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-18535

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 02 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 16 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to address the growing needs for dentistry and GP services in Lothian, in light of data showing that, for example, the population of East Lothian has increased by 21.5% compared to Scotland’s average of 8.2% between 2001 and 2021.

Health and Social Care Partnerships are responsible for planning for the health and social care needs of their residents.

Funding for general medical services is based on population level data about registered patients and practice shares are continuously adjusted to reflect the movement of patients.

Scottish Government continually reviews in conjunction with all Boards, including NHS Lothian, areas for inclusion within the Scottish Dental Access Initiative. This provides funding to dentists who wish to establish a new practice, or extend an existing practice in areas where access to dental services is challenging.

Scottish Government will continue to liaise with NHS Lothian and local Health and Social Care Partnerships to understand all their service-related infrastructure plans and priorities.

Question reference: S6W-18340

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 12 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when it last met with the Faculty of Dental Surgery, and what was discussed.

Question reference: S6W-18121

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 19 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 6 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the current (a) proposals and (b) timescales for the provision of a replacement (i) hospital, (ii) dental clinic and (iii) GP unit on the Isle of Barra, and whether it will propose scheduling a ministerial statement in order to provide a detailed update to the Parliament on these matters.

The Scottish Government remain committed to delivery of quality health and care facilities on Barra. However, the Scottish Government's ability to fund capital projects has been affected by a reduction in the amount of capital grant from the UK Government over the next two years, and unprecedented levels of inflation as a result of Covid, Brexit, uncertainty in the supply chain and the war in Ukraine.

The Outline Business Case for the provision of new health facilities at the Barra Health and Social Care Hub has been submitted, however detailed design work of the proposals has been unable to start due to the budgetary pressures across the capital investment programme.

Scottish Government officials will engage with NHS Western Isles and the Scottish Futures Trust to consider the timing of the construction and will work closely with partners to identify alternative options.

Question reference: S6W-17969

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 15 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 30 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it has reportedly delayed its dental reform plans, which were initially due to be announced in April 2023, and what assessment it has made of the potential impacts of this decision on the dental sector, including the number of dentists conducting NHS work.

Scottish Government is committed to implement payment reform from 1 November 2023. It was confirmed to the sector on 20 March 2023 that the timeline for the payment reform showcase was necessarily delayed by the process to replace the First Minister. The sector retains financial support until 31 October to support the delivery of services until the implementation of payment reform.

The current position is that the payment reform discussions with the British Dental Association (BDA) have begun on 10 May 2023. It is intended to that an announcement to the dental profession will be available in early summer.

Question reference: S6W-17775

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 05 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 18 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure access to NHS dentistry for the residents of Langholm, in light of reports that a dental practice in Langholm will be closing and NHS patients will be deregistered.

We are working closely with the Board and a Task Force has been set up to help the Board address local access issues. Unregistered patients will continue to be able to access emergency and urgent care via the Public Dental Service.

Scottish Government has also put in place a set of recruitment and retention incentives which pay £25,000 over a two year period to newly qualified dentists and those returning to the workforce after a five-year period, who wish to provide NHS dental care in Dumfries and Galloway. Grant funding of up to £100,000 is available to dentists that wish to establish a new, or expand or purchase an existing, NHS dental practice within the Board area.

We are also working apace on payments reform which will comprise a new, modernised system that will provide NHS dental teams with greater clinical discretion, and transparency for NHS patients. We are confident that this will help to sustain and increase NHS dental access as we move forward.

Question reference: S6O-02291

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 May 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what action is being taken to improve patient access to dental services.

Question reference: S6W-17809

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 17 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to address reported local concerns about accessing a dentist in Campbeltown.

The Scottish Government engages closely with NHS Highland on dental service delivery matters and has put in place a framework of support to facilitate local solutions.

This includes Scottish Dental Access Initiative (SDAI) grant support, which pays out a potential £100,000 for the first surgery, and £25,000 per additional surgery to practices setting up a new practice, or extending an existing practice; and making available recruitment and retention allowances with payments of up to £37,500 over a three year period. Both mitigations apply across the whole of the Highland Health Board area.

In this particular case the Board is working with the practice to facilitate recruitment resting on the incentives available. In the meantime a locum dentist will provide cover at the practice, pending recruitment.

Unregistered patients can access emergency and urgent dental care via the Public Dental Service, Argyll & Bute Dental Helpline.

Question reference: S6W-17894

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 17 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether patients should be required to pay a deposit to register with an NHS dentist.

Question reference: S6O-02256

Asked by: Pam Gosal, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 May 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its commitment to abolish NHS dental charges by the end of the current parliamentary session.

Question reference: S6W-17574

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 28 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 9 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government where residents in Dumfries and Galloway can find information on dentists accepting NHS patients elsewhere in Scotland, in light of reports that there are currently no practices in the region accepting new NHS patients.

Residents in Dumfries and Galloway should continue to contact their Health Board for up-to-date information on dental practices that are registering new NHS patients. NHS Dumfries and Galloway can be contacted by email at: [email protected].

I appreciate, given distances, this might not be appropriate but, residents in Dumfries and Galloway may wish to register with a dental practice in a different Health Board area and if this might be appropriate should contact the relevant Health Board to obtain information on those practices accepting new patients.

Any patient who requires treatment for an urgent dental situation before they are able to register with a dental practice, can find advice on how to access dental services on the NHS Inform website at: dental/dental-emergencies"> https://www.nhsinform.scot/care-support-and-rights/nhs-services/dental/dental-emergencies .