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-11169

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 23 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 6 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will introduce a power for NHS boards to take over failing pharmacies.

Question reference: S6W-11167

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 23 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 6 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether pharmacies that close can still receive non-activity-based payments, and how much these are per day.

All payments as part of the national contractual framework are published annually. The latest iteration can be found at SHOW - Scotlands Health On the Web - Publications, including payments for non-activity based services delivered as part of the Pharmaceutical Services Remuneration Global Sum.

Health Boards can recover remuneration in line with the measures available as set out in the National Health Service (Pharmaceutical Services) (Scotland) Regulations 2009 and the National Health Service (Discipline Committees) (Scotland) Regulations 2006.

Question reference: S6W-11163

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 23 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 6 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is aware of reports of locum pharmacists in Scotland being offered work elsewhere in the UK by a large pharmacy chain at the same time that the company was closing branches in Scotland due to a shortage of staff.

The Scottish Government is not aware of any practice by pharmacy chains offering work to Scottish locum pharmacists in other parts of the UK while agreeing to closures across the Scottish pharmacy network.

Neither the Scottish Government or Health Boards are responsible for the terms or contractual arrangements put in place between pharmacy businesses and those who provide a pharmacy locum service.

Question reference: S6W-11029

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 23 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 6 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide details of any meetings, correspondence and other communications between Scottish Ministers, officials and any members of the judiciary, including the current Lord President, in respect of the contents of a note reportedly submitted to the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry by John Halley on 1 April 2019.

Question reference: S6W-11027

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 23 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ruth Charteris on 6 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what action it has taken in response to the contents of a note reportedly submitted to the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry by John Halley on 1 April 2019.

Question reference: S6W-11182

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 23 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 6 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what support it is providing to housebuilding organisations in order to build net zero housing.

Transforming our homes and buildings to be net zero carbon is one of the most important steps we can take to help end Scotland’s contribution to climate change and will require action from all of us.

New homes currently delivered through the Affordable Housing Supply Programme (AHSP) are required to meet Scottish building regulations which set high levels of energy efficiency and the installation of heating systems that produce zero direct emissions at the point of use is encouraged through the AHSP.

We are actively working with the construction and house building sectors to identify and support good practice and to help ensure that new regulations enforced from 2024 are achievable and effective. The Scottish Government is currently seeking views through the New Build Heat Standard (Part II ) consultation , open until 20 October 2022.

Question reference: S6W-11158

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 23 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 6 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will review the 4.5% pay offer to doctors, in light of a British Medical Association (BMA) survey finding that 78% of respondees would be willing to take some form of industrial action in order to deliver improved pay.

The Scottish Government along with the BMA and other stakeholders provide evidence to the Doctors and Dentist Review Bodies (DDRB) who make an independent recommendation on pay uplifts for medical and dental staff across the UK.

We take part in this process in good faith and in the knowledge that the DDRB make independent recommendations which can be above or below what participants are seeking. This year, the DDRB have recommended a pay award which we have implemented in full for all Medical and Dental staff.

Question reference: S6W-11162

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 23 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 6 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the British Medical Association's (BMA) reported view that 10% of the GP workforce could retire by the end of 2022 due to the "punitive" pension system in Scotland.

The Scottish Government is aware of the impact that the UK Government’s pension annual and life time allowances policy is having on the GP workforce in Scotland. There is limited action we can take to mitigate the impact as issues relating to pensions are a reserved matter. We have written to the UK Government on a number occasions to urge them to take action, and we have highlighted our concerns about the risks to delivering in-hours general practice as well as out of hours services.

Question reference: S6W-11165

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 23 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 6 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what specific actions NHS boards can take to respond to and manage closures of pharmacy branches.

Health boards can take a range of actions in response to any breach of terms by a pharmacy contractor. Community pharmacy contractors are required to meet the Terms of Service as set out in Schedule 1 of the National Health Service (Pharmaceutical Services) (Scotland) Regulation 2009. Should, in the opinion of the Health Board, a community pharmacy contractor breach the Terms of Service, they can consider taking any appropriate action in line with the noted Regulation and the National Health Service (Discipline Committees) (Scotland) Regulations 2006.

Question reference: S6W-11168

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 23 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 6 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will empower the Care Inspectorate to regulate the business behaviour of companies that operate community pharmacies, including in relation to their premises, staffing levels, safety and treatment of patients.