Parliamentary questions
Tim Eagle
1,487 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
10 Mar 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many new bus routes are expected to be created in the Highlands and Islands region, following its decision to establish capped bus fares, broken down by local authority area.
Answer · Jim Fairlie: The purpose of any pilot, is to gather evidence and through the bus fare cap pilot we are testing the feasibility of a fare cap model. We will be monitoring the impact on bus patronage and services in the pilot areas to help inform future national fares polic…
10 Mar 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much Social Security Scotland spent on polling services to conduct its survey on tackling stigma around social security.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: Pre and post-campaign surveys provide essential insight into the performance of marketing activity and help ensure campaigns are targeted and cost-effective. The two surveys related to the Tackling Stigma campaign together cost £7500.Data from the pre-c…
10 Mar 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, following its announcement on 26 February 2026 that it will fund improvements to community capacity to respond to cardiac arrests, in which local authority areas it expects the estimated 1,000 to 1,250 new defibrillators will be located.
Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government has provided funding to Save a Life Scotland to purchase and deploy the equipment. Save a Life for Scotland will work with partners on decisions regarding defibrillator placement. All defibrillator placement as part of the scheme will …
10 Mar 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to develop a national strategy for the prevention of young sudden cardiac death.
Answer · Jenni Minto: Decisions on any future national strategy will be for the new administration to consider after the Scottish Parliament election in May.Under the current administration, we have been working to improve prevention of young sudden cardiac death (SCD) through del…
10 Mar 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-27393 by Paul McLennan on 28 May 2024, how many homes have been built through the Rural and Islands Housing Fund in each year since 2023-24, broken down by local authority area.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: The number of homes completed through the demand led Rural and Islands Housing Fund by local authority area since 2023-24 is as follows:Local Authority Area2023-242024-252025-26*Argyll and Bute561Highland6240na Eilean Siar080North Ayrshire0018Orkney Islands10…
10 Mar 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many new homes it plans to deliver through the Rural and Island Housing Grant Scheme.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: The Rural and Island Housing Grant Scheme is expected to provide support to individuals including first time buyers, families, rural returners and others to help them access affordable owner occupation in the rural and island communities of their choice.The d…
10 Mar 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many extra timetabled bus services are expected to be created following its decision to establish capped bus fares in the Highlands and Islands region, broken down by local authority area.
Answer · Jim Fairlie: The purpose of any pilot, is to gather evidence and through the bus fare cap pilot we are testing the feasibility of a fare cap model. We will be monitoring the impact on bus patronage and services in the pilot areas to help inform future national fares polic…
10 Mar 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether any new (a) GPs and (b) nurses will be recruited specifically to work in its proposed walk-in GP clinics.
Answer · Neil Gray: NHS Boards submitted formal proposals for walk-in services in their Board area in response to a formal commission from DG Health and Social Care on behalf of Scottish Ministers. Proposals – and pilot walk-in centres – are at different stages of re…
10 Mar 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has conducted any analysis of the potential health impacts arising from noise generated by wind turbines.
Answer · Gillian Martin: Guidance on the assessment of noise from onshore wind turbines across the UK is set out in the UK Government’s ETSU-R-97 guidance. The UK Government has recently consulted on an update to this guidance, with the aim of reflecting the latest evidence on …
10 Mar 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of the number of bridges on the trunk road network that require repair work, including (a) the name and location of each bridge, (b) when work was first identified as being required and (c) when work is projected to be completed by.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Each structure on the trunk road network is inspected every two years. Any defects found are recorded and categorised in terms of severity and extent. Currently, of the 2069 bridges on the trunk road network, 1939 are recorded as having defects. An assessment…
10 Mar 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many people have downloaded the GoodSAM app in each year since it was launched.
Answer · Jenni Minto: The information requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government. The Scottish Ambulance Service, which holds the licence for the GoodSAM app in Scotland may be able to provide this information.
10 Mar 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to implement any changes to the (a) application and (b) eligibility process for the Future Farming Investment Scheme in light of reported issues with the first funding round.
Answer · Jim Fairlie: The First Minister announced that the Scottish Government has allocated £14.25 million to a second round of the Future Farming Investment Scheme for the 2026-27 financial year. This builds on the £21.4m delivered through the first round of FFIS. T…
10 Mar 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much funding from the Techscaler initiative has been invested in businesses based in the Highlands and Islands region in each year since it was launched, broken down by local authority area.
Answer · Kate Forbes: The Techscaler programme does not directly invest in businesses as it is our national platform for creating, developing and scaling tech startups. The Highlands and Islands has 91 members in the region, who can access the national network of tailored educatio…
10 Mar 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-27394 by Paul McLennan on 28 May 2024, how much it has spent on the Rural and Islands Housing Fund in each year since 2023-24, broken down by local authority area.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: The Rural and Islands Housing Fund is a demand-led fund. The following table shows how much the Scottish Government has spent on the Rural and Islands Housing Fund in each year since 2023-24, broken down by local authority area:Local Authority Area2023-24&pou…
10 Mar 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) primary and (b) secondary schools currently offer pupils CPR training, broken down by local authority area.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The information you have requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government.
10 Mar 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-34718 by Richard Lochhead on 20 February 2025, how many properties in the North Lot area are yet to be connected to superfast broadband through the R100 build scheme, broken down by local authority area.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: The following table sets out the total number of premises currently contracted to receive connections through the R100 North contract by 2028, the number of premises connected as of 31 January 2026 and the number of premises yet to be connected as of the same…
10 Mar 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much of its National Drug Mission Fund has been spent on (a) rehabilitation services and (b) non-rehabilitation services, in each year since it was launched.
Answer · Maree Todd: National Mission on Drugs funding for rehabilitation and non-rehabilitation services can be found across the following sources in the public domain:National Mission Annual ReportThe Scottish Government publishes an annual National Mission report. The report i…
10 Mar 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government in what ways it works with Scottish universities to review the courses that they offer to students, including new courses that can help address skill shortages.
Answer · Ben Macpherson: Universities are autonomous institutions with responsibility for their own operational decision making, and this includes determining which courses to run.The Scottish Government has committed to leading skills planning nationally, whilst strengthening region…
10 Mar 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what support is available to support Scottish-domiciled students who study undergraduate courses (a) in other UK nations and (b) overseas.
Answer · Ben Macpherson: Scottish domiciled students studying higher education courses in the rest of the UK can access a tuition fee loan of up to £9,535 (rising to £9,790 in academic year 2026-27) a year to cover their tuition fee costs. These students are also eligible…
10 Mar 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when financial support schemes for Scottish-domiciled students who study in other UK nations were last reviewed, and when it next plans to review these.
Answer · Ben Macpherson: The Scottish Government confirmed to the higher education sector in November 2025 that tuition fee loans available to Scottish domiciled student studying in the rest of the UK would increase to match the maximum rate of tuition fees announced by the UK Govern…
10 Mar 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has conducted any analysis of the number of Scottish-domiciled students who have enrolled in undergraduate courses in (a) other UK nations or (b) overseas because their course of choice was not available in Scottish universities, in each year since 2021-22.
Answer · Ben Macpherson: No specific analysis has been conducted by the Scottish Government on the number of Scottish-domiciled students who have enrolled in undergraduate courses in (a) other UK nations or (b) overseas because their course of choice was not available in Scottish uni…
10 Mar 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has conducted any analysis of the number of undergraduate courses that are not available at Scottish universities but are available at universities in other UK nations.
Answer · Ben Macpherson: No specific analysis has been conducted by the Scottish Government on the number of undergraduate courses that are not available at Scottish universities, but are available at universities in other UK nations.Universities are autonomous institutions with resp…
10 Mar 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many Scottish-domiciled students have studied in (a) England, (b) Wales, (c) Northern Ireland and (d) overseas, in each year since 2021-22.
Answer · Ben Macpherson: The number of Scottish domiciled students studying at universities across the UK is published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). Data can be split by entrant marker, level of study and mode of study.https://www.hesa.ac.uk/data-and-analysis/sb27…
5 Mar 2026 · SPCB Oral Question
To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what the estimated annual staff resource cost is to the SPCB of administering the random selection and processing system for oral questions that result in a "not lodged" status.
3 Mar 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to reduce the need to use combined sewer overflows.
Answer · Gillian Martin: As this is an operational matter for Scottish Water, I have asked them to respond. Their reply is as follows:Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs) are an integral part of Scotland’s sewer networks, ensuring sewers don’t back up and flood homes, streets …
3 Mar 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-42347 by Gillian Martin on 16 December 2025, how many overflow monitors will be installed at combined sewer overflows in the Highlands and Islands region in 2026.
Answer · Gillian Martin: As this is an operational matter for Scottish Water, I have asked them to respond. Their reply is as follows:This information is not available by parliamentary region; however Scottish Water has provided the closest equivalent which includes the local authori…
3 Mar 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-42347 by Gillian Martin on 16 December 2025, how many combined sewer overflows do not currently have an overflow monitor in place.
Answer · Gillian Martin: As stated by Scottish Water on its website, it has more than 4080 combined sewer overflows (CSOs) on its network, with 3200 assessed as satisfactory. As reported online in its overflow map, Scottish Water currently has 1625 CSOs with event duration monitors.
3 Mar 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many combined sewer overflows there are in the Highlands and Islands region.
Answer · Gillian Martin: As this is an operational matter for Scottish Water, I have asked them to respond. Their reply is as follows:This information is not available by parliamentary region; however Scottish Water has provided the closest equivalent which includes the local authori…
2 Mar 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether civil servants who live in (a) island and (b) remote communities can apply for an exemption from its hybrid working target of 40% of contracted hours spent in-person at their contractual workplace.
Answer · Ivan McKee: The Permanent Secretary to the Scottish Government has responsibility for the operational running of the organisation, including the workforce related hybrid working policy.The Scottish Government’s hybrid working policy provides flexibility for alterna…
26 Feb 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in the light of the decision to arrange NHS boards into two sub national planning structures for the west and east of Scotland, what impact this will have on the planned establishment of a northern medicines formulary to complement the existing east formulary and the west formulary, whi…
Answer · Jenni Minto: This work is being taken forward by Health Boards using a regional collaborative consensus model, which builds upon proven existing local governance and decision-making processes for formulary development.Work to establish a formulary for the north region has…