Podcasts By The Scottish Parliament

First Minister's Questions 6th November 2025

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

Topics covered this week include:

Christine Grahame
To ask the First Minister what discussions the Scottish Government has had with the UK Government regarding the implementation of the proposed scheme for the renovation of military homes in Scotland.

Douglas Lumsden
To ask the First Minister when the Scottish Government will announce a timetable for improvement works on the A96 north of Inverurie, following the publication of its corridor review consultation report.

Michael Marra
To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to the Auditor General’s report, 2024/25 audit of the Scottish Government Consolidated Accounts, which indicates a £1 billion underspend by the Scottish Government.

Beatrice Wishart
To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government’s response is to the recent news that Eastern Airways, which runs lifeline regional services in the Highlands and Islands, has entered administration.

A full transcript of this week's First Minister's Questions will be available on the Scottish Parliament website: https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/official-report

First Minister's Questions 30th October 2025

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

Topics covered this week include:

Emma Harper
To ask the First Minister whether the Scottish Government has had any initial response from the UK Government in relation to the letter sent to the Minister of State for Food Security and Rural Affairs on 22 October regarding the Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund.

Roz McCall
To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government’s response is to reports that Babcock, in Fife, has had to hire workers from overseas as a result of reductions in some college courses.

Pauline McNeill
To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government’s position is regarding the reported 200,000 public sector workers who are still waiting on their pension entitlement following the 2018 McCloud judgement on pension discrimination.

Ash Regan
To ask the First Minister for what reason the Scottish Government has reportedly abandoned key provisions of the Fireworks and Pyrotechnic Articles (Scotland) Act 2022, including the proposed licensing system, as communities prepare for potential disorder during Bonfire Night.

A full transcript of this week's First Minister's Questions will be available on the Scottish Parliament website: https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/official-report

First Minister's Questions 9th October 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 what assessment the Scottish Government has made of any implications for its work to mitigate the two-child benefit cap of the UK Government's reported proposals to replace the cap with a tapered system.

Brian Whittle
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.

Michael Matheson
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 into Scotland’s economy.

A full transcript of this week's First Minister's Questions will be available on the Scottish Parliament website: https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/official-report

First Minister's Questions 2nd October 2025

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

Topics covered this week include:

Gordon MacDonald
To ask the First Minister, regarding the potential impact on marginalised communities and public services in Scotland, what the Scottish Government’s response is to UK Government proposals to introduce a mandatory digital ID scheme.

Liz Smith
To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government’s position is on whether NHS Tayside should exempt legal claims by former patients of Professor Sam Eljamel from the three-year time-bar which is currently in place.

Jackie Baillie
To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to reported comments from the chair of the British Medical Association in Scotland, that Scotland's NHS is "dying before our eyes".

A full transcript of this week's First Minister's Questions will be available on the Scottish Parliament website: https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/official-report

First Minister's Questions 25th September 2025

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

Topics covered this week include:

Elena Whitham
To ask the First Minister what assessment the Scottish Government has made of any implications for its work to address poverty amongst older people of recent findings by the Living Wage Foundation that a majority of people on a low-income pension in the UK are unable to cover basic living costs.

Brian Whittle
To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government’s response is to reports that proposed changes to the counting method for NHS waiting lists will result in numbers falling despite no more patients being seen.

Foysol Choudhury
To ask the First Minister what urgent action the Scottish Government is taking in light of Public Health Scotland's estimate that dementia in Scotland is set to rise by more than 50% by 2044.

A full transcript of this week's First Minister's Questions will be available on the Scottish Parliament website: https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/official-report

First Minister's Questions 18th September 2025

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

Topics covered this week include:

Gordon MacDonald
To ask the First Minister what assessment the Scottish Government has made of the potential impact on households in Scotland of the forecasts from the Food and Drink Federation that food and drink inflation could reach 5.7% by December.

Murdo Fraser
To ask the First Minister how the Scottish Government will support town and city centres as retail destinations.  

Maggie Chapman
To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government is taking to protect renters in the private sector from homelessness.

A full transcript of this week's First Minister's Questions will be available on the Scottish Parliament website: https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/official-report

First Minister's Questions 11th September 2025

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

Topics covered this week include:

Ruth Maguire
To ask the First Minister, in light of reports of the rising rate of poverty for families with a baby under one and new evidence from Save the Children that increasing Best Start Grant and Best Start Foods payments could significantly reduce the child poverty rate for this priority group, whether the Scottish Government will consider increasing these payments.

Brian Whittle 
To ask the First Minister what urgent steps the Scottish Government is taking in response to reports that nursing and midwifery vacancies have risen by 60% in six months.  

Paul Sweeney 
To ask the First Minister what additional support the Scottish Government is giving to the Public Dental Service, in light of reports that there has been a 10% rise in spending over the last two years due to increased demand.  

A full transcript of this week's First Minister's Questions will be available on the Scottish Parliament website: https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/official-report

Interview with architect Benedetta Tagliabue

As part of the launch of an exhibition on the Scottish Parliament building, internationally renown architect and co-founder of EMBT, Benedetta Tagliabue, chats to us about her work. She oversaw the completion of the Parliament project after the untimely death of her partner, lead architect Enric Miralles, during construction. She discusses the history of the project, the inspiration behind elements of the design, and what can be found in the exhibition.

First Minister's Questions 4th September 2025

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

Topics covered this week include:

Evelyn Tweed

To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government is taking to reduce the number of road traffic incidents on the trunk road network, in light of reports of a number of serious accidents over the summer.

Tess White

To ask the First Minister whether he will provide an update on the steps that the Scottish Government is taking as a result of the Supreme Court judgment in For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers

Alex Rowley

To ask the First Minister, in light of SEPA's warnings of water scarcity over the summer and the introduction of restrictions on water abstraction last week in some areas, including North Fife, what action the Scottish Government is taking to secure water supply in Scotland in the face of changing climate conditions.

 

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=16549&iob=141274 

First Minister's Questions 26 June 2025

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

Topics covered this week include:

Joe FitzPatrick

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to the Sarcoma UK report, Unique Among Cancers.

Tim Eagle

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to reports that several local authorities are delaying the introduction of a visitor levy.

Marie McNair 

To ask the First Minister what assessment the Scottish Government has made of the latest Office for National Statistics inflation statistics and any implications for its work to support low-income households.

 

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-26-06-2025