Questions and answers

Chamber and committees

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 ��˿�� 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-42155

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 5 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason there been no progress on the "in principle" agreement on role expansion for firefighters reached in 2022 between the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS).

Question reference: S6W-42154

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 5 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what cost-benefit analysis it has carried out of a potential role expansion for firefighters.

Question reference: S6O-05284

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 December 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to protect and improve ferry services to Scotland’s island communities.

Question reference: S6W-42152

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 3 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the "in principle" agreement on role expansion for firefighters between the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS), what its position is on any projected societal benefits that could be realised if it was implemented.

Question reference: S6W-41870

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 27 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the Islands Connectivity Plan’s proposed development of Gourock Ferry Terminal by December 2026, and what the budget is for this project.

Question reference: S6W-41867

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 27 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government by what date it will publish a timetable for the Community Needs Assessment of the (a) Ardrossan- (i) Brodick and (ii) Campbeltown route and (b) all other routes in the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services (third generation) (CHFS3) contract, as required by the Islands Connectivity Plan.

The Community Needs Assessments (CNAs) for Arran (including the Ardrossan-Brodick route) and Campbeltown are part of a wider programme of assessments for Clyde and Kintyre routes plus Islay, Jura and Gigha, and are scheduled to be carried out during 2026.

CNAs are underway for routes within the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Service. These include assessments for Coll, Colonsay, Iona, Kerrera, Lismore, Mull, Tiree, and the Sounds of Barra and Harris services. These assessments are expected to be completed by summer 2026. CNAs for the Outer Hebrides (mainland routes), Small Isles, Skye and Raasay are scheduled to commence later this year.

Question reference: S6W-41869

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 27 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the Islands Connectivity Plan’s project to replace the Gourock-Dunoon-Kilcreggan passenger vessels by December 2026, and what the budget is for this project.

The Programme Working Group has been considering interlinked vessel replacement and port infrastructure matters to develop the options for investment in ferry services to Dunoon and Kilcreggan. The review of services reported following the completion of the Community Needs Assessment work has been included in the ongoing business case work. Programme costs and budgets are currently being reviewed and will be included in the Outline Business Case which is expected to report in due course.

Question reference: S6W-41868

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 25 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what funding Transport Scotland has provided to Dunoon Community Development Trust in each year since 2016-17.

Transport Scotland has no direct funding relationship with Dunoon Community Development Trust (DCDT), but since its creation in 2021(with support including £15,000 from the Scottish Government’s ‘Scotland Loves Local Fund’), DCDT has benefitted from support via Transport Scotland funded programmes.

This Transport Scotland backed support has included funding through Cycling UK via the Smarter Choices Smarter Places (SCSP) programme, and support from the regional transport partnership Hitrans via the People and Place programme (see table below).

Prior to 2021, a number of different legacy projects and initiatives in the Dunoon area benefited from Transport Scotland support, some aspects of which we understand DCDT has since taken on and continued. This includes Cycling UK’s Dunoon Bothy Project, which had previously been supported via the separately funded ‘Connecting Communities’ programme, and an app which had previously been developed by Argyle and Bue Council, with SCSP funding.

Financial Year	Support via Transport Scotland funded programmes	Comment
2016-17 to 2020-21	N/A	N/A
2021-22	£0	DCDT established 16 June 2021 with SG, LA, and National Lottery funding.
2022-23	£0
2023-24	£2,000	Cycling UK via Smarter Choices Smarter Places.
2024-25	£8,000	Hitrans via People and Place.
2025-26	£11,000	Hitrans via People and Place.

Question reference: S6O-05198

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 November 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the report by the Auditor General into the financial sustainability of NHS Ayrshire and Arran, which found that the board is facing a deficit of £33.1 million in the current year.

Question reference: S6W-41761

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 07 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 18 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its plans are to improve workplace training in psychiatric care settings, including on de-escalation techniques and trust-building.

The Scottish Government is clear that Health Boards are expected to follow best practice, ensure that all staff are adequately trained and report all restraint incidents through robust systems.

While Scottish Government sets the strategic policy direction for the NHS in Scotland, operational matters - including staff training - are in the first instance the responsibility of NHS Boards.

The Scottish Government is also clear that restraint must only ever be used as a last resort, for the shortest time necessary to ensure safety. Protecting human rights is of the utmost importance.

This year, the Scottish Government provided NHS Education for Scotland (NES) with around £31.67 million to continue multidisciplinary education, training and workforce expansion for staff.

NES are committed to supporting the reduction of restraint and seclusion in services by building workforce capability in trauma-informed practice, embedding human-rights-based practice, and promoting evidence informed alternatives.