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-27765

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 4 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it expects to incur any costs as a result of ending its previous arrangement with the National Parent Forum of Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-27622

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 4 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what medical advice it had received, regarding any risks of blood clots, prior to its decision to suspend the use of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine for under-30s in April 2021.

The Scottish Government’s decision-making throughout all COVID-19 vaccination programmes has been guided by the expert clinical advice of both the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

Scotland has three representatives that attend the JCVI, including its COVID-19 committee and subcommittee; one co-opted member, an invited observer from Scottish Government and another invited observer from Public Health Scotland.

The MHRA’s pharmacovigilance process, alongside wider global data, identified reports of extremely rare adverse events of concurrent thrombosis and thrombocytopenia following vaccination with the first dose of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine.

As reports of extremely rare adverse event of concurrent thrombosis (blood clots) and thrombocytopenia (low platelet count) following vaccination with the first dose of the AstraZeneca (AZ) COVID-19 vaccine emerged in spring 2021, both the MHRA and the JCVI met to assess the data and the relative balance of benefits and risks.

The minutes from the JCVI COVID-19 Committee on 16 March 2021 and 18 March 2021 show that there was discussion of the topic and that the MHRA was working with international and European colleagues to share data and assess the risk.

The JCVI met again on the 6 April and on 7 April and published advice for the four UK health departments recommending that for adults aged under 30 years of age, without underlying health conditions that put them at higher risk of severe COVID-19 disease, there should be a preference for an alternative to the AstraZeneca vaccine, if available.

The following day on 8 April, Scotland’s Chief Medical Officer (CMO) issued a letter to the Scottish system stating the changes in the use of AstraZeneca vaccine and advising that Health Boards should now offer those under 30 years of age, without underlying health conditions, an alternative to the AstraZeneca vaccine. We also amended our patient information leaflets to reflect this new advice.

Question reference: S6W-27619

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 4 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when it first became aware of any dangers of aging reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC).

Question reference: S6W-27480

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 13 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 4 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on when it will publish its Human Rights Bill to bring four international human rights treaties into law in Scotland and introduce a new right to a healthy environment.

Question reference: S6T-02027

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 03 June 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 4 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it remains its position to have a target of 60% of household waste recycled annually by 2020, in light of reports that the target is being dropped.

Question reference: S6T-02023

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 03 June 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 4 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it has reportedly not allocated £450 million of available EU funding for investment projects in Scotland.

Question reference: S6F-03209

Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 03 June 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 June 2024

To ask the First Minister how the Scottish Government will prevent further GP practice closures, in light of reports that the number of surgeries has declined in every NHS board since 2015.

Question reference: S6F-03205

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 03 June 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 June 2024

To ask the First Minister by what date the Scottish Government will decide which of the National Park nominations will be taken forward to the next stage.

Question reference: S6F-03197

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 03 June 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 June 2024

To ask the First Minister when the Cabinet will next meet.

Question reference: S6F-03193

Asked by: Douglas Ross, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 03 June 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 June 2024

Question to be taken in Chamber.