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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-35530

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 07 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 18 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made with the development of the SaxaVord and Sutherland spaceports, and whether it is its understanding that the business sector plans to consolidate around a single launch location.

For progress on SaxaVord and Sutherland Spaceports, I refer the member to the answers to questions S6W-34559 and S6W-34600 on 6 March 2025. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers.

The Scottish Government is supportive of multiple launch locations, which increase Scotland's offering to the global market, add resilience to the Scottish launch sector and increase the chances of delivering economic benefits to local communities.

Question reference: S6W-35482

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 07 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 18 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the Scottish Prison Service has requested an extension of the public consultation period into the proposal to designate the Victorian buildings at HMP Barlinnie as category A-listed.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

Following discussions with Historic Environment Scotland (HES), SPS has been granted an extension to the HMP Barlinnie public consultation on the proposed listing of buildings.

The extension has been extended until 31 May 2025 to allow SPS to fully consider the extent of the listing and accurately comment on all aspects that are material to the HES decision making process.

HES supported the request and indicated that an extension such as this is normal when considering complex cases such as HMP Barlinnie.

Question reference: S6W-35371

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 10 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 18 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how it measures any progress made by each NHS board to follow the diagnostic pathways for gastrointestinal problems.

Delivering high quality endoscopy is a priority of the NHS Scotland clinical and service teams.

The Scottish Government commissioned the National Endoscopy Programme Team, with the Centre for Sustainable Delivery (CfSD), and Scottish Government officials routinely monitor Health Board performance against the eight key diagnostic tests, including upper endoscopy, lower endoscopy, colonoscopy, cystoscopy, which are used for the diagnosis and surveillance of gastrointestinal problems such as ulcerative colitis and intestinal polyps.

The National Endoscopy Programme Team also supports on-site visits to all Boards to identify local issues, offer Boards support to develop Demand, Capacity, Activity and Queue (DCAQ) information/capacity planning, and promote alternatives to traditional endoscopy such as CytoSCOT, where clinically appropriate.

In addition, CfSD’s Gastroenterology Specialty Delivery Group (SDG) is working to develop national pathway recommendations for gastroenterology diseases such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Irritable Bowel Disease. These pathways will reduce unwarranted variation by standardising service provision and pathways on a best-of-class and once-for-Scotland basis wherever possible.

Performance data relating to the number of waits for one of eight key diagnostic tests is published by Public Health Scotland (PHS) on a quarterly basis. The latest publication provides data up to 31 December 2024 and is available here: Diagnostic waiting times - Waits for key diagnostic tests 25 February 2025 - NHS waiting times - diagnostics - Publications - Public Health Scotland

Question reference: S6W-35377

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 10 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 18 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to improve the "job density", the ratio between the number of employee jobs and the local working age population, for people living in former coalfield areas, in light of the Coalfields Regeneration Trust’s report, State of the Scottish Coalfields 2024, which suggests that this ratio remains much lower in these areas compared with the Scottish average.

The Scottish Government is taking action to create jobs and boost employability in our coalfields communities. We are investing over £900 million in Growth Deals for Ayrshire, Glasgow (including North and South Lanarkshire), and Edinburgh and South East Scotland which includes Fife. This funding is creating thousands of new jobs and maintaining existing jobs across these areas. The UK Government is providing match funding.

No One Left Behind is a Scotland-wide strategy delivering employability support to those eligible and furthest from the labour market. It is a collaboration between the Scottish Government and local authorities, and aligns and integrates services in each local area to offer an all-round, holistic approach.

Regeneration programmes such as Regeneration Capital Grant Fund, Investing in Communities Fund and Strengthening Communities Programme are supporting job creation, training, and employability skills. In addition we have provided over £29 million in funding to CRT since 1999 to invest in improving outcomes for former coalfield communities.

Question reference: S6W-35532

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 10 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 18 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that retired police officers affected by the 2018 McCloud judgment receive a remediable service statement by the 31 March 2025.

I have asked Stephen Pathirana, Chief Executive of the Scottish Public Pensions Agency, to respond. His response is as follows:

The current position for the delivery of remediable service statements to retired police officers is set out in the Scottish Public Pension Agency’s website: https://pensions.gov.scot/police/police-remedy-hub/police-remedy-im-retired

SPPA will keep retired officers informed through updates to its website and with a dedicated newsletter which is due to be issued by the end of March 2025.

Question reference: S6W-35459

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 07 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 18 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-34366 by Shona Robison on 28 February 2025, for what reason more contingent workers are consistently recorded under the Director General for Communities than any other Director General, and what the cause was of the decrease in the number of contingent workers recorded under the Director General for Communities between 2022-23 and 2024.

The programme to devolve social security powers sits within DG Communities and accounts for the majority of its contingent worker headcount. This programme employs both directly employed and contingent workers to ensure it has the right blend of skills and experience to deliver ministerial commitments on social security at any one time. In addition, using contingent workers means headcount is increased on a temporary basis when the work of the programme has been at its greatest and allows resources, and therefore costs, to be quickly and easily reduced as the programme moves towards closure. This is why the figures for contingent workers have increased in the period identified (which correlates with the run up to and delivery of the bulk of the devolved benefits, including disability benefits for both children and adults) and now show a significant decline, given the programme comes to an end in the next financial year.

Question reference: S6W-35461

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 07 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 18 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-34366 by Shona Robison on 28 February 2025, what value was provided by employing 989 contingent workers in the 2021-22 financial year.

A Contingent Worker is defined as non directly employed workers that are engaged in any capacity for the Scottish Government. Contingent worker statistics published include consultants, contractors, interim managers, inward secondments/ Service Level Agreement, temporary workers, short-term youth initiatives, other contractors and Government UK Fast Stream.

The use of contractors in SG is largely accounted for by resourcing requirements to strengthen key professional skills such as expanding our digital capabilities. Employing temporary and agency workers provides the flexibility required to meet immediate business and access specialist and other skills quickly.

Question reference: S6W-35483

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 07 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 18 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what future capital funding will be allocated to the clinical waste disposal site at Hassockrigg Eco Park.

NHS National Services Scotland (NSS) was allocated £6.9m of capital funding for the purchase of the Hassockrigg Eco Park and equipment, to increase the resilience of the system for disposing of NHS clinical waste and to secure its long-term future.

Ongoing running and maintenance costs associated with the site are the responsibility of NSS as site owner, and it is for NSS to allocate appropriate funding for these costs from within the Board’s overall budget. The 2025-26 Scottish Budget provides funding of £428.5 million to NSS. NSS will receive a 3% baseline uplift of £12.5 million – this represents a 0.6% real terms increase compared to 2024-25.

Question reference: S6W-35571

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 18 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-31545 by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 3 December 2024, whether it has received any response from the Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland with regards to the proposed order under section 104 of the Scotland Act 1998 relating to changing marriages to civil partnerships.

We have received a reply from the Secretary of State for Scotland. This reply gives in-principle agreement to the proposed section 104 Order.

Scotland Office has asked for further information on what the Order could cover. The Scottish Government will write to Scotland Office accordingly and will also work with them to agree a timetable.

It may still take some time for the work on the Order to be completed. Scottish Government officials will keep people who have expressed an interest updated on developments.

Question reference: S6T-02425

Asked by: Stuart McMillan, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 17 March 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the reported decision to award phase 1 of the Small Vessel Replacement Programme to a Polish shipyard.