Podcasts By The Scottish Parliament

First Minister's Questions 19 June 2025

The First Minister answers questions from Party Leaders and other MSPs in this weekly question time.

Topics covered this week include:

Audrey Nicoll

 

To ask the First Minister whether he will provide an update on the Scottish Government’s latest engagement with the UK Government regarding funding and timescales for the development of the Acorn carbon capture and storage project.

Maurice Golden

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to reports that up to 100 truckloads of Scotland's waste will be moved each day to England as a result of the landfill ban on biodegradable waste.

Pam Duncan-Glancy

To ask the First Minister whether he will provide an update on the Scottish Government’s position on the funding of Scotland’s higher education institutions.  

 

A full transcript of this week's First Minister's Questions is available here: https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/official-report/search-what-was-said-in-parliament/meeting-of-parliament-19-06-2025?meeting=16502

First Minister's Questions 12 June 2025

The First Minister answers questions from Party Leaders and other MSPs in this weekly question time.

Topics covered this week include:

Kenneth Gibson 

To ask the First Minister what the impact on Scotland will be of the Chancellor’s Spending Review 2025.

Liam Kerr 

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's position is on whether the home leave for prisoners system is operating appropriately and as intended.

Foysol Choudhury 

To ask the First Minister how the Scottish Government is working to ensure that patients are accurately informed of waiting times for NHS treatments following referrals to a specialist.

A full transcript of this week's First Minister's Questions is available here: https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/official-report/search-what-was-said-in-parliament/meeting-of-parliament-12-06-2025?meeting=16486

The story of the Canongate Wall

To celebrate the Scottish Parliament building's 20th anniversary, our art curator Fiona McDougall chatted to artist Soraya Smithson, who designed the Canongate Wall on the Royal Mile. This part of the Holyrood campus had not yet been finalised when head architect, Eric Miralles, tragically died during construction.

As a close family friend, Smithson was tasked with completing the design of the wall, and used it highlight some of the ideas that had inspired Miralles when he took on the project.

You can find our more about the Canongate Wall on our website: https://www.parliament.scot/visit/events-and-exhibitions/canongate-wall

First Minister's Questions 5 June 2025

The First Minister answers questions from Party Leaders and other MSPs in this weekly question time.

Topics covered this week include:

Ben Macpherson

To ask the First Minister how the Scottish Government is supporting film and TV production in Edinburgh and throughout Scotland.

Roz McCall 

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to reports that Police Scotland’s national child abuse investigation unit now carries out 700 child sexual abuse investigations a year, representing an increase of 30% since 2015.

Mark Ruskell 

To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government is taking to secure a direct ferry route between Scotland and France.

A full transcript of this week's First Minister's Questions is available here: https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/official-report/search-what-was-said-in-parliament/recent-publication?meeting=16416&iob=140223

First Minister's Questions 29 May 2025

The First Minister answers questions from Party Leaders and other MSPs in this weekly question time.

Topics covered this week include:

Clare Adamson

To ask the First Minister whether he will provide an update on the Scottish Government’s latest engagement with the UK Government regarding its plans for the winter fuel payment and any implications for the Scottish Government’s work to deliver a universal Pension Age Winter Heating Payment in Scotland.

Stephen Kerr

To ask the First Minister, in light of it being almost five years since the Scottish Government committed to spending £60 million to renew every play park in Scotland and of reports that less than half of the funding has been spent, what action the Scottish Government is taking to ensure that children do not miss out on renewed facilities.

Monica Lennon (S6F-04140)

To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government is taking to maintain its policy aim of keeping pace with the EU on environmental protection.

Willie Rennie

To ask the First Minister for what reason there has reportedly been no financial agreement between the Scottish Funding Council and the University of Dundee, in light of the alternative financial recovery plan being launched four weeks ago.

A full transcript of this week's First Minister's Questions is available here: https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/official-report/search-what-was-said-in-parliament/recent-publication?meeting=16416&iob=140223

First Minister's Questions 22 May 2025

The First Minister answers questions from Party Leaders and other MSPs in this weekly question time.

Topics covered this week include:

Willie Coffey

To ask the First Minister what assessment the Scottish Government has made, regarding any implications for its work to grow Scotland’s economy, of analysis from Future Economy Scotland indicating that average earnings in Scotland are £15,000 less per year than they would have been if wages had not flatlined since the financial crisis.

Graham Simpson

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to The Hunter Foundation report, Lessons from Singapore for Scotland's Economy.

Foysol Choudhury 

To ask the First Minister, in light of recent reported incidents, how the Scottish Government is working to prevent knife crime.

A full transcript of this week's First Minister's Questions is available here: https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/official-report/search-what-was-said-in-parliament/recent-publication?meeting=16416&iob=140223

 

First Minister's Questions 15 May 2025

The First Minister answers questions from Party Leaders and other MSPs in this weekly question time.

 

Topics covered this week include:

Collette Stevenson

To ask the First Minister, regarding any implications for its work to tackle poverty, what assessment the Scottish Government has made of the Department for Work and Pension’s forecasts reportedly indicating that the UK Government’s planned reductions to disability benefits will impact 700,000 families that are already in poverty.

Sandesh Gulhane 

To ask the First Minister what steps the Scottish Government is taking to address the performance of NHS 24, in light of reports that nearly one in five calls to the service went unanswered last year.

Michelle Thomson 

To ask the First Minister what assessment the Scottish Government has made of the recently announced UK-USA trade deal and its potential implications for businesses in Scotland.

A full transcript of this week's First Minister's Questions is available here: https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/official-report/search-what-was-said-in-parliament/recent-publication?meeting=16416&iob=140223

 

Housing Inquiry Report

We talk with Ariane Burgess MSP, Convener of the Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee about the committee's Housing Inquiry.

A year on from the official declaration of the national housing emergency by the Scottish Parliament, the Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee say a Housing Emergency Action Plan with clear milestones and outcomes would ensure progress towards ending the crisis can be properly assessed.

It is one of ten recommendations for the Scottish Government made in the Committee’s Housing Inquiry Report.

Read the report in full: https://digitalpublications.parliament.scot/Committees/Report/LGHP/2025/5/15/5e27adfd-6d08-4d34-a701-17fc4ffe5f83#Annex-A

First Minister's Questions 8 May 2025

First Minister John Swinney MSP answers questions from party leaders and other MSPs in this weekly question time.

Questions included:

Kevin Stewart 

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to water scarcity alerts issued by SEPA for the east of Scotland, in light of low rainfall and warm temperatures. 

Brian Whittle

To ask the First Minister, in light of the publication of the Programme for Government, what action the Scottish Government is taking to ensure that prevention is more strongly integrated into the health system.

Jackie Baillie

To ask the First Minister when the landslip shelter on the A83 at the Rest and Be Thankful will be complete.

 

Transcripts are available on our website: https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/official-report/search-what-was-said-in-parliament 

 

First Minister's Question 1 May 2025

Listen back to FMQs. Questions this week included: 

Jackie Dunbar

To ask the First Minister what assessment the Scottish Government has made of any implications for its work to grow Scotland’s economy of the EY ITEM Club Spring Forecast, which downgraded expectations for UK output over the next two years.

Edward Mountain

To ask the First Minister, in light of the reported high demand for neurodevelopmental assessment services, when the Scottish Government plans to publish the report on the work that it funded on the five “tests of change” across Scotland, which concluded in March 2024.

Mark Griffin

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government’s response is to reports of local authorities suspending council housing allocations.

 

Transcripts are available on our website: https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/official-report/search-what-was-said-in-parliament