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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: S6O-04347

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 February 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how it is working to increase the number of film and television productions created in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-34367

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 31 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 12 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding its draft Budget 2025-26, how much funding it plans to allocate to NHS capital projects, once the replacements for the Edinburgh Eye Pavilion, Monklands Hospital and Belford Hospital in Fort William are accounted for.

The 2025-26 draft budget provides increased investment of £139 million across the NHS estate. This allows plans for Monklands and Belford hospital replacements and a new eye pavilion to be progressed, supports a new radiopharmacy facility and provides increased core capital allocations to NHS Boards, as well as additional support for Boards’ priority maintenance and improvements.

The budget also provides continued support for NHS projects already in construction and for the national replacement programmes for ambulances and radiotherapy equipment.

Beyond this, further NHS projects cannot be supported at this time, as there remains challenge and uncertainty in the capital budget position. All due consideration will be given as to which projects are affordable and deliverable, following the outcome of the UK Government’s spending review.

This will be supported by our work with Health Boards to develop a whole-system NHS infrastructure plan which will consider health infrastructure needs for the whole of Scotland, supporting the continued safe operation of existing facilities, as well as determination of longer-term investment priorities.

Question reference: S6W-34286

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Kaukab Stewart on 12 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government when it expects the Anti-Racism Observatory for Scotland to become operational.

Question reference: S6W-34285

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Kaukab Stewart on 12 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the creation of the Anti-Racism Observatory for Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-34284

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Kaukab Stewart on 12 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether funding for the Anti-Racism Observatory for Scotland will be separate and additional to existing budgets.

We can confirm the budget allocation for the Anti-Racism Observatory for Scotland (AROS) is separate and additional to existing budgets.

We are currently within the evaluation phase of the procurement process to identify a host for the Anti-Racism Observatory for Scotland. The conclusion of this phase has been delayed due to the need for approval of the annual budget bills by the Scottish Parliament and spending reviews by the Scottish Government.

The contract for the Anti-Racism Observatory for Scotland will be awarded once the procurement process concludes, which is currently scheduled for Spring 2025 subject to budgetary approval. It is anticipated that there would be a two-month mobilisation period following the award of any contract, with AROS becoming operational soon after this time.

Question reference: S6W-34354

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 31 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 7 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how it is working to ensure that (a) local authorities and (b) housing associations provide social housing suitable for families with multiple disabled people.

We want disabled people in Scotland to have choice, dignity and freedom to access suitable homes, built or adapted to enable them to participate as full and equal citizens.

As the statutory housing authority for their area, local authorities are responsible for assessing housing need and demand, including specialist housing requirements, and for setting out how this will be met through their Local Housing Strategies and Strategic Housing Investment Plans. This includes the location, size and type of housing required.

Local authorities are also required to include all-tenure wheelchair accessible housing targets as part of their Local Housing Strategy.

The Affordable Housing Supply Programme provides a flexible grant system to local authorities and registered social landlords to support the delivery of specialist affordable housing, including wheelchair accessible homes.

In addition, the draft budget includes funding of £20.9 million for 2025-26 to enable registered social landlords to deliver necessary adaptations to ensure disabled people can live independently at home for as long as possible.

Question reference: S6W-33955

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 24 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 5 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of the fixed fees system on the number of solicitors taking on legal aid cases.

The fixed fee system was introduced over 25 years ago, in 1999. The initial move to fixed fees in 1999 was designed to reverse the substantial growth in costs seen throughout the 1990s and which led to significant reforms both in Scotland and England and Wales.

Fixed payments and block fees reduce the administrative burden on providers and streamlines the accounts process. That system was designed upon a basis that solicitors should be paid fixed sums for specified work recognising that different cases will require different amounts of work, and that different cases will have different degrees of profitability, but over the total population of summary criminal cases that a solicitor undertakes in a year, the sums that will be paid from the legal aid fund will provide reasonable remuneration. Solicitors can “opt out” of the respective fixed/block fee regime and charge on a ‘time and line’ basis in certain circumstances.

One of our short-term priorities for Legal Aid Reform, which arose from the Legal Aid Payment Panel is to progress fee review planning and collaborate with stakeholders on reform of legal aid fees in 2025. I intend to publish the Legal Aid Reform Discussion paper shortly.

Question reference: S6W-33976

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 24 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angus Robertson on 4 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what progress has been made with its scheme, Percentage for the Arts.

Question reference: S6T-02335

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 03 February 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 4 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the banking sector regarding how to ensure that communities do not lose access to banking services, in light of reports that Lloyds Banking Group plans to close 14 Bank of Scotland branches over the next two years.

Question reference: S6O-04286

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 January 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 5 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how it is working to increase investment in Scotland’s artificial intelligence sector.