Asked by: Day, Martyn (Scottish National Party - Falkirk East and Linlithgow)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what financial support it has considered putting in place to encourage individuals to enter the counselling profession.
Answered by Todd, Maree - Minister for Mental Wellbeing, Public Health, Sport, Alcohol and Drugs
The Scottish Government recognises the important contribution that counsellors make in supporting mental health and wellbeing in Scotland. Individuals undertaking counselling qualifications may be able to access a range of student support available through Scotland’s higher and further education funding arrangements, subject to eligibility criteria.
Higher education in Scotland is based on the ability to learn, not the ability to pay. Through our investment in colleges, universities and student support, we are helping people of all ages to access education and training opportunities while supporting the workforce needs to deliver high-quality public services across Scotland.
The Scottish Government has no plans to introduce any profession-specific financial support for individuals entering the counselling profession.
Asked by: Mochan, Carol (Scottish Labour - South Scotland)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what measures it is taking, in partnership with employers, trade unions and training providers, to improve gender diversity and address workplace discrimination in the construction industry.
Answered by Arthur, Tom - Minister for Business and Fair Work
While the Scottish Government has not undertaken any recent specific engagement on this issue, it has been supportive of industry-led activity through the Construction Leadership Forum (CLF), including implementation of the National Construction Equity and Inclusion Plan.
The Scottish Government provide construction specific guidance through the Client Guide to Construction Projects which is mandatory for Scottish Government’s public bodies, and voluntary for all other organisations, whose uptake we strongly encourage and actively support. It also assists contractors and consultants in developing their understanding of how the public sector delivers construction projects.
Asked by: Mochan, Carol (Scottish Labour - South Scotland)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the barriers women might face to enter and remain in the construction industry.
Answered by Arthur, Tom - Minister for Business and Fair Work
The Scottish Government has not undertaken any recent assessment specifically focused on barriers facing women entering and remaining in the construction industry. However, it has been supportive of industry-led efforts to improve equity, diversity, and inclusion across the sector.
The Scottish Government provide construction specific guidance through the Client Guide to Construction Projects which is mandatory for Scottish Government’s public bodies, and voluntary for all other organisations, whose uptake we strongly encourage and actively support. It also assists contractors and consultants in developing their understanding of how the public sector delivers construction projects.
The Scottish Government has considered barriers to entry, retention and progression for women in the construction sector through work undertaken with the Construction Leadership Forum. This included the development of the National Construction Equity and Inclusion Plan, which drew on research and stakeholder engagement to identify challenges facing under-represented groups, including women, within the industry. These challenges included gender imbalance, workplace culture, recruitment practices, progression opportunities, and a lack of visible role models.
Asked by: Mochan, Carol (Scottish Labour - South Scotland)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with representatives of the construction industry regarding the application and enforcement of Fair Work principles in the construction of major infrastructure projects, including fair pay, secure employment, workforce development and trade union engagement.
Answered by Arthur, Tom - Minister for Business and Fair Work
The Scottish Government has not held any recent discussions with representatives of the Construction industry specifically on the application and enforcement of Fair Work principles in major infrastructure projects.
While employment law remains reserved to the UK Parliament, the Scottish Government uses our Fair Work policy to promote fairer work practices across the labour market in Scotland. Through our flagship Fair Work First policy we use the Scottish Government’s financial powers to drive fair work practices and promote more diverse workforces by applying Fair Work First criteria to public sector grants, other funding and contracts where it is relevant to do so. In July 2023, we strengthened our Fair Work First approach by introducing a requirement on public sector grants recipients to pay at least the real Living Wage to all employees and to provide appropriate channels for effective workers’ voice, such as trade union recognition.
The Scottish Government provides construction specific guidance through the Client Guide to Construction Projects which is mandatory for Scottish Government’s public bodies, and voluntary for all other organisations, whose uptake we strongly encourage and actively support. It should also assist contractors and consultants in developing their understanding of how the public sector delivers construction projects.
We highlight the opportunity and need to use public procurement in Scotland to achieve employment of priority groups i.e. women, minority ethnic people, and disabled people. Since October 2021, we have routinely mandated that workers on Scottish Government contracts are paid at least the real Living Wage. We continue to look for opportunities to identify and pursue equality outcomes in relevant procurements
Our Fair Work policy is underpinned by the Fair Work Convention’s Framework, which recognises effective voice as a critical dimension of Fair Work. We are committed to supporting strong Trade Unions in Scotland for the benefit of workers and our economy.
Asked by: Mochan, Carol (Scottish Labour - South Scotland)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with representatives of the construction industry regarding increasing the number of women employed in construction, including what progress has been made in improving female participation rates in the sector over the last five years.
Answered by Arthur, Tom - Minister for Business and Fair Work
The Scottish Government has not undertaken any recent discussions with the construction industry specifically focused on increasing the number of women employed in the construction sector.
The Scottish Government provide construction specific guidance through the Client Guide to Construction Projects which is mandatory for Scottish Government’s public bodies, and voluntary for all other organisations, whose uptake we strongly encourage and actively support. It also assists contractors and consultants in developing their understanding of how the public sector delivers construction projects.
In March 2026 the Scottish Government funded Scotland’s first Flexible Working Summit to showcase employers who successfully adopted flexible working in sectors, such as construction, where flexibility is harder to embed. This will open opportunities for mothers especially in industries where they have been typically underrepresented.
The Construction Leadership Forum (CLF) has been the main forum for strategic engagement between the Scottish Government and the construction industry, bringing together government and industry representatives to address key challenges facing the sector.
In October 2025, the CLF’s Skills and Workforce Working Group launched its Construction Workforce Mission aimed at tackling the challenge of recruiting, training, and retaining enough skilled workers to deliver the infrastructure and built environment needed for a thriving, sustainable future.
In September 2022, the CLF launched a National Equity and Inclusion Plan (NEIP) for the construction industry in Scotland to encourage the development of a more diverse and all-encompassing workforce.
Asked by: Kerr, Stephen (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party - Mid Scotland and Fife)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the HMICS and HM Inspectorate of Prosecution in Scotland report, Citing witnesses in the sheriff court, which found that evidence was led in 13% of sheriff summary trials and 21% of sheriff and jury trials in 2024-25, what action it is taking to reduce the number of victims, witnesses and police officers cited to attend trials that do not proceed as scheduled.
Answered by None
The Summary Case Management (SCM) model which commenced roll-out in January 2025 has enabled more cases to resolve before a trial diet is assigned, thereby reducing the number of victims, witnesses and police officers cited to attend trials, through earlier disclosure of evidence, early engagement between the Crown and defence and active judicial case management.
Where a trial is scheduled, earlier and more focused preparation has provided greater opportunity for evidence to be agreed and for those witnesses whose attendance is necessary to be identified before citations are issued.
The joint inspection recognised that SCM has significantly reduced the number of witnesses, including police witnesses, requiring to be cited or re-cited to court.
Work is underway to consider how the principles and learning from SCM can inform similar improvements to case management in solemn criminal proceedings.
Asked by: Young, Jenny (Scottish Labour - Central Scot and Lothians West)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government when its consultation on childcare will open and conclude.
Answered by Brown, Siobhian - Minister for Children, Young People and The Promise
The Scottish Government will publish and consult on a childcare transformation blueprint next year. When dates are set for this, I will be happy to communicate them to parliament. What is most important to me at this stage is that the consultation will engage stakeholders, childcare professionals, parents, carers and children across the country, and will help ensure that the transformation of Scotland’s childcare system reflects the needs of those families.
Asked by: Young, Jenny (Scottish Labour - Central Scot and Lothians West)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether any pilot schemes are currently in place to provide additional childcare support for children aged between nine and 23 months, and whether it has any plans to introduce any such pilot schemes in West Lothian.
Answered by Brown, Siobhian - Minister for Children, Young People and The Promise
The Scottish Government is investing £6 million in 2026-27 in Childcare Early Adopter Communities across six local authority areas, expanding access to childcare, activities and wider family support services for families with children from early years to end of primary school.
While there are currently no plans for a pilot scheme in West Lothian, we will ensure that learning from the Early Adopter Communities informs development of a childcare transformation blueprint which we will publish and consult on next year. I would encourage parents and carers in West Lothian and across the country to input to that consultation.
Asked by: Kerr, Stephen (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party - Mid Scotland and Fife)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the HMICS and HM Inspectorate of Prosecution in Scotland report, Citing witnesses in the sheriff court, which found that email citation has been a competent method of citation since 2007, what assessment it has made of barriers to its routine use for civilian witnesses.
Answered by None
COPFS is committed to working with justice partners in exploring opportunities to improve witness citation arrangements, making use of technology in doing so, while ensuring the effectiveness and reliability required of the criminal justice process. While email has been a competent method of citation since 2007, its application raises practical, technological and legal considerations, including how receipt by the intended individual can be reliably established in order for effective enforcement action to be taken in the event of failures to attend court in response to citation and data protection considerations.
Email is not the only potential solution, nor would it be appropriate in every case. Consideration is extending to the opportunities that a wider range of digital solutions may offer. The approach taken must account for the needs and preferences of those receiving citations, the potential for greater choice, the operational and delivery implications of any future approach and, as recognised in the joint inspection, the need for witness citation processes to be trauma informed and use accessible language.
Asked by:
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of adults reported that people causing a nuisance with motorised vehicles, including cars, mopeds or scooters, was very or fairly common in their neighbourhood in each year for which data is available since 2016, broken down by local authority area.
Answered by Gray, Neil - Cabinet Secretary for Justice
The Scottish Crime and Justice Survey (SCJS) found that 30% of adults in 2024-25 said that people causing a nuisance with motorised vehicles was common in their local area. As this question was first introduced to the survey in 2024-25, figures are not available for earlier years. The SCJS does not provide breakdowns by local authority as the sample is not designed to be representative at that lower geographical breakdown.