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.

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Question reference: S7W-04052

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 October 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 4 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the sustainability of the amount spent by NHS boards on agency locum anaesthetists in each of the last five years.

Question reference: S7W-04079

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 October 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 4 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government when it became aware that NHS Grampian did not expect to restore maternity services to Dr Gray’s Hospital in 2026.

Question reference: S7W-04078

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 October 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 4 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of a May 2026 update from Aberdeen Health and Social Care Partnership stating that all three NHS Grampian walk-in clinics would be open by late summer/early autumn 2026, for what reason only one is currently operational, when it expects the Moray and Aberdeenshire clinics to be operational, and how much it has spent so far on the Moray and Aberdeenshire clinics.

Question reference: S7W-04074

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 October 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 4 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how many civil servants employed by it are resident (a) in the rest of the UK and (b) abroad and whether there will be any exceptions to its policy on office attendance.

Question reference: S7W-03579

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 7 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government by what date it will establish the dedicated working group to oversee the local authority rollout of the Veterans Homelessness Prevention Pathway following the publication of the Scottish Veterans Commissioner’s 2026 Progress Report.

The Scottish Government’s latest published homelessness statistics show that the number of veterans assessed as homeless has decreased by 8 per cent. However, we know that some veterans still face challenges accessing and sustaining housing.

The Scottish Government accepted in principle all 24 recommendations in the Veterans Homelessness Prevention Pathway, which are aimed at preventing homelessness among veterans. Of these, three have been completed, 17 are in progress and four have yet to commence.

Responsibility for the delivery of the pathway recommendations is shared across several organisations. While the Scottish Government has responsibility for 10 of the recommendations, successful implementation requires continued collaboration from all partners, including Veterans Scotland, the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA), housing providers, the Ministry of Defence and a range of partner organisations.

Scottish Government officials have worked with the Veterans Scotland Housing Group to identify the five top priorities from the pathway recommendations, one of which is to establish a working group. We will continue to work with partners, including Veterans Scotland, to ensure progress is made against these.

We will ensure that appropriate governance and oversight arrangements are in place before the end of the year to support implementation of the pathway recommendations.

Question reference: S7W-03532

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 7 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether the appointment of Professor Caroline Hiscox and Professor Jann Gardner as lead officers for the East and West Subnational Planning and Delivery Committees was subject to competition.

The lead officer functions were aligned to NHS Boards with the capacity and resources required to support the operation of the East and West Subnational Planning and Delivery Committees. As the Chief Executives of those Boards, Professor Caroline Hiscox and Professor Jann Gardner were nominated to undertake the lead officer responsibilities. The roles were therefore not subject to a competitive recruitment process.

Question reference: S7W-04054

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 October 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 3 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact on maternity services of the reported shortage of anaesthetists across NHS Scotland.

Question reference: S7W-04053

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 October 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 3 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the adequacy of current anaesthetist numbers across NHS Scotland.

Question reference: S7W-04055

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 October 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 3 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact on postponements and cancellations of surgery of the reported shortage of anaesthetists across NHS Scotland.

Question reference: S7W-03580

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 6 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government by what date the digital transfer pathways for Defence Medical Service records will be fully operational in NHS Scotland.