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-04124

Asked by: Kate Nevens, MSP for Edinburgh and Lothians East, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 October 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 5 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what action it can take to support the Sleep Support Line, which is run by Sleep Action, has supported nearly 5,000 families and is reported to be at risk of closure due to financial pressures.

Question reference: S7W-04088

Asked by: Kate Nevens, MSP for Edinburgh and Lothians East, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 October 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 4 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what its understanding is of medical misogyny, how it (a) monitors and (b) addresses instances of this in NHS Scotland services, and how this work will inform the Women's Health Plan.

Question reference: S7W-04087

Asked by: Kate Nevens, MSP for Edinburgh and Lothians East, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 October 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 4 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to provide funding to improve cycling infrastructure between Midlothian and the City of Edinburgh, including on the A702, to help ensure that people from south of the city have adequate active travel options.

Question reference: S7W-03368

Asked by: Kate Nevens, MSP for Edinburgh and Lothians East, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 29 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is regarding proposals to reopen the Edinburgh South Suburban Railway for passenger services, which would provide an orbital rail service for residents from Craiglockhart to Portobello.

Question reference: S7W-03318

Asked by: Kate Nevens, MSP for Edinburgh and Lothians East, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Alyn Smith on 29 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what plans are in place to ensure that any company restricted from access to public funding is also restricted from involvement in the governance of public funds, including holding a leadership role on public bodies and assets such as Scottish Apprenticeship Advisory Board (SAAB) and Apprenticeship Approvals Group (AAG).

The Scottish Government expects all public bodies, advisory groups and their members to operate in accordance with established standards of conduct and governance.

The Scottish Apprenticeship Advisory Board (SAAB) and Apprenticeships Approvals Group (AAG) are independent, industry-led bodies responsible for providing advice, assurance and approval of apprenticeship standards and frameworks. Neither body is responsible for the governance, allocation or management of public funding.

Question reference: S7W-03317

Asked by: Kate Nevens, MSP for Edinburgh and Lothians East, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 28 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has made of companies that receive Scottish Enterprise funding and are involved in illegal Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian Territories.

The Scottish Government’s human rights due diligence guidance sets out recommendations on how we, executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies – including Scottish Enterprise - should undertake due diligence on an individual or company’s human rights record before entering into an “investment relationship”.

We also have been clear with Scottish public bodies that they should take the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights database of companies believed to be active in listed activity in the Occupied Palestinian Territory into consideration as part of their due diligence processes, writing to them on several occasions to that effect.

It is for the accountable officer of each agency and non-departmental public body to ensure that their organisation complies with guidance issued by Scottish ministers.

Question reference: S7W-03165

Asked by: Kate Nevens, MSP for Edinburgh and Lothians East, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 25 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the approval of the EndoSure and Endotest rapid diagnostic tests for use within NHS England and NHS Wales earlier in 2026, whether it supports the roll-out of these tests within NHS Scotland for the diagnosis of endometriosis.

The Scottish Government welcomes innovation that can offer women improved care and support.

We are committed to ensuring those living with endometriosis are able to access the best possible care and support and that they benefit from healthcare services that are safe, effective and put women at the centre of their care.

I welcome the development of this draft NICE guidance on technologies for diagnosing endometriosis in primary care. It is an important step towards health technologies which better meet the needs of women.

We will work with the Scottish Health Technologies Group (SHTG) to consider the final guidance and its implications for Scotland, including the potential role of these tests in supporting earlier diagnosis of endometriosis.

Question reference: S7W-03315

Asked by: Kate Nevens, MSP for Edinburgh and Lothians East, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 24 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will confirm which companies have been subject to and failed human rights due diligence checks since Scottish Enterprise’s revised human rights due diligence checks came into force, including on what basis Barclays reportedly passed the due diligence process.

As noted in response to S7W-01512 on 31 July 2026, Scottish Government officials remained in close contact with Scottish Enterprise throughout its review of its human rights due diligence checks, exchanging and providing relevant advice and views where appropriate. This included in relation to Scottish Government’s own guidance which sets out recommendations on how we, our executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies should undertake appropriate due diligence on companies, including their human rights record, before entering into an "investment relationship" with them.

It is however for the accountable officer of each agency and non-departmental public body to ensure that their organisation complies with guidance issued by Scottish ministers, including in decisions on which companies comply with human rights due diligence checks.

Decisions regarding the disclosure of information held by Scottish Enterprise, including in relation to its updated human right due diligence checks, are an operational matter for Scottish Enterprise.

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers.

Question reference: S7W-03314

Asked by: Kate Nevens, MSP for Edinburgh and Lothians East, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 24 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what representations it has made to Scottish Enterprise regarding the publication of its Human Rights Due Diligence procedure, following previous indications that the agency planned to publish this guidance.

Question reference: S7W-03316

Asked by: Kate Nevens, MSP for Edinburgh and Lothians East, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 24 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government on what basis further Scottish Enterprise payments can continue to be made to companies that have previously received awards and have retrospectively been found to be implicated in genocide or other grave international law violations.

The measures announced by the First Minister in September 2025 in relation to defence companies seeking support from the Scottish Government apply to new requests for funding and are not retrospective.

Scottish ministers have explicitly requested that public bodies – including Scottish Enterprise – take the UN Human Rights database of companies believed to be active in the Occupied Palestinian Territory into consideration when carrying out their normal due diligence in relation to individual companies.

Separate guidance on procurement outlines actions that public bodies can take if they believe there are grounds to exclude companies from bidding for public contracts, however payments made from Scottish Enterprise to companies are ultimately an operational matter for Scottish Enterprise.

It is for the accountable officer of each agency and non-departmental public body to ensure that their organisation complies with guidance issued by Scottish ministers.