The Scottish Parliament

Question reference: S6W-39132

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 July 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 23 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that nearly half of the people in Scotland who have paid for private healthcare did so because they could not access timely NHS treatment.

While a patient has the right, at any time, to exercise choice and seek private treatment, we recognise that excessively long waits for NHS treatment are not acceptable.

We’re determined to reduce patient waits in the year ahead and our investment of £106 million additional funding will help us to deliver more than 150,000 extra appointments and procedures in 2025-26. The funding has been assigned to specialty areas for the year ahead where it can have the greatest impact against the longest waits – this includes £25 million for trauma and orthopaedics, £21 million for imaging, more than £12 million for ophthalmology, over £9 million for Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) and over £8.8 million for Gynaecology.

This funding is just part of our record investment of £21.7 billion for health and social care this year.

Question reference: S6W-39117

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 July 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 23 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with East Renfrewshire Council regarding a letter from the headteacher of Cross Arthurlie Primary School to families of P7 pupils, which reportedly implied that their use of the Union Flag at an event may have been perceived as offensive or sectarian.

Question reference: S6W-39105

Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 July 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 23 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government when SEPA will issue a decision on Pollution Prevention and Control (PPC) permit application PPC/A/1197167 for the Oldhall energy recovery facility in Irvine.

Question reference: S6W-39310

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 July 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 23 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of whether staffing levels across NHS dermatology services are sufficient.

The Scottish Government is responsible for setting the strategic policy direction for NHS Scotland and its workforce. Operational matters, including the staffing of individual services, are the responsibility of each NHS Scotland Health Board.

Workforce statistics, including statistics on certain roles within dermatology services across NHS Scotland, can be found at: NHS Scotland workforce | Turas Data Intelligence

The Scottish Government works with a stakeholder group (which includes NHS Education for Scotland, the British Medical Association, the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges and various Health Board representatives including regional workforce planners) to undertake annual reviews of the number of specialty training places (for resident doctors) needed across all specialties (including dermatology) in order to meet anticipated future service demand and consultant need.

At a local level, the Health and Care (Staffing) (Scotland) Act 2019 places duties on Health Boards to ensure that at all times suitably qualified and competent individuals are working in such numbers as are appropriate for the health, wellbeing and safety of patients, the provision of high-quality care and the wellbeing of staff.

Question reference: S6W-39263

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 July 2025
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 23 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-38588 by Richard Lochhead on 17 June 2025, whether it will provide comparative data for each year since 2015.

Data are available on the number of SMEs operating in Scotland, that are registered for VAT and/or PAYE, broken down by Scottish parliamentary constituency. These estimates, sourced from the Businesses in Scotland 2024 publication, are shown in the following table.

Table 1: Number of registered SMEs operating in Scotland, by Scottish Parliamentary Constituency, March 2015-2024

Scottish Parliamentary Constituency	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024
Aberdeen Central	4,515	4,440	4,315	4,235	4,315	4,265	4,065	3,915	3,930	4,170
Aberdeen Donside	2,430	2,405	2,310	2,250	2,285	2,270	2,245	2,115	2,045	1,995
Aberdeen South and North Kincardine	3,420	3,380	3,255	3,200	3,185	3,175	3,050	2,850	2,680	2,660
Aberdeenshire East	4,505	4,490	4,430	4,415	4,330	4,280	4,115	4,030	3,890	3,875
Aberdeenshire West	4,635	4,635	4,555	4,480	4,620	4,575	4,455	4,305	4,145	4,110
Airdrie and Shotts	1,485	1,525	1,565	1,545	1,570	1,595	1,635	1,650	1,660	1,725
Almond Valley	2,075	2,140	2,190	2,235	2,275	2,260	2,245	2,195	2,175	2,220
Angus North and Mearns	3,275	3,235	3,185	3,150	3,150	3,155	3,085	2,975	2,860	2,850
Angus South	2,210	2,275	2,290	2,285	2,295	2,275	2,270	2,290	2,260	2,225
Argyll and Bute	3,205	3,185	3,210	3,155	3,150	3,160	3,175	3,260	3,270	3,245
Ayr	2,135	2,205	2,260	2,195	2,270	2,185	2,225	2,170	2,195	2,190
Banffshire and Buchan Coast	3,405	3,420	3,460	3,455	3,500	3,515	3,455	3,390	3,305	3,290
Caithness, Sutherland and Ross	3,965	3,995	3,935	3,930	3,950	3,880	3,845	3,725	3,630	3,625
Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley	2,295	2,340	2,345	2,375	2,350	2,420	2,345	2,335	2,320	2,320
Clackmannanshire and Dunblane	1,800	1,825	1,835	1,825	1,810	1,775	1,730	1,695	1,715	1,715
Clydebank and Milngavie	1,735	1,820	1,840	1,820	1,805	1,810	1,800	1,735	1,720	1,725
Clydesdale	2,595	2,650	2,650	2,660	2,680	2,645	2,605	2,605	2,595	2,615
Coatbridge and Chryston	1,440	1,530	1,585	1,605	1,625	1,610	1,610	1,610	1,590	1,595
Cowdenbeath	1,560	1,650	1,960	2,175	2,115	1,980	1,795	1,570	1,555	1,545
Cumbernauld and Kilsyth	1,435	1,510	1,565	1,495	1,555	1,570	1,530	1,490	1,435	1,435
Cunninghame North	1,970	1,975	2,020	1,980	1,965	1,945	1,955	1,900	1,840	1,830
Cunninghame South	1,275	1,300	1,370	1,365	1,375	1,430	1,390	1,285	1,290	1,275
Dumbarton	1,640	1,670	1,705	1,690	1,685	1,805	1,790	1,655	1,620	1,615
Dumfriesshire	3,350	3,320	3,320	3,355	3,380	3,390	3,375	3,410	3,405	3,460
Dundee City East	1,545	1,580	1,575	1,550	1,550	1,565	1,585	1,590	1,560	1,570
Dundee City West	1,830	1,810	1,890	1,850	1,935	1,985	2,005	2,040	2,030	2,055
Dunfermline	1,955	2,020	2,090	2,065	2,085	2,090	2,040	1,965	1,920	1,895
East Kilbride	1,895	1,915	1,955	1,985	2,000	1,975	1,990	2,000	2,015	2,015
East Lothian	2,430	2,545	2,580	2,615	2,660	2,645	2,595	2,565	2,550	2,580
Eastwood	2,030	2,125	2,180	2,170	2,175	2,170	2,180	2,175	2,120	2,155
Edinburgh Central	7,045	7,265	7,365	7,540	7,785	7,840	7,710	7,585	7,535	7,580
Edinburgh Eastern	1,450	1,580	1,690	1,705	1,785	1,775	1,735	1,735	1,720	1,745
Edinburgh Northern and Leith	3,070	3,235	3,280	3,250	3,330	3,360	3,175	3,100	3,085	3,130
Edinburgh Pentlands	1,375	1,475	1,520	1,505	1,560	1,630	1,555	1,520	1,465	1,470
Edinburgh Southern	2,465	2,540	2,575	2,535	2,585	2,610	2,500	2,350	2,260	2,215
Edinburgh Western	2,325	2,455	2,545	2,565	2,685	2,715	2,525	2,420	2,390	2,370
Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire	3,230	3,205	3,185	3,180	3,180	3,150	3,165	3,215	3,205	3,205
Falkirk East	1,710	1,740	1,755	1,695	1,700	1,755	1,710	1,645	1,600	1,605
Falkirk West	2,070	2,135	2,160	2,170	2,175	2,130	2,105	2,055	2,050	2,065
Galloway and West Dumfries	3,155	3,115	3,080	3,060	3,065	3,020	2,975	3,005	2,980	2,955
Glasgow Anniesland	1,245	1,335	1,395	1,395	1,355	1,335	1,305	1,295	1,275	1,250
Glasgow Cathcart	1,365	1,415	1,530	1,535	1,520	1,500	1,520	1,525	1,515	1,505
Glasgow Kelvin	6,820	7,060	7,125	7,420	7,670	7,720	7,670	7,630	7,710	7,870
Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn	1,270	1,280	1,370	1,390	1,410	1,420	1,410	1,425	1,410	1,380
Glasgow Pollok	1,185	1,240	1,370	1,340	1,395	1,415	1,440	1,455	1,430	1,405
Glasgow Provan	875	945	1,015	1,005	1,105	1,125	1,150	1,150	1,105	1,105
Glasgow Shettleston	2,080	2,180	2,275	2,320	2,360	2,380	2,400	2,435	2,440	2,455
Glasgow Southside	2,505	2,595	2,695	2,710	2,820	3,200	3,240	3,325	3,225	3,225
Greenock and Inverclyde	1,340	1,380	1,415	1,390	1,370	1,370	1,340	1,295	1,295	1,270
Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse	1,760	1,835	1,890	1,910	1,975	1,990	1,990	1,955	1,930	1,945
Inverness and Nairn	3,150	3,230	3,185	3,195	3,245	3,200	3,200	3,240	3,240	3,290
Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley	2,190	2,220	2,300	2,245	2,275	2,285	2,285	2,315	2,270	2,240
Kirkcaldy	1,715	1,720	1,695	1,705	1,755	1,990	1,915	1,760	1,730	1,745
Linlithgow	2,370	2,490	2,540	2,540	2,640	2,610	2,575	2,560	2,550	2,605
Mid Fife and Glenrothes	1,635	1,655	1,695	1,685	1,705	1,680	1,665	1,630	1,620	1,620
Midlothian North and Musselburgh	2,175	2,235	2,320	2,330	2,250	2,305	2,270	2,340	2,320	2,385
Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale	2,585	2,635	2,665	2,645	2,790	2,815	2,790	2,800	2,780	2,770
Moray	2,655	2,715	2,720	2,710	2,775	2,765	2,710	2,685	2,690	2,660
Motherwell and Wishaw	1,560	1,625	1,695	1,690	1,710	1,735	1,740	1,775	1,760	1,775
Na h-Eileanan an Iar	1,190	1,180	1,175	1,205	1,200	1,200	1,200	1,205	1,210	1,225
North East Fife	2,405	2,440	2,375	2,365	2,415	2,430	2,385	2,425	2,425	2,395
Orkney Islands	1,510	1,490	1,485	1,515	1,525	1,490	1,460	1,500	1,490	1,490
Paisley	1,900	1,920	1,975	1,970	2,040	2,040	2,080	2,070	2,045	2,090
Perthshire North	3,230	3,205	3,225	3,210	3,295	3,245	3,235	3,280	3,240	3,285
Perthshire South and Kinross-shire	2,940	2,990	3,055	3,105	3,030	3,030	3,010	3,045	3,055	3,050
Renfrewshire North and West	1,970	2,060	2,095	2,100	2,030	2,055	2,065	2,035	2,000	1,960
Renfrewshire South	1,395	1,415	1,445	1,425	1,515	1,495	1,495	1,485	1,470	1,490
Rutherglen	1,680	1,760	1,845	1,805	1,850	1,855	1,850	1,915	1,900	1,900
Shetland Islands	1,440	1,480	1,510	1,530	1,515	1,520	1,565	1,600	1,605	1,595
Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch	3,905	3,930	3,930	3,965	4,070	4,050	4,035	4,130	4,140	4,215
Stirling	3,235	3,310	3,260	3,240	3,280	3,335	3,315	3,310	3,270	3,280
Strathkelvin and Bearsden	1,985	2,095	2,135	2,100	2,125	2,090	2,055	2,020	2,000	1,985
Uddingston and Bellshill	1,970	1,990	2,070	2,055	2,090	2,155	2,120	2,150	2,150	2,125
Scotland Total	168,040	171,630	174,035	173,915	176,355	177,020	174,735	172,835	170,995	171,660

Source: Businesses in Scotland 2024

Notes:

1.Excludes central and local government.

2.Excludes unregistered businesses. Unregistered businesses are the smallest businesses that have a turnover below the VAT threshold (£85,000) and do not employ others, and so are registered neither for VAT nor for PAYE.

3.SMEs are Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, that is businesses with fewer than 250 employees. Enterprise size is defined based on the number of employees that the business employs across the UK.

4.Business counts are rounded to the nearest five. Totals may not equal the sum of the constituent parts due to rounding.

5.Each business is counted once in each area it operates in. The sum of the area business counts does not equal the overall Scotland total because each business is only counted once in the Scotland total.

Question reference: S6W-39302

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 July 2025
Current Status: Answered by Kaukab Stewart on 23 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a list of all of the funding that it has provided to any LGBTQI+ charities and organisations in the financial year 2024-25.

The Scottish Government provided funding of over £1.1m from the Equality and Human Rights Fund to organisations working to promote LGBTQI+ equality in Scotland in 2024-25.

This funding provides support for a range of initiatives, including supporting policy development for LGBTQI+ people, research into the lives of the LGBTQI+ community and an LGBT helpline.

Detailed information on funding the Scottish Government has provided LGBTQI+ charities and organisations in the financial year 2024-25 has been published on our website. You can view this at Equality and Human Rights Fund: projects funded - gov.scot.

Question reference: S6W-39143

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 July 2025
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 23 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what the total anticipated cost is of any severance, redundancy and pension liabilities resulting from its planned reductions to its workforce.

Question reference: S6W-39142

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 July 2025
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 23 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many compulsory redundancies it anticipates there will be within its workforce by the end of 2025.

In support of the Budget and wider Public Service Reform agenda, the Scottish Government is proactively addressing the need to control workforce size.

From March 2022 to March 2025, the total workforce in the Scottish Government has reduced by 5%. This reduction has been achieved through prioritising reductions in contingent workers, natural attrition and enhanced recruitment controls. There are currently no plans for redundancies for this financial year.

As the Public Service Reform Strategy is taken forward we will establish how this will shape the future workforce plan for the Scottish Government organisation and the wider Civil Service.

Question reference: S6W-39046

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 27 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 23 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether Part 5, section 126, subsection (1) of the Housing (Scotland) Act 2006 should be amended in order to insert an exemption to House of Multiple Occupancy (HMO) licensing requirements for properties managed by co-operatives, in order to provide housing co-operatives in Scotland parity with their counterparts in England, which are already exempt from HMO licensing.

I recognise the importance of housing co-operatives and the need to support and encourage them. While we already have powers to make amendments to this section, given the importance of HMO licensing in protecting tenants in Scotland, any decision to make such a change should not be taken lightly, and certainly not before full consideration of any unintended consequences and mitigations had been undertaken. On that basis, the Scottish Government has no immediate plans to change the legislation relating to Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) licensing requirements.

England and Wales operate a different HMO licensing regime from Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-38969

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 23 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the announcement of £40 million to support the University of Dundee, from which part of the Scottish Budget this will be allocated.

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