Parliamentary questions
Stephen Kerr
2,595 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
23 Feb 2026 · Topical Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the reported disclosure that £96.2 million has been spent by NHS Scotland on damages, legal expenses and associated costs linked to maternity and obstetric care.
16 Feb 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an itemised breakdown of the cost of a standard Baby Box.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-40093 on 4 September 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…
12 Feb 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many police stations have (a) closed and (b) reduced their public counter hours since 2015.
Answer · Angela Constance: The Scottish Government does not hold information on the number of police stations closed since 2015. The management of the Police Scotland estate is an operational matter, and is the responsibility of the Chief Constable under the scrutiny of the Scottish Po…
12 Feb 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many mental health or welfare-related call-outs police officers have attended in the last year.
Answer · Angela Constance: The Scottish Government is committed to delivering on mental health distress response, with continued delivery on Programme for Government commitments since 2023 to reducing mental health demands on police officers and protecting people in mental health distr…
12 Feb 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to address any shortages of qualified language teachers.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: Local authorities are responsible for recruitment and retention of teachers in each council area.The Scottish Government is taking a range of additional steps such as £186.5 million provided to local authorities in 2025-26 to protect and restore teacher…
12 Feb 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many incidents, complaints or safeguarding referrals involving biologically male prisoners held in women’s prisons have been recorded since 2018.
Answer · Angela Constance: I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:SPS take all complaints seriously and ensures that they are dealt with in an effective manner, including the option to confidentially ra…
12 Feb 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many retail workers have been threatened with weapons, including knives or machetes, in each of the last three years.
Answer · Angela Constance: The Scottish Government does not have the information requested as the data we receive from Police Scotland is a simple count of the number and type of crimes and offences recorded. While we do hold data on Threatening and abusive behaviour of a retail worker…
12 Feb 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what legal advice it has received regarding pupils' rights to opt out of religious observance in schools.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: Scottish Government does not disclose the content of legal advice it receives. This is in accordance with longstanding practice and the principle of legal professional privilege and ensures that Ministers can receive full and frank advice on all relevant matt…
12 Feb 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many modern language teachers have left the profession in each of the last five years.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The Scottish Government does not hold information on whether teachers have left the profession; only whether they were teaching in a Scottish, publicly-funded school on census day in a particular year.Changes in the full-time equivalent (FTE) of teachers by m…
12 Feb 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of Police Scotland officer time is currently spent on non-crime-related activity.
Answer · Angela Constance: This information is not held by the Scottish Government as the deployment of officers is a matter for the Chief Constable.The Scottish Government recognises the hard work and valuable contribution that officers make daily to protecting our communities and is …
12 Feb 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many prosecutions have been brought under the Protection of Workers (Retail and Age-restricted Goods and Services) (Scotland) Act 2021 in each year since its enactment.
Answer · Angela Constance: The following table provides data on proceedings under the Protection of Workers (Retail and Age-restricted Goods and Services) (Scotland) Act 2021.The most recent information on proceedings and convictions is available for the financial year 2023-24.Number o…
10 Feb 2026 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has undertaken of any link between social media use and violent disruption in classrooms in Scotland.
9 Feb 2026 · Topical Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the final report and recommendations of the Sentencing and Penal Policy Commission, in light of the reported high levels of public concern regarding the findings.
27 Jan 2026 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the culture of whistleblowing in the NHS.
22 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much have electricity generators in Scotland been paid in constraint payments in each year since 2021.
Answer · Gillian Martin: The responsibility for the balancing of grid lies with the National Energy System Operator (NESO). Constraint payments are one component of the total costs the system operator incurs to keep the electricity system in balance. More information including data o…
22 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its decision to draw down a further £286 million from ScotWind revenues, whether it anticipates requiring additional drawdowns from the ScotWind fund to balance future spending reviews.
Answer · Shona Robison: The planned deployment of ScotWind funding over the Spending Review period is set out in Tables A10 and A11 of the Scottish Budget report. As noted in the Budget report, as the funding outlook evolves, it is expected that future utilisation of Crown Estate in…
22 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason eligibility for the First Minister’s Start Up Challenge is restricted to only young people from disadvantaged or underrepresented backgrounds, and what assessment it has made of the impact this restriction will have on other entrepreneurs aged 18 to 30.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: The First Minister’s Start-up Challenge is focussed on young people from disadvantaged or under-represented backgrounds because the evidence suggests that they are less likely to engage in entrepreneurship due to a lack of financial support, networks an…
21 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Scottish Enterprise regarding training provision linked to the furlough scheme that it created to support the retention of jobs at Alexander Dennis, and whether any training support has been accessed in the absence of the company applying for any funding …
Answer · Kate Forbes: The company has engaged in discussions directly with Scottish Enterprise about their current and future training needs. These discussions are ongoing, and Scottish Enterprise is proactively offering support to develop a comprehensive training plan that will a…
21 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has considered (a) revising, (b) extending and (c) withdrawing the furlough scheme that it created to support the retention of jobs at Alexander Dennis, in light of reports that the company has not applied for any funding through the scheme, and what criteria it is using to de…
Answer · Kate Forbes: The Scottish Government has received no requests to alter the terms and conditions of the furlough support scheme awarded to Alexander Dennis on 15 September 2025, and has no plans to withdraw the scheme.
21 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the ongoing employment position of shop-floor manufacturing workers at Alexander Dennis's site in (a) Larbert and (b) Falkirk, in light of reports that the company has not applied for any funding through the furlough scheme that was created to support the r…
Answer · Kate Forbes: The Scottish Government maintains regular contact with Alexander Dennis management and last engaged with trade unions in January 2026 in relation to the furlough support scheme awarded to the company on 15 September 2025.
21 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the furlough scheme that was announced to support the retention of jobs at the company, whether Alexander Dennis has provided the required evidence of sufficient contracted orders to sustain long-term manufacturing operations in Scotland, and, if so, on what date any such evid…
Answer · Kate Forbes: The Scottish Government has not received claims for the furlough support scheme awarded to Alexander Dennis on 15 September 2025. Compliance with the terms and conditions of the grant offer letter will be assessed once claims are made.
21 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with Alexander Dennis since September 2025 to establish the reasons for the company reportedly not having applied for any funding through the furlough scheme that was created to support it, and whether any conditions of the scheme have prevented or delayed acce…
Answer · Kate Forbes: The Scottish Government maintains regular contact with Alexander Dennis in relation to the furlough support scheme awarded to the company on 15 September 2025. It is the responsibility of the business to approach the Scottish Government to access the agreed f…
21 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much funding has been formally (a) applied for, (b) approved and (c) distributed to date through the furlough scheme for Alexander Dennis, in each month since the scheme was announced.
Answer · Kate Forbes: The Scottish Government has not received claims for the furlough support scheme awarded to Alexander Dennis on 15 September 2025.
21 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that Alexander Dennis is meeting its obligations regarding the funding that it has made available to the company.
Answer · Kate Forbes: The Scottish Government remains committed to supporting the vital manufacturing workforce of Alexander Dennis. The terms of the furlough support scheme awarded to Alexander Dennis in September 2025 require the company to evidence key conditions before financi…
21 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether Alexander Dennis has met the contractual obligations required for the release of funding through the furlough scheme that was announced to support the retention of jobs at the company.
Answer · Kate Forbes: The Scottish Government has not received claims for the furlough support scheme awarded to Alexander Dennis on 15 September 2025. Compliance with the terms and conditions of the grant offer letter will be assessed once claims are made.
21 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when its (a) officials and (b) ministers last met the management at Alexander Dennis.
Answer · Kate Forbes: Scottish Government officials last met with the business on 17 November 2025 and, alongside the account management team at Scottish Enterprise, they remain in regular contact with Alexander Dennis. The First Minister and I last met with Alexander Dennis and N…
21 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-42739 by Ivan McKee on 9 January 2026, what sources provided the evidence for the internal review to implement the 40% in-person working target, and whether it will set out what these sources advised.
Answer · Ivan McKee: Details of the sources of evidence used by, and related advice provided to, the Scottish Government’s Executive Team during an internal review of its hybrid working policy have been available on the Scottish Government website since July 2025 at: Scotti…
20 Jan 2026 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many new teachers, who qualified in the last three years, are now in permanent teaching posts.
14 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much has been allocated in its draft Budget 2026-27 to a museum of empire, slavery, colonialism and migration in Glasgow.
Answer · Angus Robertson: The Scottish Government received a funding bid from the Scottish Museum of Empire, Slavery, Colonialism and Migration to enable them to continue developing revenue projects and capacities regarding recommendation 1 from the Empire Slavery and Scotland’s…
14 Jan 2026 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many people in 2024-25 no longer received the Scottish Child Payment because they moved off benefits.