Chamber and committees

Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S6W-27435

Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 10 May 2024
Current Status: Answer expected on 28 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has made any recent assessment with clinicians of the effectiveness of BMI as an indicator of health, especially in relation to the diagnosis of eating disorders.

Question reference: S6W-27434

Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 10 May 2024
Current Status: Answer expected on 28 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on progress towards publishing Scotland's first Flood Resilience Strategy in 2024.

Question reference: S6W-27438

Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 10 May 2024
Current Status: Answer expected on 28 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many times the Storm Babet Ministerial Taskforce has met in 2024, and what was discussed.

Question reference: S6W-27440

Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 10 May 2024
Current Status: Answer expected on 28 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on progress towards implementing the Women's Health Plan since the Second Annual Report on Progress was published in January 2024.

Question reference: S6W-27437

Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 10 May 2024
Current Status: Answer expected on 28 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has held discussions with (a) local authorities and (b) COSLA regarding updating the Supporting transgender young people in schools guidance, in light of the findings of the final report of the Cass Review, which was published in April 2024.

Question reference: S6W-26653

Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 April 2024
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 29 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the work of the Mental Health and Capacity Reform Programme, including whether, as part of this programme, any decisions have been taken in relation to changes to the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003.

We will shortly be publishing an initial delivery plan for work being taken forward under the Mental Health and Capacity Reform Programme. The plan will set out a range of actions that are either underway or planned in the period up to April 2025, against the priorities identified under the Programme. One of the priorities, as noted in our initial response to the Scottish Mental Health Law Review, is to consider Mental Health Law reform.

Question reference: S6W-26855

Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 15 April 2024
Current Status: Answered by Christina McKelvie on 23 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what support it is providing to NHS boards to introduce tests to detect nitazenes in patients attending hospital with an overdose.

There are standard procedures in place in hospitals across Scotland for treating patients who present with an overdose, regardless of the substance involved.

Scottish Government has supported the introduction of a new surveillance study, operating from the accident and emergency department of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) in Glasgow which aims to establish a robust toxicology surveillance system in the emergency department. A Surveillance Study of Illicit Substance Toxicity (ASSIST) has been in operation since 2022 and explores the feasibility of reporting characteristics and the causes of patients attending hospital as an emergency due to illicit substance use.

The information this study provides has been vital for informing services, staff, drug organisations and those who use drugs about changes in the drug supply through the PHS quarterly RADAR reports. In addition, its findings have also informed public health alerts, such as those issued by PHS in relation to new substances of concern in the drug supply, specifically nitazenes. This project received funding of £212,304 in 2023-24.

A key feature of the agreed funding for the second year of ASSIST was to demonstrate how the study could be replicated in other emergency departments across Scotland to ensure the same information could be gathered and shared elsewhere.

Question reference: S6W-26651

Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 April 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 23 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment has been made of the effectiveness of NHS weight management services in preventing and reversing type 2 diabetes, in light of the reportedly significant increase in referrals since 2019.

At present, no assessment has been made of the effectiveness of NHS weight management services in preventing and reversing type 2 diabetes. However, it is encouraging that increases in referrals to weight management services has been reported in the latest statistics.

Prior to 2019, there was a lack of standardised information collected by NHS Boards to enable tracking of provision of weight management services. Approved by the Scottish Type 2 Diabetes Prevention Framework Oversight Group, a core dataset was developed in collaboration with Scottish Government, Public Health Scotland (PHS) and NHS Boards. The core dataset ensures consistency and comparability in the data being collected.

Data on referrals to weight management and type 2 diabetes prevention services was first published by PHS in May 2021 and the latest data was published March 2024 . The publication is currently classed as Official Statistics in development. The core dataset and reporting provides health boards with insight and direction as to future planning of type 2 diabetes prevention and weight management services.

We will continue to improve data collection and monitoring to assess the impact of NHS weight management services in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-26676

Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 April 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 23 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting (a) NHS Grampian and (b) other NHS boards to increase theatre capacity, in light of reports that this has been cited as a significant factor in not achieving the target of providing first treatment within 62 days of an urgent suspected cancer referral.

Cancer remains a national priority, within the Scottish Government and across NHS Scotland, with urgent suspicion of cancer referrals continuing to be prioritised. NHS Grampian provided a 62 day performance improvement plan with an associated £973,764 funding from Scottish Government in 2023-24. Officials continue to work with NHS Grampian to ensure there is sustained focus locally to deliver these plans.

We are committed to reducing inpatient and day-case waiting lists by an estimated 100,000 patients over the next three years, backed by planned investment of an extra £100 million annually, subject to the annual Scottish Budget process, we will work closely with NHS boards and stakeholders on a number of key actions which will see patients treated as quickly as possible.

An initial investment of £30 million will now be funded as part of our on-going management of this and will target reductions to the national backlogs that built up throughout the pandemic, including orthopaedics treatments, diagnostics for cancer referrals and patients with the longest waits. This will enable NHS Scotland to maximise capacity, including theatre capacity, build greater resilience and deliver year-on-year reductions in the number of patients who have waited too long for treatment.

Question reference: S6W-26678

Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 April 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 23 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on when the refreshed guidance on mobile phone use in schools will be published, and whether this guidance will follow the approach set out in the UK Government Department for Education February 2024 guidance, Mobile phones in schools, which emphasises that mobile phones should not be used during the school day, including breaks and lunchtimes.