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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-41869

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 27 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the Islands Connectivity Plan’s project to replace the Gourock-Dunoon-Kilcreggan passenger vessels by December 2026, and what the budget is for this project.

The Programme Working Group has been considering interlinked vessel replacement and port infrastructure matters to develop the options for investment in ferry services to Dunoon and Kilcreggan. The review of services reported following the completion of the Community Needs Assessment work has been included in the ongoing business case work. Programme costs and budgets are currently being reviewed and will be included in the Outline Business Case which is expected to report in due course.

Question reference: S6W-41867

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 27 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government by what date it will publish a timetable for the Community Needs Assessment of the (a) Ardrossan- (i) Brodick and (ii) Campbeltown route and (b) all other routes in the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services (third generation) (CHFS3) contract, as required by the Islands Connectivity Plan.

The Community Needs Assessments (CNAs) for Arran (including the Ardrossan-Brodick route) and Campbeltown are part of a wider programme of assessments for Clyde and Kintyre routes plus Islay, Jura and Gigha, and are scheduled to be carried out during 2026.

CNAs are underway for routes within the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Service. These include assessments for Coll, Colonsay, Iona, Kerrera, Lismore, Mull, Tiree, and the Sounds of Barra and Harris services. These assessments are expected to be completed by summer 2026. CNAs for the Outer Hebrides (mainland routes), Small Isles, Skye and Raasay are scheduled to commence later this year.

Question reference: S6W-41870

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 27 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the Islands Connectivity Plan’s proposed development of Gourock Ferry Terminal by December 2026, and what the budget is for this project.

Question reference: S6W-41868

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 25 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what funding Transport Scotland has provided to Dunoon Community Development Trust in each year since 2016-17.

Transport Scotland has no direct funding relationship with Dunoon Community Development Trust (DCDT), but since its creation in 2021(with support including £15,000 from the Scottish Government’s ‘Scotland Loves Local Fund’), DCDT has benefitted from support via Transport Scotland funded programmes.

This Transport Scotland backed support has included funding through Cycling UK via the Smarter Choices Smarter Places (SCSP) programme, and support from the regional transport partnership Hitrans via the People and Place programme (see table below).

Prior to 2021, a number of different legacy projects and initiatives in the Dunoon area benefited from Transport Scotland support, some aspects of which we understand DCDT has since taken on and continued. This includes Cycling UK’s Dunoon Bothy Project, which had previously been supported via the separately funded ‘Connecting Communities’ programme, and an app which had previously been developed by Argyle and Bue Council, with SCSP funding.

Financial Year	Support via Transport Scotland funded programmes	Comment
2016-17 to 2020-21	N/A	N/A
2021-22	£0	DCDT established 16 June 2021 with SG, LA, and National Lottery funding.
2022-23	£0
2023-24	£2,000	Cycling UK via Smarter Choices Smarter Places.
2024-25	£8,000	Hitrans via People and Place.
2025-26	£11,000	Hitrans via People and Place.

Question reference: S6O-05198

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 November 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the report by the Auditor General into the financial sustainability of NHS Ayrshire and Arran, which found that the board is facing a deficit of £33.1 million in the current year.

Question reference: S6W-41761

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 07 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 18 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its plans are to improve workplace training in psychiatric care settings, including on de-escalation techniques and trust-building.

The Scottish Government is clear that Health Boards are expected to follow best practice, ensure that all staff are adequately trained and report all restraint incidents through robust systems.

While Scottish Government sets the strategic policy direction for the NHS in Scotland, operational matters - including staff training - are in the first instance the responsibility of NHS Boards.

The Scottish Government is also clear that restraint must only ever be used as a last resort, for the shortest time necessary to ensure safety. Protecting human rights is of the utmost importance.

This year, the Scottish Government provided NHS Education for Scotland (NES) with around £31.67 million to continue multidisciplinary education, training and workforce expansion for staff.

NES are committed to supporting the reduction of restraint and seclusion in services by building workforce capability in trauma-informed practice, embedding human-rights-based practice, and promoting evidence informed alternatives.

Question reference: S6W-41762

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 07 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 13 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider mandating uniform reporting of restrictive practices in adult psychiatric care units.

The Scottish Government will revise the Code of Practice under the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003 to add guidance on the use of restrictive practices in inpatient mental health wards against children, young people and adults. This will include minimum expectations for reporting, and will be aligned to the new role for the Mental Welfare Commission with regards to national monitoring and reporting on the use of restraint. The Code of Practice will be revised before the end of October 2026.

Question reference: S6W-41760

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 07 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 13 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a timescale for the designation of the Mental Welfare Commission as the appropriate monitoring body of the use of restraint and seclusion in children’s psychiatric care facilities.

Question reference: S6T-02748

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 10 November 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reported comments by Professor Catriona Matheson, former chair of the Drug Deaths Taskforce, that the national mission on drug deaths has failed to deliver robust, evidence-based clinical care for people affected by drug use, due to clinical and practitioner expertise being sidelined.

Question reference: S6W-41583

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 5 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to COSLA’s recently published manifesto, which calls for an additional £750 million of funding for social care.

Local government is a crucial partner in helping to deliver better outcomes for the people of Scotland. That is why we have provided councils with a record £15.1 billion this year, a real terms increase of 5.5%, and have delivered a wide range of powers for local councils.

Our joint Local Governance Review with COSLA will conclude by the end of the Parliament, setting out how power and resources can be better shared between national and local government and with communities.

In addition, this year the Scottish Government has allocated nearly £2.2 billion for social care and integration, representing an increase of over £1.2 billion since
2021-22. This goes almost £350 million beyond the Scottish Government’s original commitment to increase social care funding by 25% (£840 million) over the lifetime of the Parliament.

The Scottish Government has been investing heavily in the social care workforce through its fair work commitments. We will continue to work with local government partners to ensure the people of Scotland can access the services they need when and where they need them.