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-34218

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 31 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 18 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many vacancies there are at Food Standards Scotland in Aberdeen, broken down by position.

Vacancy Title	Vacancy Grade	Branch	No. of Posts (FTE)	Agreed Basis
Enforcement Delivery Manager	B2	Enforcement Delivery	1	Permanent
Enforcement Delivery Officer	B1	Enforcement Delivery	1	Permanent
HR Business Partner	B2	HR	1	Fixed Term
Operations Manager - Area 3	B3	Field Operations - Area 3	1	Permanent
OV/TOV	B2	Field Operations - Area 1	1	Fixed Term
OV/TOV	B2	Field Operations - Area 2	1	Fixed Term
OV/TOV	B2	Field Operations - Area 2	3	Permanent
OV/TOV	B2	Field Operations - Area 3	2	Permanent
OV/TOV	B3	Field Operations - Area 1	1	Permanent
Scientific Advisor - Microbiological Risk Assessment	B2	Risk Assessment	1	Permanent
Senior Enforcement Delivery Manager	B3	Enforcement Delivery	1	Permanent
Senior Enforcement Delivery Manager	B3	Enforcement Delivery	1	Permanent
Senior Feed Officer	B3	Feed Delivery	1	Permanent
Senior Policy Officer	B3	Labelling, Standards & Regulated Products	1	FTA
Senior Public Health Nutrition Advisor	B3	Public Health Nutrition	1	Permanent
Senior Scientific Advisor - Regulated Products	B3	Risk Assessment	1	Permanent
Sustainability Funding & Workstream Manager	B3	SAFER Programme	0.5	Permanent
Vet Advisor	B3	Field Operations - Area 1	1	Fixed Term
Total			20.5

Question reference: S6W-34498

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 18 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to the Childsmile programme in the financial year 2023-24, whether it will provide the (a) total cost of the programme and (b) estimated cost per child per annum.

In response to part a) of the question, I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-26265 on 15 April 2024, in which I detailed the total cost of the Childsmile programme in the five financial years between 2019-20 and 2023-24.

In response to part b) of the question, Scottish Government does not hold this information.

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

Question reference: S6W-34230

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 31 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 18 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what steps Food Standards Scotland is taking to improve the nutritional quality of ready meals.

Food Standards Scotland (FSS) advocate the UK wide reformulation programme, managed by the Office of Health Improvement and Disparities, which has voluntary targets for industry to reduce levels of sugar, salt and calories in commonly consumed foods. They regularly report on progress, with the most recent publication in 2024.

In Scotland, Scottish Government funds the Reformulation for Health Programme which is managed by Food and Drink Federation Scotland. Since 2019, the programme has support SMEs operating in Scotland to take steps to improve the nutritional content of their food, including reductions in fat, sugar and salt. Examples of the success of the programme can be found via this link. Food Standards Scotland supports the Reformulation for Health Programme, including as a Reformul8 Partner, and through provision of grant funding to support businesses to undertake reformulation.

Question reference: S6W-34304

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 18 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to tackle the reportedly growing issue of retailers selling nicotine products to children.

Scottish Ministers are concerned about the use of novel nicotine products such as nicotine pouches and, in particular, their appeal to children and young people.

The Tobacco and Vapes Bill, if passed, will introduce a range of restrictions – for example around age of sale and advertising- applicable to these products, taking on board concerns raised by members previously about novel products becoming more prevalent on the market and their appeal to children and young people.

The purchase of vaping products is already age restricted and it is illegal to sell to, or buy them for, anyone under the age of 18. Trading Officers are using every tool at their disposal - including fixed penalty notices - to ensure retailers are not selling vaping products to under 18s. Border Force and HMRC also have an important role to control the illicit vape trade and we continue to work with them on this.

We are currently the only nation in the UK with a functioning Tobacco and Nicotine Vapour Product Register. The Tobacco and Vaping Framework set out our intention to consider how the register could be improved. A refreshed digital product went live in January 2025. This will ensure that the register is a more effective and efficient tool for enforcement as well as for engagement with retailers on compliance with current and future legislation.

Question reference: S6W-34303

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 18 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the current legislative framework is appropriate for tackling the reportedly growing issue of retailers selling nicotine products to children.

The purchase of vaping and tobacco products is age restricted. It is illegal to sell to, or buy them for, anyone under the age of 18.

Our Tobacco and Vaping Framework, launched in 2023, is our roadmap to 2034 and a tobacco free Scotland.

Our Framework is underpinned by a wide range of legislation including legislation to support the Register of Tobacco and Nicotine Vapour Product Retailers. We recently launched a new digital Register platform which will help to ensure accurate data and help Trading Standards with enforcement of current and future regulations.

A key strand of the first implementation plan of the Framework is the work that has taken place across the four nations on creating a smoke free generation and tackling youth vaping, which has led to the introduction of the UK-wide Tobacco and Vapes Bill.

Measures within the Bill include the introduction of a wide definition of a nicotine product, which is designed to cover products currently on the market such as nicotine pouches, as well as any future nicotine products. If passed with the consent of the Scottish Parliament the Bill will make it an offence to sell all nicotine products to under 18’s, stopping the next generation from becoming addicted.

The Tobacco and Vapes Bill, if passed, will also expand both the register and enforcement powers to cover herbal smoking products and nicotine products.

Question reference: S6W-34268

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 31 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 18 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how Food Standards Scotland supports local authorities in enforcing food safety regulations.

In addition to the training provided, FSS attends and provides the Secretariat function to the Scottish Food Enforcement Liaison Group. The details of this Committee can be found here: Scottish Food Enforcement Liaison Committee (SFELC) | Food Standards Scotland. FSS attends the Local Authority Food Liaison Groups meetings and establishes working groups to discuss in greater depth areas of food law that require focus and direction. FSS supports and works in partnership with the Professional bodies representing Environmental Health and Food Safety Officers.

Question reference: S6W-34355

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 31 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 18 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many funding packages, whether loans or grants, have been provided by the Scottish National Investment Bank to supply chain businesses involved in supporting ScotWind projects.

The Scottish National Investment Bank is operationally independent of the Scottish Government, it invests on a purely commercial basis and does not distribute grants of any kind.

Full details of the Bank’s portfolio can be found on its website and this provides a breakdown of the Bank’s investments by primary mission and also provides further details on each investment such as listing any co-investors and a summary of what the investment will achieve:

Scottish National Investment Bank Investment Portfolio

Question reference: S6W-34954

Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 18 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking with NHS Grampian to support the improved delivery of dermatology services, in light of reports that waiting times for urgent referrals for suspected cancer are more than five months, and waiting times for routine referrals are more than two years.

Each territorial Health Board across Scotland has agreed performance improvement plans in place, detailing what is being done at local level to drive improvements. The Scottish Government has a sustained focus on the delivery of these plans and meet with Cancer Management Teams in all Health Boards across Scotland frequently, including NHS Grampian, to identify challenges, explore solutions, and share best practice.

This year we have allocated an additional £30 million funding to reduce waiting times across a range of specialities, including diagnostics and cancer. As part of this, NHS Grampian were allocated almost £200,000 for the treatment of skin cancer.

If approved by Parliament, the Scottish Government’s budget for the coming year will invest a record £21.7 billion in Scotland’s health and social care services, including £200 million to reduce waiting lists and improve capacity.

In addition, our National Digital Dermatology Programme, backed by £1.8 million funding, will help to reduce long waits for outpatient dermatology appointments across Scotland’s NHS. This allows for images of skin conditions to be captured in Primary Care and securely transferred to clinicians so diagnoses and follow-up appointments can be arranged. This leads to a better and quicker service for patients – allowing clinicians to see patients in the right place sooner - and could potentially reduce demand for outpatient dermatology appointments by up to 50 per cent.

The Digital Dermatology Programme was launched in November 2024, with patients in Dumfries and Galloway and Greater Glasgow and Clyde the first to benefit from this new pathway, and is due to be deployed to all Health Boards, including NHS Grampian, by Spring 2025.

Question reference: S6T-02340

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 17 February 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking, in light of reports by the Royal College of Emergency Medicine that the number of people waiting in A&E for over 12 hours is almost 100 times higher than in 2011.

Question reference: S6T-02350

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 17 February 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason Scottish Water continues to pay bonuses to its executives, when public sector pay policy reportedly prohibits this.

Parliament dissolved ahead of election

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