– in the Scottish Parliament on 9 October 2025.
Yesterday, John Swinney launched yet another taxpayer-funded paper on independence. He has called it a fresh start. [ Interruption .]
I, too, welcome the agreement on a Gaza ceasefire, the end of the bloodshed and the release of hostages. The ceasefire must be real and it needs to last. However, it must also be backed up by an...
I entirely associate myself with the First Minister’s remarks about progress towards peace in the Middle East. I also take a moment to offer the sincere thanks of the Scottish...
To ask the First Minister what assessment the Scottish Government has made of any implications for its work to mitigate the two-child benefit cap of the United Kingdom Government’s reported...
To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government’s response is to reports that the mental health budget has been reduced in the 2025-26 autumn budget revision. (S6F-04374)
To ask the First Minister, following Scotland’s global investment summit 2025, whether he will provide an update on the Scottish Government’s work to attract international investment...
The general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing has said: “Health and care services would cease to function without migrant nursing staff.” Does the First...
A recent report has uncovered that NHS patients in my region and across Scotland were forced to receive electric shock treatment against their will almost 1,100 times last year. In around 2,000...
The report “Improving care experience: Delivering The Promise”, by the Accounts Commission and the Auditor General, which was published yesterday, concluded that, from the outset,...
The latest Scottish Chambers of Commerce quarterly economic indicator survey, which was published this morning, shows that seven out of 10 Scottish firms continue to struggle with higher...
NHS Grampian has plunged into further financial crisis, with the board’s financial director saying that it is struggling to “keep afloat”. This morning, a diagnostic report from...
The First Minister will be aware that the only islander on the board of Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd has not had his membership renewed. That is a snub to our island communities, which are left...
We all support the right to protest, assemble, march, and so on, yet the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act 2021 makes it an offence to stir up hatred. Does the First Minister think that...
Just two weeks ago, our capital city and my home town, Edinburgh, backed Scottish Green councillors’ calls to ensure that no public money is being used to bankroll Israel’s genocide....
As we have heard, this week, the Scottish Government published “A Fresh Start with Independence”. At a time when many of my constituents are struggling to heat their homes and pay for...
Families of residents at a sheltered housing complex in Falkirk are deeply concerned about plans to outsource care services to an external provider. The proposals, which would remove the...
Question Time is an opportunity for MPs and Members of the House of Lords to ask Government Ministers questions. These questions are asked in the Chamber itself and are known as Oral Questions. Members may also put down Written Questions. In the House of Commons, Question Time takes place for an hour on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays after Prayers. The different Government Departments answer questions according to a rota and the questions asked must relate to the responsibilities of the Government Department concerned. In the House of Lords up to four questions may be asked of the Government at the beginning of each day's business. They are known as 'starred questions' because they are marked with a star on the Order Paper. Questions may also be asked at the end of each day's business and these may include a short debate. They are known as 'unstarred questions' and are less frequent. Questions in both Houses must be written down in advance and put on the agenda and both Houses have methods for selecting the questions that will be asked. Further information can be obtained from factsheet P1 at the UK Parliament site.
Ministers make up the Government and almost all are members of the House of Lords or the House of Commons. There are three main types of Minister. Departmental Ministers are in charge of Government Departments. The Government is divided into different Departments which have responsibilities for different areas. For example the Treasury is in charge of Government spending. Departmental Ministers in the Cabinet are generally called 'Secretary of State' but some have special titles such as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Ministers of State and Junior Ministers assist the ministers in charge of the department. They normally have responsibility for a particular area within the department and are sometimes given a title that reflects this - for example Minister of Transport.
