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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: S6O-05108

Asked by: Keith Brown, MSP for Clackmannanshire and Dunblane, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 October 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what action it is taking to safeguard the future of the Alloa Campus of Forth Valley College.

Question reference: S6O-05109

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 October 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made regarding the number of households whose council tax bills could rise as a result of the proposals in its consultation on the future of council tax.

Question reference: S6W-41416

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 20 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 29 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the proposal for universal BRCA gene testing being offered to everyone with breast cancer.

Scotland’s Clinical Management Pathway for breast cancer currently recommends that people diagnosed with breast cancer be referred for further gene testing (which includes BRCA1 and BRCA2) if they meet criteria designed to identify those at the highest risk.

The criteria are currently based on a clinical risk assessment which considers family history, the age of cancer diagnosis and whether patients have been affected by other types of cancer. We will be guided by clinical expertise on whether these criteria should be extended.

The benefits of offering universal testing, however, would need to be carefully assessed against not only the costs of testing but capacity across our NHS system to best support patients.

In the meantime, we remain committed to working with stakeholders across the NHS to raise awareness of the testing available and improve the coordination of care across Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-41344

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 29 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-40662 by Jim Fairlie on 1 October 2025, what the value is of the bareboat charterparty agreement with the operator, Serco NorthLink.

Question reference: S6W-41358

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 29 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it carries out to assess the compliance of NHS boards with section (a) 120 and (b) 121 of the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019, and what discussions it had has with the NHS boards about their compliance, including how they will report on this.

The Transport to Health Delivery Plan published by Scottish Government in October 2024 aims to ensure access to healthcare facilities is fully considered within regional and local planning.

As one of the commitments in the plan set out, the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019 section 120 and 121 commenced on 22 September 2023 placing a requirement on Health Boards to work with community transport providers and consider the economic and social impacts of non-emergency patient transport.

We monitor the NHS Territorial Boards annual delivery returns and continue to use annual reviews and regular meetings with Boards to engage on a range of topics relevant to service delivery as required, including any transport concerns.

We recognise that collaborative working between NHS Boards, Regional Transport Partnerships and other partners is necessary in service planning and decision-making, helping to address longer distances for healthcare.

Question reference: S6W-41341

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 29 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many vacant (a) crofts and (b) farms there were in each local authority area on 30 September in each year since 2021.

Question reference: S6W-41320

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 29 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what the average waiting time is for a child to receive cleft lip and palate surgery, as of 30 September 2025, broken down by NHS board area.

Question reference: S6W-41288

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 13 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 29 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it provides any support to local authorities to encourage the creation of communal community gardens and urban food forests.

The Scottish Government recognises the wide-ranging benefits of community growing, not only for physical and mental wellbeing, but also for fostering social cohesion and resilience within local communities. Community food growing activities have potential to support our ambition to become a Good Food Nation by providing inclusive spaces where people can learn to grow their own food and improve access to nutritious, local produce.

Since 2012, we have provided over £2.4 million in grant funding to directly support organisations who promote, encourage and establish community food growing sites and initiatives. This funding has helped increase the land under cultivation and has supported a variety of organisations to build the skills and capacity needed to empower individuals and groups to engage in food growing activities.

In addition, the Scottish Government provides support to local authorities in fulfilling their statutory duties under Part 9 of the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015, including development of food growing strategies. In its food growing strategy, a local authority must identify areas of land that could be used as allotments as well as land that could be used by a community for the cultivation of vegetables, fruit, herbs or flowers.

It is for each local authority to determine whether the inclusion of urban food forests and community growing sites are appropriate to their local needs and requirements. This includes the development of food growing strategies, which must identify land suitable for allotments and other locally appropriate forms of community growing. Support provided by the Scottish Government has included providing guidance, arranging workshops, and enabling collaborative networks to strengthen local expertise and encourage best practice.

Question reference: S6W-41163

Asked by: Ash Regan, MSP for Edinburgh Eastern, Alba Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 29 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Air Departure Tax (Scotland) Act 2017 being in force, by what date it will implement the provisions of the tax.

Question reference: S6W-41132

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 29 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Dumfries and Galloway Council and SWestrans regarding the impact of recent changes to bus services on communities.

Scottish Government officials met with Dumfries and Galloway Council and SWestrans earlier this year to obtain updates on changes to bus services in the area. However, the Scottish Government is not involved in decision making in relation to local bus services.

Under the Transport Act 1985, local authorities have a duty to identify where there is a social need for particular bus services and can subsidise these at their discretion. In this case, Dumfries and Galloway Council and SWestrans carried out a procurement exercise to award contracts to operate local authority subsidised bus services and school transport services.

	30-09-2021	30-09-2022	30-09-2023	30-09-2024	30-09-2025
Argyll & Bute	113	108	102	89	36
Highland	997	915	835	744	150
Moray	1	1	1	0	0
Na h-Eileanan an Iar	171	127	86	60	27
North Ayrshire	1	1	1	1	0
Orkney	130	127	126	127	9
Shetland	361	330	302	276	26