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-16944

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 28 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what the timetable is for the national rollout of intelligent Liver Function Tests (iLFT), through the national Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS).

A consortium of 12 NHS Health Boards has procured a Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) for Scotland which is described as National LIMS.

NHS Fife will be the first Board to make use of the intelligent Liver Function Tests (iLFT) with the roll out of National LIMS in 2023. Roll out will then follow across the rest of the consortium over the next few years.

Whilst national LIMS implementation in Scotland is in its early stages, some NHS Boards already utilise iLFT and have this capability within their current LIMS.

Those Boards that are not part of the consortium can also procure the product should they wish to do so.

Question reference: S6W-16943

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 28 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that the forthcoming 10-year cancer strategy improves outcomes for people with (a) liver cancer and (b) other less survivable cancers.

Our ambitious 10-year cancer strategy is nearing completion, with publication planned this Spring. The strategy will be under-pinned by action plans which will evolve with the changing cancer landscape. The strategy will take a comprehensive approach to improving patient pathways from prevention and diagnosis through to treatment and post-treatment care.

It will encompass a new earlier cancer diagnosis vision for Scotland and will continue to focus on those cancer types that are the largest burden and have poorer survival, in particular the less survivable cancers, including liver cancer.

Question reference: S6W-17196

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 28 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to tackle marine litter.

The Scottish Government is tackling marine litter with actions detailed in our Marine Litter Strategy, which aims to address the amount of litter entering the marine environment, to achieve ecological, economic and social benefits. Our Strategy and action plan was refreshed in September 2022 and focuses on the most problematic types of marine litter including fishing and aquaculture gear, sewage-related debris, and plastic pellets. The Strategy will drive forward our work over the next five years and co-ordinate the efforts of our stakeholders and partners, working at a national and international level to help tackle this global problem.

The many actions include: improving the management of end of life fishing and aquaculture gear to reduce litter and improve recycling rates, contributing to our circular economy; working across the UK administrations to put an end to pollution caused by wet wipes containing plastic; and developing international solutions to prevent spills of plastic pellets (nurdles), which can be found on our beaches and risk the health of our marine wildlife. In addition to preventative actions, we are also supporting litter removal, whether off shore through the funding of KIMO’s Fishing for Litter scheme, or at our rivers, with Keep Scotland Beautiful’s Upstream Battle project.

Question reference: S6W-17195

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 28 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how much has been spent on tackling litter sinks at Loch Long in each of the last 10 years, and how much will be spent in 2023-24.

The bay at Arrochar was chosen as the location of a marine litter case study in Loch Long in 2017. Since then, a total of £183,827.78 has been spent on litter removal at the site. This includes the cost of heavy machinery contracting, haulage, and the disposal of the mixed debris. Costs have varied annually according the amount of material washed ashore requiring removal.

Date	Amount spent (£)
May 2018	£29,720.35
May 2019	£36,787.69
March 2020	£37,686.83
March 2021	£25,310.11
March 2022	£54,322.80

Funding of these clean-ups has been provided when available. There is currently no funding allocated for the same operation in the financial year of 2023-24. This work is eligible for funding through Marine Fund Scotland https://www.gov.scot/policies/marine-and-fisheries-grants/

Question reference: S6W-17197

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 28 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the pilot work to tackle litter sinks at the head of Loch Long at Arrochar.

Since the inception of work to better understand the Arrochar litter sink in 2017, we have determined that approximately half of the litter has originated from the River Clyde catchment, and half from the open sea. We are using this knowledge to focus efforts on tackling the source of the litter over which we can have most influence, that from the River Clyde.

As such, the recently updated Marine Litter Strategy for Scotland includes actions on riverine litter, to prevent it and to support its removal. Our key delivery partner Keep Scotland Beautiful and their Upstream Battle project enables communities, businesses, and schools on the River Clyde to develop local solutions to reduce littering, and also support its clean-up. This initiative also supports citizen science and the outputs will inform further riverine litter policy, aiming to reduce and intercept litter before it reaches our seas. In addition, we are also engaging with Glasgow City Council to consider more options to increase litter removal from the River Clyde.

Question reference: S6W-17213

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 28 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether Marine Scotland funding for marine litter removal from the beach at the top of Loch Long, following storms, is still in place.

Question reference: S6W-17330

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 28 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether any upgrades to the Community Health Index (CHI) system are planned.

Question reference: S6W-17327

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 28 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has met its national targets to tackle long waits for planned care, as set out in July 2022.

Despite ongoing significant pressures, we continue to see progress in reducing long waits following the introduction of targets in July 2022. The latest Public Health Scotland data shows:

The total number of patients waiting than more two years for a new outpatient appointment was reduced by 60 per cent in six months;
18 of 30 inpatient / day-case specialities have fewer than ten patients waiting more than two years
61 per cent of new outpatient specialties have fewer than 10 patients waiting over 78 weeks.

We have also progressed significant immediate and long term solutions to support Boards to clear their remaining long waits. In addition to the targets introduced last year, the Centre for Sustainable Delivery is supporting Boards to maximise their capacity and increase theatre efficiencies, including through Active Clinical Referral Treatment and Patient Initiated Review.

Four National Treatment Centres will also open this year, providing significant additional capacity for orthopaedics, ophthalmic and diagnostic treatment. This includes NTC-Fife and NTC-Highland, which opened in March and April respectively, and NTC-Forth Valley and the second phase of the NHS Golden Jubilee which will open later in the year.

Question reference: S6O-02173

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 April 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 3 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what financial assessment has been made of any impact on the capital budget of delays in delivering infrastructure projects.

Question reference: S6F-02053

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 24 April 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 April 2023

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government is doing to ensure that published NHS waiting times for treatment are accurate.