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 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

Filter your results Hide all filters

Displaying 387 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S6W-43283

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Friday, 23 January 2026
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 3 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the statement by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde at the Scottish Hospitals Inquiry that “Pressure was applied to open the [Queen Elizabeth University] hospital on time and on budget, and it is now clear that the hospital opened too early. It was not ready”, and whether any Scottish Ministers applied such pressure.

As the First Minister made clear during his answer to Russell Findlay at First Minister’s Questions on 22 January, there was no pressure applied by Scottish Ministers to open the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital early.

Counsel to the Inquiry, during the last day of hearings on 23 January, stated “there was no evidence from the senior GGC people involved in opening the hospital, from Dr Armstrong down, and Mr Calderwood, about pressure, either from them or from anyone else.” He went on to further state “we didn’t detect, in the evidence, pressure in the sense of, “Open it earlier than was planned.”

Those remarks are taken from the published transcript from 23 January, which is available on the Inquiry’s website. See link provided Transcript - Closing submissions for investigations into the QEUH - 23.01.26 | Hospitals Inquiry.

Ensuring the highest standards of safety across all NHS Scotland facilities is of the utmost importance. The Scottish Government's role in major capital projects is to ensure accountability for public investment and timely delivery of services the public needs. However, patient safety must always come first. We have previously demonstrated this commitment in practice - when safety concerns were raised about the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People in Edinburgh, we supported the decision to delay its opening until those concerns were fully resolved.

The Member will be aware that this matter relates to evidence already submitted to the Scottish Hospitals Inquiry. It is right that the inquiry’s independent chair Lord Brodie be given the time and space to consider all of the evidence and get to the truth for families.

Question reference: S6W-43167

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Monday, 19 January 2026
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 27 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how the estimated £149 million required for the new pay offer for resident doctors will be funded, and whether funding will be reduced in any other area in order to pay for the offer, in the event that it is agreed.

The Scottish Government welcomes the BMA’s decision to call off industrial action following intensive and constructive talks. This has prevented the cancellation of operations and disruption to patient care. The 2026-27 budget provides for pay deals including for resident doctors. The final cost will be managed within the overall Scottish Government budget in recognition of our support for resident doctors through offering the same pay deal which nurses and NHS support staff accepted, including additional investment in contractual reform over the two year period it covers.

Question reference: S6T-02845

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Monday, 19 January 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 20 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde's admission of a likely link between issues with the water supply at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital and patient infections.

Question reference: S6W-42476

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 December 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 6 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will introduce a Scottish Joint Registry that would provide performance information for (a) hip, (b) knee, (c) ankle, (d) elbow and (e) shoulder joint replacement surgeons.

Monitoring of joint replacement procedures in Scotland is already in place through the Scottish National Audit Programme (SNAP) within Public Health Scotland. This work predates the establishment of the National Joint Registry in 1999.

SNAP performs many of the functions of a joint registry. It monitors the volume of procedures undertaken and associated complications, and it identifies outlier departments and surgeons. There is a robust reporting process, including case reviews from outliers and an escalation policy where required.

Currently, monitoring applies to joint replacements carried out within NHS Health Boards for NHS patients. The private sector does not currently supply data on procedures undertaken in their institutions.

Question reference: S6T-02820

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Monday, 05 January 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the talks with BMA representatives regarding the planned resident doctors’ strike due to begin next week.

Question reference: S6O-05351

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 December 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to protect young people from grooming gangs and sexual exploitation.

Question reference: S6W-42475

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 December 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 17 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what process was followed that resulted in the chairs of NHS Lothian and Greater Glasgow and Clyde being chosen to chair the respective Sub-National Planning and Delivery Committees for Scotland East and Scotland West; whether a vote was taken among all NHS board chairs, and whether any NHS boards objected to the chosen chairs.

The Chairs of NHS Lothian and NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde were invited to chair the Sub-National Planning and Delivery Committees (SPDCs) following an assessment of the practical considerations required to support the running of the proposed SPDCs. NHS Lothian and NHS Greater Glasgow Clyde, as the largest Health Boards, were identified as having the capacity and capability to do so. It is, however, the responsibility of the participating Health Boards to determine how they will implement The Co-operation and Planning Directions 2025 which came into force on 13 November 2025. This includes the development of the terms of reference of the SPDCs which will provide further details on membership and chairing arrangements.

Question reference: S6W-42484

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 December 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 17 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government by what date the national investigation into maternity services will (a) commence and (b) publish its report.

The Scottish Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce will look at the scope of a national review of maternity services based on the emerging themes and outcomes of the Healthcare Improvement Scotland Inspections of Maternity Units across Scotland, and any other area that the Taskforce might identify. It will also look at the provision of maternity services in rural areas, including in Caithness and Stranraer.

A full workplan will be agreed by the Taskforce once it has been established, and Parliament will be updated in due course.

Question reference: S6W-42485

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 December 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 17 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what the remit of its national investigation into maternity services will be, and what specific issues it will examine.

Question reference: S6W-42483

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 December 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 17 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, what its response is to the report, Independent Investigation into Maternity and Neonatal Services in England – Reflections and Initial Impressions, which was published 9 December 2025, and how this will inform its national investigation into maternity services.

We note the publication of Baroness Amos’ Reflections and Initial Impressions report with interest. The report records issues Baroness Amos has identified from her engagement with families in England and provides updates on her investigation and next steps. The report also describes the five areas of work defined in the Terms of Reference: the local investigation phase, a system wide review, inequalities, a review of the legal framework regarding the role of Coroners in relation to stillbirths and compensation following harm caused by clinical negligence and the development of one set of national standards.

While we recognise some similarities between Baroness Amos’ findings and what Healthcare Improvement Scotland’s independent, ongoing inspection programme is reporting, it is important to recognise that Baroness Amos is conducting a rapid investigation into maternity and neonatal services in England. The Scottish Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce will play a key role in ensuring lessons are learned and improvements are made following investigations and reviews in Scotland. It will also define the scope of a national review in Scotland.

We will continue to review outputs from the English rapid investigation as they are published.