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-35324

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 28 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 13 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how it engages with youth workers to assess the effectiveness of its policies in this area on achieving positive economic outcomes.

The Scottish Government recognises the valuable support provided to young people through high quality youth work. The Scottish Government regularly engages with Youth Scotland and YouthLink Scotland in connection with the grant funding provided to each organisation from the Community Learning and Development budget. Funding is focused on supporting the workforce to deliver high quality youth work and its role in eradicating child poverty and tackling inequality, particularly at the grassroots level.

In addition, the Minister for Higher and Further Education commissioned an independent review of the Community Learning and Development (CLD) landscape in December 2023. As part of this review, evidence gathering and consultation was undertaken with key stakeholders, learners, potential learners, practitioners and partners across the CLD sector.

The Scottish Government welcomed the Learning: For All. For Life. report published in July 2024, which made 20 recommendations varying in complexity and scope. The report can be accessed at: www.gov.scot/publications/learning-life-report-independent-review-community-learning-development-cld/documents/.

The Scottish Government and CoSLA accepted recommendation 1.1 to set up a joint CLD Strategic Leadership Group. The Group will consider the remaining 19 recommendations of the report, including those relating to youth work.

Question reference: S6W-35311

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 28 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 13 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of youth work on improving (a) mental health, (b) physical health and (c) wellbeing, and how it supports programmes that focus on promoting such work.

The Scottish Government recognises the valuable support provided to young people through high quality youth work. This work contributes to the Scottish Government’s priority of eradicating child poverty and tackling inequality.

Youth work falls within the scope of Community Learning and Development (CLD). The Requirements for Community Learning and Development (Scotland) Regulations 2013 require local authorities to plan and arrange the provision of CLD. In line with the Verity House Agreement, local authorities have the autonomy to deliver services to meet the needs of young people in their areas.

The Scottish Government published guidance to assist education authorities in producing their 3 year plan for CLD, as required by the 2013 Regulations. The guidance can be accessed at: www.gov.scot/publications/community-learning-development-guidance-2024-2027/documents/.

Current CLD plans, covering the period 2024-2027, can be found on Education Scotland’s website at: education.gov.scot/learning-in-scotland/education-sectors/community-learning-and-development-cld/local-authority-community-learning-and-development-plans/. As the 2013 Regulations place the duties on education authorities and the 3 year plans are published, the Scottish Government does not collate information on youth work programmes centrally.

I commissioned an independent review of CLD in December 2023. The Scottish Government welcomed the Learning: For All. For Life. report published in July 2024, which made 20 recommendations varying in complexity and scope. The report can be accessed at: www.gov.scot/publications/learning-life-report-independent-review-community-learning-development-cld/documents/.

Question reference: S6W-35322

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 28 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 13 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what role local authorities play in assessing and reporting on the economic outcomes of youth work initiatives in their areas.

Question reference: S6O-04277

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 January 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government when it last met Forces Children Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-32429

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 9 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to propose the scheduling of time for a ministerial statement on the interim report published by the Independent Review of Adult Disability Payment.

Question reference: S6W-32431

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 9 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to take forward the recommendations made in the interim report of the Independent Review of Adult Disability Payment.

Question reference: S6W-32430

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 9 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the publication and content of the interim report of the Independent Review of Adult Disability Payment.

The Scottish Government welcomes the publication and thanks the Chair, Edel Harris for her work. The Scottish Government is now carefully considering these initial findings, including the areas the Chair considers may be capable of early action. A written response to the final report will be published within six months, following assessment of policy and delivery implications and the affordability of proposals.

Question reference: S6W-32427

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 7 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any impact of reported physiotherapy staff shortages on (a) delayed discharges, (b) hospital-acquired deconditioning and (c) the ability of community teams to meet demand.

(a) The Scottish Government is continually working with health boards and local health and social care partnerships to reduce the number of delayed discharges.

(b) The Scottish Government issued to all 14 Health Boards on 12 September 2024 the ‘Once for Scotland Rehabilitation Approach self-assessment' to support practitioners in applying the six principles of good rehabilitation. Data collected through Board's self-assessment can be used to demonstrate the impact of rehabilitation services, as well as, raising its profile across health and social care services.

(c) Community Multi-Disciplinary Teams (MDTs) are pivoting the balance of care away from secondary care and physiotherapists are an integral part of this work.

Question reference: S6W-32424

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 30 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what the current vacancy rate is for physiotherapists within NHS Borders.

Question reference: S6W-32425

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 24 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to support the redesign of physiotherapy services in NHS Scotland, in light of reported current workforce constraints and financial pressures.

The Scottish Government provides the policies, frameworks and resources for high quality healthcare, and it is for each individual NHS Board to decide how best to utilise funding, to meet local health needs. There were 3,538.7 WTE working in physiotherapy in NHS Scotland at the end of September 2024. This represents an increase of 27.5% or 762.8 WTE over the last ten years. AHP numbers by NHS board are available at: NHS Scotland workforce | Turas Data Intelligence