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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: S6O-05226

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 November 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what consideration it has given to staff employed within the Parliament as contractors and whether they should have the same employment terms and conditions as corporate and MSP staff.

Question reference: S6W-41837

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 20 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government when it will bring the A75 and A77 up to the standard required for major freight traffic to Cairnryan Port.

The A75 and A77 are vital components of Scotland’s strategic trunk road network, providing essential links between Cairnryan Port and the wider UK and European markets. Both routes are designed to higher standards than local roads, with features that support durability, safety, and resilience.

The South West Scotland Transport Study (2020) highlighted their economic importance: the A75 west of Dumfries carries goods worth around £20 million daily, while the A77 south of Ayr carries £10 million daily, the highest HGV proportions in the region.

Since 2008, significant investment has been made:

A75: Six major schemes, including alignment upgrades, overtaking lanes, and the Dunragit Bypass, totalling over £50 million.

A77: Five major improvements, including the £29 million Maybole Bypass opened in 2022, totalling £64 million.

Maintenance spend since 2007 has been substantial, £173.1 million on the A75 and £146.7 million on the A77, with further allocations in 2024/25 of £20.8 million and £12.5 million respectively. Upcoming works include resurfacing, drainage, and targeted upgrades.

Looking ahead, Recommendation 40 of STPR2 commits to further improvements in safety, resilience, and reliability on both routes. This will include enhanced junctions, additional overtaking opportunities, and carriageway widening or realignment to address pinch points.

A75: Design and assessment work to consider options for realigning the A75 trunk road with bypasses at the villages of Springholm and Crocketford is underway and proceeding at pace. This work will culminate in the identification of a preferred route option for the scheme in early 2027.

A77: Work is underway to further develop and prioritise locations on the A77on the single carriageway section south of Ayr identified as part of STPR2 Recommendation 40. This will include further business case development and stakeholder involvement in this process.

This demonstrates the Scottish Government’s ongoing commitment to ensuring these critical corridors meet the needs of major freight traffic and support Scotland’s economic connectivity.

Question reference: S6W-42017

Asked by: Paul McLennan, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 November 2025
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Natalie Don-Innes on 20 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government when it will lay the proposal for the first Children’s Rights Scheme before the Scottish Parliament.

I am pleased to announce that today, World Children’s Day, I have laid before Parliament, Scotland’s first ever Children’s Rights Scheme. The proposal for the Scheme is available at: https://www.gov.scot/publications/proposal-first-childrens-rights-scheme/

Section 14 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (Incorporation) (Scotland) Act 2024 (the Act) requires Scottish Ministers to make such a Scheme setting out the arrangements they have made, or propose to make, to ensure they comply with the compatibility duty under section 6 of the Act and to secure better or further effect of the rights of children. Section 15 provides for the proposed Scheme to be laid before the Scottish Parliament, which I have duly done.

Engagement on a draft Scheme was undertaken with children and young people; the Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland; the Scottish Human Rights Commission; and Together (Scottish Alliance for Children’s Rights).

World Children’s Day is UNICEF’s global day of action for children, marking the adoption, by United Nations General Assembly, of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989. The Scottish Government is proud to mark this by setting out to Parliament and to the people of Scotland what we are already doing, and planning to do, to help to ensure that children’s rights are at the heart of everything we do. The Scheme builds on last year’s incorporation of the UNCRC into Scots law within the limits of our devolved competence.

Question reference: S6W-42024

Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 November 2025
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 20 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it is making with delivering the Fisheries Management Plans (FMPs) for demersal fish stocks.

A consultation paper proposing publication of 11 Fisheries Management Plans (FMPs) for demersal fish stocks has today been published at: https://consult.gov.scot/marine-scotland/fisheries-management-plans-demersal-fish-stocks/

The four UK fisheries policy authorities (Defra, Scottish Government, Welsh Government and DAERA) have been working together and in partnership with stakeholders to develop the FMPs according to the parameters set within the Fisheries Act 2020 and the Joint Fisheries Statement. The consultation will be led by the Scottish Government and will run for 16 weeks from 20 November 2025 to 11 March 2026.

The consultation is an opportunity for stakeholders to help shape and influence the future of demersal fisheries management policy in the UK and builds upon previous engagement with a wide range of stakeholders across the UK.

Question reference: S6W-42016

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 November 2025
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Richard Lochhead on 20 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government when the refreshed strategy for the life sciences sector will be published.

I am pleased to confirm that the Life Sciences Strategy for Scotland 2035 Vision: Accelerating Growth, Driving Innovation has been published today. Link: https://www.lifesciencesscotland.com/life-sciences-strategy-for-scotland

The Strategy was developed in partnership with the Life Sciences Scotland Industry Leadership Group and sets out the shared commitment and confidence of the triple helix model between industry, Government and the university base in Scotland.

The Scottish Government recognises the Life Sciences sector as one of Scotland’s most productive, high-growth sectors, that provides high quality jobs and supports better healthcare across the country.

Together with industry and academia, we are determined to see the industry grow and thrive over the next ten years.

Question reference: S6W-41789

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 10 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 20 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how it monitors the effects of local authority savings measures on (a) schools, (b) nurseries and (c) educational support services.

Question reference: S6W-41791

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 10 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 20 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how it will ensure that local authority budget decisions do not undermine national education policy objectives.

Question reference: S6W-41779

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 10 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 20 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will review its funding formula for local authorities in light of reported regional development disparities.

The local government finance funding formula provides a complex but objective assessment of need and uses the most up to date information for the full range of indicators, including factors such as population, rurality, road data and deprivation.

The needs-based formula used to distribute the quantum of funding available for local government is kept under constant review and is agreed each year with COSLA on behalf of all 32 local authorities.

While the Scottish Government is always open to suggestions to improve the funding formula, any proposals for change must properly come through COSLA in the first instance.

Question reference: S6W-41459

Asked by: Douglas Ross, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 20 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government under what circumstances it classifies a paper or plan that it is working on as "secret", and what information it has regarding how many of its current papers or plans have this classification.

Question reference: S6W-41448

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 20 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the December 2025 publication of Summary Statistics for Schools in Scotland has been cancelled.

The content previously included in the “Summary Statistics for Schools in Scotland” statistical release will now be released as three separate publications:

Pupil and teacher characteristics - covering information from the current academic year’s pupil census and the school staff census
Funded early learning and childcare statistics - covering information from the current academic year’s Early Learning and Childcare census
School attendance, absence and exclusions statistics - covering information from the previous academic year’s attendance absence and exclusions data collections

This change will make it easier for users to find and access the statistics they are interested in. All three new publications are scheduled for release on 9 December 2025, in line with the usual publication date for Summary Statistics for Schools in Scotland which has now been discontinued.