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

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Question reference: S6W-42312

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 December 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 16 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the theme of Crohn's and Colitis Awareness Week 2025, "How it Feels", how it plans to shed light on the serious and life-changing nature of the conditions, in order to transform understanding in schools and to ensure that students are better supported to complete their education.

The Scottish Government welcomes the theme of Crohn's and Colitis Awareness Week 2025, “How it feels,” and values the work of charities like Crohn’s and Colitis UK in highlighting the challenges of managing often invisible symptoms.

The Scottish Government recognises that the health of children can have a significant impact on their education and they may require an individual healthcare plan to identify the level and type of support that will be needed to meet their healthcare needs whilst attending school. Where a child or young person has been diagnosed with Crohn’s or Colitis, NHS boards, education authorities and schools should work collaboratively to ensure that all staff receive an appropriate level of training in order to understand and respond to both the educational and health needs of any affected children and young people for whom they are responsible.

Furthermore, where a child or young person is unable to attend school for a prolonged period due to ill health then schools and local authorities have a statutory duty to continue to educate them to their fullest potential and make special arrangements for affected pupils to receive education elsewhere than at school.

These arrangements are likely to apply when a child or young person is absent from school for a prolonged period due to the impacts of either Crohn’s or Colitis upon their health. Further information is available within our guidance on education of children and young people unable to attend school sue to ill health which is available through the following web link: Education of children unable to attend school due to ill health: guidance - gov.scot.

Question reference: S6O-05313

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 December 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service's public consultation on the proposed closure of Marionville Fire Station in Edinburgh.

Question reference: S6F-04519

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 08 December 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 December 2025

To ask the First Minister what assessment the Scottish Government has made of, and support it is providing to, childhood dementia awareness.

Question reference: S6W-42022

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 1 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what new funding will be given to the Cancer Strategy for Scotland 2023–2033.

The Scottish Government Cancer Strategy for Scotland (2023 – 2033) is underpinned by multi-year phases of planned actions.

The initial three-year Cancer Action for Scotland Plan 2023-2026 has supported the strategy by determining actions to help us achieve our ambition to improve survival and provide excellent, equitably accessible care. These span our 11 ambitions laid out in the strategy and describe investments across a range of activity.

These include increased funding to support SACT and Acute Oncology Services, additional cancer waiting times funding to reduce waiting times and increased funding to expand the Scottish Cancer Registry to improve data.

Scottish Government is considering any new funding required ahead of the next Cancer Action Plan due to be published in 2026. This will recognise the context of the record investment of £21 billion into health and social care made through our 2025-26 Budget.

Question reference: S6W-42023

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 1 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many school days have been lost due to industrial action in each year since 1999, broken down by local authority.

Question reference: S6O-05229

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 November 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 3 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the culture secretary has had with the finance and local government secretary regarding providing support to Edinburgh in dealing with the pressures of holding major annual cultural events and royal visits, including reintroducing the capital city supplement.

Question reference: S6W-42019

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 25 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has regarding how many controlled parking zones have been introduced by each local authority in each year since 1999, also broken down by how many parking permits have been sold for these each year, and how much has been raised by these sales.

Question reference: S6W-41750

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 07 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 24 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many school additional support needs professionals there have been in each year since 1999, broken down by local authority.

All teachers are responsible for supporting pupils with additional support needs, not just those teachers whose role is specifically related to additional support for learning.

Statistics on teachers with a main subject relating to additional support needs are published in the teacher census supplementary statistics, available on the Scottish Government website at https://www.gov.scot/publications/teacher-census-supplementary-statistics/

Statistics on school support staff in publicly funded schools in Scotland are published on the Scottish Government website at:

https://www.gov.scot/publications/school-support-staff-statistics/

Question reference: S6W-41749

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 07 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 24 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many additional support needs professionals have been registered in each year since 1999.

Question reference: S6W-41755

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 07 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 24 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is regarding the evacuation of classrooms due to disruptive behaviour from pupils, and how many times classrooms have been evacuated due to such behaviour in each year since 1999, broken down by local authority.

The safety of young people and staff in school is of paramount importance.

The Scottish Government’s approach to relationships and behaviour in schools is focussed on prevention and de-escalation of concerns. There are a number of strategies schools can and do use to respond to disruptive behaviour. We are clear that the safety of a young person, their peers and staff should always be a priority for attention. To support schools, in June 2025 we published guidance on risk assessments for violent, aggressive and dangerous behaviour. This supports schools to manage situations where there is considered to be a foreseeable risk of harm occurring or a pattern of behaviour that causes, or is likely to cause harm to self or others. Evidence-based risk assessments support the understanding of the behaviour and inform planning of appropriate control measures and mitigations.

The Scottish Government does not centrally hold information on the number of times classrooms have been evacuated due to behaviour since 1999. Local authorities may hold this information.

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