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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.

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Question reference: S6W-43800

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 February 2026
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 5 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answers to the Urgent Question and supplementary questions by Dorothy Bain on 18 February 2026, whether (a) the First Minister has, (b) any other minister has and (c) any special advisers have ever asked the Lord Advocate for information about the criminal case against Peter Murrell, and, if so, when any such contact was made, and what information was sought.

Question reference: S6W-43802

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 February 2026
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 5 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answers to the Urgent Question and supplementary questions by Dorothy Bain on 18 February 2026, what its position is on whether it has been involved in any political interference in the criminal case against Peter Murrell.

Question reference: S6W-43872

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 20 February 2026
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 5 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the active travel budget being underspent over the last two years of budget decisions, for what reason it was reduced in the Autumn revision of the Budget.

The active travel budget was adjusted in the Autumn Budget Revision. The original 2025-26 active travel budget was £164.8 million, comprising £12.4 million resource and £152.4 million capital. In addition, a further £23.9 million for Cycling, Walking & Safer Routes was allocated within the ‘central government grants’ budget line, bringing the total original allocation for 2025-26 to £188.7 million.

The comparator figures for 2025-26 are lower following agreed transfers at the Autumn Budget Revision. Funding was moved from the Active Travel budget to Local Authorities and to the Road Safety Directorate of Transport Scotland so that these delivery partners could take forward active travel projects directly. A further £0.5 million was transferred into the Active Travel budget to support Bikeability.

Following these adjustments, the revised total of £135.9 million, consisting of £13.1 million resource and £122.8 million capital, reflects these transfers and ensures that the budget is aligned with where delivery responsibility sits for the remainder of the year.

This revision is a technical adjustment to support delivery and does not represent any reduction in the Scottish Government’s commitment to active travel investment.

Question reference: S6W-43887

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 23 February 2026
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 5 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will undertake an urgent assessment of the five contracted partners in SSEN Distribution’s £950 million framework for improving subsea grid connections for Scotland’s island communities, in relation to upholding the aims of the Fair Work Convention, which was renewed on 19 February 2026.

SSEN’s £950 million framework does not include any public funding, and the Scottish Government does not have the levers to enforce Fair Work conditions on private investments.
Employment law is reserved to the UK Government.
The Scottish Government strongly encourages all employers in Scotland to follow Fair Work principles as part of its wider Fair Work agenda, and is using all the levers available to us to make Fair Work the norm by promoting and embedding Fair Work within every Ministerial portfolio and across the economy, including through our Fair Work First conditionality policy.

Question reference: S6W-43896

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 February 2026
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 5 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the introduction of an annual gynaecological check-up entitlement to improve early detection of gynaecological cancers and conditions.

There are no current plans to introduce an annual gynaecological check-up entitlement for gynaecological cancers as there are no suitably accurate screening tests for Ovarian, Uterine, Vaginal or Vulva Cancers.

Our national screening programmes are guided by the recommendations of the UK National Screening Committee, an independent expert advisory group which advises all four nations of the United Kingdom on screening policy. We are working to increase coverage and uptake within the established cervical screening programme.

We are committed to improving the early detection of Gynaecological Cancers by raising awareness of symptoms through our Detect Cancer Earlier programme including featuring people who have been successfully treated for ovarian cancer in our public awareness campaigns.

We know that Gynaecological Cancers often have non-specific symptoms such as bloating, abdominal pain, loss of appetite, fatigue or changes in bowel habits. Non-specific symptoms are associated with delayed diagnosis, higher rates of later-stage disease and poorer outcomes. The revised Scottish Referral Guidelines for Suspected Cancer (SRGs) were published in August 2025 and include a new guideline for patients with non-specific symptoms to support primary care clinicians to identify those requiring urgent assessment by a specialist.

Question reference: S6W-43894

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 February 2026
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 5 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what support is offered to ovarian cancer patients who have to travel to England for hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) surgery.

Scottish Government wants people diagnosed with cancer to be treated as close to home as clinically possible.

As treatments for cancer become more complex and specialist, such as hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) surgery, it is not possible to deliver them in every location. We know that the best outcomes are often associated with specialist centres and patients should be fully supported in accessing these.

The Scottish Government expects NHS Boards to work collaboratively with HIPEC centres of excellence in England and transport providers to make suitable arrangements to ensure that necessary treatment can be provided in a patient-centred way.

Question reference: S6W-43892

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 February 2026
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 5 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how ovarian cancer patients in Scotland can access hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) surgery.

Question reference: S6W-43893

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 February 2026
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 5 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what work is being done to make hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) surgery for ovarian cancer available in Scotland.

The Scottish Government has no immediate plans to make hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) surgery for ovarian cancer available in Scotland.

Although the value of HIPEC could be recognised for a limited number of patients, any future service establishment would need to be considered in line with patient need and improved patient outcomes. HIPEC is not a standard treatment for Ovarian Cancer and is not considered routinely. It is typically used as a specialised add-on therapy.

Question reference: S6O-05632

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 March 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 12 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether it is appropriate for the Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Energy to use terms such as "far right" in the context of objections to energy projects.

Question reference: S6O-05631

Asked by: Karen Adam, MSP for Banffshire and Buchan Coast, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 March 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 12 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve the reliability and accountability of bus services in rural and coastal constituencies.