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-14947

Asked by: Roz McCall, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 10 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 13 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether pharmacy provision is keeping up with demand.

Question reference: S6W-14719

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 06 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 13 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to promote interoperable prescribing systems between the NHS providers and homecare medicines services providers.

Question reference: S6W-15392

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 13 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how much of the announced £170 million for multi-disciplinary teams in NHS Scotland will be dedicated towards supporting people living with myalgic encephalomyelitis or chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS).

We are providing £170m to support the delivery of extended multidisciplinary teams (MDTs) making it easier for patients to see the right person, at the right time, in GP practices and the community.

Whilst the fund does not have direct provision to support living with myalgic encephalomyelitis or chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), the reforms are focused on strengthening the whole general practice team for the benefit of all patients.

We have recruited 3,220 whole time equivalent (WTE) healthcare professionals, such as pharmacists, mental health workers and physiotherapists, into these MDTS. This is helping to refocus the role of the GP on patients with more complex conditions, in turn improving patient outcomes, community health and practice sustainability.

Question reference: S6W-14812

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 13 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 13 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many transgender women are currently held within the female estate of the Scottish Prison Service; what crime, or crimes, each individual was convicted of and, in the case of any prisoners being held on remand, what crime they are accused of.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

On 10 March 2023, there were 7 transgender women located within the female estate in the care of the SPS. Out of those 7; 4 individuals were sentenced, and 3 were held on remand.

The 4 sentenced individuals all had an index offence in the Non-sexual crimes of violence group. The remanded individuals are alleged to have committed index offences in the Non-sexual crimes of violence group and the Crimes against society group.

Question reference: S6W-14748

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 13 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 13 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what improvements have been made to health services for prisoners in relation to the recommendations of the Health and Sport Committee's 5th Report, 2017 (Session 5), Healthcare in Prisons (SP Paper 135).

In response to the report, the Scottish Government established a Health and Social Care in Prisons Programme to address structural barriers to better health and social care in prisons across a number of areas. The Programme was unavoidably disrupted due to the Covid-19 pandemic but nevertheless managed to make a range of improvements including refreshing the National Prison Care Network. This Network has established strong links with healthcare staff in prisons and is delivering improvements around a number of priority areas such as mental health, substance use, and workforce. Other key achievements from the Programme include:

publishing a suite of externally commissioned prison population health and social care needs assessments;
developing a prisons health information dashboard through Public Health Scotland;
completing a review of clinical IT in prisons; and
carrying out six tests of change which modelled ways of delivering integrated health and social care in prisons.

Much of this work continues to inform ongoing improvements to health and social care in prisons.

Question reference: S6W-14874

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 13 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 13 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports that the Food Train Glasgow branch is facing possible closure, whether any alternative support services will be made available to ensure that those currently relying on this service have access to food.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-14332 on 7 February 2023. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at Questions and answers | Scottish Parliament Website .

An additional £2.5 million has been re-allocated to the Scottish Welfare Fund from the proposed £5 million addition to the Discretionary Housing Payment budget during 2022-23. This additional funding is an exceptional measure in response to the cost of living crisis, and will enable local authorities to provide more flexible local support through Crisis Grants and Community Care Grants. This can include payments to individuals and households who are experiencing financial challenges, including the effects of the cost of living crisis and food or fuel insecurity.

Question reference: S6W-15410

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 13 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what budgetary considerations it has given to ensure that biosecurity concerns are properly resourced within its biodiversity strategy and planning of the biodiversity delivery plan.

The Biodiversity Strategy is not the primary vehicle for addressing biosecurity issues, although clearly there are related issues and impacts which stress the need to mainstream biodiversity across the full range of Scottish Government policy.

The Biodiversity Strategy sets out a long-term, high-level ambition and Vision for 2045. Delivering that Vision is supported by a series of Outcomes across a range of overlapping ecosystems and land use types.

The Strategy also includes 33 Priority Actions which include, of relevance to the question:

Implement Scottish Plan for INNS surveillance, prevention and control, and secure wider support measures to enable effective INNS removal
Support surveillance and monitoring to support managing risks around pathogens and disease in wild bird populations
Develop a Biodiversity Investment Plan to direct how we address the Finance Gap for nature
Maintain and seek to increase investment in nature restoration through our £65 million Nature Restoration Fund.

A Delivery Plan is now being developed jointly by Scottish Government and NatureScot officials, drawing on engagement from key policy areas and across a wider network which includes expert academic input alongside significant stakeholder engagement.

Each iteration of the Delivery Plan will include estimated costs and will be reviewed in light of monitoring data to demonstrate the impact of actions taken so far.

The Biodiversity Investment Plan will direct how we address the finance gap for nature. It will ensure that investment is strategic, planned and focused on agreed priorities and will assist in securing responsible private investment in Scotland’s natural capital funding.

Question reference: S6W-15420

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 13 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether a ministerial direction will be sought by the Accountable Officer in respect of the decision to continue with the plan to commence operations on the Deposit Return Scheme on 16 August 2023.

Question reference: S6W-15421

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 13 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether the Accountable Officer has raised the possibility of seeking a ministerial direction in respect of the Deposit Return Scheme with the Scottish Ministers.

Question reference: S6W-15416

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 13 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on whether any members of the Executive Team of Circularity Scotland have had any direct experience of running a deposit return scheme.