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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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Question reference: S7W-04040

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 October 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 23 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how much of the Bus Infrastructure Fund will be spent in the Scottish Borders.

Scottish Borders Council has been awarded £1.117 million through the Bus Infrastructure Fund across 2025-26 and 2026-27.

In 2025-26, Scottish Borders Council used its allocation to support the design and development of new bus infrastructure projects, the installation and upgrade of bus shelters, the introduction of real-time passenger information displays across the region, and improvements to bus stops and boarding facilities in locations including Newstead, Chirnside, Peebles, Melrose, Heiton, Duns and West Linton.

In 2026-27, Scottish Borders Council will continue to invest in bus infrastructure improvements through its Bus Infrastructure Fund Tier 1 allocation, including the development of a proposed multi-modal transport hub in Peebles.

Question reference: S7W-04041

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 October 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 23 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how the Bus Infrastructure Fund will aim to support rural services in areas such as the Scottish Borders.

The Bus Infrastructure Fund supports bus services through improving the infrastructure that they rely on. In 2026-27 £20 million has been provided to all local authorities through Tier 1 of the fund, which is dedicated to supporting the design, development, and delivery of bus infrastructure, including improvements to accessibility such as enhanced bus stops, shelters, real-time information and small-scale bus priority measures. The fund’s allocation methodology places significant weight on rural dispersion, with funding invested to support public transport services and address local transport needs.

Question reference: S7W-04441

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 October 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 19 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what oversight arrangements are in place to ensure that independent boarding schools comply with child protection and safeguarding requirements, including the retention and secure transfer of pupil welfare, disciplinary and safeguarding records.

Question reference: S7W-04436

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 October 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 19 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with (a) local authorities, (b) regional transport partnerships and (c) Police Scotland regarding the potential safeguarding risks associated with reductions in rural bus services and isolated bus stops, particularly for young people at risk of child sexual exploitation or criminal exploitation through so-called county lines networks.

Question reference: S7W-04444

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 October 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 19 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking, following the findings of the independent national review published in September 2026, to review the effectiveness of safeguarding training for education and social work staff in addressing grooming and group-based child sexual and criminal exploitation, including how the experiences of survivors inform such training.

Question reference: S7W-04438

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 October 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 19 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any variations in referral and eligibility criteria for specialist psychological therapies for survivors of childhood sexual abuse across NHS boards and Health and Social Care Partnerships, including whether financial pressures have affected access to these services.

Question reference: S7W-04449

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 October 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 19 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the availability of emergency accommodation and specialist trauma support for people affected by group-based sexual exploitation where the abuse has occurred outside a domestic relationship, including any gaps in provision for people living in rural communities.

Question reference: S7W-04439

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 October 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 19 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking, following the findings of the independent national review published in September 2026, to improve the consistency of information sharing between Police Scotland, local authorities and other relevant agencies in cases of group-based child sexual abuse and exploitation, particularly where risks or allegations cross local authority boundaries.

Question reference: S7W-04437

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 October 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 19 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to review its best practice guidance on taxi and private hire car licensing to assess the extent to which existing driver training requirements adequately address child sexual exploitation and so-called county lines awareness, including the potential for survivor-led organisations to contribute to such training.

Question reference: S7W-04445

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 October 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 19 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has discussed with COSLA the potential for local authorities to voluntarily designate an elected member as a so-called Survivor Champion to raise awareness of safeguarding concerns and barriers to accessing trauma support, particularly in rural communities.