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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

Filter your results Hide all filters

Displaying 43551 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S6W-31518

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 5 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what evidence it can provide to confirm that 90% of Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) standards 1-5 were fully implemented as of April 2024.

Public Health Scotland (PHS) publishes a Benchmarking Report each year to demonstrate progress being made by local areas in their implementation of the Medication Assisted Treatment standards. The Report each year includes a detailed breakdown on the three streams of evidence required to assess implementation – processes in place, numerical data gathered and a summary of experiential feedback from people in treatment and recovery.

Process evidence demonstrates that local policies and procedures are in place for service delivery in line with the MAT standards criteria. Numerical evidence demonstrates services are actively gathering data required for future service improvement and to ensure the services available are best targeted. Experiential evidence demonstrates what people receiving support say about the services so that further improvement and focus can be implemented.

The most recent PHS Report was published in July 2024 in which the evidence confirmed 90% of standards 1-5 have been implemented against the criteria set out. That report covered 2023/24 and concluded that all 29 local areas reported evidence to show implementation of MAT standards 1-5.

Question reference: S6W-31530

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 5 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to repeat the Health and Wellbeing Census; if so, what the earliest date is by which this may be implemented; which local authorities have confirmed so far that they (a) will and (b) will not participate; whether children's identity numbers will be gathered again, and what consultation has been undertaken with (i) parents and (ii) groups representing parents regarding (A) methodology and (B) question choice.

Question reference: S6W-31375

Asked by: Pam Gosal, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 5 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the possible introduction of a non-domestic rates public health supplement on retailers, as set out in its 2024-25 Budget, whether the receipts from any levy would be ring-fenced or hypothecated and, if so, for what purpose.

Question reference: S6W-31488

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 5 December 2024

To ask Scottish Government whether it will provide further details of the methodology used to provide the "independent, external scrutiny and challenge of the review" of the marking of Higher History in 2024, including the conclusions and wider reflections, as set out in the SQA's Higher History Review 2024 report, and whether the individual responsible for the review spoke to any teachers who were not employed by the SQA as markers.

Marking of exams, and quality assurance of the associated processes, is an operational matter for the SQA in its independent role as an examination body.

The Scottish Government did not instruct the review into the marking of Higher History in 2024 carried out by SQA and the detail of the methodology (including who the reviewer spoke to) were operational decisions for the SQA.

The Scottish Government notes that the SQA has undertaken a substantial review which has demonstrably considered a wide range of evidence in reaching its conclusions. These findings have been independently peer reviewed by the Executive Director of Qualifications and Assessment at the Welsh Joint Education Committee (WJEC), who agreed that its conclusions and recommendations are supported by evidence.

Question reference: S6W-31492

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 5 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it instructed the SQA to carry out a review of the marking of Higher History in 2024, and, if so, whether it will provide details of its instructions.

Question reference: S6W-31506

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 5 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to implement the recommendations of the Independent Review of Audiology Services.

Question reference: S6W-31507

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 5 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how much extra money it is currently due to spend on public sector pay in 2024-25 compared to what it forecast when it set out its 2024-25 Budget in December 2023.

Question reference: S6O-04080

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 5 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what steps it is taking to increase access to diabetes tech for patients in NHS Lothian.

The Scottish Government is committed to increasing access to diabetes technologies. We have provided significant investment to all NHS boards and this year alone will support over 2000 people to receive hybrid closed loop systems. This funding from the Scottish Government means that any child or young person that wishes to utilise a CLS is now able to do so.

We recognise that patients in NHS Lothian and some other areas are still facing long waits to access hybrid closed loop systems. We are working closely with all NHS boards to determine the most efficient and effective ways of increasing access to this life changing technology. We have also invested in a National Onboarding Service to increase the number of people who can be ‘onboarded’ to a hybrid closed loop system. I am aware that NHS Lothian has already made a number of referrals to this service and I anticipate that this will begin to reduce waiting times.

Question reference: S6O-04109

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 December 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 12 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how it determines what constitutes a major service change in the NHS.

Question reference: S6O-04108

Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 December 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 12 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how it is tackling child poverty, including in the Highlands and Islands region.