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-02693

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Fife North East, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 15 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the availability of graduate apprenticeships in early learning and childcare in Scotland and what steps it is taking to ensure that there is adequate provision to support a highly-skilled early learning and childcare workforce.

The Scottish Government recognises that a highly skilled early learning and childcare (ELC) workforce is central to delivering high-quality outcomes for children and families.

Graduate Apprenticeships (GAs) are employer-led and designed to align with current and future skills needs. They provide one route into the sector, alongside other pathways such as college qualifications, Modern Apprenticeships and university-based study.

We continue to monitor demand for GAs through engagement with employers, labour market intelligence and consultation with organisations such as the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC). This helps to ensure that provision remains responsive to the needs of the sector and supports the development of a skilled ELC workforce.

Question reference: S7W-03254

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Fife North East, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 14 September 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 28 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with NHS Tayside regarding compliance with Standard 3 of the Scottish Standards for Electroconvulsive Therapy.

Question reference: S7W-03251

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Fife North East, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 14 September 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 28 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the 2025 Scottish ECT Audit Network’s report on data, and what steps it is taking to improve compliance with the Scottish Standards for Electroconvulsive Therapy that were introduced in 2023.

Question reference: S7W-03250

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Fife North East, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 14 September 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 28 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government when it was made aware of NHS’s Tayside’s reported low rate of compliance with Standard 3 of the Scottish Standards for Electroconvulsive Therapy, and what subsequent action it took after this was brought to its attention.

Question reference: S7W-03253

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Fife North East, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 14 September 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 28 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with NHS (a) Ayrshire & Arran, (b) Borders, (c) Fife and (d) Tayside regarding compliance with Standard 7 of the Scottish Standards for Electroconvulsive Therapy.

Question reference: S7W-03252

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Fife North East, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 14 September 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 28 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it has taken since the Scottish Standards for Electroconvulsive Therapy were introduced in 2023 to ensure compliance with the standards, including what engagement it has had with NHS boards.

Question reference: S7W-02692

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Fife North East, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 11 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of whether the size of the early learning and childcare workforce is sufficient to meet the needs of childcare provision in Scotland, including funded childcare provision and private and voluntary sector provision.

The Scottish Government keeps the sufficiency of the early learning and childcare (ELC) workforce under continual review through a range of national data sources, including Care Inspectorate statistics, Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) workforce data, engagement with local authorities and providers, and the ELC census.

The latest SSSC workforce statistics, published on 8 September 2026, show that the daycare of children services workforce increased to 42,450 in 2025, representing the highest recorded headcount for the sector.

We recognise that parts of the sector continue to face workforce and sustainability challenges. We are therefore working with local authorities, providers, sector bodies and other partners to support workforce sustainability through ongoing workforce planning activity, investment in training and qualifications, childminder recruitment, and additional funding to support payment of at least the real Living Wage for staff delivering funded ELC in private and third sector settings.

We will continue to monitor workforce and capacity trends closely to help ensure that funded childcare remains available to children and families across Scotland.

Question reference: S7W-02184

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Fife North East, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 31 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 28 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with NHS Scotland and NHS boards regarding increasing the availability of fractional exhaled nitric oxide testing for asthma in primary and secondary care settings, and whether additional funding would be required to enable such an increase.

Scotland’s National Severe Asthma Pathway was launched earlier this year and shared with all NHS Boards. The pathway supports early identification and management of severe asthma across NHS Scotland. It includes primary care use of fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) for diagnostics and referral to secondary care. The Centre for Sustainable Delivery are working with Health Boards to support implementation.

The Scottish Government will continue to consider opportunities to engage with relevant stakeholders on developments in respiratory care and diagnostic services.

Responsibility for planning and delivering local respiratory services, including decisions on the provision of diagnostic equipment and testing pathways, rests with individual NHS Boards.

Increasing the availability of FeNO testing would have resource implications, including equipment, workforce and service delivery considerations. Any future funding requirements would need to be considered with NHS Boards and the National Respiratory Programme as part of service planning and implementation of clinical guidance.

Question reference: S7W-02185

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Fife North East, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 31 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 28 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the availability of fractional exhaled nitric oxide testing for asthma in primary care settings, including the proportion of primary care settings that offer such testing.

While FeNO testing is included within current national clinical guidance, Scottish Government is aware it is not currently embedded routinely across all primary care settings in Scotland. Responsibility for the planning and delivery of primary care services rests with individual NHS Boards and General Practices.

The Scottish Government does not hold centrally collected information on the availability of FeNO testing in primary care settings and is therefore unable to provide the proportion of primary care settings that offer this test.

Question reference: S7W-02186

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Fife North East, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 31 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 13 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with NHS England regarding the deployment of fractional exhaled nitric oxide testing for asthma in primary care settings, and what assessment it has made of the experience of using such tests in England to inform its approach.

The Scottish Government has not undertaken a formal assessment of the deployment of FeNO testing in primary care settings in England. However, it continues to consider relevant evidence, guidance and learning from across the UK, including experience from England where appropriate, when considering the implementation of respiratory clinical guidance.

However, the Scottish Government is aware of developments in the use of fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) testing across the UK and notes that FeNO testing is recommended within the updated joint British Thoracic Society (BTS), National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) guideline on the diagnosis, monitoring and management of asthma. The guideline recommends the use of objective testing, including FeNO testing, to support asthma diagnosis and management.