Parliamentary questions
Pauline McNeill
2,364 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
27 Oct 2025 · First Minister's Question
To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government’s position is regarding the reported 200,000 public sector workers who are still waiting on their pension entitlement following the 2018 McCloud judgement on pension discrimination.
8 Oct 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the new traineeship scheme for legal aid will look like.
Answer · Siobhian Brown: In order to increase the capacity and capability of the legal aid profession in Scotland, the Scottish Government is planning to create a new Legal Aid Traineeship Fund. This new fund will build on the success of the first fund announced in December 2020 whic…
2 Oct 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the target operating capacity of HMP Glasgow will be.
Answer · Angela Constance: I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:HMP Glasgow will have a design capacity of 1,344.
22 Sep 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what progress it is making with tackling image-based abuse.
Answer · Angela Constance: The offence of non-consensual sharing of intimate images introduced under the Abusive Behaviour and Sexual Harm (Scotland) Act 2016 criminalises the sharing of images that either show, or appear to show, a person in an intimate situation without their consent…
22 Sep 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what stage it is at regarding potentially legislating to make the creation of deepfake pornographic content a crime.
Answer · Angela Constance: The Scottish Government recognises the devastating harm that can be caused by the creation of sexually explicit deepfake images. As noted in response to S6W-40699 on 3 October 2025, the offence of non-consensual sharing of intimate images introduced under the…
17 Sep 2025 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the economy secretary has had with ministerial colleagues regarding the impact on Glasgow's economy, and the wider regional economy, of the absence of a rail link from Glasgow Airport to the city centre.
11 Sep 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what contracts it currently holds with Fujitsu; what the total value is of these; by what date each will end; whether it plans to renew any and, if so, which, and whether it will rule out inviting Fujitsu to bid for any future contracts.
Answer · Ivan McKee: The Scottish Government has one contract with Fujitsu (Case 440206 Electronic Counting for Local Government Elections) to deliver electronic vote counting for Scottish local government elections. The contract commenced October 2020 at a value of £6,345,…
10 Sep 2025 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Turner & Townsend regarding its role in auditing and monitoring the work undertaken by Amey to complete the M8 Woodside viaducts.
30 Jul 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will ensure that secondary school pupils will be taught, during education on sex and relationships, that strangulation is illegal even if it does not cause any visible injury, as is the case in England under its new relationships, sex and health education guidance.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: Relationships, sexual health and parenthood (RSHP) education is an integral part of the health and wellbeing area of the school curriculum in Scotland. RSHP education focuses on equipping children and young people with the knowledge, skills and values to make…
22 Jul 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what funding it has allocated to electric vehicle (EV) home-charging solutions for residents without driveways, including the exploration of gully cableway systems, in each of the last five years.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The Scottish Government recognises the importance of ensuring equitable access to electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure as we transition to a net zero transport system. Approximately 40% of households in Scotland do not have access to off-street parki…
22 Jul 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will issue guidance to assist local authorities in piloting and adopting innovations to ensure that policies are in place to provide equitable access to affordable electric vehicle (EV) charging points for all households.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The Scottish Government recognises the importance of ensuring equitable access to electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure as we transition to a net zero transport system. Approximately 40% of households in Scotland do not have access to off-street parki…
9 Jul 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many court cases there currently are in any backlogs, and how many are solemn cases to be heard before a (a) high and (b) sheriff court.
Answer · Angela Constance: 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.
26 Jun 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-38278 by Neil Gray on 10 June 2025, and in light of reported data from Public Health Scotland showing that over 50% of patients were waiting over six weeks for a colonoscopy as of March 2025, what specific provisions are included within the Endoscop…
Answer · Neil Gray: As part of the Endoscopy and Urology Diagnostic Recovery and Renewal Plan, the Centre for Sustainable Delivery (CfSD) has published a number of clinical pathways and guidance, co-designed with clinicians, to manage patients referred routinely for colonoscopy.…
18 Jun 2025 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to review planning laws regarding the provision of private purpose-built student accommodation, in light of reported concerns over the concentration of student accommodation in certain localities and objections from local residents.
16 Jun 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it has reportedly delayed commencement of section 1(4) and section 30(2) of the Children (Scotland) Act 2020.
Answer · Siobhian Brown: The Scottish Government outlined our approach to commencing section 1(4) and section 30(2) of the Children (Scotland) Act 2020 in my letter of 11 March 2025 to the Convener of the Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee. This letter can be found …
9 Jun 2025 · Topical Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports of claims by a whistleblower at Police Scotland that officers are being “coerced” into logging individuals in line with their gender identity, even in serious sexual assault cases.
5 Jun 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the accuracy of figures published by the Royal College of Radiologists showing that there is a shortage of radiologists, and what assessment it has made of the level of any shortage in relation to demand.
Answer · Neil Gray: As set out in answer S6W-38475 on 17 June 2025, over the last ten years the Consultant Radiologist workforce has increased by 27.7% (from 304.5 WTE as at March 2015 to 388.9 WTE as at March 2025). Consultant Radiologist vacancies have decreased by 3.4% over t…
5 Jun 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that there is a shortage of radiologists of around 25%, and what the reasons are for this being the case.
Answer · Neil Gray: Over the last ten years the Consultant Radiologist workforce has increased by 27.7% (from 304.5 WTE as at March 2015 to 388.9 WTE as at March 2025). Consultant Radiologist vacancies have decreased by 3.4% over the last year to 22.4 WTE as at March 2025, which…
5 Jun 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason there is a reported shortage in the number of consultants in the NHS to meet demands.
Answer · Neil Gray: The number of consultants employed by NHS Scotland has increased by 71% since September 2006 and now stands at 6,217.5 whole time equivalents (31 March 2025).Despite this increase, NHS Scotland’s medical workforce remains under pressure due to steady, l…
2 Jun 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether any incentives exist in secondary care for urgent access to colonoscopy for patients with suspected inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) who have not been referred on the cancer pathway, and what assessment it has made of introducing non-cancer specific local delivery plan (LDP) stan…
Answer · Neil Gray: Patients continue to be seen based on their clinical urgency, and those referred with an urgent suspicion of cancer continue to be prioritised for scope-based diagnostic tests. The decision to appropriately prioritise patients based on their urgency is best p…
28 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many summary cases there currently are in any court backlogs.
Answer · Angela Constance: The backlogs generated by the pandemic have been largely addressed and we have now returned to a position where the number of scheduled trials across all criminal business types is below 20,000. This is considered a manageable level of workload by Scottish Co…
20 May 2025 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the roadworks on the M8 in Glasgow will be completed by 2026.
14 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much in compensation payments for wrongful imprisonment has been paid in total in each of the last 10 years.
Answer · Angela Constance: I refer the member to the answer to the question S6W-37708 on 27 May 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-co…
14 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many compensation payments for wrongful imprisonment have been made in each of the last 10 years.
Answer · Angela Constance: The Scottish Government operates two schemes to pay compensation to people who have suffered a miscarriage of justice: the statutory scheme and the ex gratia scheme.The statutory scheme applies where a person's conviction has been reversed on appeal made &lsq…
14 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what systems were established to notify victims where perpetrators of crimes were part of early release schemes.
Answer · Angela Constance: I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:The SPS and the Scottish Government worked directly with Victim Support Organisations including Victim Support Scotland ahead of automat…
12 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to increase the number of plumbers in Scotland.
Answer · Graeme Dey: The Scottish Government recognises the vital importance of a skilled plumbing workforce and is actively supporting its growth. A key route is our continued investment in Modern Apprenticeships, backed by £185 million this year. We are also exploring how…
6 May 2025 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of Scotland participating in a UK-wide fan-led review of the live music industry, in light of the recent UK-wide survey of the industry.
1 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has made any evaluation of the pre-arrest diversion from drugs programme trialled by the Drug Deaths Taskforce in Inverclyde and the Highland Council area.
Answer · Jenni Minto: The regular reporting in achieving progress and outcomes of both these programmes are collated through the Corra Foundation.An evaluation of the Inverclyde Early Help in Police Custody Service found that there were practical challenges involved in covering su…
26 Mar 2025 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking in response to the Rural Affairs and Islands Committee report, Follow-up inquiry into salmon farming in Scotland.
19 Mar 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government which NHS boards have the availability of faecal calprotectin tests, which help to improve the diagnosis for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government does not hold this information which is a matter for NHS heath boards locally.We are committed to ensuring that all people living in Scotland with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) including Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis …