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-06445

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 28 February 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how it is addressing reported inequalities in access to flash glucose monitors and insulin pumps for adults and children with diabetes.

Question reference: S6W-06367

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 28 February 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what mental health support is available for (a) adults and (b) children and young people with cystic fibrosis (i) in general and (ii) who are receiving treatments such as Kaftrio.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that everyone living in Scotland with Cystic Fibrosis is able to access the best possible care and support for their mental health.

As Cystic Fibrosis is a complex condition that affects individuals in different ways, people of all ages will have access to Specialist Cystic Fibrosis Centres and be cared for by a team of doctors, nurses and allied health professionals with specialised knowledge. Cystic Fibrosis Centres in Scotland include a Clinical Psychologist as part of the multidisciplinary team who can provide mental health support to the patient and their family.

Further emotional support can be accessed via the Cystic Fibrosis Trust and a resource detailing support for people on the impact of Kaftrio is available online via their website.

Question reference: S6W-06320

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 28 February 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what action it can take to ensure that children aged 12 to 15 who have not currently received their second dose of a COIVD-19 vaccine will be able to travel to European countries with their families during the February mid-term holidays, in light of some countries requiring this age group to be double vaccinated.

NHS Scotland is offering 2 doses of the coronavirus vaccine to all children and young people aged 12 to 17 years. The second dose will be offered from 12 weeks after the first dose. Children and young people aged 12 to 15 years have been sent second dose invitation letters. They can also attend drop-in clinics. More information on vaccinating children and young people is available at https://www.nhsinform.scot/covid-19-vaccine/the-vaccines/vaccinating-children-and-young-people-aged-12-to-17-years/

We cannot provide advice on the rules for other countries. Before travelling you should check the up to date entry requirements for the destination country.

Question reference: S6W-06271

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 04 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 23 February 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what support is in place to address the impact of various public health restrictions on the outbound travel industry in Scotland.

The Scottish Government is aware of the impact the necessary public health restrictions have had on businesses, including the outbound travel industry. Since the start of the pandemic, businesses have benefitted from more than £4.4bn in support from the Scottish Government. Eligible travel agents benefited from sectoral grants of up to £25,000 per premises in addition to other support including Strategic Framework Business Fund grants, Restart Grants, Non-Domestic Rates relief and furlough payments for staff.

We recently announced £3.5m for outbound travel agents as part of our support for businesses impacted by the measures introduced to control the spread of Omicron. Details of the eligibility, and how and when to apply will be published on the Scottish Government website and on the Find Business Support website as soon as they are available.

Question reference: S6W-06270

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 04 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 22 February 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how it is planning to build on its leadership role in the Under2 Coalition and progress the Glasgow Food and Climate Declaration in the run-up to COP27 in Egypt.

Scotland will continue to play a leading role in the Under2 Coalition and we will use our position as co-chair to drive climate ambition and delivery from all non-party governments, states and regions towards net zero, which prioritises a just transition and a resilient future.

This includes playing a leadership role within the Coalition to increase support for the Glasgow Food and Climate Declaration, which Scotland was the first government to commit to. We are also progressing its aim within Scotland ahead of COP27 through:

the Good Food Nation Bill introduced to Parliament in October 2021,
further development of our local food strategy following public consultation in late 2021, and
working with the Scotland Food and Drink Partnership to support progress towards the Scottish Food and Drink Sectors Industry Net Zero Commitment launched at COP26.

Question reference: S6W-05474

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 10 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 21 February 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what work is being undertaken by NHS Scotland to examine any variations in the effectiveness of medical devices such as oximeters on patients from different ethnic groups.

Question reference: S6W-06312

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 21 February 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-05473 by Humza Yousaf on 24 January 2022, what the key findings were, as they apply to Scotland, of the Department of Health and Social Care-led rapid review on pulse oximeters; what the outcomes were of the roundtable that NHS Scotland participated in, and which recommendations have been, or will be, taken forward in Scotland.

Scottish Government officials met with officials from the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) on the 10 February 2022 to discuss the outcome of the roundtable meeting with experts in the clinical field, including from NHS Scotland, held on 19 January 2022 on the use of pulse oximeters.

The outcome is that after considering current available evidence, it is agreed that pulse oximetry continues to be a vital diagnostic device to support remote monitoring of oxygen saturations in the blood and is a useful part of an assessment and monitoring protocol in patients of all skin tones.

The scientific and clinical expert advice is that any loss of confidence in oximeters, leading to a reduced use of devices poses a significant health risk of subsequent harm from undetected deterioration in vulnerable ethnic groups and therefore the continued use of pulse oximeters should continue to be strongly endorsed to patients and clinicians.

Although it was noted that to date there has been no report of patient harm linked to measurement inaccuracies in the UK, it is recognised that further research is required and this is being conducted through an ongoing National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) commission on the diagnostic accuracy of pulse oximeters and how this varies with darker pigmentation and skin tones.

In Scotland, Technology Enabled Care (TEC) Scotland has adopted a conservative approach to the interpretation of pulse oximeter readings to take into account potential discrepancies when used on people with darker pigmentation and skin tones. The NHS Scotland COVID-19 Remote Monitoring Pathway, developed by clinicians and underpinned by digital support, continues to provides additional clinical guidance in the use of pulse oximeters in Scotland.

The Scottish Government will continue to work with the DHSC to ensure that medical devices are safe and effective for all and consider any recommendations coming out of this work that are relevant to the NHS in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-06272

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 04 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 21 February 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to support businesses in the outbound travel industry in rebuilding their customer base in the coming year.

The Scottish Government recognises the severe impact the necessary measures to protect public health during this pandemic has had on businesses, particularly those in the travel sector.

The easing of some international travel restrictions has renewed confidence in international travel and we continue to work with the industry on what further steps the Government can take to further support the recovery of the sector.

On 10 February 2022, the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Economy announced £3.5 million for outbound travel agents as part of a package of further support for businesses impacted by the measures introduced to control the spread of Omicron.

Question reference: S6W-06411

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S6O-00740

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 February 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 10 February 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had regarding how its international development programme can help to support less developed countries that are at the forefront of climate damage.