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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-39214

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 07 July 2025
Current Status: Answered by Natalie Don-Innes on 31 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what plans it has to increase funding for early years childcare provision to increase the number of childcare hours for those under the age of three, in light of the UK Government's plans to increase provision in England.

Supporting families through access to high quality, affordable and accessible childcare is critical to the First Minister’s mission of eradicating child poverty. That is why, since 2021, the Scottish Government has prioritised investment of £1 billion per year in funded Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) for all 3- and 4-year-olds, 5-year-olds whose entry to primary school has been deferred, and those 2-year-olds who need it most.

Scotland is the only part of the UK to already offer 1,140 hours a year of funded ELC to all 3 and 4-year-olds and eligible 2-year-olds regardless of their parents’ working status – putting children first. If families paid for this offer themselves, it would cost them more than £6,000 per eligible child per year.

Scotland continues to face one of the most difficult public spending environments since devolution. Despite this the Scottish Government remains committed to reaching more younger children with funded ELC that need it most, and the Programme for Government, published on 6 May 2025, set out that this year we will work with local authorities to maximise uptake of our existing offer for eligible 2-year-olds to ensure that as many children as possible benefit from the current offer.

In terms of planning for a future potential expansion, we are investing up to £16 million over 2 years within 23 Early Adopter Communities (EACs), across 6 local authority areas. The EACs are helping the Scottish Government and our local partners to understand what it takes to deliver childcare systems that support families with children from the early years to the end of primary school. This work is expanding access to affordable childcare for low-income families with children and evaluating the difference this can make.

It is important to recognise that the UK Government’s offer is not an expansion of universal childcare for all children under three. The new entitlement is only available to working families in England - those where parents earn at least the National Minimum Wage or Living Wage and work for 16 hours a week on average. The Institute for Fiscal Studies has made clear that, despite billions of investment by the UK Government, “the poorest one third of families will see almost no direct benefit from the new entitlements”. The difference in entitlements between the UK Government and Scottish Government reflects the Scottish Government’s policy intention that access to more hours of funded ELC is an investment in all children’s later outcomes - underpinned by national and international evidence.

Question reference: S6W-39135

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 July 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 31 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will issue new guidance regarding the equal treatment of all school pupils in relation to NHS outreach and preventative services.

The guidance on the education of children and young people unable to attend school due to ill health was published in June 2015 and remains current.

Ministers have committed to ensuring the national guidance remains up to date and will review, if appropriate, whether or not amendments require to be made. The overall decision making, in relation to charging however, is ultimately a matter for Local Authorities and Health Boards.

Question reference: S6W-39176

Asked by: Roz McCall, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 July 2025
Current Status: Answered by Natalie Don-Innes on 31 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it will take to improve workforce qualifications and training for those who work in secure care, in light of reports that staff are often employed without the necessary specialist skills to support highly vulnerable children.

The Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) is the regulator for the social work, social care and early years workforce in Scotland. The Council protects the public by registering workers in social services; setting standards for their conduct and education. While the SSSC will set the minimum level of qualification required for an individual to maintain their registration, it is the duty of employers to ensure their workers are equipped with the appropriate specialist skills to safely and effectively carry out their role.

Ensuring a sustainable, skilled and supported workforce is fundamental to the future of secure accommodation and other care settings where children with complex needs require care and protection. Pages 16-17 of the Scottish Government’s response to reimagining secure care, published on 26 June, sets out a number of actions the Government is taking to support this:

a commitment to continuing to pay for up to 16 beds across the secure estate in 2025-26 and 2026-27, to maintain capacity and to provide a level of financial security and resilience to secure providers.
a commitment to raise the status of children’s social care as a profession, which is key to delivering quality care to vulnerable children.
a further investment of £1.4 million in 2025-26 to the secure care workforce as part of the Scottish Government’s commitment to Fair Work in children’s social care. This investment will continue to address recruitment and retention challenges in the sector and contribute to its sustainability now and in the future.
supporting improved implementation of national policy informed by frontline practice, and oversight of social work and the issues affecting the workforce through the establishment of the NSWA by April 2026.
bringing both national and local government together to address workforce issues through the establishment of the Scottish Social Work Partnership.
uplifting the value of the social work postgraduate bursary administered by the Scottish Social Services Council to £11,000 per year of an eligible qualifying course, from academic year 2025-26.
working at pace with industry leaders and Skills Development Scotland to introduce a Graduate Apprenticeship, a new work-based professional social work qualification for academic year 2025-26.

Question reference: S6W-39178

Asked by: Roz McCall, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 July 2025
Current Status: Answered by Natalie Don-Innes on 31 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will commit to a full review of the current funding and commissioning model for secure care.

The current system requires a fundamental review to ensure equity, transparency and efficiency. Piloting, testing and evaluating possible new resourcing models will be essential. To gather evidence as to what would work best to deliver a reliable, high quality range of services within, and related to, secure care, the Scottish Government will consult in 2025-26 to assess viability and effectiveness of some of the proposed options.

Page 18 of the recently-published response to reimagining secure care confirms that position: The Scottish Government will work in partnership with Scotland Excel, secure providers and commissioning authorities to consult on and co-design a new national commissioning model that reflects our shared aspirations for the future of secure care. This process will consider potential changes in funding and commissioning arrangements to better serve the needs of children across Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-39629

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 July 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 27 August 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many accused persons in each of the last three years have been subject to a diversion from prosecution, and what the 10 most common offences being dealt with were.

Question reference: S6W-39624

Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 July 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 27 August 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to review how Integration Joint Boards are funded.

Question reference: S6W-39646

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 July 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 27 August 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made with its work on reforming the National Performance Framework, and what plans it has to include sustainable, affordable, healthy food in the updated framework.

Question reference: S6W-39626

Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 July 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 27 August 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has carried out an analysis of the outcomes of the Public Bodies (Joint Working) (Scotland) Act 2014.

Question reference: S6W-39647

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 July 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 27 August 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what work it has carried out regarding the banning of peat usage in commercial horticulture.

Question reference: S6W-39627

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 July 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 27 August 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-19936 by Dorothy Bain on 1 August 2023, how many reported cases of rape in each year since 2023-24 have been subject to a diversion from prosecution.