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-39239

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 July 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 5 August 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on how much has been spent on agency staff in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools, in each year since 1999, also broken down by local authority.

Data on how much each local authority spends on agency staff is not held or collected by the Scottish Government. It is the responsibility of local authorities to allocate the total financial resources available to them, including setting school budgets, on the basis of local needs and priorities, after fulfilling their statutory obligations and the jointly agreed set of national and local priorities.

Data on local authority expenditure on teachers is available from the Local Government Financial statistics data collection. The latest figures are available from LFR01 at .

Teachers in Scotland are employed by local authorities, not agencies. This includes supply teachers and teachers on short term contracts.

Question reference: S6W-39242

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 July 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 5 August 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many recorded (a) closures and (b) delays there have been on the Edinburgh City Bypass in each year since 1999.

Since August 2020 there have been 123 Critical Incidents and 1041 Disruptive Incidents on the A720 Edinburgh City Bypass section managed by Transport Scotland. This period covers approximately 1688 days. Critical Incidents cover the most significant incidents where there are full closures. Disruptive Incidents include these closures but also where the road has remained open but there have been significant delays caused, for example by breakdown or collisions. Unfortunately we are unable to confirm the delays associated with these incidents.

Question reference: S6W-39719

Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 04 August 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 1 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the work that it is doing to (a) prevent sexual violence in hospitals and (b) accurately record incidents of sexual assault that have been reported across the NHS estate.

Question reference: S6W-39714

Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 04 August 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 1 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what the total cost has been to SEPA of responding to the oil pipeline leak at Glen Fruin to date, and whether this cost will be recovered from the operator, Petroineos.

Question reference: S6W-39708

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 04 August 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 1 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how much financial support it has provided to local authorities specifically to maintain or enhance rural bus services since 2019, broken down by local authority.

Question reference: S6W-39713

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 04 August 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 1 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports that 9,515 tonnes in 2024 was the lowest volume of freight handled at Glasgow Prestwick Airport since 1997, what action it is taking to promote the growth of air freight traffic at the airport.

Question reference: S6W-39721

Asked by: Michelle Thomson, MSP for Falkirk East, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 04 August 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 1 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Scottish Retail Consortium’s reported forecast that food price inflation is set to increase to 6% by the end of 2025.

Question reference: S6W-39709

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 04 August 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 1 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many ScotRail evening rail services currently operate on each route, and how this compares with the number of evening rail services on each route in 2019.

Question reference: S6W-39707

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 04 August 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 1 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many rural bus routes have been reduced or withdrawn in each year since 2010, broken down by local authority area.

Question reference: S6W-39715

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 04 August 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 1 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether Scottish Water owns the Glasgow Harbour Tunnel, or only the water main pipe within the tunnel.