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-42050

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 4 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it (a) has undertaken and (b) will undertake an analysis to determine the total (i) number of civil servant hours spent on and (ii) cost of administering the Future Farming Investment Scheme to date.

Question reference: S6W-42247

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 December 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jackson Carlaw (on behalf of the SPCB) on 4 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether it will bring the MSP staff cost provision into parity with that of staff costs for Scotland's MPs.

The SPCB is responsible for funding the members’ expenses scheme and for determining which indices are used to uprate the overall provisions, including staff cost provision. This arrangement is set out in the Scheme as agreed by Parliament. The Scheme rules allow the SPCB to uprate the provision annually using that appropriate index. They do not provide the SPCB the scope to change the staff cost provision in any other manner.

The Staff Cost Provision is provided to Members to facilitate their employment of staff to support them in carrying out their parliamentary duties.

It is then for Members, as individual employers (noting that the SPCB is not the employer of Members’ staff), to determine their staffing structure and staff salaries within the requirements of the Scheme, including any cost of living pay award, as long as it is affordable within the capped annual provision.

The SPCB did increase the Staff Cost Provision in 2021 by the equivalent cost of one full-time member of staff with effect from the start of Session 6 - Allowances - Expenses Scheme Resolution. This followed an evidence-based review of the provision.

Payments regarding Scottish MPs’ staff are covered by the ‘Scheme of MPs’ Staffing and Business Costs’, responsibility for which rests with the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA), which has responsibility for setting arrangement across a wide range of MPs’ financial matters.

It should also be noted that there are key differences between the two schemes including what is and is not covered regarding provisions for staff, meaning that a like for like comparison is not possible. For example, the Scottish Parliament scheme meets NI and pension payments separately while these are paid by MPs from within the IPSA staff cost provision.

Question reference: S6W-42007

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 4 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many patients who were not referred for care by the NHS 24 111 service subsequently required emergency treatment in each of the last five years.

Question reference: S6W-41981

Asked by: Michael Marra, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 4 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of the energy costs incurred by (a) it and (b) its public bodies in each of the past five years.

The total cost of gas and electric for Core Scottish Government buildings in the past 5 years is

2019 - £3,156,688 (Electricity £2,662,002, Gas £494,686)

2020 - £2,076,368 (Electricity £1,832,164, Gas £244,204)

2021 - £2,919,646 (Electricity £2,487,991, Gas £431,655)

2022 - £3,752,115 (Electricity £2,937,460, Gas £814,655)

2023 - £5,411,415 (Electricity £4,542,639, Gas £868,776)

2024 - £6,478,435 (Electricity £5,613,007, Gas £865,428)

Information on the energy costs for public bodies is not held centrally.

Question reference: S6O-05277

Asked by: Maggie Chapman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 December 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what measures it is taking to address the reported legal aid crisis, to ensure that people in the North East Scotland region are able to access support.

Question reference: S6O-05275

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 December 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what action it has taken to support Forth Valley College’s Alloa campus, in light of the recent reported concerns that it may be closed for financial reasons.

Question reference: S6O-05281

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 December 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what support it is providing to NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, in light of reports that the NHS board is dealing with a much higher rate of flu patients compared with previous years.

Question reference: S6O-05280

Asked by: Ruth Maguire, MSP for Cunninghame South, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 December 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it gives to the gendered impact of debt in its child poverty and social security policies.

Question reference: S6O-05278

Asked by: James Dornan, MSP for Glasgow Cathcart, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 December 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide further details of the December Carer’s Allowance Supplement payment, including its anticipated impact on carers and how it will ensure that all eligible carers receive their payment promptly.

Question reference: S6O-05276

Current Status: Withdrawn