Podcasts By The Scottish Parliament

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

 

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 

First Minister's Question's 24 April 2025

The First Minister takes questions from MSPs.

First Minister's Questions 3 April 2025

Listen back to FMQs. Questions this week included: 

Kevin Stewart

 

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government’s response is to reported comments made by the chair of the North Sea Transition Task Force that the North Sea’s future should be a “national mission”.

Stephen Kerr

To ask the First Minister what engagement the Scottish Government has had with the UK Government regarding what assessment has been made of the potential impact of an extension of US tariffs on Scottish businesses that export to the US market.

Katy Clark 

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's position is on whether the reported increased annual cost of Scotland's prisons to over £77,000 per prisoner represents good value for public money.

 

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

First Minister's Questions 20 March 2025

Listen back to FMQs! Questions this week included: 

Michelle Thomson 

To ask the First Minister what assessment the Scottish Government has made of the recent UK Living Standards Review 2025, from the National Institute of Economic and Social Research, and any implications for its work to grow Scotland’s economy.

Rachael Hamilton 

To ask the First Minister how the Scottish Government is marking Endometriosis Awareness Month.

Kevin Stewart 

To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government is taking to tackle Islamophobia in Scotland, in light of reports of an attack on a mosque in Aberdeen at the weekend.

 

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

First Minister's Questions 6 March 2025

Listen back to FMQs! Questions this week included: 

• Marie McNair 

To ask the First Minister how the Scottish Government will mark International Women’s Day, and its theme of "Accelerating Action" to reach gender equality.

• Annie Wells

To ask the First Minister what plans the Scottish Government has to tackle the reported rising number of cases of drug-driving.

• Foysol Choudhury

To ask the First Minister whether he will provide an update on how the Scottish Government is working to tackle Islamophobia in Scotland, in light of reports that anti-Muslim hate incidents across the UK reached record levels in 2024.

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