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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-38250

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 June 2025
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 17 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government when any outstanding Scottish Upland Sheep Support Scheme payments for 2025-26 will be paid to applicants.

The application window for the Scottish Upland Sheep Support Scheme (SUSSS) in scheme year 2025 does not open until 1 September 2025.

Payments under the SUSSS for scheme year 2024 commenced in May 2025, as set out in the 2024 Payments Strategy timetable.

As per the payment strategy timetable, there are no delayed payments and as at 9 June 2025, 98% of eligible applicants have been paid with 17 applicants still to receive a 2024 SUSSS payment. There are various reasons why a payment has not yet issued, for example, information has still to be provided by the applicant or application processing has still to complete. All remaining payments will be processed and paid as soon as is possible.

Question reference: S6W-38260

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 17 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve outcomes from cardiovascular disease, in light of an analysis from British Heart Foundation (BHF) Scotland, which reportedly shows that Scotland has seen the first sustained rise in heart disease deaths in a generation.

The Scottish Government has launched the Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) Risk Factors programme to improve CVD outcomes with an aim to ‘reduce avoidable CVD death by 20% in 20 years’. The focus is on improving the identification and management of key risk factors which are; high blood pressure, high cholesterol, raised blood sugars, obesity and smoking.

We have also established a new GP enhanced service from the 2025-26 Reform Fund to support 100,000 patients who are at risk of developing CVD.

Our Population Health Framework, soon to be published in partnership with COSLA, will support the creation of environments that positively supports health and wellbeing. It will focus on prevention and tackling the building blocks of health—including good early years and education, fair work and income, healthy places, equitable healthcare, and the broader social and economic drivers of ill health.

Question reference: S6W-38269

Asked by: Ben Macpherson, MSP for Edinburgh Northern and Leith, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 17 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how it will ensure the full implementation of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) across all NHS boards, and whether this implementation will supersede the updated 2023 Scottish Good Practice Statement on ME/CFS.

The Scottish Government withdrew the Scottish Good Practice Statement (SGPS) on 28 May 2025, leaving NICE Guideline NG206 as the default clinical guidance on ME/CFS. This will help provide clarity to NHS Boards as providers of care for people in their area with ME/CFS.

Work is ongoing to determine how the additional £4.5 million announced in the 2025-26 budget to deliver new specialist support for ME/CFS, long COVID and other similar conditions will be allocated to NHS boards, what conditions it will cover and the services it will prioritise. We want this money to have maximum impact and are working closely and carefully with boards across Scotland to allocate it as quickly and effectively as possible.

Question reference: S6W-35823

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 17 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether the Scottish Education Exchange Programme (SEEP) currently supports (a) work placements and (b) vocational training exchanges, and if this is not the case, whether it has considered expanding the programme to cover such activities.

In 2025-26, applications will be assessed on their ability to support the ambitions set out in Scotland’s Destination Scotland – inward attraction of international students, staff, and researchers - Scotland's international education strategy - gov.scot and a separate strand will be assessed against Community Learning and Development priorities.

Projects within this criterion are able to provide opportunities for both staff mobility and vocational training exchanges.

Since SEEP began in 2003, opportunities have been provided for staff mobility and vocational training. Further information on funded projects can be found at: Scottish Education Exchange Programme: - Test and Learn: funded projects - gov.scot.

Question reference: S6W-38292

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 17 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether any payments have been made to prisoners to settle cases related to "slopping out" practices in prisons in the last five years, and, if so, what the total cost was of any such payments.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

In the last five years, the SPS has made payments to prisoners to settle cases related to “slopping out”. In the last five financial years, there has been a total of three cases settled relating to “slopping out” which were settled in Financial Year 2020-21. The total cost of these three cases was £12,000. There have been no further cases settled relating to “slopping out” since 2020-21.

Question reference: S6W-38251

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 June 2025
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 17 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many applicants who applied for a Scottish Upland Sheep Support Scheme payment for 2025-26 have yet to receive their payment, and what the reasons were for any delay of payments.

Question reference: S6W-38166

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 17 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to ensure the support and safety of youth workers, in light of the reported rise in antisocial behaviour and violent crime among young people.

The Scottish Government highly values the support provided to young people by youth workers. Violence towards youth workers is unacceptable and all employees, including youth workers, have the right to be safe at work and to feel safe at work.

Through introduction of the Violence Prevention Framework, the Scottish Government continue to take action by funding activities for young people to prevent and reduce harm from violence.

The Scottish Government encourages anyone who experiences antisocial behaviour or violence at work to report the incident immediately to their employer and Police Scotland. Youth workers should be fully supported by their employers to understand their organisation’s policies regarding antisocial behaviour and the support available if situations escalate.

Question reference: S6W-38182

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 17 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Scottish Water following its reported policy change requiring waste treatment sites to be staffed during waste emptying, in light of reports that not all sites are staffed 24 hours a day and that Scottish Water has indicated that it lacks the resources to hire additional personnel for this role, leaving constituents on Mull unable to get their septic tanks emptied.

The Scottish Government has not had any recent discussions of this specific human resources issue with Scottish Water, as this is an operational matter for them to determine. However, I have asked Scottish Water to provide a response and I understand that there have been no changes to its policies – private companies operating on Mull are being asked to adhere to well-established, existing protocols.

Question reference: S6W-38176

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 17 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what the current staffing headcount is for civil servants working on the Care Reform (Scotland) Bill.

Question reference: S6W-35411

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 June 2025
Current Status: Holding Answer by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 17 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how much public money has been spent to date on defending legal challenges related to its policies on gender self-identification.