved elements of the UK Government’s Delivery Plan on ME/CFS; it covers the population of England only. However, the UK Government shared anonymised responses to its public consultation on the draft Plan from stakeholders living in Scotland with the Scottish Government, and we are taking these views into account as we progress our ongoing work on ME/CFS.

Question reference: S6W-40735

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 1 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to introducing a formal "three strikes and rethink" approach for GPs in dealing with people repeatedly presenting with unresolved medical symptoms, and what consultation it has carried out with medical professionals and patient safety organisations.