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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-42621

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 19 December 2025
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 13 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-42077 by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 9 December 2025, whether it will list the membership of the Working Group on the Supreme Court Judgement.

The Working Group was convened by the Permanent Secretary and is chaired by the Director General for Education and Justice. The membership of the Working Group includes representatives from every relevant portfolio area across the Scottish Government, including officials from the following Director Generals (DG):

DG Corporate
DG Communities
DG Education and Justice
DG Economy
DG Exchequer
DG Net Zero
DG Health and Social Care
DG Strategy and External Affairs

Question reference: S6W-42723

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 18 December 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 13 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how it will ensure that colleges can meet reported rising industry demand for skilled workers in engineering, energy, transport and construction.

The Scottish Government is reforming the post-school education and skills system, including the introduction of a new Scottish Government-led approach to national skills planning, and strengthening regional skills planning, to ensure that post school provision becomes more responsive to Scotland’s strategic skills needs and priorities.

Alongside reform, we are taking targeted action to meet urgent skills needs in specific sectors. For example, we are investing up to £2 million to develop engineering skills in the Glasgow City Region through a programme led by Clyde Maritime Cluster, and the defence sector, with Skills Development Scotland. Member authorities, led by Inverclyde Council, are leading on engagement with local employability partnerships to identify individuals who would benefit; and offer training opportunities through interventions including Skills Academies, paid work experience and guaranteed interviews. We are also investing £3.5 million in colleges to provide courses in important skills in offshore wind and social care via the Offshore Wind and Care Skills Programmes, with the intention of creating industry-leading new courses and upskilling students across the country. These interventions are designed to support progression into sustainable employment and align with Fair Work and inclusive growth objectives.

Operational decisions such as curriculum delivery are the responsibility of individual colleges.

Question reference: S6W-42722

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 18 December 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 13 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of reported declining college staff numbers on the delivery of (a) technical and (b) vocational courses.

The Scottish Government does not hold information on staffing levels, operational decisions are for individual colleges to determine.

Colleges are responsible for making workforce-related decisions in line with legislative requirements, the Code of Good Governance for Scotland’s Colleges and the Scottish Funding Council’s Financial Memoranda. Such decisions are made in response to the changing needs of the local economy and industry skills demands, as well as ensuring the institution is financially sustainable.

Question reference: S6T-02834

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 12 January 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 13 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that the former chief executive of CalMac received a severance package exceeding £170,000, including whether this complied with the severance provisions set out in the Scottish Public Finance Manual.

Question reference: S6T-02831

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 12 January 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 13 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports of a postcode lottery for classroom supplies and that some schools have only 93p per child per week for basic classroom supplies.

Question reference: S6F-04575

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 12 January 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 15 January 2026

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6F-04578

Asked by: Douglas Ross, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 12 January 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 15 January 2026

To ask the First Minister for what reason the Scottish Government is going to court to continue to allow it to house male prisoners in the female prison estate, in light of any projections it has made of the cost to taxpayers in Scotland of challenging the Supreme Court ruling in this way.

Question reference: S6F-04588

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 12 January 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 15 January 2026

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to findings published by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow indicating that a majority of clinicians anticipate practical challenges in implementing the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill.

Question reference: S6F-04587

Asked by: Keith Brown, MSP for Clackmannanshire and Dunblane, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 12 January 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 15 January 2026

To ask the First Minister whether he will provide an update regarding the Scottish Government’s latest engagement with the UK Government in relation to the distribution of Local Growth Fund allocations in Scotland.

Question reference: S6F-04574

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 12 January 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 15 January 2026

Question to be taken in Chamber.