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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-40911

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 27 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what out-of-hours pharmacy services are available for vulnerable patients to access prescriptions at weekends.

Each Health Board is responsible for the provision of community pharmacy services, including at weekends. Through Health Board Pharmaceutical Care Plans, community pharmacies provide a range of additional national services and locally enhanced services, including Palliative Care Service, Opioid Substitution Therapies, a National Oncology Service and access to Emergency Hormonal Contraception, providing access both in and out of hours.

Question reference: S6W-40910

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 27 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to improve access to pharmacies at weekends.

The provision on community pharmaceutical care is the responsibility of territorial health boards. Each Health Board has in place a Pharmaceutical Care Service Plan which outlines how the Health Board deliver pharmaceutical services to its population, focusing on improving access, enhancing patient care, and meeting community needs through a mix of community pharmacies and integrated care. These plans help identify areas where services need improvement, ensure appropriate pharmacy access, and align with national health goals by integrating pharmacists into multidisciplinary teams.

Question reference: S6W-40841

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 29 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 27 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve data collection and monitoring on secondary breast cancer.

The Cancer Action Plan for Scotland 2023-2026 commits to improving data collection for secondary cancers, starting this process with secondary breast cancer. The Scottish Government is working with Public Health Scotland to review options in relation to collecting data on secondary breast cancer in Scotland.

Officials are expecting advice from Public Health Scotland imminently on this matter. We aim to make a final decision on data collection by the completion of the Cancer Action Plan in 2026.

Question reference: S6W-41148

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 13 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 27 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the Scottish Retail Consortium’s reported view that the term “shoplifting” underplays the seriousness of the crime and the cumulative impact it is having on the retail industry, and the recommendation that the term “shop theft” be used instead across the criminal justice system, including for data collection.

In Scotland, theft is defined as the taking or appropriating property from another person without their consent and with the intent to deprive them of it. This definition encompasses various forms of theft, including shoplifting, housebreaking and malicious mischief. The legal framework for theft in Scotland is based on common law, which is developed through court rulings and precedents.

Common law theft is not defined in legislation but is established through the principles of earlier court decisions. The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) is responsible for the public prosecution of criminal offences in Scotland, including theft.

The Scottish Government recognises the concerns expressed by the Scottish Retail Consortium regarding the impact of retail crime and the terminology used to describe it. While “shoplifting” is commonly used, both terms – “shop theft” and “shoplifting” – refer to the same underlying common law offence of theft.

The Scottish Government’s commitment to tackling shoplifting and retail crime in general was reaffirmed in our Programme for Government, which makes clear our strong support for Police Scotland’s robust approach in addressing this issue.

We continue to invest record levels of funding in policing, with £1.64 billion provided in 2024-25, including £3 million specifically to tackle retail crime. Police Scotland has also published a dedicated action plan to deliver a visible and measurable impact in this area.

Question reference: S6W-41460

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Friday, 24 October 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 21 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will make it a requirement for data on the number of patients receiving care in corridors in hospitals to be regularly collected and published.

Question reference: S6W-41129

Asked by: Edward Mountain, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 24 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the visit to Japan by the Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Energy in September 2025 to lead a delegation from Scotland's offshore wind sector, on what date the cabinet secretary agreed formally to go on the visit, and to whom this decision was given.

Question reference: S6W-41130

Asked by: Edward Mountain, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 24 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the visit to Japan by the Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Energy in September 2025 to lead a delegation from Scotland's offshore wind sector, on what dates the delegates who attended the visit with the cabinet secretary were provided with the visit's itinerary.

Question reference: S6W-41127

Asked by: Edward Mountain, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 24 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the visit to Japan by the Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Energy in September 2025 to lead a delegation from Scotland's offshore wind sector, on what date each diary event for the visit was confirmed in the cabinet secretary’s diary.

Question reference: S6W-41126

Asked by: Edward Mountain, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 24 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the visit to Japan by the Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Energy in September 2025 to lead a delegation from Scotland's offshore wind sector, on what date each diary event for the visit was provisionally entered in the cabinet secretary’s diary.

Question reference: S6W-41131

Asked by: Edward Mountain, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 24 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the visit to Japan by the Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Energy in September 2025 to lead a delegation from Scotland's offshore wind sector, on what date delegates who attended the visit with the cabinet secretary were (a) informally and (b) formally asked if they would attend.