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: S7W-01799

Asked by: Michael Marra, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 July 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 27 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has regarding the minimum standards set for the operating life of hearing aid batteries within the current national hearing aid battery contract, and how compliance with those standards is monitored.

Question reference: S7W-01801

Asked by: Michael Marra, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 July 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 27 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any impact that hearing aid batteries with a shorter-than-expected operating life may have on patient care.

Question reference: S7W-01800

Asked by: Michael Marra, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 July 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 27 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with NHS Tayside regarding the quality and lifespan of hearing aid batteries currently being distributed, in light of reported concerns raised by patients and audiology staff.

Question reference: S7W-01798

Asked by: Michael Marra, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 July 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 27 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has regarding the criteria used in the procurement of hearing aid batteries under the current contract, and how those criteria differ from those used in previous procurement exercises.

Question reference: S7W-01797

Asked by: Michael Marra, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 July 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 27 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of reported concerns regarding the quality and lifespan of hearing aid batteries currently provided to NHS patients.

Question reference: S7W-01796

Asked by: Michael Marra, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 July 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 19 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has regarding the contractual remedies available to NHS boards where hearing aid batteries supplied through the national procurement framework do not meet the required standards, and whether it holds information on any such remedies having been exercised since the commencement of the current contract.

Question reference: S7W-01677

Asked by: Michael Marra, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 13 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 20 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the funding of private specialist assessment or treatment in circumstances where an NHS board is unable to provide the required service and is unable to secure an onward NHS referral within a clinically appropriate timescale.

Service delivery and patient care are the responsibility of NHS Boards and healthcare professionals locally. Clinical decisions on the care and treatment of individual patients are always matters of professional judgement for the responsible practitioner.

In certain circumstances, NHS Boards may make limited use of alternative providers, including independent sector providers, in response to capacity constraints and to improve access to patient care.

Question reference: S7W-01679

Asked by: Michael Marra, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 13 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 20 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of whether current cross-board referral arrangements provide equitable access to specialist services across NHS Scotland, particularly in specialties where service provision is limited by workforce shortages.

The Health and Social Care Service Renewal Framework and Population Health Framework, published in 2025, set out an ambitious vision for transforming Scotland’s public services.

To support this vision, NHS Boards are introducing a new collaborative, sub-national planning approach through Subnational Planning and Delivery Committees (SPDCs) East and West, which will drive a renewed focus on population-based planning across NHS Scotland.

This approach will shift health service planning beyond organisational boundaries and strengthen accountability for meeting the needs of local populations.

SPDCs East and West will work collaboratively to optimise capacity and ensure equitable access to services based on population need. By doing so, they will place the health and wellbeing of Scotland’s population at the heart of service design and delivery.

Question reference: S7W-01678

Asked by: Michael Marra, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 13 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 20 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what arrangements are in place to ensure that patients can access diagnosis or treatment where no NHS board is able to accept a referral to the required specialist service due to capacity or workforce pressures.

As set out in the Patient Rights (Scotland) Act 2011, where a Health Board is unable to meet the Treatment Time Guarantee within its own area, it must take all reasonably practicable steps to arrange for the provision of the agreed treatment by—

(a) another Health Board;

(b) the National Health Service in England, Wales or Northern Ireland;

(d) another suitable alternative provider in the United Kingdom.

When pursuing the above options, a Health Board must have regard to the importance of securing the effective and efficient use of the health service organisation and resources.

Health Boards also have the option to agree national or regional provision for diagnostic and specialist services.

Question reference: S7W-01443

Asked by: Michael Marra, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 17 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide information on the funding it has provided to support the provision of a landing slot for flights from Dundee Airport at (a) London Heathrow Airport and (b) London City Airport, including in which financial years such funding was provided.