Stephen Kerr

13 Jan 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it has not yet provided a target date for establishing a 24/7 thrombectomy service.

Answer · Jenni Minto: Achieving 24/7 access to thrombectomy across Scotland is a complex piece of work, requiring co-ordination of resources across all NHS Boards. While the Scottish Government cannot currently provide a target date for establishing a 24/7 thrombectomy service, NH…

13 Jan 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to review waste collection statutory requirements for local authorities.

Answer · Gillian Martin: A review of local authorities’ statutory waste and recycling duties is currently in progress and due to conclude by the end of 2026.The Scottish Government’s Circular Economy & Waste Route Map sets out an ambitious plan to deliver the prioriti…

6 Jan 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it expects the Sentencing and Penal Policy Commission to publish its final report, and whether it plans to make a statement to the Parliament on the Commission's recommendations following publication.

Answer · Angela Constance: The Scottish Government expects that the independent Sentencing and Penal Policy Commission’s full report and recommendations will be published by the end of February 2026.The Scottish Government will carefully consider the recommendations made, and fol…

18 Dec 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that communities experiencing rapid population increases due to immigration receive adequate support to maintain cohesion and public confidence in services.

Answer · Kaukab Stewart: The Scottish Government is committed to supporting communities experiencing rapid population growth and recognise that inclusive and connected communities are a ‘must-have’ for a resilient, safe and thriving Scotland.Through our Population Program…

18 Dec 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with UK authorities regarding cross border movements linked to differential housing rights.

Answer · Kaukab Stewart: The Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice met with the Minister for Border Security and Asylum on 15 December where she raised the pressure that was being placed on certain local authorities in Scotland, especially Glasgow City Council, as a result of increase…

18 Dec 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the cost implications for health, education and social services in Scotland arising from the reported increase in immigrant relocations.

Answer · Kaukab Stewart: Migration is vital for supporting sustainable communities, economies and public services in Scotland. Refugees are free to move within the UK and may do so for a variety of reasons including for work, study, family or community connections. Scotland is a dive…

18 Dec 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that the increased demand for temporary accommodation for immigrants does not displace low-income households already on waiting lists.

Answer · Mairi McAllan: Everyone has a right to support when experiencing homelessness and access to temporary accommodation if needed in the short term.A person’s right to receive homelessness assistance and an offer of permanent accommodation from a local authority depends o…

18 Dec 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what modelling it has carried out to estimate future inflows of immigrants relocating from other parts of the UK because of Scotland’s differing housing policies.

Answer · Mairi McAllan: People relocate for multiple reasons and the Scottish Government does not conduct modelling which distils the complexity to exclusive categories, such as differing housing policies.Local authorities have a statutory responsibility for assessing current and fu…

18 Dec 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of Scotland’s housing entitlements on the number of immigrants relocating to Glasgow and other urban areas.

Answer · Mairi McAllan: The Scottish Government is proud of its strong housing and homelessness rights. We want to ensure everyone in Scotland has access to a safe, warm and affordable home, whether they are homeowners or tenants in the private or social rented sectors.People reloca…

18 Dec 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish any correspondence it has had with STV concerning the company’s reported financial difficulties.

Answer · Angus Robertson: As outlined in my response to Parliamentary Question S6W-42740 on 15 January 2026, the Scottish Government regularly engages with STV on a range of broadcasting matters. Most recently, following my written correspondence with STV’s Chief Executive on 26…

18 Dec 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with STV regarding the reported decline by the broadcaster in locally produced content.

Answer · Angus Robertson: The Scottish Government recognises the importance of locally produced content in reflecting Scotland’s diverse communities and supporting our creative economy. We maintain regular engagement with STV as part of ongoing dialogue on this and a range of ma…

18 Dec 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what criteria it used to determine that 40% office attendance should be mandated for civil servants.

Answer · Ivan McKee: The Scottish Government Executive Committee, settled on implementing 40% in-person working over a working month, for staff in core directorates. This target was settled on following an internal review of evidence from a number of sources. The aim is to spend …

18 Dec 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many formal complaints have been raised by its civil servants regarding hybrid working directives since October 2025, also broken down by how many claims have been (a) upheld and (b) rejected.

Answer · Ivan McKee: Since October 2025, there have been no formal complaints raised with HR by staff regarding the hybrid working arrangements.

18 Dec 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of claims by civil service unions that it breached established partnership agreements on hybrid working.

Answer · Ivan McKee: The Scottish Government is committed to working in partnership with our recognised trade unions. The decision on the revised hybrid policy was informed by a working group which included trade union representatives. Following a decision being made by the Execu…

18 Dec 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it will ensure that parents receive clear and consistent information about symptoms that may indicate type 1 diabetes in children.

Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government recognises the importance of ensuring that parents and carers receive clear and consistent information about symptoms that may indicate type 1 diabetes in children.Responsibility for providing advice and discussing symptoms lies with c…

18 Dec 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the potential impact of wider access to continuous glucose monitoring systems for children newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.

Answer · Jenni Minto: We recognise the impact of technology in helping children and young people manage their type 1 diabetes. This is why we have invested over £50 million in diabetes technology since 2016, prioritising access for children and young people.The funding we ar…

18 Dec 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish an audit of diagnostic pathways for paediatric diabetes.

Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government has no current plans to publish a national audit of diagnostic pathways for paediatric diabetes.Diagnosis of diabetes in children is a clinical responsibility and is carried out in line with national clinical guidance. Current NICE gui…

18 Dec 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with (a) families and (b) clinicians calling for the introduction of routine point of care testing for diabetes symptoms.

Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government has not engaged directly with families or clinicians calling for the introduction of routine point-of-care testing for diabetes symptoms. However, we regularly engage with Diabetes Scotland and other third-sector organisations, and cli…

18 Dec 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many cases of diabetic ketoacidosis in children have resulted from delayed diagnosis in each of the last five years.

Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government does not hold centrally data on how many cases of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) in children have resulted specifically from delayed diagnosis in each of the last five years.While information on diabetes diagnoses and hospital admissions …

18 Dec 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will introduce mandatory finger prick or urine tests for children presenting with symptoms associated with type 1 diabetes.

Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government expects all NHS Boards and healthcare professionals to follow relevant clinical guidelines when assessing children and to refer them for testing where clinically necessary.Decisions on testing are a matter for clinicians, guided by nat…

18 Dec 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to improve early detection of type 1 diabetes in children.

Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government is taking steps to improve early detection of type 1 diabetes in children through research, awareness initiatives, and clinical guidance.Scotland contributed to the UK’s largest screening trial for children with type 1 diabetes, …

18 Dec 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to prevent skills shortages in priority sectors from worsening due to any contraction in college course provision.

Answer · Ben Macpherson: The budget invests over £2.4bn in post school education and skills and reinforces our steadfast commitment to free education. It includes a significant real terms increase in our investment in Scotland’s College and University sectors so that peop…

18 Dec 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish the workforce planning assumptions used to assess future skills needs across Scotland’s economy.

Answer · Ben Macpherson: The budget invests over £2.4bn in post school education and skills and reinforces our steadfast commitment to free education. It includes a significant real terms increase in our investment in Scotland’s College and University sectors so that peop…

18 Dec 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what estimate it has made of the number of industry critical college courses that might be reduced or withdrawn due to reported current funding pressures.

Answer · Ben Macpherson: The Scottish Government is committed to supporting the current and future skills needs of the economy, respecting that operational decisions such as course provision are a matter for individual colleges.The Draft Budget 2026-27 invests over £2.4bn in po…

18 Dec 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to introducing multi-year funding settlements to provide stability for Scotland’s college sector.

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, including funding. I value this collaboration and met with the Group in Dece…

18 Dec 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it will support colleges facing increased costs associated with running specialist equipment and engineering facilities.

Answer · Ben Macpherson: The Scottish Government is committed to supporting the current and future skills needs of the economy, respecting that operational decisions such as course provision and equipment are a matter for individual colleges.The Draft Budget 2026-27 invests over &pou…

18 Dec 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to address reported warnings that college investment has not kept pace with the need for high level technical skills.

Answer · Ben Macpherson: For Scotland’s colleges, the 2026-27 budget delivers a combined increase of £70m in resource and capital funding, equivalent to 10% uplift on last year’s budget, taking our total investment in core college funding to £764m. This enable…

18 Dec 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it will ensure that colleges can meet reported rising industry demand for skilled workers in engineering, energy, transport and construction.

Answer · Ben Macpherson: The Scottish Government is reforming the post-school education and skills system, including the introduction of a new Scottish Government-led approach to national skills planning, and strengthening regional skills planning, to ensure that post school provisio…

18 Dec 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of reported declining college staff numbers on the delivery of (a) technical and (b) vocational courses.

Answer · Ben Macpherson: The Scottish Government does not hold information on staffing levels, operational decisions are for individual colleges to determine.Colleges are responsible for making workforce-related decisions in line with legislative requirements, the Code of Good Govern…

18 Dec 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish the full timeline of decisions and delays relating to the introduction of speed awareness courses.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Much of the law on prosecution and punishment of road traffic offences is reserved to the UK Government (UKG). However, the Scottish Government continues to discuss the importance of implementing Road Traffic Diversionary Course (RTDC) which includes Speed Aw…