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-29675

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 06 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 17 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to increase the availability of disease modifying therapies for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS).

The Scottish Government is committed to increasing the availability of medicines that patients in Scotland need.

In Scotland, the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) appraises the clinical and cost-effectiveness of newly licensed medicines, following receipt of a submission from the manufacturer. Since 2003, the SMC has accepted 17 medicines for use/ restricted use to treat Multiple Sclerosis (MS) within NHS Scotland.

Where the SMC accepts or accepts with restrictions, a medicine, or on an interim basis, then there is a clear expectation that NHS Boards will consider it and make it (or its equivalent) available. This is considered by each NHS Board Area and Drug and Therapeutics Committee.

NHS Boards are expected to reach a decision within 90 days of being informed of the SMC advice, which provides time to consider any issues associated with the implementation of the medicine, such as changes to the care pathway and staff training. Boards should publish their decision on their website within 14 days of the decision.

The SMC appraisal is undertaken independently of Scottish Ministers and is based on the clinical and cost-effectiveness of the medicine at a population level. Ultimately, the decision to prescribe any medicine is for the clinician in charge of an individual’s care.

We recognise that innovation remains crucial to finding a cure for MS, which is why we have funded £1.9 million to support a four-year research project led by NHS Lothian and Edinburgh University to develop a new approach to guide the treatment of MS and help people have better control of their condition.

The Precision-MS Study will introduce precise measurements of brain health to people with MS, with the ultimate aim of helping to ensure the right treatment at the right time, to the right person.

Question reference: S6W-29638

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 06 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 17 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-29198 by Gillian Martin on 5 September 2024, how many Scottish Water customers have waited longer than the average customer leak duration of 4.2 days for a leak repair, in each year since 2021.

As this is an operational matter for Scottish Water, and the Scottish Government does not hold the information, I have asked them to respond. Their reply is as follows:

Scottish Water is able to provide figures for 2022-23 onward, as a new system was introduced then which means that any figures before this would not be comparable, with some data representing reporting anomalies rather than leak repair times. Scottish Water has also advised that these figures do not necessarily relate to customers but are reports into their contact centre of visible leaks. Work to identify and repair some leaks can in some cases be complex in nature or require preparations such as traffic management, notice of roadworks, etc., and there can be cases where the timescales relate to administration of the record as opposed to the leak repair.

For 2022-23, 3280 (or 37.8%) burst repairs took over the 4.2 day average. For 2023-24, 2125 (23.9%) burst repairs took over the 4.2 day average.

Question reference: S6W-29602

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 17 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many victim surcharge orders were (a) paid on time, (b) paid late and (c) not paid at all by criminals in each year since 2021.

Question reference: S6W-29596

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 17 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many organisations in the Highlands and Islands region have been ordered to pay a victim surcharge for a (a) conditional discharge and (b) fine, in each year since 2021.

Question reference: S6W-29600

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 17 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how much has been raised from victim surcharges ordered from offenders aged under 18 at date of offence in the Highlands and Islands region in each year since June 2022.

Question reference: S6W-29597

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 17 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many offenders aged under 18 at date of offence in the Highlands and Islands region have been ordered to pay a victim surcharge for a (a) conditional discharge, (b) fine, including a Youth Rehabilitation Order or Referral Order, and (c) custodial sentence, in each year since 2021.

Question reference: S6W-29214

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 August 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angus Robertson on 17 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on any ongoing repair work at Eynhallow Church, and when it will reopen to the public.

Question reference: S6W-29411

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 02 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 17 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the number of mobile phone signal blackout spots for (a) 3G, (b) 4G and (c) 5G services on train routes in the Highlands and Islands region.

The Scottish Government does not collect or hold, nor has assessed data on current 3G, 4G and 5G mobile notspots or areas with coverage, alongside train routes in the Highlands and Islands region. Overall policy relating to telecommunications, including mobile communications, is reserved to the UK Government.

Ofcom produces an annual Connected Nations report including coverage and performance of mobile networks across Scotland and at local authority and constituency levels. This is accessible at https://www.ofcom.org.uk/research-and-data/multi-sector-research/infrastructure-research along with underlying datasets.

Question reference: S6W-29365

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 17 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to end the process of "salami-slicing" of energy infrastructure projects.

As part of the application process for energy infrastructure projects, the Scottish Government undertake a full and thorough consultation with stakeholders, including the relevant Local Planning Authorities, to ensure all aspects of the development are considered.

Where it is necessary to understand the environmental impact of an infrastructure project, a full Environment Impact Assessment is required to be undertaken which takes into account the cumulative impacts of the full development.

Question reference: S6W-29430

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 02 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 17 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of its Reading Schools programme on improving literacy rates among children.

The Scottish Government funds the Scottish Book Trust (SBT) to deliver the Reading Schools programme which represents an inclusive, whole school approach to embedding a reading culture within schools.

SBT commissions independent evaluations of the programme to examine the impact on pupils, learning professionals and schools. All evaluations are published on the Reading Schools website at: https://readingschools.scot/evaluation

The Scottish Government understands that the most recent report on the 2023-24 programme by Research Scotland will be published in the next few weeks and will be publicly available through the Reading Schools website as referenced above.