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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-42125

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 24 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 9 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what English language proficiency requirements are in place for operational staff at the Scottish Prison Service, and how these are assessed during the recruitment process.

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

Whilst SPS do not require prison officer applicants to complete a specific English language proficiency test as part of its recruitment process; verbal, written and comprehension skills are tested thoroughly throughout this operational recruitment process.

All applicants must successfully undergo and pass a comprehensive period of testing which includes a situational judgement test, cognitive ability test, a group and written exercise (for Residential Officer applicants only), and then finally a values-based job interview.

All offers of employment will however be subject to successful completion of all pre-employment checks, which include enhanced disclosure and right to work in the UK checks.

Question reference: S6W-42083

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 24 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 9 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether any of its ministers have been involved in any discussions or decisions regarding the case brought forward by For Women Scotland in relation to its policy on the housing of biological male prisoners in female prisons, and, if so, which ministers have been involved, and when any such discussions or decisions took place.

Question reference: S6W-42163

Asked by: Douglas Ross, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 9 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the Scottish Public Pensions Agency (SPPA) has not published clear performance milestones for reducing delays in pension valuations and transfers.

Question reference: S6W-42223

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 9 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the Audit Scotland report, Cyber-attack affecting operations and services: The 2023/24 audit of Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, which was published on 27 November 2025, what support it provides to local authorities to protect themselves against potential cybersecurity attacks.

The public sector provides a range of digital public services and it is critical that these are secure and resilient.

Local Authorities are independent corporate bodies, entirely separate from the Scottish Government, and it is up to each council how it plans for, manages, and mitigates its risks. However, the Scottish Government does actively support and help build the cyber resilience of our local authorities, through the provision of guidance, resources, networking and skills development.

The Scottish Government encourages public sector organisations, including local authorities to adopt a proactive, risk-based governance approach, with board-level accountability to build and improve their cyber resilience. We have set out a framework that includes guidance on how to:

Assess their cyber resilience maturity,
Align with minimum security standards,
Benchmark performance, and
Prioritise investment based on risk.

The Scottish Government has in place a Notifiable Scottish Public Sector Cyber Incidents Procedure. This is a voluntary process which encourages Scottish Public Sector bodies to report cyber incidents to the Scottish Cyber Coordination Centre (SC3). The process also encourages reporting of cyber incidents to the UK Government National Cyber Security Centre and Police Scotland where appropriate.

The SC3 provides ongoing support to local authorities in the form of:

24/7 national incident response coordination
Daily threat intelligence and early warning notifications
Cyber exercising and preparedness programmes, and
Guidance on standards and best practice.

This national support is helping to equip our public bodies with the tools, intelligence and skills needed to build and maintain strong cyber resilience.

Question reference: S6W-41999

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 01 December 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 9 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether data on the average time a patient has spent on a trolley in emergency departments is published routinely by NHS boards, and if this is not the case, whether it will commit to doing so.

As detailed in response to S6W-41997 on 9 December 2025, A&E activity data published by Public Health Scotland does not differentiate patients who were treated on trolleys. It is important to highlight that patients frequently spend time in a trolleyed area while undergoing assessment and treatment within our Emergency Departments in line with clinical need. In respect of patients being cared for in non-standard patient areas while awaiting admission to an inpatient bed, we are in active discussions with PHS regarding the feasibility of a national data collection however, our absolute focus is on addressing the cause of the conditions which lead to care in non-standard areas.

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-42178

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 9 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the report published in January 2025 by climateXchange, Carbon Calculator for wind farms on Scottish peatlands: an evidence assessment, and what progress has been made to deliver against its recommendation that the carbon calculator, in its current form, should be updated.

Question reference: S6W-42452

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 08 December 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 5 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, following the cyber attack on Comhairle nan Eilean Siar in 2023, what lessons learnt, if any, have been taken forward and implemented across the public sector.

Question reference: S6W-42455

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 08 December 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 5 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether Police Scotland's record-keeping practices, including the absence of a list of governance groups attended, comply with the requirements of the Public Records (Scotland) Act 2011.

Question reference: S6W-42423

Asked by: Stephanie Callaghan, MSP for Uddingston and Bellshill, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 08 December 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 5 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what (a) support and provisions are in place to enable pupils with additional support needs and disabilities, and their parents, to advocate for additional assessment arrangements, including extra time during exams, (b) mechanisms exist to escalate decisions when young people's needs are not being met, and (c) procedures exist across all local authorities to ensure schools comply with the Equality of Access to Qualifications policy and promote equality of provision.

Question reference: S6W-42447

Asked by: Keith Brown, MSP for Clackmannanshire and Dunblane, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 08 December 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 5 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how many families in the (a) Clackmannanshire and (b) Stirling local authority area have received support through the Scottish Child Payment since it was introduced.