Questions and answers

Question reference: S6F-04516

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 08 December 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 December 2025

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6W-42194

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 8 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to its paper, Surge and Winter Preparedness in Health and Social Care Services National Planning Priorities and Principles, which was published in November 2025, how national planning priorities and principles will address corridor care by NHS Scotland in winter 2025-26.

The National Planning Priorities and Principles require local systems to maximise system capacity and capability by improving patient flow and access, reducing delayed discharges and long waits, and minimising unmet need. This includes strengthening urgent and unscheduled care pathways and ensuring people receive the right care, in the right place at the right time.

The Scottish Government recognises this as a critical issue for patient safety and dignity. Measures include integrated planning, additional surge beds, Hospital at Home expansion to 2,000 beds, escalation frameworks an investment of £20 million to increase social care capacity and strengthen support at emergency department front doors. These measures are designed to reduce pressure on emergency departments and hospital capacity, thereby minimising the circumstances that can lead to corridor care. Health Boards are expected to use data and intelligence to support real-time decisions during periods of surge.

These actions are underpinned by the Operational Improvement Plan and overseen nationally through the Collaborative Response and Assurance Group, ensuring accountability and consistency across Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-42189

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 01 December 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 8 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding any recent meetings held by the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Inter-ministerial Group on horticultural peat, what was discussed at these meetings, and what proposals are being considered regarding a pan-UK approach to ending peat sales.

Communiqués summarising key points of discussion at Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Inter-Ministerial Group meetings are published on the Scottish Government website. Horticultural peat was most recently discussed at the June 2025 meeting. The Scottish Government called for legislative collaboration and consistent messaging across the UK in order to avoid potential undermining of the devolution settlement arising from the UK Internal Market Act and to support a level playing field for Scotland’s horticulture industry.

Question reference: S6W-42113

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 21 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 8 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what internal thresholds or triggers the Scottish Prison Service uses to determine when a restricted regime status for a prison must be implemented.

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

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-42112 on 8 December 2025. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers.

Question reference: S6W-42181

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 8 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it holds any statistics on the number of knives stolen from retail outlets, and if so, whether it will provide the most recent figures available.

Question reference: S6W-42191

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 8 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many additional (a) paramedics and (b) ambulance care assistants have been recruited to support the Scottish Ambulance Service in winter 2025-26, and where they will be based, broken down by (i) Scottish Ambulance Service (A) station and (B) region and (ii) NHS board area.

Question reference: S6W-42112

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 21 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 8 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what monitoring system the Scottish Prison Service uses to track the use of restricted regime status across the prison estate.

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

SPS recognise the impact that any restriction of regime can have on those in our care, and that is why all restrictions are applied to support a safe and secure environment for both staff and prisoners.

Rather than using quantitative measures such as thresholds, Governors in Charge make a determination based on local factors such as prison stability and staffing levels.

Due to the often-spontaneous nature of regime restrictions, SPS do not routinely formally record instances of regime restrictions, length of restriction or specific reason for restrictions.

In all instances SPS ensure that all decisions are compliant with the Prison and Young Offenders Rules (Scotland) 2011 and do not limit family contact, either through an in person visit or via contact using in cell telephones.

Question reference: S6W-42114

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 21 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 8 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of prisons with restricted regime status on prisoners’ access to (a) education, (b) work opportunities and (c) family contact.

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

SPS recognise the impact that any restriction of regime can have on those in our care, and that is why all restrictions are applied to support a safe and secure environment for both staff and prisoners.

Regime restrictions are often spontaneous in nature and implemented as a last resort, they can however, on occasion, result in the temporary closure or reduced capacity in some work parties. On extremely rare occasions, access to education services may be affected, this however would never be the norm.

In all instances SPS ensure that all decisions are compliant with the Prison and Young Offenders Rules (Scotland) 2011 and do not limit family contact, either through an in person visit or via contact using in cell telephones.

Question reference: S6W-42109

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 21 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 8 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many times each prison has had a restricted regime status implemented because of (a) safety matters, (b) security issues, (c) staff shortages and (d) other incidents, broken down by type of incident, and for how many days each had this status, in each of the last five years.

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

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-42112 on 8 December 2025. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers.

Question reference: S6W-42115

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 21 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 8 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many prisoners have been held under restricted regime status for more than 22 hours per day in each of the last five years.

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

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-42112 on 8 December 2025. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers.

Seòmar agus comataidhean