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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-34325

Asked by: Ben Macpherson, MSP for Edinburgh Northern and Leith, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 31 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 27 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider introducing a statutory duty of care for higher education institutions.

The Scottish Government has no plans to introduce a statutory duty of care for higher education institutions, however we do expect them to put in place measures to protect and support student wellbeing, as well as to comply with existing legal duties, such as the Equality Act 2010 and Online Safety Act 2023.

The Scottish Government will continue to engage closely with universities on student mental health support, in line with our Student Mental Health Action Plan, and work to ensure that universities are places where students can live, study and research free from gender-based violence, through the Equally Safe in Colleges and Universities Core Leadership Group.

Question reference: S6O-04383

Asked by: Ben Macpherson, MSP for Edinburgh Northern and Leith, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 February 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 5 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting Edinburgh’s economy.

Question reference: S6W-34502

Asked by: Ben Macpherson, MSP for Edinburgh Northern and Leith, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 25 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-32043 by Jenni Minto on 17 December 2024, whether consideration is being given to creating a clinical and third sector stakeholder group to help inform the implementation of the NICE guideline on myalgic encephalomyelitis/ chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), to be delivered by Healthcare Improvement Scotland.

The Budget includes a new investment of £4.5 million to deliver specialist support for ME/CFS, Long Covid and other similar conditions. We are exploring whether bringing clinical and third sector stakeholders together to seek further consensus and clarity around the status and implementation of the NICE guidelines on ME/CFS would help deliver this specialist support and, if so, consideration will be given to whether Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS), or another organisation, is well placed to facilitate this work.

Question reference: S6O-04288

Asked by: Ben Macpherson, MSP for Edinburgh Northern and Leith, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 January 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 5 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the economy secretary has had with ministerial colleagues regarding establishing a standalone postgraduate business school to help create more companies, attract talent and boost innovation.

Question reference: S6W-33312

Asked by: Ben Macpherson, MSP for Edinburgh Northern and Leith, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 23 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how it is addressing youth violence, in light of its Youth Violence Summit on 13 January 2025.

The Scottish Government is grateful for the bravery shown by the young people and their families who shared their experiences at the summit. It was extremely important to hear directly from those with lived experience on their views about possible solutions to address violence amongst young people.

We will publish a report of the summit that will highlight the key areas the participants raised.

A commitment has been made to hold a further meeting involving cross-party MSPs to discuss youth violence and the issues raised at the summit.

Over the last two years, we have invested more than £4 million to implement the actions set out in the Violence Prevention Framework, including tackling youth violence. This has included work to extend the support of the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit, to reach more individuals and communities across Scotland, extending the Medics Against Violence Hospital Navigator Programme in two Children’s Hospitals in Aberdeen and Glasgow and training teachers in schools to provide young people with key messages on violence.

The Scottish Government is also investing up to £20 million through our CashBack for Communities programme phase 6, which is funding 29 partners over 3 years to deliver early intervention and prevention projects targeted at working with and supporting young people at risk of being drawn into antisocial behaviour, offending or reoffending. This programme aims to reach a minimum of 33,976 children and young people between April 2023 and March 2026.

Question reference: S6O-04274

Asked by: Ben Macpherson, MSP for Edinburgh Northern and Leith, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 January 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how it is engaging with local authorities to enable supply teachers to work in and across a number of different local authority areas.

Question reference: S6O-04237

Asked by: Ben Macpherson, MSP for Edinburgh Northern and Leith, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 January 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 23 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting and investing in youth work.

Question reference: S6O-04208

Asked by: Ben Macpherson, MSP for Edinburgh Northern and Leith, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 January 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 16 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the planned opening of the safer drug consumption facility in Glasgow, whether consideration has been given to opening a similar facility in Edinburgh.

Question reference: S6T-02270

Asked by: Ben Macpherson, MSP for Edinburgh Northern and Leith, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 06 January 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how it is responding to reported increases in instances of youth crime and antisocial behaviour.

Question reference: S6W-32043

Asked by: Ben Macpherson, MSP for Edinburgh Northern and Leith, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 06 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 17 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the announcement in its draft Budget 2025-26 of an additional £4.5 million to "deliver new specialist support across the country for Long Covid, ME, Chronic Fatigue, and other similar conditions", whether this will include funding for the implementation of the NICE guideline on myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), in the event that the draft Budget is agreed to by the Parliament.

We want everyone living with ME/CFS in Scotland to be able to access the best possible care and support. That is why the Budget includes a new investment of £4.5 million to deliver specialist support for ME/CFS, Long Covid and other similar conditions. We have commenced early work to determine how this funding should be allocated.

This important investment will help support people with ME/CFS across Scotland, and we are asking Parliament to unite behind the Budget to ensure this funding reaches the people who need it.

While the Scottish Government sets the strategic policy for the NHS in Scotland, it is NHS Boards and healthcare professionals locally who have responsibility for both service delivery and ensuring people receive the right care for them, taking into account relevant guidance and the needs of patients. The Health and Social Care Standards, issued in 2017, also set out the expectation that care should be provided by health and social care professionals based on the most relevant evidence, guidance and best practice, as is appropriate to their profession and patient group.

We have already taken a number of steps to demonstrate our support for the NICE guidelines. Most recently in November 2024 we published an analysis of data from all NHS boards about their arrangements for ME/CFS care and their awareness and implementation of the NICE guidelines: https://www.gov.scot/isbn/9781836019923.