- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 03 November 2025
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 4 November 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take, in light of reports that some people are waiting 10 hours for an ambulance.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 4 November 2025
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 23 October 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom Arthur on 31 October 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the reported reduction in the Mental Health Services budget line in the 2025-26 Autumn Budget Revision to £133.9 million, to include a £120 million internal transfer to local government for the Mental Health Transition and Recovery Plan, whether the subsequent £16 million shortfall from the original £270 million allocation constitutes a reduction to the mental health budget and, if so, (a) what its reasoning is for this and (b) which programmes, services or projects will be affected, and how this will aligns with the ambitions of the Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy.
Answer
The 2025-26 direct mental health programme budget remains as originally published at £270.5 million. There is no reduction to that budget. In keeping with normal practice, some of this budget is transferred to other portfolios for mental health projects and, for example, to NHS Boards to support improvement activity and local mental health provision. However, the reference to a £120 million internal transfer to Local Government is a transfer from another budget which supports a wide range of social care activity and bears no relation to the mental health services direct programme budget.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 29 September 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 21 October 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is regarding the Thrombectomy Advisory Group's update paper to the National Planning Board in August 2019, stating that “five essential components must all be provided for any given catchment population to receive a full thrombectomy service".
Answer
We would expect the components outlined in the paper to be included in the on-going planning work to align the governance and delivery of thrombectomy with similar national programmes. NHS National Services Scotland have been commissioned by Scottish Government to lead on the development of a national thrombectomy service and have undertaken considerable work to establish the current position of thrombectomy services. A task and finish group has been established, and this will help drive forward an assessment of updated capacity and analysis of clinical, operational, financial and workforce challenges.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 22 September 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 1 October 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has a plan to monitor the number of patients who receive thrombectomy, and, if so, whether this data will be published.
Answer
The Scottish Stroke Improvement Programme report provides information on thrombectomy procedure numbers, and the latest report can be found at: Scottish stroke improvement programme annual report 2025 - Scottish stroke improvement programme - Publications - Public Health Scotland.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 22 September 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 1 October 2025
To ask the Scottish Government which NHS boards are providing thrombectomy to eligible stroke patients through one of the thrombectomy hub centres.
Answer
All NHS Boards, apart from NHS Orkney and NHS Shetland, have the ability to refer patients for thrombectomy procedures at hub hospitals.
Scottish Government officials and NHS planners have been asked to work at pace on developing a plan for the next steps for thrombectomy service expansion.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 22 September 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 1 October 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to investigate any disparity between NHS boards in thrombolysis rates.
Answer
The Scottish Stroke Improvement Programme plays an important role in driving forward improvements in Stroke care, including thrombolysis, throughout Scotland. Regular reviews are held with the stroke services in every NHS Board, and improvements in thrombolysis and reasons for variations in performance are discussed at these meetings. We continue to expect Health Boards to work to improve their standards of care locally.
A dedicated thrombolysis improvement event has been arranged for 8 October. This will allow medical and nursing representatives from all NHS Boards to share good practice, assess reasons for disparities in thrombolysis performance and agree approaches to clinical improvement.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 22 September 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 1 October 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what estimate it has made of the economic impact of migraine on Scotland’s economy and workforce productivity.
Answer
The Scottish Government has made no specific estimate of the economic impact of migraine on Scotland’s economy and workforce productivity, however information regarding the impact of migraine on workplaces and the economy has been published by organisations such as the Migraine Trust.
We are working to support people with health conditions, such as migraine, to play an active role within the economy. We are investing up to £90 million in 2025-26 for the delivery of devolved employability services, providing intensive and personalised pre-employment and in-work support for unemployed people with barriers to progressing within work, including disabled people and with those with health conditions.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 19 September 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Kaukab Stewart on 30 September 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the evidence set out in the Close the Gap briefing, From data to action, what plans it has to strengthen the Scottish-specific duties of the public sector equality duty by introducing mandatory gender pay gap action plans for listed public bodies.
Answer
The Scottish Government is committed to advancing equality and tackling the structural barriers that contribute to the gender pay gap. We recognise the concerns raised in Close the Gap’s From Data to Action briefing, particularly the need to improve the effectiveness of the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) to ensure meaningful action on gender pay gaps in Scotland.
We remain committed to taking a phased approach to improving the effectiveness of the PSED in Scotland. This includes consideration of regulatory changes to strengthen pay gap reporting. We are considering the points raised in this briefing carefully, alongside a range of other pieces of evidence on the operation of the Scottish Specific Duties, as we develop our PSED improvement proposals for the 2025-29 cycle. A report on these proposals is due to be published in December 2025, in line with Scottish Ministers’ statutory duty under Regulation 12 of the Scottish Specific Duties.
In the meantime, my officials are meeting regularly with Close the Gap to discuss their briefing and other related issues.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 19 September 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Kaukab Stewart on 30 September 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports of many unresolved equal pay cases in the Scottish public sector, what plans it has to reform the equal pay statement duty, to require public bodies to evidence what steps they are taking to ensure equal pay for equal work.
Answer
The Scottish Government is aware of the ongoing concerns regarding unresolved equal pay cases within the Scottish public sector. We recognise that transparency and accountability are essential to ensuring equal pay for equal work for everyone across all public bodies in Scotland.
As part of our phased approach to improving the effectiveness of the Public Sector Equality Duty in Scotland (PSED), we continue to review the operation of the Scottish Specific Duties. This includes considering reforms to the equal pay statement duty, where necessary and proportionate, and seeking to ensure that regulations are used to reinforce each other for maximum effect in enabling better performance of the general duty.
In line with Scottish Ministers’ statutory duty under Regulation 12 of the Scottish Specific Duties, the Scottish Government will publish our new proposals to enable better performance of the PSED in Scotland for 2025-29 in December 2025. These proposals and the accompanying report will set out our considerations and next steps to improve the effectiveness of PSED in Scotland. We are carefully considering a wide range of evidence including the effectiveness of equal pay regulations as we develop these proposals.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 19 September 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Kaukab Stewart on 30 September 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any impact on women working in the Scottish public sector whose employers will not be covered by the UK Government’s commitment to introduce mandatory gender pay gap action plans, in light of reported concerns that they may be left behind if equivalent measures are not introduced.
Answer
While inter-governmental discussions are ongoing, and while we are developing PSED-related improvement proposals, we have not yet made an assessment of the likely impact on women of the UK Government’s commitment but we are making stringent efforts to resolve this matter and to consider how action planning could be used in a Scottish context.
As Minister for Equalities, I am still awaiting a confirmed meeting date with UK Government Ministers, following an offer via correspondence in May 2025, to discuss the Scottish Government’s concerns around provisions in the UK Government’s Employment Rights Bill and to seek a resolution in line with current timelines for the Bill’s passage. These concerns relate to powers to mandate for equality action plans and the naming of outsourcing providers for public bodies in Scotland. Currently these provisions will only come into force for public bodies in England, and so Scottish Ministers continue to seek assurances around receiving the equivalent powers to regulate as those proposed for UK Government Ministers.
Using the powers that we do have and as part of the Scottish Government’s phased approach to improving the effectiveness of the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) in Scotland, we continue to review the operation of the Scottish Specific Duties to support Scottish listed authorities to enable better performance of the general duty.
