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-02621

Asked by: Andrew Baxter, MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 21 August 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 21 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how Social Security Scotland supports claimants who may experience financial hardship as a result of delays in information being provided to the Department for Work and Pensions following an award of a Scottish social security benefit, including where such delays result in the loss of Pension Credit and any associated Housing Benefit or Council Tax Reduction.

Question reference: S7W-02630

Asked by: Andrew Baxter, MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 21 August 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 21 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider introducing a standardised road safety briefing for vehicle hire customers in Scotland, including information on driving on single-track roads, the correct use of passing places, safe stopping practices, and Scottish rural road conditions, and, if not, for what reason.

Question reference: S7W-02626

Asked by: Andrew Baxter, MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 21 August 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 21 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its duties under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (Incorporation) (Scotland) Act 2024, what steps it is taking to ensure that all children whose welfare is the subject of social work involvement, and not only those who meet existing statutory gateways, have access to independent advocacy to support their right to be heard under Article 12 of the UNCRC.

Question reference: S7W-02627

Asked by: Andrew Baxter, MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 21 August 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 21 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact on public safety of the increasing use of community-based treatment arrangements for restricted patients discharged from secure psychiatric facilities.

Question reference: S7W-02628

Asked by: Andrew Baxter, MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 21 August 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 21 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government (a) how many individuals who have been discharged from medium- or high-secure psychiatric facilities are currently subject to community-based compulsion orders or restriction orders, broken down by NHS board area, and (b) what information it holds, for each of the last five years, on (i) reoffending, (ii) serious incidents, and (iii) recalls to hospital involving such individuals.

Question reference: S7W-02623

Asked by: Andrew Baxter, MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 21 August 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 21 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of reports that Pension Credit claims have been incorrectly recalculated following awards of Pension Age Disability Payment or Carer Support Payment, and what steps it is taking to resolve problems with communication between Social Security Scotland and the Department for Work and Pensions.

Question reference: S7W-02629

Asked by: Andrew Baxter, MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 21 August 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 21 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what risk assessment, monitoring and review arrangements are in place for restricted patients living in the community following discharge from secure psychiatric care, and when these arrangements were last independently reviewed.

Question reference: S7W-02631

Asked by: Andrew Baxter, MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 21 August 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 21 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has issued any guidance to NHS boards on the inclusion of service undertaken through NHS staff banks when calculating eligibility for long-service recognition schemes, such as NHS Highland's Valuing Service Award.

Question reference: S7W-02285

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 21 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the Clyde Cod Targeted Science Programme, for what reason the Clyde Fishermen's Association was the only stakeholder to be party to a memorandum of understanding with Scottish Ministers.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was developed to support delivery of the Clyde Targeted Scientific Programme (TSP). It provides a framework for collaborative working, setting out shared commitments, roles and responsibilities to help achieve the programme's objectives. The MoU is a voluntary, non-binding agreement entered into in good faith. Responsibility for delivery is shared between the parties, with the Marine Directorate retaining oversight responsibilities and a final determination role.

The Marine Directorate, the Clyde Fishermen's Association (CFA) and the Working Group are currently identified as parties to the MoU. The decision to develop the MoU was agreed at the programme's inception meeting in February 2026, where discussions focused on practical arrangements for implementing the TSP, including data collection and methodology. As the initial priority was to establish the programme quickly and begin gathering data from fishing vessels, the CFA was the obvious fishing industry organisation supporting delivery at that stage given its membership and location. This should not however be interpreted as limiting participation to a single organisation. The MoU remains a live document, and the Scottish Government welcomes engagement from all active Clyde fishers, including those operating independently or through other representative bodies.

Year 1 priorities for the TSP are set out in public documents and are intended to be delivered through collaboration between fishers, scientists and technical advisers. As the programme develops and evidence gaps are addressed, opportunities for wider scientific engagement and collaboration are expected.

The MoU does not give any organisation responsibility for appointing scientists to the programme, determining participation in meetings, or restricting the involvement of other research institutions or the sharing of programme outputs. The Marine Directorate has also committed to providing annual updates to the Scottish Parliament, supporting transparency and the dissemination of programme findings.

The TSP and wider Clyde cod policy were considered by the Scottish Parliament in January and February 2026, with relevant licence conditions taking effect on 1 March 2026. The MoU did not establish new policy or create legally binding commitments. Rather, it documented collaborative arrangements to support delivery of an existing programme and formed part of its routine governance arrangements.

Question reference: S7W-02284

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 21 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding commercial fishing activity in Scottish inshore waters, whether it will provide the name and membership information of all the fishery (a) working groups, (b) co-management groups, (c) research groups and (d) management bodies, which are both informal or formally constituted, whose membership includes representatives of commercial fishing industry, scientists and/or Scottish Government officials and which are currently operating or have operated since 2020.

The Scottish Government engages with a wide range of groups relating to commercial fishing activity in Scottish inshore waters. These groups vary in purpose, duration and membership, and there is no centrally held or comprehensive record of all groups that have operated since 2020.

Membership is determined by the remit of each group and may include representatives from fishing organisations, scientific and academic institutions, environmental organisations and Scottish Government officials. Membership can also change over time as projects, programmes and areas of work evolve.

Providing a definitive list of all groups relating to commercial fishing activity in Scottish inshore waters, together with their memberships since 2020, would require extensive consultation across the Marine Directorate and parts of the wider Scottish Government. This would include teams covering sea fisheries, marine science, aquaculture, marine renewables, marine environment, licensing, compliance and operational delivery, together with a review of records held across multiple policy, research and delivery programmes.

Given the breadth of activity involved, the changing nature of membership and the absence of a central record, the information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

In relation to inshore fisheries management specifically, information on a number of key groups is already publicly available through Scottish Government and related stakeholder websites:

https://www.gov.scot/groups/fisheries-management--conservation-group-fmac/

https://rifg.scot/about/meetings