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-03038

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Hannah Mary Goodlad on 23 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on public funds being used to subsidise tourists and business travellers in local authority areas that have introduced, or are planning to introduce, a Visitor Levy, including Glasgow City Council.

The Visitor Levy (Scotland) Act 2024 allows local authorities to introduce a visitor levy where this meets the needs of their areas, after consultation with local communities and businesses. The Act also allows authorities to introduce local exemptions as part of their visitor levy scheme. In such circumstances individuals who meet the criteria as defined by the local authority are exempt from paying levy or may be subsequently reimbursed any levy paid. Exemptions would reduce the amount of levy generated by a visitor levy scheme but would not involve public funds being used to subsidise tourists and business travellers.

Question reference: S7W-03040

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 23 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to limiting eligibility for subsidised bus fares to people who are resident in Scotland.

The £2 bus fare cap which is now operational in the Highlands and Islands and Strathclyde areas is available to all, not just residents, and is supporting everyday and leisure journeys in these areas, while encouraging greater use of public transport and contributing to our climate objectives. While there are no plans to limit passenger eligibility for the bus fare cap scheme, monitoring of a number of factors including passenger uptake and operational costs will help to inform the development of a national scheme.

In order to be eligible for the National Concessionary Travel Schemes, individuals must be resident in Scotland. These Scotland-wide free bus travel schemes provide access to free travel on registered local and long- distance bus services for everyone under 22, 60 and over and with an eligible disability. With over 3 million journeys every week, these schemes are helping people across Scotland cut costs for essential, every day and leisure travel, making sustainable travel a more attractive option and supporting people with the cost of living.

Question reference: S7W-03039

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 21 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what subsidy it is providing to First Bus for each passenger journey on the Glasgow Airport Express service.

The Glasgow Airport Express Service 500, operated by First Glasgow, is included in the Strathclyde £2 Bus Fare Cap scheme. For eligible journeys, operators are reimbursed at 90% of the difference between £2 and the standard single fare, subject to checks and validation. This reimbursement rate applies to all participating operators, although Grant Agreements contain a comfort clause which may adjust the percentage reimbursed in exceptional circumstances.

Those eligible for free bus travel through the National Concessionary Travel Schemes may also use this bus service. The reimbursement rates for all participating operators for the current financial year are:

Older and Disabled Persons’ Scheme – 53%
Young Persons’ Scheme (aged 5-15) – 48.1%
Young Persons’ Scheme (aged 16-21) – 72.5%

Question reference: S7W-03041

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 21 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how many passenger journeys it estimates are taken on average on the Glasgow Airport Express service in a year.

Question reference: S7O-00224

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 September 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 16 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the report by the Auditor General for Scotland, Criminal courts backlog follow-up.

Question reference: S7W-02116

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 18 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how many people it anticipated would be (a) seen and (b) treated at the Cardonald GP walk-in clinic during its first year of operation, and what its position is on whether this will be achieved, based on the latest attendance figures.

Question reference: S7W-02112

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 18 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what the cost has been to the public purse of the Cardonald GP walk-in clinic in each week of its operation and, in this period, how many people (a) attended the clinic, broken down by the number of subsequent referrals made to (i) hospitals and (ii) other NHS services, and (b) did not get treatment, due to them being registered at a GP practice not covered by the clinic.

Question reference: S6O-05703

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 March 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government when it last met NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, and what issues were discussed.

Question reference: S6O-05663

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 March 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to council tax increases approved by local authorities across Scotland for 2026-27.

Question reference: S6O-05587

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 February 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 4 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government when it last met Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership and what was discussed.