- Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 29 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the forthcoming Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, what progress it has made on implementing measures to improve the safety of event attendees, including in relation to first aid provision and the regulation of private first aid companies and ambulance providers.
Answer
Provision of medical first aid at a major sporting event is the event organisers’ responsibility which, in this instance, is the Glasgow 2026 Organising Company.
The Scottish Government continues to work closely with event organisers to ensure that Scottish Ambulance Service, NHS Boards and Public Health Scotland are appropriately engaged in planning groups for major sporting events.
Public sector health colleagues work meticulously with the event organisers and any procured private first aid and ambulance services to ensure adequate first aid and health care is provided to event participants, workforce and spectators, in line with guidance and requirements as set out in the Green and Purple Guides.
The Green Guide, or ‘Guide to Safety at Sports Grounds’, provides guidance on safety at sports grounds for stadium operators and event organisers. The Purple Guide is aimed at event organisers who are responsible for managing health and safety and at events in more general terms.
- Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 29 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what action it plans to improve endometriosis diagnosis, in light of reports that the number of women waiting over 12 weeks for gynaecology testing has increased by over 43,000.
Answer
The 2025-26 Budget will provide a record £21.7 billion for Health and Social Care, including almost £200 million to reduce waiting lists and improve flow through hospitals. Gynaecology will be targeted as a key priority area for additional funding.
We are committed to ensuring those living with endometriosis are able to access the best possible care and support and that they benefit from healthcare services that are safe, effective and put people at the centre of their care.
Endometriosis is one of the key priorities in the Women’s Health Plan and will continue to be so. Timely access to gynaecology services will also be a priority as we continue to develop the next phase of our Women’s Health Plan, which we aim to publish in 2025.
- Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 29 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the statement by Public Health Scotland, which was published on 6 June 2023 and excluded neurodevelopmental conditions from child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) waiting lists “if they do not meet the CAMHS service specification standards”, how it will determine and track the demand for neurodevelopmental services for children and young people.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-34345 on 28 February 2025. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers
- Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 29 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that women seeking an abortion are informed of all the treatment options that they are legally entitled to.
Answer
The 2022 Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) Sexual Health Standards set out that patients should have access to information on both medical and surgical abortion to enable an informed choice of abortion method.
Information on available methods of abortion is available on the NHS Inform website and the websites of individual Health Boards. The Scottish Government continues to work with Scottish Abortion Care Providers (SACP) to improve the information provided to patients, both in written patient information and the information shared during consultations with healthcare staff.
- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 29 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government on what dates the Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs has met (a) Scottish Women’s Aid, (b) Victim Support Scotland, (c) Rape Crisis Scotland and (d) COSLA since 29 March 2023, and what subjects were discussed.
Answer
Scottish Women's Aid, Victim Support Scotland, Rape Crisis Scotland and COSLA are all members of the Victims Taskforce which has met 4 times since 29 March 2023. The dates and minutes of those meetings can be found at Victims Taskforce - gov.scot. They have also attended meetings of Victim/Survivor Advisory Board which have taken place on 26 July 2023, 20 March 2024 and 13 March 2025.
In addition I meet with key justice stakeholder organisations on a regular basis and as required. The dates of meetings with the 4 requested organisations, along with an overview of topics discussed are as follows:
Scottish Women’s Aid
05-03-2025 | Special Measures Scheduling of Court business Sexual Offences Court Non-harassment Orders Victim Notification Scheme Victims & Witnesses Commissioner |
Victim Support Scotland
30-01-2025 | Anonymity for child homicide victims Victims, Witnesses & Justice Reform Bill |
20-11-2024 | Correspondence from Criminal Justice Committee Victims, Witnesses & Justice Reform Bill Victims & Witnesses Commissioner Sexual Offences Court |
19-09-2024 | Victims, Witnesses & Justice Reform Bill Victim Notification Scheme Victims Code & Standards of Service Funding Victims Taskforce Prison Population |
13-08-2024 | Meeting with the Family of Michele Rutherford |
04-06-2024 | Emergency Release Victims, Witnesses & Justice Reform Bill Children (Care & Justice) Bill Victim Notification Scheme Anonymity for child homicide victims Michele Rutherford case |
16-05-2024 | Prison Population Early Release |
22-04-2024 | Visit to Remote Evidence Suite |
26-03-2024 | VSS National Conference Support for families Deaths abroad Remote Evidence Victims Taskforce Terrorism & Scottish Victims Victim Notification Scheme Anonymity Victims and Witnesses (Scotland) Act 2014 Children (Care & Justice) Bill |
16-11-2023 | Anonymity for child homicide victims Children (Care & Justice) Bill Victims Taskforce |
25-05-2023 | Bail & Release from Custody Bill Victims, Witnesses, and Justice Reform Bill |
14-04-2023 | Visit to VSS |
Rape Crisis Scotland
04-03-2025 | Victim Notification Scheme Sexual Offences Court Jury Research Non-Harassment Orders Independent legal representation Pilot of independent legal advice Special Measures Nurse Sexual Offence Examiner Test of Change project |
30-10-2024 | Single Judge Rape Trials pilot Jury Reform Independent legal representation Independent legal advice Sexual Offences Court Pre-recorded evidence Victim Notification Scheme Victims, Witnesses & Justice Reform Bill |
18-06-2024 | Independent legal advice Jury Direction Single Judge Rape Trials pilot |
COSLA
06-02-2025 | Prisoners (Early Release) (Scotland) Act 2025 Criminal Justice Social work Community Justice Services Housing Support for Prisoner Release |
14-11-2024 | Prisoners (Early Release) (Scotland) Act 2025 New National Voluntary Throughcare Service ‘Near Me’ HMP Stirling pilot Budget Caledonian Programme Restorative Justice Parole Board |
14-10-2024 | Speech at COSLA & Community Justice Scotland Event - Prison Population and Community Justice focus |
09-10-2024 | Prison Population Parliamentary Statement |
16-05-2024 | Prison Population |
23-11-2023 | National Care Service Justice Social Work Research Prison Population |
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 29 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to work with the UK Government with the aim of strengthening economic ties with the USA and resisting the imposition of any trade barriers.
Answer
Scottish Government officials and Ministers are in continuous dialogue with the UK Government about USA tariff barriers and we support all efforts to find mutually beneficial resolutions that are in the interests of Scotland. We have been clear that we need to see bold and decisive action from the UK Government that reflects the uncertainty that is being felt by business and families at this time.
We are also working closely with the UK Government’s Department for Business and Trade on its programme of Trade and Economic Cooperation with individual US States, to reduce trade barriers and advance trade and investment opportunities for the UK and Scotland.
- Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 04 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 29 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has powers to instruct SEPA to (a) review and (b) revise land that it categorises as potentially vulnerable to flooding and, if so, whether it can provide details of these powers.
Answer
The Flood Risk Management (Scotland) Act 2009 establishes a framework for the assessment and mapping of flood risks and the planning in relation to the management of such risks. Under section 9 of the Act SEPA must prepare a flood risk assessment for each flood risk management district providing an assessment of any flood risk for the district. This is commonly referred to as the National Flood Risk Assessment and was last published by SEPA in 2018.
In addition, section 13 of the Act requires SEPA to prepare and submit to Scottish Ministers a document identifying for each flood risk management district any area in the district for which it considers that significant flood risk either exists or is likely to occur. These are more commonly referred to as Potentially Vulnerable Areas.
Under section 14 of the Act SEPA is required to update the document provided to Scottish Ministers on a six yearly basis. Scottish Ministers approved the latest update of the document in December 2024 and it can found on SEPA’s website.
Under section 2 of the Act the Scottish Ministers may give directions or guidance to SEPA in relation to the exercise of its flood risk related functions.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 04 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 29 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason there is reportedly low public satisfaction with NHS dental services, and what action it is taking to address this.
Answer
The question does not reference the actual public satisfaction survey. The most recent survey, the British Social Attitudes survey report is for the whole of the UK. It does not have a particular locus for dental services in Scotland.
The Member is instead referred to Official statistics from Public Health Scotland at: NHS dental data monitoring report - Quarter Ending December 2024 - NHS dental data monitoring report - Publications - Public Health Scotland
The most recent findings show that in February, over 4.1 million courses of treatment were delivered to Scotland patients in 2024 under the new payment system, and over 900,000 patients were seen by an NHS dentist in the last quarter of 2024. This shows that the significant and continuing investment made in NHS dentistry is supporting high volumes of patient access to NHS care and delivering on our aims to sustain NHS dental services.
We also remain the only country in the UK to offer free dental examinations for everyone in Scotland, ensuring that cost is not a barrier to accessing care.
- Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 29 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of whether current rules for challenging powers of attorney are sufficient for challenging potential abuses of such powers.
Answer
The Scottish Government (SG) has acknowledged that, while the current system for Powers of Attorney (PoAs) generally functions well, certain elements require improving and updating.
In January SG published analysis of responses to a consultation on proposals for reform of the Adults with Incapacity Act, including PoAs.
SG are now considering those responses and working towards modernising the AWI Act, taking forward recommendations from the Scottish Mental Health Law Review.
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 29 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland report, Investigation into the care and treatment of Mr TU, published in March 2023, whether it will ensure investment in assertive outreach services for any individuals at high risk of non-engagement with mental health and substance misuse services, and if so, what form this investment will take.
Answer
The Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) Standards set out what people should expect from substance use services. MAT Standard 3 sets out that people at high risk of drug-related harm should be proactively identified and offered support, while MAT Standard 9 sets out that all people with co-occurring drug use and mental health issues should receive mental health care. Implementation of the MAT Standards is supported by multi-year funding of £10.3 million per year over the life of the Parliament.