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-03613

Asked by: Duncan Dunlop, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 6 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide information regarding the cost of the installation of traffic lights in Springholm on the A75 in Dumfries and Galloway, including from which fund the finance came, what the annual maintenance and running costs are and from which budget that expenditure is made.

The installation cost of the Reverse Speed Discrimination Traffic Signals on the A75 in Springholm, which includes the upgrade to the detection/activation system was £179,011.18. These were funded from Transport Scotland’s Trunk Road Casualty Reduction budget.

Maintenance of traffic signal equipment is covered as part of the Transport Scotland’s South West Network Management Contract Core Operations budget, which manages several various operations through a monthly payment. As this is a single budget it is not possible to extract costs for individual items.

As the Reverse Speed Discrimination Traffic Signals relate to the trial of an innovative traffic signal operation, maintenance of some specific elements are funded from the Trunk Road Casualty Reduction budget. A fault detection remote monitoring system for the traffic signals is maintained at an annual cost in the order of £15,000. Maintenance works were also carried out on the traffic counter loops in Springholm early in 2026 which provide data for the ongoing monitoring at a cost of £23,698.98.

Question reference: S7W-03614

Asked by: Duncan Dunlop, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 6 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it or Transport Scotland has issued any guidance to local authorities regarding the installation of traffic lights with the purpose of reducing vehicle speeds, such as the ones in Springholm on the A75 in Dumfries and Galloway.

Transport Scotland has not issued guidance to local authorities regarding the installation of Reverse Speed Discrimination Traffic Signals, such as the ones in Springholm on the A75 in Dumfries and Galloway. These were introduced as a trial. For Reverse Speed Discrimination Signals to be used as a speed management measure at other locations on the trunk road network or on local authority roads, as they currently are at Springholm, this will require amendment of the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions (TSRGD) 2016 to make these signals enforceable like other traffic signals.

Question reference: S7W-03612

Asked by: Duncan Dunlop, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 6 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether any evaluation has been made of the installation of traffic lights in Springholm on the A75 in Dumfries and Galloway, the purpose of which is to reduce speeding, including whether there is evidence that this has resulted in a reduced number of accidents and average speed of vehicles.

A series of speed management measures were introduced in Springholm including the erection of vehicle activated speed limit reminder signs and speed indicator devices. In December 2017, this was further supported by the introduction of a trial of innovative technology comprising two sets of Reverse Speed Discrimination Traffic Signals through the village to manage driver behaviour.

In 2023, an evaluation was undertaken of the effectiveness of these signals by Amey, Transport Scotland’s Operating Company for the South West Unit. This focussed on the impact on vehicle speeds through Springholm using data from permanent traffic loop sites installed prior to the signals being introduced and personal injury collisions.

In the 6-year period prior to the installation of the signals (1 December 2012 to 30 November 2017) there were 3 personal injury collisions recorded. Since the installation of the signals in December 2017 to the date of the evaluation report (November 2023) there were no personal injury collisions recorded.

Monitoring of the average speed of vehicles through the village also indicated that the signals were mostly effective in reducing vehicle speeds, with the exception of one site, which recorded a slight increase in the speed of eastbound vehicles exiting the village.

Question reference: S7O-00357

Asked by: Duncan Dunlop, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 September 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that communities hosting multiple onshore wind developments, including Tweedsmuir, receive a fair and lasting share of the benefits arising from those developments.

Question reference: S7W-03772

Asked by: Duncan Dunlop, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 September 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 27 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to strengthen resilience to wildfires, droughts, flooding and other climate changes through nature-based solutions, including peatland restoration, wetland protection, river restoration and native woodland expansion.

Question reference: S7O-00328

Asked by: Duncan Dunlop, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 September 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what commitment it will give to extending the Borders Railway beyond Tweedbank to Hawick and Carlisle.

Question reference: S7W-03059

Asked by: Duncan Dunlop, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 22 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of whether its current online safety information and support for parents and carers is effectively reaching families across Scotland, and what evidence it has that such information and support is influencing parental behaviour.

Keeping families safe online is of paramount importance for the Scottish Government and prevention is key.

The Scottish Government’s Parent Club resource is one of the ways that we support parents and carers, providing advice, information and guidance through a website, social media channels and email programme. Parent Club offers policy-led, empathetic advice and support across a wide range of topics. It provides practical advice, information and tips on many topics - from online safety for young children and teenagers to establishing healthy sleep routines and supporting the overall wellbeing of the whole family.

The performance of the Parent Club website is monitored regularly using Google Analytics. Since 1 April 2026 the pages relating to online safety have been viewed 8,010 times by 5,180 users, with users spending an average of 53 seconds per page.

In 2022, the Scottish Government carried user testing on the pages with parents and teachers which confirmed that the participants found the content timely, relevant, inclusive, informative, engaging, actionable, user-friendly and supportive of their needs.

In addition to Parent Club, the Scottish Government funds the Scottish Youth Parliament’s “Mind Yer Time” online resource which includes tips for adults written by young people. The Scottish Government meets regularly with the Scottish Youth Parliament and receive annual reports on the impact of “Mind Yer Time”.

This year, the Scottish Government has also provided funding to Fathers Network Scotland to issue a national Dads Survey 2026. The survey asked a range of questions on how dads across Scotland access digital resources, including Parent Club.

The Scottish Government has also launched two Digital Wellbeing surveys: for children and young people and parents and carers, on 19 August 2026. The surveys will be open until 30 September and seek to gather the views and experiences of children and young people and their parents and carers in relation to their online activities, digital wellbeing, online safety, use of social media and digital devices, and the support and information they may find helpful. Once analysed, the results of these surveys and the Dads survey will inform the strengthening of Scottish Government policy and guidance relating to online safety and digital wellbeing.

Question reference: S7W-03060

Asked by: Duncan Dunlop, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 22 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how it measures the effectiveness of online safety resources that it provides to parents and carers, beyond the number of resources produced or distributed.

Question reference: S7W-03058

Asked by: Duncan Dunlop, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 21 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what evidence it plans to collect to determine whether online safety training results in more consistent safeguarding practice across schools and local authorities.

Responsibility for ensuring and monitoring effective safeguarding practice rests with local Child Protection Committees, local authorities and their child protection partners, operating within the national child protection framework. The Scottish Government considers evidence from a range of existing assurance, inspection and review activity to inform understanding of safeguarding arrangements. This includes the recently published National Review of Group-based Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation, which found that Chief Officers’ Groups reported confidence that education services had established policies, procedures, guidance and learning to identify children and young people at increased risk of significant harm.

Question reference: S7W-03057

Asked by: Duncan Dunlop, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 21 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to assess whether online safety training for educators is improving their confidence and ability to recognise, respond to and appropriately escalate digital safeguarding concerns.

The Government is pursuing a suite of action to protect young people from online harm. By way of example, by late Autumn 2026, Education Scotland will commence a focused programme of work to support educators in learning about online harms and online safety, the identification of risks and how they can respond to concerns. The work will involve pre and post participation evaluation to assess participant understanding of the online harms that young people are facing, and of their confidence to recognise and escalate concerns appropriately through established child protection procedures.

Education Scotland currently supports educators through providing information and links to resources via their Safegaurding and Child Protection webpages, one of which is specifically focused on Online Abuse and Exploitation. They also link closely with partners across child protection agencies, law enforcement and the third sector to ensure that their networks are provided with timely information and advice in relation to emerging threats and current online harms.