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Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S7W-04052

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 October 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 4 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the sustainability of the amount spent by NHS boards on agency locum anaesthetists in each of the last five years.

Question reference: S7W-03579

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 7 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government by what date it will establish the dedicated working group to oversee the local authority rollout of the Veterans Homelessness Prevention Pathway following the publication of the Scottish Veterans Commissioner’s 2026 Progress Report.

The Scottish Government’s latest published homelessness statistics show that the number of veterans assessed as homeless has decreased by 8 per cent. However, we know that some veterans still face challenges accessing and sustaining housing.

The Scottish Government accepted in principle all 24 recommendations in the Veterans Homelessness Prevention Pathway, which are aimed at preventing homelessness among veterans. Of these, three have been completed, 17 are in progress and four have yet to commence.

Responsibility for the delivery of the pathway recommendations is shared across several organisations. While the Scottish Government has responsibility for 10 of the recommendations, successful implementation requires continued collaboration from all partners, including Veterans Scotland, the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA), housing providers, the Ministry of Defence and a range of partner organisations.

Scottish Government officials have worked with the Veterans Scotland Housing Group to identify the five top priorities from the pathway recommendations, one of which is to establish a working group. We will continue to work with partners, including Veterans Scotland, to ensure progress is made against these.

We will ensure that appropriate governance and oversight arrangements are in place before the end of the year to support implementation of the pathway recommendations.

Question reference: S7W-03532

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 7 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether the appointment of Professor Caroline Hiscox and Professor Jann Gardner as lead officers for the East and West Subnational Planning and Delivery Committees was subject to competition.

The lead officer functions were aligned to NHS Boards with the capacity and resources required to support the operation of the East and West Subnational Planning and Delivery Committees. As the Chief Executives of those Boards, Professor Caroline Hiscox and Professor Jann Gardner were nominated to undertake the lead officer responsibilities. The roles were therefore not subject to a competitive recruitment process.

Question reference: S7W-04054

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 October 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 3 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact on maternity services of the reported shortage of anaesthetists across NHS Scotland.

Question reference: S7W-04053

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 October 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 3 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the adequacy of current anaesthetist numbers across NHS Scotland.

Question reference: S7W-03580

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 6 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government by what date the digital transfer pathways for Defence Medical Service records will be fully operational in NHS Scotland.

Question reference: S7W-03578

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 6 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what the current registration rate of GP practices under the Armed Forces Veteran Recognition Scheme is, and what steps it is taking to increase participation.

As of September 2026, 71 GP practices across Scotland are registered under the General Practice Armed Forces and Veterans Recognition Scheme so far. Whilst GPs operate independently and registration rates have increased in the past year, we clearly have more work to do to increase participation.

The Scottish Government continues to promote the scheme through engagement with NHS Boards, GP practices, the Ministry of Defence, Veterans Scotland and the Royal College of General Practitioners Scotland. Training resources remain available to all practice staff through NHS Education for Scotland's TURAS platform to help improve awareness of the health needs of veterans and Armed Forces families.

In addition, the Scottish Government has invested in Veterans Scotland during 2026-27 to deliver a dedicated GP Recognition Acceleration Scheme. As part of this work, a national GP Advocate has been appointed to promote the scheme directly with practices and primary care leaders, with the aim of increasing registrations and expanding the scheme's reach across Scotland.

Question reference: S7W-03535

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 6 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether the posts of chief executive for its proposed West and East NHS boards would be subject to open competition.

On 1 September 2026, as part of the Programme for Government, the First Minister announced the Scottish Government’s intention to simplify the NHS by replacing the current 14 territorial Health Boards with two Strategic Health Boards and build on planned reforms to further reduce the number of special Health Boards.

We will set out a transparent approach to fair and equitable recruitment in due course, in line with existing NHS Scotland policies which have been agreed in partnership with trade unions.

Question reference: S7W-03531

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 5 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide details of all the meetings that took place between Professor Caroline Hiscox and Professor Jann Gardner and (a) the First Minister and/or (b) the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Care since December 2024, including what items were discussed and whether minutes were taken.

The Scottish Government is currently processing a request for this information under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002. The response will set out any information held that can be disclosed, subject to the provisions and exemptions contained within the Act. To ensure consistency and compliance with statutory obligations, it would not be appropriate to provide a detailed response to this Parliamentary Question in advance of the FOI process being completed.

Question reference: S7W-03577

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 2 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the factors contributing to the reported decline in the number of veterans approved for support under the Low-cost Initiative for First-Time Buyers (LIFT) scheme to one per year between 2024 and 2026, and what targeted outreach it plans to introduce to increase uptake.

The Open Market Shared Equity Scheme (OMSE), which is a part of LIFT, is a demand led scheme which provides support for first time buyers and priority access groups, including veterans who have left the armed forces within the past two years, to purchase a property on the open market.

The administering agent for OMSE, Link Housing, market the scheme on behalf of the Scottish Government. Marketing was paused while the scheme was closed during 2024-25 and the end of 2025-26.

An insert on OMSE was included in Pathfinder magazine (Armed Forces resettlement magazine) for the reopening in June 2025 and another is planned for October’s edition.

More information on OMSE is also available on the Scottish Government’s help to buy your home website (Open Market Shared Equity scheme - mygov.scot) as well as the UK Government’s finding a civilian home as a veteran website (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/finding-a-civilian-home-as-a-veteran).