Questions and answers

Question reference: S6W-43910

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 February 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 11 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to prevent tooth decay in children, and what recent discussions it has had with the British Dental Association regarding this.

Question reference: S6W-43916

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 February 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 11 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of NHS Ayrshire and Arran's escalation to stage 4 of the NHS Scotland Support and Intervention Framework, what discussions it has had with the board regarding the (a) operating cost so far and (b) date of the opening of the National Secure Adolescent Inpatient Service for Scotland (Foxgrove); what its response is to the recent information released under Freedom of Information that £5,243,606 has been spent on salaries for staff at the site since 2021, despite it not yet formally being opened, what its position is on whether this represents good value for the public purse, and whether it expects Foxgrove to open prior to 7 May 2026, before the Scottish Parliament election.

Question reference: S6O-05602

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 February 2026
Current Status: Due to be taken in the Chamber on 5 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that the gap between secondary school leavers from the most deprived and least deprived areas going to a positive destination widened to 4.7 percentage points, which is the largest since 2020-21.

Question reference: S6W-43768

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 16 February 2026
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 25 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-43538 by Gillian Martin on 12 February 2026, how many times the Energy Consents Unit has corresponded with the Children’s Rights Unit by (a) email, (b) post or (c) internal memo to request a consultation or advice regarding any impacts on children.

Question reference: S6W-43593

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 February 2026
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 20 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is regarding the calculations provided by the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) that to uplift pay in commissioned services from the real Living Wage in 2025-26 to that for 2026-27 would cost more than has been allocated in the draft Budget and amounts to a shortfall of £15 million for adult social care and £4 million for children’s social care and early learning and childcare.