Part of First Minister’s Question Time – in the Scottish Parliament at on 25 March 2026.
John Swinney
Scottish National Party
In the course of the Government’s term of office, we have taken steps to improve the lives of people in Scotland, whether that is in delivering a stronger economy, which has been delivered against the tides of austerity and the inflation surge in 2022, or in the health service, where waiting times have come down for eight months in a row as a consequence of the Government’s actions. In education, levels of attainment in our schools are rising and the poverty-related attainment gap is narrowing. The SNP Government is delivering on the priorities of the people of Scotland. We are determined to serve the people of Scotland, and we are determined to improve the lives of the people of Scotland.
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.
