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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-43008

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 January 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 27 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide details of how it is exercising its rights and meeting its obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (Incorporation) (Scotland) Act 2024 with respect to decisions made through the Energy Consents Unit, and how compliance with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child is being documented.

Question reference: S6W-42936

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 January 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 27 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Audit Scotland report, Delayed discharges: A symptom of the challenges facing health and social care, which was published on 8 January 2026, what plans it has to carry out a workforce evaluation to understand the implications of the anticipated rise in demand for power of attorney or a guardianship orders associated with the recommendation in the report for "the Scottish Government, NHS Scotland, the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA), Healthcare Improvement Scotland, integration authorities and their partner NHS boards and councils [to] provide guidance on, and better promote public awareness of the benefits of, establishing a power of attorney or a guardianship order".

Question reference: S6W-42986

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 January 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 27 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-42576 by Jenni Minto on 29 December 2025, what the timescale is for the introduction of enhanced service practitioners.

Question reference: S6W-42980

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 January 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 27 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-42573 by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 6 January 2026, whether it will provide the information that was requested and confirm what action it is taking to address reported concerns that 40% of people with disabilities are worried their benefits will be removed if they are seen to be more active.

Question reference: S6W-42981

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 January 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 27 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-42575 by Maree Todd on 7 January 2026, how it is working with (a) local authorities and (b) NHS boards to encourage disabled people to participate in physical activity or sport.

Question reference: S6W-42575

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 12 December 2025
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 7 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any benefit of physical activity for disabled people.

The Scottish Government’s Physical Activity for Health Framework highlights the critical role of sport and physical activity for everyone, including disabled people. Grounded in the latest scientific evidence and key public health principles, the Framework emphasises the role physical activity plays in reducing non-communicable diseases and improving overall health.

The Framework also recognises the positive impact of physical activity on mental wellbeing, by reducing isolation, fostering community cohesion, and building resilience and confidence. Additionally, the Framework underscores the wider societal benefits of physical activity, such as supporting educational attainment, reducing reoffending, promoting sustainable transport, and enhancing engagement with the natural environment.

Question reference: S6W-42578

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 12 December 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 7 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to the inclusion of dentistry within the MyCare.scot app roll-out.

A detailed stakeholder identification and mapping exercise is currently underway as part of NHS Education Scotland’s discovery work into onboarding primary care services into MyCare.scot.

As with other primary care services such as optometry and pharmacy, dentistry will come into consideration as part of that mapping process. However, given that dental practices operate independently and their IT systems are not connected to wider primary care systems detailed consideration is required to achieve their onboarding and integration.

Question reference: S6W-42572

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 12 December 2025
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 7 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to address recent reports that 90% of people with disabilities do not meet the recommended levels of physical activity.

The Scottish Government welcomes Scottish Disability Sport’s (SDS) National Survey and Call to Action. We acknowledge that disabled people are less likely to be active, and we remain committed to working with SDS and wider partners to reduce barriers to participation.

Our national agency for sport, sportscotland, has invested £750,000 into SDS for 2025/26, and is working to create an inclusive sporting system through initiatives such as the Moving to Inclusion Framework, which supports governing bodies of sport to tackle inequalities in participation.

Addressing inequalities in participation of sport and physical activity requires a whole-system approach beyond sport, encompassing transport, education, social security, and health. Our Physical Activity for Health Framework sets out a vision for a more active Scotland across eight strategic areas. Implementation of this Framework will help ensure that physical activity is embedded into everyday life for all.

Question reference: S6W-42574

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 12 December 2025
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 7 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to address reported inequality in sports participation for children living in a household with a disabled parent.

The Scottish Government acknowledges that households with a disabled family member often face challenges such as accessibility issues and increased poverty, which in turn can create barriers to participation. The Scottish Government’s devolved disability benefits help with the additional costs of being disabled. These vital payments can reduce barriers to equal participation in communities and increase life opportunities, including for children and young people.

The Scottish Government remains committed to increasing opportunities for children and young people to participate in sport and physical activity, no matter their background. The Active Schools programme provides access to sport before, during, and after school. It is delivered free of charge, making it is accessible, irrespective of socio-economic background. Active School’s mainstream extracurricular programmes target groups in greatest need of inclusion and operate in both mainstream and ASN schools across all 32 local authorities. In 2024-25, Active Schools delivered approximately 265,000 sessions to 280,000 participants.

Question reference: S6W-42573

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 12 December 2025
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 6 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to address reported concerns that 40% of people with disabilities are worried their benefits will be removed if they are seen to be more active.

The Scottish Government strongly supports the Scottish Disability Sport (SDS) Call to Action to enable disabled people to engage in sport and physical activity and address the finding that 40% of disabled people in Scotland are worried about losing their benefits if they are seen to be active.

Devolved social security benefits provide financial support to disabled people to help mitigate the additional costs of being disabled. The Scottish Government is clear this support can help reduce barriers to equal participation in communities and increase life opportunities. Social Security Scotland actively encourages everyone who may be eligible to apply for these benefits to apply and work is in hand on a marketing campaign to increase take-up.