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-38906

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 20 June 2025
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 26 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government for how long each of the initiatives for emergency department opt-out testing for blood-borne viruses in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and NHS Lothian are expected to run.

The Scottish Government has committed to rolling out Emergency Department opt-out testing for blood borne viruses in the areas of highest diagnosed prevalence and elsewhere as the evidence develops and supports this. As this is a roll out rather than a pilot, we have not set a fixed end-date but, as with all measures, we will continue to monitor and evaluate the programme to ensure that it is effective.

Question reference: S6W-38905

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 20 June 2025
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 26 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether the proposed initiatives for emergency department opt-out testing for blood-borne viruses in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and NHS Lothian will commence within the current parliamentary session.

The Scottish Government is in discussions with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and NHS Lothian to confirm appropriate timescales for commencing emergency department opt-out testing for blood-borne viruses, however it is important that preparatory work is undertaken to ensure that the roll-out is robust and well-supported. This initial preparatory work has begun and we anticipate the commencement of testing within the current parliamentary session.

Question reference: S6W-38904

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 20 June 2025
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 26 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what funding has been allocated to support the initiatives for emergency department opt-out testing for blood-borne viruses in NHS (a) Greater Glasgow and Clyde and (b) Lothian.

Question reference: S6W-38742

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 June 2025
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 26 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to improve access to counselling services in rural and island communities, and whether it will consider targeted funding to support local provision.

The Scottish Government recognises the particular challenges that people in rural and island communities can face in accessing mental health support. We are committed to ensuring that everyone in Scotland has access to high-quality, person-centred mental health services, including counselling and psychological therapies.

While mental health service provision is led locally by NHS Boards, local authorities and third sector partners, based on population needs and clinical judgement, we support this through national funding, guidance and strategy.

Since 2021, we have invested £66 million in the Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund for adults, with over 900 awards made to projects supporting people in rural areas. In 2024-25, we are also providing £123.5 million to NHS Boards via the Enhanced Mental Health Outcomes Framework, now baselined to give local areas greater flexibility in how services are delivered.

Our Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy (2023) sets out a long-term vision focused on reducing geographical inequalities and promoting a person-centred approach. This is supported by the National Specification for Psychological Therapies and Interventions, which sets out clear expectations for consistent, trauma-informed, and accessible care across all areas.

We expect NHS Boards to follow national clinical guidelines in the delivery of counselling services. Recruitment and training of professionals are managed locally, in collaboration with relevant professional bodies. The Scottish Government will continue to consider how targeted support, including funding, can help improve access in underserved areas.

We will continue working with NHS Boards, local authorities, and delivery partners to ensure mental health services are equitable, effective, and meet the needs of all communities across Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-38890

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 23 June 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 21 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it had made of the potential economic impact on the (a) city of Glasgow and (b) wider Scottish economy of the Glasgow Airport Rail Link (GARL) project, prior to the cancellation of the project.

Question reference: S6W-38888

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 23 June 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 21 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reported high levels of traffic and frequent congestion on routes leading to and from Glasgow Airport, what assessment it had made of the potential environmental impact of the Glasgow Airport Rail Link, prior to the cancellation of the project.

Question reference: S6W-38889

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 23 June 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 21 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what alternative projects it has planned to improve direct connectivity between the city of Glasgow and Glasgow Airport, in light of the cancellation of the Glasgow Airport Rail Link (GARL) proposal, and what the timelines are for the delivery of any such projects.

Question reference: S6W-37741

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 19 May 2025
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 22 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide the university intake targets for medicine for the financial years 2019-20 to 2025-26, broken down by the number of students from (a) Scotland, (b) the rest of UK and (c) outside of the UK.

The following table shows the intake targets for medicine from 2019-20 to 2025-26.

For some, but not all, of the requested years, a minimum Scottish Domicile intake was set and where applicable this is indicated

Academic Intake year	Overall target	Scots/rUK/RoI (*also includes EU students)	Minimum to be Scottish Domicile	International (*includes EU students)
2019-20	1013	949*	579	64
2020-21	1038	974*	612	64
2021-22	1117	1039	757	78*
2022-23	1317	1239	n/a	78*
2023-24	1417	1339	n/a	78*
2024-25	1417	1339	n/a	78*
2025-26	1417	1339	n/a	78*

Scotland’s medical school intake targets, including accompanying guidance letters, are available to view on the Scottish Funding Councils website.

Question reference: S6F-04075

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 12 May 2025
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 15 May 2025

To ask the First Minister what steps the Scottish Government is taking to address the performance of NHS 24, in light of reports that nearly one in five calls to the service went unanswered last year.

Question reference: S6O-04618

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 April 2025
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on progress made to improve access to and reduce waiting times for breast reconstruction surgery following cancer treatment.