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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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

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Dates of parliamentary sessions
  1. Session 1: 12 May 1999 to 31 March 2003
  2. Session 2: 7 May 2003 to 2 April 2007
  3. Session 3: 9 May 2007 to 22 March 2011
  4. Session 4: 11 May 2011 to 23 March 2016
  5. Session 5: 12 May 2016 to 4 May 2021
  6. Session 6: 13 May 2021 to 8 April 2026
  7. Current session: 14 May 2026 to 18 August 2026
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Displaying 3669 questions Show Answers

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Question reference: S7W-02147

  • Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
  • Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 July 2026
  • Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 17 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how many Scottish Ambulance Service call-outs were made in Orkney between 1 and 31 May 2026, including, for each incident, the (a) date, (b) time that the first 999 call was made, (c) time that the call-out was completed, (d) priority colour-code(s) assigned and (e) times of any follow-up 999 calls concerning the same incident.  

Question reference: S7W-02129

  • Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
  • Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 July 2026
  • Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 17 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what the (a) total setup and (b) ongoing costs of the Scottish Government bond programme are in relation to (i) banks, including Banco Santander, Barclays Bank Plc, Citigroup Global Markets Limited, Deutsche Bank AG, HSBC Bank Plc, Merrill Lynch International, NatWest Markets Plc, RBC Europe Limited and Standard Chartered Bank, (ii) lawyers, including Clifford Chance, (iii) advisers, including EY, (iv) ratings agencies, including Moody's and S&P, and (v) investor relations, in (A) past, (B) present and (C) future budget years.

Question reference: S7W-02127

  • Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
  • Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 July 2026
  • Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 17 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the reported statement by S&P that its credit rating would likely be cut if it took "material steps towards independence from the UK".

Question reference: S7W-02130

  • Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
  • Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 July 2026
  • Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 17 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what estimate it has made of the total savings or additional costs arising from borrowing through Scottish Government bonds rather than through existing borrowing mechanisms over the next (a) five and (b) 10 years.

Question reference: S7W-02136

  • Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
  • Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 July 2026
  • Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 17 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how many times it has met with representatives of credit rating agencies regarding the issuance of bonds under the Scottish Government bond programme, and what factors those agencies identified as material to Scotland's creditworthiness.

Question reference: S7W-02139

  • Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
  • Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 July 2026
  • Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 17 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is regarding reported external assessments indicating that borrowing through the Scottish Government bond programme could cost £100 million more than borrowing through the National Loans Fund.

Question reference: S7W-02134

  • Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
  • Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 July 2026
  • Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 17 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what estimate it has made of the annual costs of maintaining a Scottish Government bond programme, including investor engagement, reporting and compliance.

Question reference: S7W-02132

  • Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
  • Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 July 2026
  • Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 17 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has undertaken a value-for-money assessment of issuing bonds under the Scottish Government bond programme, and whether it will publish the assessment.

Question reference: S7W-02133

  • Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
  • Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 July 2026
  • Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 17 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has established a maximum acceptable spread over comparable UK gilt yields when determining whether to proceed with an issuance under the Scottish Government bond programme.

Question reference: S7W-02135

  • Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
  • Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 July 2026
  • Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 17 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what advice it has received regarding any potential impact of constitutional uncertainty on investor appetite for bonds issued under the Scottish Government bond programme.