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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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

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Question reference: S6W-42797

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 05 January 2026
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 15 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether issues relating to police officers being unable to retire due to pension buyback or pension scheme interaction issues were discussed at any governance, oversight or management group to which the Police Workforce, Diversity and Inquiry Sponsorship team reports during 2025.

Officials from the Police Workforce, Diversity and Inquiry Sponsorship Unit attend the Scottish Police Pension Scheme Advisory Board (SAB), where a range of issues related to the Police Pension Scheme are discussed.

Minutes from the SAB are available on the Scottish Public Pension Agency website at: https://pensions.gov.scot/police/scheme-governance-and-legislation/scheme-advisory-board and they show that the SAB has not discussed police officers being unable to retire due to pension buyback or pension scheme interaction issues.

Question reference: S6W-42812

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 05 January 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 15 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding any price gaps between the purchase costs of gluten-free products and the NHS reimbursement rate for pharmacies, what steps it is taking to ensure that those with coeliac disease have sufficient access to prescriptions for gluten-free products.

The Scottish Government is not aware of any negative price differentials between the purchase costs of gluten-free food products and the NHS reimbursement rate. The Scottish Drug Tariff contains information regarding the prescribing, dispensing and reimbursement of medicines and appliances. Gluten-free food products are reimbursed in line with this process.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that people living with long term conditions such as coeliac disease receive the care and support they need. People who have been diagnosed with coeliac disease or dermatitis herpetiformis can receive a range of gluten-free foods on prescription at no charge. There is a monthly unit allowance and people may choose to use all or part of that allowance to access these gluten-free items on prescription through their local community pharmacy. Health Boards set out the gluten-free food products available on prescription, taking account of local needs and demands, in their prescribing formularies.

Question reference: S6W-42813

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 05 January 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 15 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what recent assessment it has made of the NHS reimbursement rate for pharmacies purchasing prescriptions for gluten-free products.

The Scottish Drug Tariff contains information regarding the prescribing, dispensing and reimbursement of medicines and appliances. It lists the reimbursement prices paid by the NHS for approved prescribable items. Gluten-free food products are reimbursed in line with this process. Any price updates are imported directly from the UK Dictionary of Medicines and Devices price files by Public Health Scotland, who supply this monthly to PSD to support accurate reimbursement.

Question reference: S6W-42823

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 January 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 15 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the news release of 30 December 2025 by the University of Dundee, Mobile Stroke Units could reduce emergency department transfers by 86%, whether it plans to adopt Professor Iris Grunwald’s proposal for a mobile stroke unit to ease pressure on emergency services, in light of the impact of the unit introduced by the professor in England.

Question reference: S6W-42824

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 January 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 15 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the ongoing work to map out existing mental health services as part of the Delivery Framework for Miscarriage Care in Scotland, and a timeline for its publication.

The Scottish Government is continuing discussions internally and with NHS perinatal mental health professionals around how counselling and other psychological services (including those provided by third sector organisations) could be expanded and improved to provide appropriate support for those impacted, where they don’t require more specialised NHS support.

There are no plans at this time to publish the map of services which will be used to inform policy.

Question reference: S6W-42757

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 19 December 2025
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 15 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how many Pension Age Winter Heating Payments (a) had been and (b) were still to be paid, by 30 November 2025.

Pension Age Winter Heating Payment will support at least 880,000 pensioners with their heating bills this winter.

As of 14 December 2025, more than 568,000 Pension Age Winter Heating Payments had been made.

A release of Official Statistics on Pension Age Winter Heating Payment will be published on 19 May 2026 which will include payments made each month.

Further details are available on Social Security Scotland’s website at: Winter Benefits management information release to 14 December 2025.

Question reference: S6W-42796

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 05 January 2026
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 15 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether issues relating to police officers being unable to retire due to pension buyback or pension scheme interaction issues were discussed by officials within the Police Workforce, Diversity and Inquiry Sponsorship team during 2025.

Question reference: S6W-42818

Asked by: Ash Regan, MSP for Edinburgh Eastern, Independent
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 January 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 15 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how many additional children it estimates would be eligible for universal free school meal entitlement if this was extended to all primary school children.

Question reference: S6W-42852

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 January 2026
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 15 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government when the reporter’s report from the Planning and Environmental Appeals Division for the Lomond Banks planning application was received by the Scottish Ministers, and whether they subsequently sought additional information in determining the appeal.

Question reference: S6W-42820

Asked by: Ash Regan, MSP for Edinburgh Eastern, Independent
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 January 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 15 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what the uptake was of free school meals in 2025 for (a) primary and (b) secondary pupils in each local authority area.