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: S6F-04537

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 15 December 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 December 2025

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to the partial collapse of the Spey Viaduct, including what support it can offer to Moray Council in responding to the immediate consequences and the next steps for the local community.

Question reference: S6F-04543

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 15 December 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 December 2025

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government’s position is on local authorities, which host renewable energy infrastructure, receiving Scottish Crown Estate revenue allocations, such as a share of the income from ScotWind projects.

Question reference: S6F-04535

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 15 December 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 December 2025

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6F-04540

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 15 December 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 December 2025

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government’s response is to the recent EIS findings that young people with additional support needs are being let down, and teachers are experiencing stress due to inadequate resourcing, in light of the reported reduction of nearly 20% in specialist ASN staff since 2010, despite a rise of over 710% in the number of pupils requiring such support since 2007.

Question reference: S6F-04534

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 15 December 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 December 2025

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6W-42216

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 15 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to its news release, Harnessing data and technology to revolutionise public services, on 20 November 2025, when its planned digital public services app will introduce a digital proof of age.

Being able to use the native app to prove your age is on the roadmap for delivery after we are able to offer transactional and location based alerts and notification services.

There is no defined data for this yet as the focus is being about to offer transactional and location based alerts, however once these are delivered proof of age will be the priority.

Currently work is underway with organisations who would like to use this service.

Question reference: S6W-42446

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Independent
Date lodged: Monday, 08 December 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 15 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what the current level of uptake of the winter influenza vaccine is in each NHS board area, and how this year compares with the same period in 2024.

Question reference: S6W-42566

Asked by: Dr Alasdair Allan, MSP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 12 December 2025
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Jim Fairlie on 15 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it is making in setting out how it will restore 400,000 hectares of degraded peatland by 2040.

The Scottish Government is committed to protecting, managing and restoring Scotland’s degraded peatlands, as a vital part of mitigating and adapting to the climate and nature emergencies. That is why today we are publishing the first in a series of rolling , setting out how we will deliver Scotland’s long-term vision for peatlands by 2040.

Peatlands cover around 2 million hectares of Scotland, roughly a quarter of the country, and are of national and global significance. Two-thirds of all UK peatlands are in Scotland, and our blanket bogs represent around 10% of the global total. However, around two thirds of Scotland’s peatlands are degraded, and releasing rather than storing carbon. Restoring degraded peatlands returns the many benefits they can provide for climate, for nature and for people – including the ability to sequester carbon, support biodiversity and nature, reduce flooding and wildfire risk and improve drinking water quality. It also offers a growing source of skilled jobs for rural communities, and seasonal opportunities for existing rural workers.

Our draft Climate Change Plan sets out the Scottish Government’s ambition to increase peatland restoration by 10% each year to 2030 and maintain levels after that leading to the restoration of more than 400,000 hectares by 2040. Within this, we will look to increase the proportion of the most highly degraded and emitting peat that is restored. These policies reflect an increase in our ambition and acknowledge the work underway to grow this relatively young industry.

The Partnership Plan published today sets out realistic and achievable activity to show what the peatland sector in Scotland has the capacity, skills and capabilities to deliver. It identifies three themes as the partnership’s key priorities over the next 5 years:

Further – Expand peatland restoration in Scotland
Fairer – Support a Just Transition through restoration
Better – Improve how we work and solve technical challenges

The actions set out in the plan aim to address barriers to further upscaling, build delivery capacity and stability in the sector, simplify processes, increase funding certainty, build a long-term pipeline of investible restoration projects, create economic opportunities for rural communities and demonstrate that peatland restoration can, in the right circumstances, integrate with established land-uses.

Engagement with the sector has and will continue to inform peatland restoration planning and delivery. Lessons learned and achievements from this phase of delivery will inform our future approach, ensuring the partnership remains focused on the right priorities, at the right time, as we progress toward the Scottish Government’s proposed 2040 restoration target.

Question reference: S6W-42415

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 05 December 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 15 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to Crohn's & Colitis UK's new strategy, Transforming Understanding of Crohn’s & Colitis, which states that around one in seven people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) receive their diagnosis following an emergency admission, and how it plans to work with the charity to improve early diagnosis.

The Scottish Government welcomes Crohn’s & Colitis UK’s new strategy Transforming Understanding of Crohn’s & Colitis, and their strategic ambitions for 2026-2036. We recognise that timely diagnosis is essential to improving outcomes and reducing emergency admissions.

We expect all Boards to follow best practice and adhere to current guidelines and standards for people with suspected IBD. A national IBD pathway for NHS Scotland was published in January 2025: . This pathway is intended to be used by primary and secondary care health care professionals who are concerned that a patient may have undiagnosed IBD.

We will continue to engage with third sector organisations including Crohn’s & Colitis UK as we remain committed to ensuring that all people living in Scotland with IBD are able to access the best possible care and support, and benefit from healthcare services that are safe, effective and put people at the centre of their care.

Question reference: S6W-42422

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 05 December 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 15 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-41814 by Gillian Martin on 25 November 2025, how it is investing in Scotland’s water and sewage network to ensure it is fully able to cope with expected increases of heavy rainfall events in the future.