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-31285

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 15 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Dorothy Bain on 3 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what steps are being taken to improve the (a) training and (b) retention of forensic pathologists.

COPFS is the client and receiver of pathology services in Scotland and is not responsible for the training of pathologists.

The forensic histopathology training programme is delivered by the NHS, following Royal College of Pathologists curriculum and in conjunction with forensic pathology service providers at NHS sites across Scotland. There are four training positions within the NHS in Scotland. Training and retention are a matter for the NHS and pathology service providers.

However, COPFS encourages the training and development of Forensic Pathology trainees in Scotland by providing exposure to Crown-instructed post mortems as part of the training programme with the assistance of service providers. As part of the training programme, Forensic Pathology trainees are encouraged to attend court to experience the court system and the methods used to obtain evidence from professional witnesses.

COPFS has provided an awareness session to paediatric pathologists in Scotland led by a senior Advocate Depute and will consider further sessions in the future.

Question reference: S6W-31300

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 15 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Dorothy Bain on 3 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what the impact has been on the workload of forensic pathologists in Edinburgh of any cases being referred from Aberdeen.

NHS Lothian provide pathology services for the East of Scotland. There are six full-time forensic pathologists performing both forensic and routine postmortems in Edinburgh.

In 2023-2024, NHS Lothian began providing support for the Aberdeen, Grampian and Highlands and Islands on-call and suspicious deaths due to the lack of forensic pathologists in Aberdeen to conduct double doctor forensic postmortems there.

Notwithstanding this additional workload, the numbers of examinations carried out by NHS Lothian are within the agreed maximum annual volume of post mortems and the agreed safe working level for a full-time pathologist in Scotland.

COPFS is grateful to NHS Lothian for their continued support and for ensuring continuity of these essential services whilst NHS Grampian develops a new local service in Aberdeen.

Question reference: S6W-31306

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 15 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Dorothy Bain on 3 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what the long-term strategy is for ensuring sustainable forensic pathology services in Aberdeen.

NHS Grampian has provided COPFS with a commitment to implement a forensic pathology service in Aberdeen, including the recruitment of full-time forensic pathologists, and COPFS is supporting that process.

It is however a matter for NHS Grampian to recruit forensic pathologists to provide the services.

The reimplementation of a forensic pathology service in Aberdeen may allow one of the forensic pathologist training posts to be filled there, improving the potential for sustainable forensic services in Aberdeen and Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-31311

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 15 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Dorothy Bain on 3 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many cases of industrial incidents requiring post-mortem examinations there have been in Aberdeen in the last year.

Question reference: S6W-31294

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 15 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Dorothy Bain on 3 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what the criteria are for referring cases from Aberdeen to Edinburgh for post-mortem examinations.

Question reference: S6W-31263

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Dorothy Bain on 3 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many full-time forensic pathologists are based in Aberdeen.

Question reference: S6W-31551

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 28 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how much of the £62 million Energy Transition Fund, announced in June 2020, has been spent, and whether it will provide a breakdown of this spend.

The Energy Transition Fund provided £45.3m of funding to the end of financial year 2023-24. A further £8.7m is expected to be provided over financial year 2024-25.

The following table provides a breakdown of the funding provided across the four projects, which are all based in Aberdeen and the North East, supported by the Fund:

Project	Funding provided to end 2023-24	Expected funding over 2024-25	Total
Energy Transition Zone	£16.9m	£2.5m	£19.5m
Net Zero Technology Transition Programme	£13.8m	£2.1m	£15.9m
Aberdeen Hydrogen Hub	£10.2m	£3.1m	£13.3m
Global Underwater Hub	£4.4m	£1.0m	£5.4m
Fund Total	£45.3m	£8.7m	£54.1m

Question reference: S6O-04077

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 November 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 5 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to update planning guidance for battery energy storage systems.

Question reference: S6W-31636

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 27 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when the Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy last met Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks.

Question reference: S6W-31637

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 27 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when the Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy last met the National Energy Systems Operator.