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: S6W-44425

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 25 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has carried out of the current balance between the number of newly qualified teachers entering the profession and the number of permanent posts available across Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-44444

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 25 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how its school roll forecasting guidance accounts for the cumulative impact of multiple windfall developments (sites not originally in the Local Development Plan) on a single school catchment area, and what measures are in place to prevent local schools from reaching working capacity before any promised infrastructure improvements are delivered.

Question reference: S6W-44442

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 25 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to eliminate the reported "postcode lottery" regarding the start dates for funded early learning and childcare (ELC) hours, and what specific support is available for parents of twins who turn three years old mid-term but are forced to pay for two full-time places for several months until the following term's intake.

Question reference: S6W-44443

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 25 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance it provides to local authorities to ensure that siblings from multiple births can access their funded early learning and childcare (ELC) hours at the same provider and within the same sessions, in light of reports that limited capacity in some areas is forcing parents to split twins between different nurseries or different time slots.

Question reference: S6W-44461

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 25 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what its most recent assessment is of the number of hospitality businesses in South Lanarkshire that will recieve support as a result of the 40% non-domestic rates relief for licensed premises introduced in its Budget 2026-27, and what steps it is taking to ensure that the £110,000 per-business cap does not unfairly disadvantage any local independent groups that operate multiple sites across Lanarkshire’s high streets.

Question reference: S6W-44438

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 25 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what its most recent assessment is of the gynaecology workforce implementation gap that was identified by Audit Scotland; how many consultant gynaecologist vacancies, including locum-filled roles, there are in each NHS board, and what specific actions it is taking to recruit and retain specialist gynaecological nursing staff to support the new National Gynaecology Plan.

Question reference: S6W-44421

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 25 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding the Ecocide (Scotland) Bill and specifically in relation to any potential section 35 or section 40 issues under the Scotland Act 1998, and what steps are being taken to ensure that cross-border enforcement and corporate liability provisions do not face constitutional or legal impediments.

Question reference: S6W-44431

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 25 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what resource will be provided to local authorities to implement the "workforce alignment" recommendation in the report, Additional Support for Learning: A Review of System Delivery for Learners, in light of the reported failure of the current national additional support for learning framework to prevent parents in Lanarkshire from having to leave the workforce to care for neurodivergent children.

Question reference: S6W-44454

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 25 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the test of change pilots for free school meals in secondary schools, which was launched in August 2025; how many pupils in S1 to S3 have benefitted from these pilots to date, and what its timeline is for evaluating these trials and bringing forward a national plan for universal secondary school meal provision.

Question reference: S6W-44445

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 25 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what recent assessment it has made of the accuracy of Pupil Product Ratios (PPR) used by local authorities to forecast school rolls in areas of high housing growth; what data it holds on instances where actual pupil numbers from new developments have exceeded the 0.3 (primary) and 0.13 (secondary) per household estimates, and whether it will review these formulas to ensure that they are fit for purpose, in light of the 2026 school census data.