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-03613

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 08 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 8 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how much of the funding announced by the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care in his statement to the Parliament on 5 October 2021, Health and Social Care (Winter Planning), is recurring.

As set out in the announcement, the £300 million is both additional and recurring investment, demonstrating Scottish Government’s commitment to enabling longer term planning, particularly on workforce, to ensure a well-supported and resilient health and social care system.

Further detail on planned expenditure will be determined and set out in the forthcoming 2022-23 Scottish Budget. The 2022-23 Scottish Budget will be published on 9 December.

Question reference: S6W-03618

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 08 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 8 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it decided to develop a separate Covid Status App, and whether the NHS Scotland app has any additional functionality compared with the England and Wales version of the app.

I recognise that there are now a number of apps supporting the Covid response in Scotland, however none of the pre-existing apps (e.g. Protect Scotland) offered the ability to provide secure, authenticated access to an individual’s health record. For this reason, a separate app was required.

Officials also explored whether it was possible to extend the use of the existing NHS App from England – where people in England can access their Covid Status – into Scotland. However, the NHS App was originally designed for a very different purpose, it is linked to GP practices in England and requires use of the separate NHS Login which only exists in England and Wales. In discussion with NHS Digital it became clear it was not a feasible option. This is because the timescales involved in joining the NHS App, coupled with the fact Scotland holds its vaccination data in a different way to England and would mean we would lose control over our own scheme.

People in Wales cannot use the NHS App either, they are currently limited to the shared England/Wales online portal accessible with an NHS Login.

Whilst the certificates that are in use in Scotland have been designed to the same international standards as the rest of the UK, and our paper certificates all follow the same template in the UK to ensure consistency, it is appropriate that we design a scheme that is right for Scotland, works in our context, and offers us the flexibility to adapt to our changing circumstances.

Question reference: S6W-03614

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 08 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 8 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to the funding announced by the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care in his statement to the Parliament on 5 October 2021, Health and Social Care (Winter Planning), whether it includes new funding, and, if so, how much, and what its source is.

Question reference: S6W-03611

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 08 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 8 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how many acute beds are currently available in the NHS, broken down by NHS board.

Question reference: S6W-03809

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 18 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 8 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports of a breakdown in trust between chronic pain patients and its Clinical Priorities Unit, whether it will transfer responsibility for chronic pain policy from the unit to another part of the civil service.

Question reference: S6W-03780

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 15 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 8 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to join the National Metastatic Breast Cancer Audit.

There are no plans to undertake an immediate metastatic breast cancer audit. Our focus currently remains on maximizing available clinical capacity to see patients. Our £114.5m National Cancer Plan has a range of measures aimed at benefitting all cancer patients, including implementation of a single point of contact resource that will support patients throughout their pathway, and after discharge, including those with secondary breast cancer. We are however giving further clinical consideration to possible audit work in this area while recognising the ongoing severe pressures in our NHS.

Question reference: S6W-03890

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 2 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has in place to respond to any potential rise in COVID-19 cases.

We continue to monitor closely and assess this next phase of the pandemic. The current package of statutory measures is considered an appropriate public health response to the incidence or spread of infection in Scotland in line with our strategic intent to suppress the virus to a level consistent with alleviating its harms while we recover and rebuild for a better future. We have acted to give as much clarity and consistency as possible to individuals, businesses, and sectors within society, and we will continue to do so. The fact that COVID-19 continues to be a threat – to individual health and to the capacity of our health system – is the reason why our existing mitigations remain in place.

However, we are keeping these measures under review, with regular reviews scheduled every three weeks. As part of this process, we will consider whether any existing mitigations need to be strengthened in light of what the data is telling us.

Cabinet Secretaries and officials have renewed efforts to engage with sectoral stakeholders to re-invigorate stronger messaging on the need to comply with existing baseline measures. This means taking all possible proactive steps to promote and reinforce baseline measures, the promotion of advisory precautionary measures and sector specific good practice in all sectors.

Question reference: S6W-03779

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 15 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 2 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is making the necessary progress to meet its commitment to establish a miscarriage service tailored to the needs of women by the end of 2023.

As set out in the Programme for Government 2021 - 22, published on 7 September 2021, the Scottish Government is committed to establishing a dignified and compassionate miscarriage service by the end of 2023.

Work is underway to progress this commitment, which aims to support the development of individualised care plans after a woman’s first miscarriage, take forward specific recommendations made in the Lancet series on miscarriage published on 26 April 2021 and ensure women’s services in Health Boards have dedicated facilities for women who are experiencing unexpected pregnancy complications.

Question reference: S6F-00410

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 01 November 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 4 November 2021

To ask the First Minister what immediate steps the Scottish Government is taking to address the reported continuing inequalities in cancer mortality rates across Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-03883

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 1 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Government in relation to the reintroduction of previously relaxed COVID-19 restrictions in light of the increasing number of cases.

We are committed to meaningful engagement with UK Government and with the devolved governments. The Scottish Government has frequent and ongoing engagement across the Four Nations. The First Minister has been taking part on a weekly basis in four nations ministerial calls – until the UK government cabinet reshuffle last month these were chaired by the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (as Minister for the Cabinet Office) and they were also attended by first ministers from the other devolved governments. We are now re-configuring these calls with Mr Gove in his new role as Minister for Intergovernmental Relations. The Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care also takes part in weekly meetings with counterparts from the UK Government and other devolved governments. We are working extensively with the UK and Welsh Governments and Northern Ireland Executive and seeking to make decisions on a ‘Four Nations’ basis where possible and appropriate. However, it is wholly right and appropriate that we respond to the virus in a way that is right for Scotland, that works in our context and offers us the flexibility to adapt to our changing circumstances. Similarly, UK Government is entitled to make their own decisions on measures that they introduce in England, but it is important to remember that these decisions apply in England only. This includes on Plan A and Plan B.