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-00660

Asked by: Max Bannerman, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Reform UK
Date lodged: Friday, 29 May 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 12 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what its current position is regarding whether it would support for a review of the governance arrangements, boundaries and size of the Highland Council area.

Councils are independent bodies with their own powers and responsibilities and are entirely separate from the Scottish Government. The Scottish Government believes that locally elected representatives are best placed to consider the needs of their communities.

Councils are responsible for considering their own options for reform and transformation, in line with their statutory responsibilities and local priorities. The Improvement Service supports councils to develop capability and capacity for improvement to enhance the delivery of high quality, efficient local services.

The Scottish Government continues to work in partnership with local government and other public sector partners through the Public Service Reform programme to improve the design and delivery of services, strengthen collaboration and identify opportunities for efficiencies, while ensuring that services meet the needs of local communities.

Question reference: S7W-00622

Asked by: Max Bannerman, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Reform UK
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 May 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 5 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment has been undertaken regarding a potential connection between the West Highland and Highland Main railway lines, which are 17 miles apart at their closest points.

The second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2) appraised a potential new rail link between the Highland Main Line (HML) and the West Highland Line (WHL). However, this option did not progress beyond the Preliminary Appraisal stage, and there are currently no plans to develop a direct connection between the two lines. Further information on STPR2 recommendations is available at:

Final technical report - December 2022 - STPR2 | Transport Scotland appendix-g-groupings-related-to-recommendations-december-2022-stpr2.pdf

Transport Scotland continually reviews its programme of works against priorities in the context of available funding. This ensures it can deliver the right projects at the right time as it seeks to progress its rolling programme of decarbonisation, whilst also delivering rail passenger and freight services that meet user expectation.

Question reference: S7W-00624

Asked by: Max Bannerman, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Reform UK
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 May 2026
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 3 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what planning and practice scenarios have been undertaken with rural Scottish Fire and Rescue Service stations to address the practicalities of it responding to a potential battery energy storage scheme fire.

Planning and training for tackling fires are operational matters for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) to consider. SFRS continually reviews its operational response concerning emerging technology, including battery storage, to keep communities safe and has the ability to deploy a range of resources that can be utilised by highly skilled crews to successfully bring incidents to a safe conclusion.

Question reference: S7W-00625

Asked by: Max Bannerman, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Reform UK
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 May 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 11 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made in response to the Royal College of Psychiatrists in Scotland's 10-point action plan detailed in its report, Multi-system solutions for meeting the needs of autistic people and people with ADHD in Scotland.

Question reference: S7W-00623

Asked by: Max Bannerman, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Reform UK
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 May 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 11 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what the total outstanding works on the NHS estate are, as identified through recommendations made by Healthcare Improvement Scotland and the Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland.

Question reference: S7O-00008

Asked by: Max Bannerman, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Reform UK
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 May 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 2 June 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether its commitment to reform public services includes removing reported blockages and inefficiencies in delayed capital projects, such as the A9 and A96 dualling, to expedite their completion.