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-32038

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 06 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 17 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve A&E waiting times over winter 2024-25, in light of reported warnings from NHS Dumfries and Galloway that the Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary emergency department has been operating beyond capacity.

As we head towards the peak winter period we can expect to see performance fluctuate as pressures start to increase. We know that too many people are still waiting too long – and we are determined to drive improvements across our NHS.

As part of the NHS Scotland Winter Plan, we are supporting Health Boards to move people through the hospital as quickly as possible so that A&E waits can be kept to an absolute minimum. This includes an increased focus on effective discharge planning, which not only helps to free up beds, but is also in the best interest of patients who are ready to leave hospital.

Additionally, a record number of NHS 24 call handlers will be available this winter to direct people to the most appropriate care, helping reduce unnecessary A&E attendances.

Question reference: S6W-32046

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 06 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 17 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has received any reports of coal being bought in Scotland and transported for use in England, following a ban being introduced on selling house coal for domestic burning in England.

Question reference: S6W-31982

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 17 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has regarding how many abandoned lead mines there are in each local authority area, also broken down by how many have been identified as being contaminated by the lead; what date this identification was made, and how many remain contaminated.

Question reference: S6W-32201

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 17 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many people living with HIV have a diagnosed mental health condition.

Question reference: S6W-31981

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 17 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government who is responsible for identifying land contaminated from abandoned lead mines; when such work was last carried out, broken down by local authority area, and who is responsible for informing the public of any risk identified.

Local Authorities are responsible for identifying potentially contaminated land within in their areas, and when any contaminated land is identified, informing SEPA, the land owner, the occupier(s) of the land, and any person who appears to be an appropriate person in respect of the remediation of that land. It would be for the local authority to inform the public of any risk identified except in the case of contaminated land designated as a special site in which case, the responsibility would lie with SEPA.

Question reference: S6W-32018

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 17 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government which third sector organisations it has given funding to since 2023-24, including the current financial year to date, broken down by organisations that received funding from (a) its third sector budget and (b) each portfolio area that has allocated funding to third sector organisations.

Scottish Government grant making is allocated across portfolios to various parts of the third sector to improve a wide range of outcomes. Some Scottish Government funding will be issued through third sector intermediary organisations. Spending is not all specifically classified as to whether or not it is allocated to third-sector organisations to deliver services. Consequently the information requested is not available.

Question reference: S6W-31998

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 December 2024
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 17 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the allocation in its draft Budget 2025-26 for free school meal expansion, whether it can provide an estimate of the costs of rolling out free school meals to all P6 and P7 pupils by April 2026.

Question reference: S6W-32014

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 17 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many instances there have been of the use of drones to deliver drugs to prisons since 2022 to date.

Question reference: S6W-31978

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Natalie Don-Innes on 17 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of children’s hearings have been conducted (a) in person, (b) virtually and (c) in hybrid format in each of the last three calendar years, broken down by local authority area.

Question reference: S6T-02250

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 16 December 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 17 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the reported delay in the publication of the A96 Corridor Review document, three months after it was understood to be provided to the Cabinet Secretary for Transport, is acceptable.