Parliamentary questions
Stephen Kerr
2,595 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
30 Oct 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made on fulfilling its manifesto commitment to reduce teacher contact time by 90 minutes per week.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The Scottish Government reached a budget agreement with COSLA in December 2024 which included a commitment to make meaningful progress towards the implementation of a 90-minute reduction in teacher class contact time.We are also working with teacher union and…
30 Oct 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish a plan to more closely link college investment with Scotland’s economic priorities in the technology, engineering and healthcare sectors.
Answer · Ben Macpherson: The Scottish Government is delivering a transformation programme to reform the post-school education and skills system, which aims at making the system more responsive to Scotland’s strategic skills needs at national and regional levels.Alongside reform…
30 Oct 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the Scottish Funding Council regarding a revision of the funding model for colleges to ensure long-term sustainability.
Answer · Ben Macpherson: Through the Colleges Tripartite Alignment Group, the Scottish Government and the Scottish Funding Council (SFC), along with Colleges Scotland, regularly discuss issues in the sector, such as the college funding model.The changes implemented by the SFC aim to …
30 Oct 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of reports that Scotland’s college sector is no longer sustainable due to a 20% real-terms funding reduction.
Answer · Ben Macpherson: In recognition that Scotland’s colleges are a vital part of our economy and wider society, the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) allocations provide a 2.6% sector increase in teaching funding for 2025-26 compared to last year, with an increase of almost 5%…
30 Oct 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many college courses and programmes have been cut or scaled back since 2021 due to funding pressures.
Answer · Ben Macpherson: Individual colleges are responsible for their own operational decisions, including course provision, as they are best placed to respond flexibly to emerging trends at local and regional level.It is appropriate that course provision is reviewed by colleges on …
30 Oct 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will respond to the reported warning by Colleges Scotland that the sector has reached “the limit of what doing more with less can achieve”.
Answer · Ben Macpherson: In recognition that Scotland’s colleges are a vital part of our economy and wider society, the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) allocations provide a 2.6% sector increase in teaching funding for 2025-26 compared to last year, with an increase of almost 5%…
28 Oct 2025 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what projection it has made of the cost of welfare payments after 2030.
27 Oct 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on when the new 30-bed orthopaedic ward at Forth Valley Royal Hospital will be open to patients.
Answer · Neil Gray: Status of major projects at outline business case stage or later – including NTC Forth Valley – is published on a 6-monthly basis in the Scottish Government’s major capital projects progress update. This is published on the Scottish Governme…
27 Oct 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what additional costs have been incurred due to reported construction or compliance delays at Forth Valley Royal Hospital’s new orthopaedic ward.
Answer · Neil Gray: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-41542 on 11 November 2025.Status of major projects at outline business case stage or later – including NTC Forth Valley – is published on a 6-monthly basis in the Scottish Government’s major c…
27 Oct 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers that the £71 million National Treatment Centre investment programme is on track across all sites.
Answer · Neil Gray: Historic real terms cuts to our block grant from the UK Government have put pressure on our capital budget and the delay in the UK Government setting the Autumn budget is having a knock-on effect on our planning.As a result of budget constraints, in December …
27 Oct 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish the full correspondence between ministers and NHS Forth Valley regarding the delayed completion of the new orthopaedic ward at Forth Valley Royal Hospital.
Answer · Neil Gray: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-41542 on 11 November 2025.Status of major projects at outline business case stage or later – including NTC Forth Valley – is published on a 6-monthly basis in the Scottish Government’s major c…
27 Oct 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many public sector workers in Scotland have been affected by delays or errors in the issue of pension statements in each of the last five years.
Answer · Ivan McKee: The SPPA is required to issue annual benefit statements to scheme members by 31 August of each year. Where statements have not been issued by that date, it is not solely due to delays on the part of SPPA. In some cases it is not possible due to insufficient d…
27 Oct 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the total cost has been of rectifying pension administration errors by the Scottish Public Pensions Agency in each of the last five years.
Answer · Ivan McKee: The Scottish Public Pensions Agency may incur costs for rectifying errors through interest payable on delayed pensions or lump sums, or through the payment of compensation for upheld complaints or appeals.The following table records the information held for t…
27 Oct 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much Glasgow City Council has spent on hotel accommodation for immigrants since 1 January 2024.
Answer · Kaukab Stewart: The Scottish Government does not collect cost information in relation to Glasgow City Council use of hotel accommodation in line with their housing duties.
27 Oct 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish updated projections for housing demand in Scotland linked to the settlement of immigrants in the country.
Answer · Kaukab Stewart: The Scottish Government requires Local Authorities to estimate future housing need and demand in a report called the Housing Need and Demand Assessment (HNDA). This includes the use of National Records of Scotland (NRS) household projections and the Scottish …
27 Oct 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on what impact any declining police officer numbers have had on the enforcement of arrest warrants.
Answer · Angela Constance: Execution of warrants is a matter for Police Scotland, who remain focused on the investigation of crime and keeping our communities safe. The service has been clear that they prioritise all arrest warrants according to threat, risk and harm, deploying nationa…
27 Oct 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what measures it is taking to support the mental wellbeing of nurses, midwives and other frontline NHS staff.
Answer · Neil Gray: Prioritising the mental wellbeing of health and care professionals, including nurses, midwives and other frontline NHS staff, is vital to help them to navigate complex challenges and continue to provide person-centred, high-quality support. The Scottish Gover…
27 Oct 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many immigrants have been placed in temporary accommodation in Glasgow in 2025 to date.
Answer · Kaukab Stewart: The Scottish Government does not collect information on the immigration status of those applying to local authorities in Scotland for homelessness support.The eligibility status for main applicants is collected, although this is not the same as immigration st…
27 Oct 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how Police Scotland prioritises the execution of arrest warrants for serious crimes.
Answer · Angela Constance: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-41532 on 11 November 2025. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committ…
27 Oct 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider publishing data showing staff absences broken down by (a) NHS board and (b) professional category.
Answer · Neil Gray: The new Code of Practice for Statistics was published on 30 October 2025. The Code states that statistics producers should “make impartial decisions about statistics, under the direction and authority of the Chief Statistician/Head of Profession for Sta…
27 Oct 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many working days have been lost in the NHS in the last five years due to staff stress and other mental health conditions.
Answer · Neil Gray: The requested information on how many working days have been lost in the NHS in the last five years due to staff stress and other mental health conditions is not held centrally.
27 Oct 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many arrest warrants for serious offences currently remain unexecuted in Scotland.
Answer · Angela Constance: The Scottish Government does not hold this information. The figures recently reported in the media stem from a Freedom of Information request made to Police Scotland and relate to a single day snapshot of the situation as of 3 September 2025. Police Scotland …
27 Oct 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of any current outstanding arrest warrants relate to crimes of murder, attempted murder, rape or serious assault.
Answer · Angela Constance: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-41530 on 11 November 2025. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committ…
27 Oct 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the total financial cost has been of staff absences related to stress, anxiety and depression in NHS Scotland since 1 January 2020.
Answer · Neil Gray: The requested information on what the total financial cost has been of staff absences related to stress, anxiety and depression in NHS Scotland since 1 January 2020 is not held centrally.
23 Oct 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will name all the third sector organisations it has awarded a contract to in the last year.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: Scottish Government funding and grant making is allocated across portfolios to various parts of the third sector to improve a wide range of outcomes. Some Scottish Government funding will be issued through third sector intermediary organisations.Funding alloc…
23 Oct 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will name all the third sector organisations it has awarded grants to in the last year.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: Scottish Government funding and grant making is allocated across portfolios to various parts of the third sector to improve a wide range of outcomes. Some Scottish Government funding will be issued through third sector intermediary organisations.Funding alloc…
9 Oct 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has undertaken of what the potential impact could be of removing Land and Buildings Transaction Tax on the purchase of a primary residence.
Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government has not considered the potential impact of removing Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (LBTT) on the purchase of a primary residence and has no plans to remove any element of the tax.Removing any element of LBTT would result in less fu…
9 Oct 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to introduce a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week thrombectomy service, in light of the recent announcement that such a service has been introduced at Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham.
Answer · Jenni Minto: A commitment to a round-the-clock thrombectomy service was set out in our Stroke Improvement Plan and this remains our aim for the thrombectomy service in Scotland.NHS National Services Division have been commissioned by Scottish Government to lead on the dev…
5 Oct 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how the Tay Cities Region Deal is supporting manufacturing firms.
Answer · Kate Forbes: We have committed £150 million towards the Tay Cities Region Deal, including £8 million towards the Advanced Manufacturing Programme.The programme is being developed by Scottish Enterprise and will include support for manufacturing firms in the re…
5 Oct 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what support is available for Scottish businesses that are seeking to reshore their manufacturing to Scotland.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: We want a strong manufacturing sector to help drive Scotland's economic growth and resilience. Our significant investment of £75m in the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS) lies at the heart of our ambitions. At the same time, we are develo…