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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-34394

Asked by: Clare Haughey, MSP for Rutherglen, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 03 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 3 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many clinical staff of all grades have been employed by NHS Lanarkshire in child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) in each year since 2016.

Question reference: S6W-35108

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 3 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with NHS Borders regarding the situation at the Knoll Hospital, Duns, and the reported need to close the hospital in order to undertake remedial works due to the presence of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC).

Question reference: S6W-35111

Asked by: Gillian Mackay, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 3 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the report, Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) Services in Scotland: An updated analysis of Health Board survey data as of July 2024, which was published in November 2024 and (a) suggested that there was a lack of services for children and young people with ME/CFS and (b) noted that only one NHS board reported any provision for children and young people with ME/CFS.

We recognise the importance of good quality care for children and young people living with ME/CFS.

The Scottish Budget 2025-26 includes £4.5 million to deliver specialist support across the country for long COVID, ME/CFS and other similar conditions. We are carefully considering how this new investment can best benefit people with these conditions across Scotland.

ME/CFS can present a broad range of symptoms, and we know there is no ‘one-size fits all’ response. Children and young people with ME/CFS who require investigation or input from secondary care specialities may access this via an appropriate GP referral, according to their needs.

We have funded the dissemination of an online learning module on ME/CFS for GPs and health professionals in Scotland, which is improving participants’ ability to diagnose and manage ME/CFS. NHS Education for Scotland have also published a Practice Based Small Group Learning module about ME/CFS for GPs and Primary Care professionals.

There are a number of national policy and strategic drivers which aim to ensure children and young people receive the best quality care & support. The Maternal and Child Health page on the Scottish Government website outlines the latest pieces of work towards our priorities in supporting children and young people.

The Health and Social Care Standards set out what we should expect when using health, social care or social work services in Scotland. We have also set out guidance regarding health and social care and supporting disabled children, young people and their families.

We want every child and young person in Scotland to reach their full potential. All support and planning for children and young people with ME/CFS should be underpinned by Getting it Right for Every Child (GIRFEC) - the national approach in Scotland to supporting the wellbeing, and to improving outcomes, of our children and young people.

Question reference: S6W-34449

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 3 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many speech and language therapists have been employed in schools in each local authority area in each year since 1999.

Question reference: S6W-35262

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 3 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government when the mandatory remote electronic monitoring requirements for pelagic fishing vessels come into force and how these apply to (a) Scottish and (b) non-Scottish vessels operating in the Scottish zone.

Mandatory remote electronic monitoring (REM) requirements for pelagic fishing trips come into force on 7 March 2026. The legislation can be found at https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ssi/2024/165/contents/made

From this date Scottish pelagic vessels covered by the legislation will be required to have a fully operational REM system for the duration of all relevant fishing trips wherever they are fishing.

For non-Scottish pelagic vessels the legislation requires an REM system to be fully operational for the duration of all relevant fishing trips in the Scottish zone.

Technical specifications for REM systems as set out at https://www.gov.scot/publications/pelagic-fishing-remote-electronic-monitoring-technical-specifications/

Question reference: S6W-35182

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 3 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many patients were on waiting lists for physical activity programmes (a) in total and (b) for over a year, in each of the last five years.

Question reference: S6W-34364

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 31 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 28 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many full-time equivalent contractors it has employed in each year from 2021-22 to 2024-25 to date.

Question reference: S6W-34347

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 31 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 28 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to address the reported workforce crisis in relation to psychiatry, in light of the Royal College of Psychiatrists in Scotland Locum Psychiatrist Survey, which states that Scotland’s psychiatric workforce is not growing sufficiently to keep pace with the rising scale of demand for services, and that workforce gaps have led to the widespread recruitment of locum psychiatrists, raising patient safety concerns.

The Scottish Government established the Psychiatry Recruitment and Retention Working Group as committed in the Mental Health Workforce Action Plan (November 2023) to address recruitment and retention challenges facing psychiatry in NHS Scotland.

The working group is actively considering the pipeline of trainee doctors as well as issues such as the use of locum staff and how we can encourage and support applications to permanent positions within NHS Health Boards. We also continue to invest heavily in our future consultant workforce and have created additional training places in psychiatry.

Representatives from the Royal College of Psychiatry in Scotland and the Senior Medical Managers in Psychiatry Group are critical partners in this work.

The working group is due to report to Ministers with recommendations in Spring 2025.

Question reference: S6W-34339

Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 31 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 28 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the letter by the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government to the Convener of the Finance and Public Administration Committee on 27 January 2025, by what date the Joint Working Group on Sources of Local Government Funding and Council Tax Reform will advise on further changes to council tax premiums on second and empty homes.

The Joint Working Group on Sources of Local Government Funding and Council Tax Reform continues to consider the analysis pertaining to all aspects of the Consultation on the Council Tax Treatment of Second and long-term Empty Homes, and whether there could be further increases to the Council Tax premium, which would require primary legislation. I will keep Parliament updated on those considerations.

The Group also intends to review the data collected on second and & long term empty homes. The Council Tax premium on second homes was introduced on 1 April 2024, and therefore has only been in effect for 10 months. Information on second homes and empty properties (as at September 2025) will be collected and published later in the year.

Question reference: S6W-34352

Asked by: Maggie Chapman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 31 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 28 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what data it has on how many people with no recourse to public funds have received Best Start Foods payments.

Social Security Scotland routinely publishes information on Best Start Grant and Best Start Foods applications and payments. Information on the number of awards made to people with no recourse to public funds is not held within the system used to process applications and therefore not available for publication.

The latest Best Start Grant and Best Start Foods Payment official statistics publication can be found at: Social Security Scotland - Best Start Grant and Best Start Foods statistics to 31December 2024.