Ash Regan

25 Jul 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, as part of the £2 million made available in its 2025-26 Budget to progress free bus travel for people seeking asylum, how many asylum seekers have accessed free bus travel through this funding to date, and what assessment it has carried out on any potential benefits of this scheme…

Answer · Jim Fairlie: The 2025-26 Scottish Budget, which was passed by the Scottish Parliament on 25 February, has funding allocated to provide free bus travel for people seeking asylum. My officials have reconvened the Working Group with Third Sector representatives and other int…

25 Jul 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many train stations operated by ScotRail in Scotland are not step-free, and what action it is taking to ensure better accessibility to all train stations. 

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Rail accessibility is reserved to the UK Government.The number of stations that are currently classed as not step free is 68 which is 19% of stations on the Scottish rail network.The Scottish Government remains committed to improving access at rail stations, …

25 Jul 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding it has provided towards the construction of cycle lanes in each of the last five years. 

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: We have recently published an Active Travel Infrastructure Investment Report for 2023-24, which reports on Transport Scotland’s active travel capital investment in infrastructure.The active travel budget does not allocate funding to specific infrastruct…

25 Jul 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding its work to help local authorities deliver Low Emissions Zones (LEZs) in Scotland’s four largest cities, what assessment it has made of the impact of LEZs on air quality in each LEZ area since their introduction. 

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The annual assessment and reporting of air quality and Low Emission Zone (LEZ) performance is a statutory responsibility of the relevant local authorities.Glasgow City Council published their most recent annual air quality report in August 2025. The report fo…

25 Jul 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the total value is of any Freight Facilities Grants that have been paid out in each of the last three financial years, broken down by the (a) value of each grant and (b) organisation that received the funding. 

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: YearValue of AwardApplicant2022-23£718,231Highland Spring2023-24£357,000Carr's2024-25No Budget Available-

25 Jul 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what policies and strategies it has in place to facilitate a freight modal shift to rail. 

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The Scottish Government has shown leadership in setting out positive policies that work for the rail freight industry through our rail freight strategy (published in 2016), our first of a kind regulatory growth targets for rail freight as part of our High Lev…

25 Jul 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, as part of its work to further the case for Scottish independence, what its policy is on whether an independent Scotland would seek to join the New Agenda Coalition. 

Answer · Angus Robertson: In the event of Scotland becoming an independent country, decisions about membership of international organisations or groupings of countries would be a matter for the government of the time, elected by the people of Scotland.

25 Jul 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, as part of its work to further the case for Scottish independence, what its policy is on who would represent an independent Scotland in any participation at a G20 summit.

Answer · Angus Robertson: The Scottish Government proposes that Scotland would seek to join the EU as soon as possible after independence. The EU is a full member of the G20, and represents it’s member states at G20 summits, alongside the leaders of G20 member countries.

25 Jul 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, as part of its work to further the case for Scottish independence, what its policy is on whether an independent Scotland would seek to join the Nuclear Energy Agency. 

Answer · Angus Robertson: The Scottish Government does not support the building of any new nuclear power stations in Scotland.In the event of Scotland becoming an independent country, decisions about membership of intergovernmental agencies would be a matter for the government of the …

25 Jul 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, as part of its work to further the case for Scottish independence, what its policy is on whether an independent Scotland would seek to join NATO. 

Answer · Angus Robertson: The Scottish Government proposes that an independent Scotland would apply to join NATO. Further details can be found in the publication https://www.gov.scot/publications/building-new-scotland-independent-scotlands-place-world/

25 Jul 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, as part of its work to further the case for Scottish independence, what its policy is on whether an independent Scotland would (a) take a share of UK debt in exchange for assets or (b) adopt a position of no shared assets, no shared debt. 

Answer · Angus Robertson: The Scottish Government’s position on share of UK debt following a vote for independence is set out in the publication Building a New Scotland: A stronger economy with independence - gov.scot.

25 Jul 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much it has paid to polling companies in each of the last five years, and which topics were polls held on. 

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: The amount paid to polling companies in each of the last five years for which data is available is set out in the following table. Spend information for 2024-25 is currently not held and will be available later this year. Data on which topics the polls were h…

18 Jun 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has reviewed the UK Government's national audit on group-based child sexual exploitation and abuse; if so, what lessons it has learned that are applicable in Scotland, and what its response is to reported calls for a national inquiry into grooming gangs in Scotland.

Answer · Natalie Don-Innes: Protecting children from harm is a key priority for the Scottish Government. I welcome the findings of Baroness Casey’s Audit. We are working at pace with partners including Police Scotland to assess its findings and recommendations to understand how th…

18 Jun 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the UN defining any formal marriage or informal union between a child under the age of 18 and an adult, or another child, as child marriage, whether it is considering increasing the minimum age for marriages and civil partnerships in Scotland to 18, and, if so, what work it …

Answer · Siobhian Brown: The Scottish Government is committed to consulting on whether we should legislate to raise the minimum age of marriage and civil partnership to 18 from 16. We will also consult on whether to legislate to extend the existing forced marriage or forced civil par…

18 Jun 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the trade deal between the UK and India, whether it is considering expanding its current list of nine trade and investment envoys to include an envoy for the Indian market.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: Scottish Government officials reviewed the Trade & Investment Envoy network footprint in 2024 to help ensure we have the right people, in the right places, with appropriate knowledge of our priority sectors. The review noted there are significant opportun…

18 Jun 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many manufacturing jobs have been created through inward investment in (a) Scotland and (b) each local authority area, in each of the last five years.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: Scotland has a strong record in attracting foreign direct investment and our Inward Investment Plan (IIP) plays a central role in supporting this by targeting key sectors such as high-value manufacturing and energy transition.Responsibility for measuring Scot…

18 Jun 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding (a) in total and (b) per capita has been allocated for public transport in each of the last two years, also broken down by (i) local authority area and (ii) parliamentary region.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The Government has been increasing its total allocation on public transport year-on-year. In 2025-26, the Scottish Government is investing more than £2.6 billion to support public transport, making our transport system available, affordable and accessib…

18 Jun 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much it has spent on methadone prescriptions in total in each of the last four years, broken down by the cost in each NHS board area.

Answer · Jenni Minto: The total drug costs and fees for dispensing methadone mixture and solution (1mg/ml) to the NHS in the last four years, broken down by NHS Board, are presented in the following table. Cost data are complete for all NHS Boards, whereas fees are incomplete as s…

18 Jun 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of Healthcare Improvement Scotland reportedly stating that the endometriosis pathway for Scotland is over 500 days past its review date, when it plans to complete its review of the pathway.

Answer · Jenni Minto: The Endometriosis Pathway was published by the Centre for Sustainable Delivery (CfSD) in January 2023. Following changes to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance a review of the pathway will be part of the 2025/26 workplan for …

18 Jun 2025 · Written Question

The ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking in response to reports that women wait longer than men for NHS operations.

Answer · Jenni Minto: In the majority of specialties there is minimal variation between female and male median waits but we recognise that in specialties that focus on treating conditions relating to urinary and reproductive systems there can be variation.The Scottish Government i…

18 Jun 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, as part of its work to further the case for Scottish independence, what its policy is on whether it would introduce a ban on surrogacy in an independent Scotland.

Answer · Angus Robertson: Independence would give Scotland the opportunity to introduce new legislation for matters currently reserved to Westminster, such as surrogacy. Decisions on changes to laws on surrogacy in an independent Scotland would be a matter for the government of the ti…

18 Jun 2025 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government, as part of its work to further the case for Scottish independence, what specific actions it is taking to strengthen Scotland's democratic infrastructure, authority and state-building preparations to ensure that the Scottish Parliament could become the legislature of an independent …

11 Jun 2025 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish detailed projections for the impact of its child poverty strategy in each local authority area, including whether its national mission remains on track to meet statutory child poverty targets by 2030.

3 Jun 2025 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of recent reports regarding the Barnett formula, and its ministers stating a preference for full fiscal autonomy, what discussions it has had with the UK Government in relation to replacing the Barnett formula.

21 May 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, as part of any action to reduce any sex-related pay inequality, whether it will consider changes to tax policy to increase the pay thresholds for the intermediate and higher rate tax bands for women returning to work after maternity leave.

Answer · Shona Robison: Our Income Tax policy supports our progressive approach to tax, which balances the need of supporting households through a challenging economic period, while raising revenue to sustain our investment in public services.We continue to deliver on our commitment…

21 May 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what policy initiatives it plans to enact that are aimed at supporting female entrepreneurs.

Answer · Kate Forbes: As outlined in this year's Programme for Government, we are investing a record £6m to continue implementation of the recommendations of Ana Stewart and Mark Logan’s Pathways report on women in entrepreneurship.This funding will build on the succes…

21 May 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider progressing a Dundee Northern Relief Road to reduce conflict between strategic and local traffic in Dundee, and to improve the connectivity of Aberdeen to the Central Belt, including Edinburgh, and what it estimates the cost of such a project is.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The Scottish Government currently has no plans to take forward a Dundee Northern Bypass or Relief Road. The A90 is an important part of Scotland’s Trunk Road network and passes through suburban Dundee, thus serving both strategic need through traffic an…

21 May 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider a pilot of free swimming lessons for primary school children in the City of Edinburgh Council area, in order to obtain evidence to consider a policy of free swimming lessons for all primary school children across Scotland.

Answer · Maree Todd: The Scottish Government believes that every child should be given the opportunity to learn to swim, it is a life skill that can save lives.Scottish Swimming launched their National Primary School Swimming Framework in September 2024. During the development of…

21 May 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the five types of planned NHS operations are that have the highest current average waiting times, and what the current average waiting time is in each case, broken down by patient sex.

Answer · Neil Gray: Information on the types of planned NHS operations that have the highest current average waiting times is not held by Scottish Government. Public Health Scotland (PHS) uses the national waiting times datamart to collect electronic patient records covering the…

21 May 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the current average waiting time is for a patient to have a planned NHS operation, broken down by sex.

Answer · Neil Gray: The following table shows the number of ongoing waits along with the median (days) and 90th percentile (days) by sex for the patients covered by the Treatment Time Guarantee (TTG) at 31 March 2025.The statistics provided include the median wait and not an ave…