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: S6O-01102

Asked by: Willie Coffey, MSP for Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 May 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 19 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how the Regional Food Fund is supporting the promotion and advancement of Scotland’s produce.

Question reference: S6O-01105

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 May 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 19 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what support it is providing to increase and retain the population of Scotland’s islands.

Question reference: S6O-01117

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 May 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 19 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government in what circumstances it would provide support to a business in situations where legal advice stated that doing so could breach state aid rules.

Question reference: S6O-01115

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 May 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 19 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that the Comhairle nan Eilean Siar is planning to increase the use of online teaching.

Question reference: S6O-01114

Asked by: Fulton MacGregor, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 May 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 19 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with North Lanarkshire Council regarding the proposed implementation of a multi-establishment leadership model in schools.

Question reference: S6O-01116

Asked by: Rona Mackay, MSP for Strathkelvin and Bearsden, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 May 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 19 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what support it is providing to dentists in East Dunbartonshire to allow them to take on more NHS patients.

Question reference: S6O-01112

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 May 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 19 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how it can support households with the cost of living crisis through a wellbeing economy approach.

Question reference: S6O-01111

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 May 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 19 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support a town centre first approach to the development of new housing.

Question reference: S6O-01110

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 May 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 19 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on which of the key recommendations it is looking to progress from the report State of The Nation: Heart Valve Disease in Scotland by Heart Valve Voice, which was released in December 2021.

Question reference: S6W-08247

Asked by: Bob Doris, MSP for Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 11 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what actions have been taken to reduce waiting times for (a) surgical assessments and (b) surgery for (i) cataract, (ii) knee and (iii) hip procedures as part of the NHS Scotland recovery plan (2021-2026), and what targets have been set for (A) waiting times and (B) timescales for delivery in relation to this.

The Scottish Government is focussed on delivering the commitments set out in our NHS Recovery Plan, published in August 2021.

With regard to cataracts, the Scottish Government is working with Health Boards to undertake additional pre-assessment clinics to assess those patients referred for consideration of surgery. In tandem, Boards are implementing new and more efficient ways of working, including virtual appointments and via telephone to prevent unnecessary visits and travel to hospitals.

The independent sector is also supporting additional cataract surgeries across a number of Health Board areas. In particular, over 3,500 additional surgeries were undertaken by the Independent Sector at NHS Golden Jubilee (NHSGJ) in 21-22, and will continue to deliver an additional 1,000 surgeries in 22-23. Plans are also in place to enable a number of Boards to utilise available capacity at NHSGJ using their own surgeons, who will undertake cataract surgery at the facility. This will allow patients access to treatment more quickly, as well as offering opportunities for training junior surgeons.

The Centre of Sustainable Delivery has been commissioned to support surgical teams across NHSScotland to implement the guidance issued by the Royal College of Ophthalmologists. This will increase efficiency and productivity across cataract-only surgical sessions, and high-volume surgery in cataract treatment centres.

We are working closely with Boards to finalise planned care activity plans, including for orthopaedics, for 2022-23 which will be critical to stabilising and improving our health and social care system in the medium term.

The National Treatment Centre (NTC) Programme will deliver the single biggest increase in protected planned care capacity ever created in NHS Scotland. The network of 10 NTCs, will deliver capacity for over 40,000 additional planned procedures and diagnostic care across 12 specialities. Within the next 18 months, NTCs will open in NHS Fife, NHS Forth Valley, NHS Highland and at NHS Golden Jubilee specialising in orthopaedic surgery. On 13 April, we also announced £1.8m of funding to purchase a private hospital in Ayrshire (Carrick Glen) to be developed into a new National Treatment Centre specialising in orthopaedics.

As well as significant investment in new infrastructure, the new NHSScotland Centre for Sustainable Delivery is also leading work to explore new and innovative ideas to reduce In Patient / Day Case and Outpatient waiting times. Examples include:

The rollout of Active Clinical Referral Triage, to provide patients with information about non-surgical interventions and self-management options;
Patient Initiated Reviews, enabling patients to be escalated if their condition deteriorates and reduces routine appointments while supporting patients in a safe and clinically appropriate manner; and
Enhanced Recovery after Surgery pathways, designed to support patients achieve faster recovery after surgery.