Parliamentary questions
Ash Regan
428 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
18 Mar 2026 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Scottish Police Authority's recent quarterly policing performance report showing that sexual crimes have continued to increase, with recorded rape at the highest level since comparable records began, and with domestic abuse also continuing to rise, what its response is t…
11 Mar 2026 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what actions it is taking to reduce journey times and congestion for commuters travelling to and from Edinburgh and East Lothian, including measures to progress with the delayed upgrade of Sheriffhall Roundabout and to improve transport reliability across the region.
25 Feb 2026 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it measures success in protecting care-experienced children, in light of reports that its flagship policy, The Promise, has failed to keep vulnerable children safe.
17 Feb 2026 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any impact that withdrawing funding for Wave Energy Scotland from March 2026 will have on Scotland’s ability to leverage investment, including through Horizon Europe, and on confidence in the marine energy sector.
13 Feb 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the 55 recommendations in the Independent Review of Audiology Services in Scotland that it accepted, whether it will confirm if the draft Budget 2026-27 will dedicate funding to ensure full delivery of these audiology services reforms across all NHS boards.
Answer · Jenni Minto: NHS Boards are not allocated specific funding for audiology but rather, in line with the approach of the majority of NHS services, fund these from their overall budget. Funding decisions by boards are expected to be appropriately prioritised in line with thei…
13 Feb 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what mechanisms are in place to monitor, escalate and publicly report on the ongoing delivery of the 55 recommendations of the Independent Review of Audiology Services in Scotland report, and how it ensures that workforce shortages, variability between NHS boards and incom…
Answer · Jenni Minto: The publication of the final report in March 2025 on the Implementation of the Recommendations from the Review of Audiology Services in Scotland marked the conclusion of the national programme of work.As set out in the final report, responsibility for ongoing…
13 Feb 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what measurable improvements in patient outcomes and service delivery have been observed since the recommendations of the Independent Review of Audiology Services in Scotland report were accepted, particularly in areas flagged as urgent, including paediatric diagnosti…
Answer · Jenni Minto: The final report in March 2025 on the Implementation of the Recommendations from the Review of Audiology Services in Scotland set out progress that has been made nationally on each of the 55 recommendations of the independent review.As part of ongoing longer …
13 Feb 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Independent Review of Audiology Services in Scotland report making 55 recommendations to improve services, whether it will provide (a) a breakdown of the number of recommendations that (i) have been fully implemented to date, (ii) are in operational work p…
Answer · Jenni Minto: A national programme of work to address recommendations of the Independent Review of Audiology Services in Scotland was concluded in 2025. A final report was produced which sets out how recommendations have either been implemented and completed, or embedded i…
10 Feb 2026 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it has taken since 2007 to address prostitution, including legislative measures aimed at tackling demand for paid sex as a means of preventing harm to vulnerable women and girls, and the provision of exit support services for recovery from any complex trauma resulting from pr…
28 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of testimony from survivors of grooming gangs, frontline service organisations and justice agencies that child sexual exploitation (CSE) and grooming are core pathways through which vulnerable children are drawn into the commercial sexual exploitation of prostitution, both in c…
Answer · Siobhian Brown: It would be a matter for the sponsoring MSP to determine who she would wish to consult with on her Bill.Professor Alexis Jay has been appointed independent Chair of the National Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation (CSAE) Strategic Group and will provide exper…
13 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Edinburgh City Council to ensure that staff are entitled to the proposed additional June 2026 public holiday announced by the First Minister to mark Scotland’s participation in the 2026 Men’s World Cup.
Answer · Kate Forbes: The First Minister’s proposal for a bank holiday to follow Scotland’s opening game at the men’s FIFA World Cup will create an opportunity for the country to come together and share this landmark occasion.We would encourage employers, includi…
13 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether NHS Scotland staff will be entitled to the proposed additional June 2026 public holiday announced by the First Minister to mark Scotland’s participation in the 2026 Men’s World Cup.
Answer · Kate Forbes: The First Minister’s proposal for a bank holiday to follow Scotland’s opening game at the men’s FIFA World Cup will create an opportunity for the country to come together and share this landmark occasion.We would encourage employers, includi…
13 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether school staff, including teachers, will be entitled to the proposed additional June 2026 public holiday announced by the First Minister to mark Scotland’s participation in the 2026 Men’s World Cup.
Answer · Kate Forbes: The First Minister’s proposal for a bank holiday to follow Scotland’s opening game at the men’s FIFA World Cup will create an opportunity for the country to come together and share this landmark occasion.As employers of school staff, includi…
13 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to ensure that higher education better meets the needs of Scotland and of future generations.
Answer · Ben Macpherson: The recent budget invests over £2.4 billion in post-school education and skills and includes a significant real terms increase in our investment in Scotland’s college and university sectors, which both deliver Higher Education. This provides oppor…
13 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it will ensure that university funding is meaningfully linked to best practice in healthy workplaces, specifically in relation to workload management and other drivers of work-related stress.
Answer · Ben Macpherson: Whilst universities are autonomous institutions with responsibility for their own decisions regarding pay and working conditions, the Scottish Government expects staff and trade unions to be consulted meaningfully and constructively to seek resolution to any …
13 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the announcement of the review into a sustainable future funding model for universities, what support or assurances it will provide to any university staff who have lost their jobs or are currently at risk of redundancy.
Answer · Ben Macpherson: The university sector continues to face financial challenges due to a number of factors, including the impact of migration policies introduced by the UK Government, and an increase to employer national insurance contributions.While universities are autonomous…
13 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what information it can provide regarding the timelines and delivery of the university sustainability review.
Answer · Ben Macpherson: The Framework for Sustainability and Success of Scotland’s Universities was launched on 18 December 2025 and will complete in the Autumn of 2026.A Steering Group will oversee this work, supported by Project Delivery Groups, with outcomes to be published…
7 Jan 2026 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider allocating ring-fenced funding to local authorities in the 2026-27 Budget to ensure consistent provision of prostitution support and exit services across Scotland, in line with the joint Scottish Government and COSLA Equally Safe commitment to tackling commercial…
6 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the uptake was of free school meals in 2025 for (a) primary and (b) secondary pupils in each local authority area.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: This information is available from School meal uptake statistics, 2023-24 supplementary statistics document which is available from Supporting documents - School meal uptake: 2023-24 - gov.scot
6 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what estimate it has made of the (a) revenue and (b) capital cost of extending universal free school meal entitlement to all primary school children.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The Scottish Government has worked closely with local authority partners to develop estimates for the cost of delivering universal free school meals in primary schools. It is estimated that the expansion would require recurring annual revenue funding of &poun…
6 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many additional children it estimates would be eligible for universal free school meal entitlement if this was extended to all primary school children.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The most recent phase of free school meal expansion to pupils in receipt of Scottish Child Payment in Primary 6 and 7 began from February 2025. This means 84% of pupils in primary schools in Scotland are now eligible to receive a free meal.It is estimated tha…
5 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to its consultation, which was launched on 28 August 2025 and concluded on 17 October 2025, with the Criminal Justice Committee taking initial evidence from the Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs on 24 September 2025, what the reasons are for the reported delay in th…
Answer · Angela Constance: The Scottish Government is currently considering responses to the public consultation on the draft SSI to add the characteristic of sex to the Hate Crime and Public Order Act which we undertook last year and we intend to lay the final SSI in Parliament in the…
10 Dec 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what policy, criteria and decision-making processes have governed the automatic rollover of Equality and Human Rights Fund awards in the last five years, and whether an automatic rollover will be implemented again for the next funding year.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Equality and Human Rights Fund supports projects that work to promote equality and tackling discrimination and prejudice. It was originally intended as a three year Fund running from October 2021 to September 2024. The funding periods were amended to alig…
10 Dec 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a list of the organisations that submitted applications to the Equality and Human Rights Fund in each of the last five years but were declined, broken down by (a) any information it can provide regarding the reason for refusal and (b) the assessment criteria or fr…
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Fund has not been open to new applications following the original bidding process in 2021 which received 242 applications. The Equality and Human Rights Fund invests in a range of civil society organisations that deliver work focussed on tackling inequali…
10 Dec 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government which organisations that had previously received support from the Equality and Human Rights Fund in each of the last five years have since had their funding discontinued, broken down by the reason for the discontinuation.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The same 48 organisations have been funded from the Fund’s inception until the end of FY 2025-26, with the sole exception of The Scottish Older People’s Assembly. It is intended that funding will be provided to The Scottish Older People’s As…
10 Dec 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government which organisations have received support from the Equality and Human Rights Fund in each of the last five years, broken down by (a) the amount awarded, (b) the duration of the funding and (c) whether the award was (i) a new allocation or (ii) the continuation of an existing funding arra…
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Equality and Human Rights Fund supports projects that work to promote equality and tackling discrimination and prejudice.The following table, which is available on the gov.scot website, shows which organisations have received support from the Fund in the …
10 Dec 2025 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government, regarding its Equally Safe Delivery Plan, what discussions the Minister for Equalities has had with ministerial colleagues regarding the provision of sustained social and economic investment in prevention, housing, safety and long-term recovery for women and children currently in, or wh…
11 Nov 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what future commercial opportunities Scottish Water plans, and whether these include selling water for use in England.
Answer · Gillian Martin: As this is an operational matter for Scottish Water I have asked them to respond. Their reply is as follows:Scottish Water Horizons drives sustainable growth by leveraging expertise and market position to maximise commercial, reputational, and carbon benefits…
4 Nov 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the potential treatment of certain mental health conditions, what its position is on the current scheduling of psilocybin as a class A drug, which means it is illegal to possess, supply or produce it, and whether the current scheduling presents any problems in relation to the …
Answer · Jenni Minto: The scheduling of psilocybin in the UK is overseen by the Home Office and the regulation for the licensing, safety and efficacy of medicines is currently reserved to the UK Government and is the responsibility of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulato…
4 Nov 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has consulted the National Drugs Mission Clinical Advisory Group regarding its position on the potential impact of the reclassification of psilocybin on the treatment of people in Scotland with substance abuse disorders.
Answer · Maree Todd: The Scottish Government has not consulted the National Mission Clinical Advisory Group (NMCAG) regarding the potential impact of the reclassification of psilocybin on the treatment of people in Scotland with substance abuse disorders. The NMCAG is not a Scien…