Parliamentary questions
Craig Hoy
1,298 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
16 Jul 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to review the funding arrangements and eligibility criteria for residents in England who seek to work in Scotland but require additional qualifications to meet national occupational standards in sectors such as social care.
6 Jul 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the average waiting time is for the Office of the Public Guardian (Scotland) to process an application for Power of Attorney.
Answer · Neil Gray: This question relates to operational matters that are the responsibility of the Scottish Court and Tribunals Service (SCTS) corporate body. The question has been passed to the Chief Executive of the SCTS who reply in writing within 20 days.
25 Jun 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to increase the excess mileage fee, including standard rate VAT, which is applied via the Motability Scheme in Scotland, to match the fee applied to excess mileage from 1 July 2026 through the scheme in the rest of the UK.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Scottish Government is aware that, as a result of the changes announced by the UK Government in its Budget in November 2025, Motability Operations announced in March 2026 that it would adapt its offer for new and renewing lease customers in England, Wales…
25 Jun 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to reduce the standard mileage available via the Motability Scheme in Scotland to match the new standard mileage available from 1 July 2026 through the Motability Scheme in the rest of the UK
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-01334 on 13 July 2026. 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-committees/…
12 Jun 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to providing financial support to congregations, in light of the closure of the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme, which allowed churches to reclaim VAT on repairs and renovations.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-01172 on 10 July 2026. 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-committees/…
12 Jun 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to extend the Play Park Renewal Programme, and how much has been allocated to Dumfries and Galloway Council through this programme since 2021.
Answer · Siobhian Brown: The Scottish Government’s Play Park Renewal programme provided £60 million to Local Authority partners between September 2021 and March 2026. The funding was to accelerate the Local Authorities’ plans and improve play opportunities for child…
3 Jun 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S7W-00422 by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 3 June 2026, for what reason Social Security Scotland's Annual Report and Accounts 2025 states that ‘‘debt recovery is limited to voluntary repayment arrangements".
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: As set out in the answer to question S7W-00422 on 3 June 2026, Social Security Scotland has the legal powers to undertake enforced deductions and pursue civil recovery where appropriate.At the time the referenced report was published, recovery activity had be…
26 May 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when provisions will be in place to allow Social Security Scotland to recover debt from any clients who were overpaid benefits through the Sheriff Court system.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: Under existing social security legislation, Social Security Scotland can already recover overpaid social security benefits through the Sheriff Court.
26 May 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many Pension Age Winter Heating Payments were paid out in April 2026.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Scottish Government is delivering the strongest package of winter support in the UK.Pension Age Winter Heating Payment is an automatic annual payment that helps people of State Pension age with winter heating costs.Official statistics published on 19 May …
26 May 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many Winter Heating Payments were paid out in April 2026.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Scottish Government is delivering the strongest package of winter support in the UK.Winter Heating Payment replaced the UK Government's Cold Weather Payment in February 2023. The payment is made automatically and provides stable and reliable support to he…
26 May 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will undertake a review of its planned award review system for Adult Disability Payment.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Scottish Government has assessed whether the current disability benefit award review process is working as intended and if any changes may be required as part of our Fiscal Sustainability Delivery Plan.Alongside our ongoing commitment to continuous improv…
26 May 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many Child Winter Heating Payments were paid out in April 2026.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Scottish Government is delivering the strongest package of winter support in the UK. Child Winter Heating Payment is an automatic payment unique to Scotland that helps families and carers of disabled children under 19 with winter heating costs. It is paid…
26 May 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an estimate of the individual cost of administering each of the payments that Social Security Scotland delivers.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: Social Security Scotland does not report the cost of administering individual benefits as the organisation operates a flexible workforce across its 18 benefits, with shared systems and corporate functions supporting delivery. As a result, administrative costs…
26 May 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to publish the regulations that are intended to audit the social security system to estimate any fraud and error.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: Following the close of the public consultation on 10 June 2026, the Scottish Government will develop and bring forward the commencement and secondary legislation required to implement section 18 of the Social Security (Amendment) (Scotland) Act 2025.Further i…
26 May 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what improvements to the (a) A75 and (b) A77 it plans to undertake over the next five years.
Answer · Stephen Flynn: The outcome of the initial design and assessment work to identify a preferred route option for the bypassing of Springholm and Crocketford is expected to conclude in 2027.The Infrastructure Delivery Plan, published in January 2026, notes the need to advance t…
26 May 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether any provisions of the Social Security (Amendment) (Scotland) Act 2025 are yet to be commenced.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: Seven provisions of the Act are now in force. Implementation planning continues on the remaining 16 sections, working closely with key partners such as Social Security Scotland and the Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service to ensure the necessary technical and…
26 May 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a full list of the responsibilities held by the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice and Housing.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The full list of Ministerial responsibilities can be found at the Scottish Government website. The Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice and Housing's responsibilities are here: https://www.gov.scot/about/who-runs-government/cabinet-and-ministers/cabinet-secre…
26 May 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what legislation it plans to introduce in relation to the social security portfolio in the current parliamentary session.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Government will bring forward such social security legislation as is necessary to continue to ensure the effective operation of delivery and improved outcomes for clients. That will include in due course the regulations required to introduce Scottish Chil…
26 May 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has conducted an analysis of the relative cost of its Discretionary Housing Payments scheme against the UK Government’s equivalent scheme, if it was to be rolled out in Scotland.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The UK Government launched a Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF) from 1 April 2026, replacing English Discretionary Housing Payments and the Household Support Fund. The CRF also now incorporates elements similar to Scotland’s Scottish Welfare Fund. The CRF…
26 May 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many people currently work for Social Security Scotland, broken down by corporate function area.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: Social Security Scotland regularly publishes statistics relating to its staffing, although it does not routinely publish a breakdown of its staff by corporate function.The most recent workforce statistics, published on 19 March 2026, show overall staffing lev…
26 May 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what criteria Social Security Scotland uses to determine whether to translate its fact sheets into certain languages.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: Social Security Scotland uses data from its translation services provider to identify the languages most requested by clients. Proactive translations of factsheets are made based on this information.Social Security Scotland is committed to delivering an inclu…
26 May 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans on introducing legislation that will compel people to repay social security benefits that were overpaid.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: Under existing social security legislation, Social Security Scotland already have the power to recover social security benefits that have been overpaid.
20 May 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much funding has been allocated to NHS dentistry provision in Dumfriesshire in the last five years.
Answer · Alison Thewliss: The Scottish Government provides baseline funding to NHS Dumfries and Galloway which is used to best meet the healthcare needs of their resident population. Funding is not ring-fenced for the provision of NHS Dentistry and it is not therefore possible to prov…
20 May 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many NHS patients have been involuntarily deregistered in Dumfriesshire in each of the last five years.
Answer · Alison Thewliss: The Scottish Government does not hold this information centrally.Health boards will retain the number of GP200 (deregistration) forms that have been issued for their area; however, there may be no distinction between involuntary and voluntary deregistrations.
20 May 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many adult patients in Dumfriesshire are currently (a) registered and (b) not registered with an NHS dentist.
Answer · Alison Thewliss: I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-00214 on 1 June 2026. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found athttps://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/wr…
20 May 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what specific steps are being taken to improve NHS dentistry in the south west of Scotland, including in Dumfriesshire.
Answer · Alison Thewliss: The Scottish Government recognises the challenges faced for patients accessing NHS dentistry in rural and island areas, which is why we have provided an additional £437k of recurring funding from 2025-26 to support access to dental services in NHS Dumfr…
20 May 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps are being taken to ensure adequate access to NHS dentistry in rural areas.
Answer · Alison Thewliss: The Scottish Government has committed to respond directly to the concerns of rural and island communities which includes the review and refreshment of existing financial incentives available to the sector, such as Golden Hello payments, to better support pati…
20 May 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many children in Dumfriesshire are currently (a) registered and (b) not registered with an NHS dentist.
Answer · Alison Thewliss: I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-00214 on 1 June 2026. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found athttps://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/wr…
20 May 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many adult patients in Dumfriesshire have been seen by an NHS dentist in each of the last five years.
Answer · Alison Thewliss: The Scottish Government does not hold information on registration and participation centrally. Public Services Delivery Scotland publishes information on patient registration and participation for NHS Boards, including NHS Dumfries and Galloway: NHS dental da…
20 May 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Scottish National Party’s 2026 manifesto commitment to enact a statutory price cap on essential food items in supermarkets, what consultation it has undertaken with supermarket operators and retail industry groups on this proposal.
Answer · Tom Arthur: I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-00062 on2 June 2026. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be fou nd at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/w…